CASIE STEWART

Casie December 5, 2018 LIFE Toronto, ON

Say Yes to You

Over the past 2 years, I’ve been on a mission to be healthier, both mentally & physically. Ever since I took that solo trip to LA I’ve been paying more attention to my body and taking more time for myself. My next quest is to learn about gut health.

Did you know that your overall well-being, including your weight and immunity, may be tied to your gastrointestinal health?

In the summer I went to a workshop hosted by Koena, an over-the-counter probiotic supplement to promote gastrointestinal health. This was my first introduction to gut health and got me thinking about my family. Last month I went to another workshop focussing on food sensitivity, leaky gut, and overall gut health. I’m learning but there’s so much to know.

A key takeaway is you really are what you eat and your gut is connected to your brain which is connected to everything else.

What are Probiotics?

Probiotics are “friendly” bacteria that live in the gastrointestinal track and help maintain and protect gastrointestinal health.

This week I’m starting with Koena Probiotic Supplement for adults. Their products have no GMOs, are vegan, gluten free, preservative free, with no dyes or artificial flavours. The adult formula has a blend of probiotics and a prebiotic (fibers).

Koena’s also offers certain blends for women and children’s individual needs. Their products are crafted from natural medicinal ingredients to promote healthy gut flora.

Our intestines are populated by a large number of various bacterial strains: a well-balanced and rich intestinal flora, also called the microbiota, is able to protect us from many disorders. Its activity helps with everything from digesting food, to fighting infections and protecting the body from toxins.

If you have any tips for gut health (or remembering to take your vitamins) I’m all ears! I’ll be sharing an update in a few weeks on how I’m feeling and my recommendations on probiotics.

I started drinking kombucha this summer, I wonder how long till I start making it myself?!

In partnership with koena.This product may not be suitable for you. Always read and follow label instructions. TM: Trademark owned or used under license by Sandoz Canada Inc.

Great Reasons to Visit Stratford, Ontario

A couple weeks ago I went on an autumn adventure to Stratford, Ontario. Home of Justin Bieber and the Stratford Festival, the city has lots to offer and is just a 2hr drive from downtown Toronto. We have so many great plces to visit within a 2hr drive of Toronto and it was so nice to visit Stratford again. I hadn’t been since I was a kid! I spent the day with Stratford Tourism and learned it’s quite the quaint destination for culture, food, shopping, and of course theatre. I was happy to find a few cute boutiques with vintage finds, local brands, unique jewellery, and beautiful housewares. Luckily I drove so I had room to fit my purchases in the boot!

What to Do: Stratford Ontario

Here’s a few of the things I really loved about Stratford aside from catching a show. If theatre is your jam it’s definitely worth seeing one of the many nightly shows, we saw To Kill A Mockingbird which was great. (I did not know this story which is like whoaaa btw).

The Stratford Festival is world renowned and for $29 you can get a bus to and from the theatre from Downtown Toronto. Upcoming shows include Billy Elliot, Othello, The Neverending Story and more. See the full list here.

Shopping

La Osa Vintage – This store is amazing. It’s on a side street from Market Square and FULL of vintage and new items from Canadian designers. They also carry heaps of unique jewellery. I could have really lit some $$$ on ??? in there!
Wills & Prior – This spot in the heart of Market Square has heaps of beautiful items for your home. The owner used to live in TO and work in PR and she’s left the city for small-town life. I was kinda jealous hearing about her journey and the store is so beautiful you’ll want to move right in!
Distill Gallery – The spot for well-crafted Canadian design, this shop has over a hundred different artisans and they have heaps of great accessories and gifts, plus a great selection of creative cards. I picked up a pair of gorgeous silk socks by Strathcona.

Food

Revival House – This spot is an old church that’s been renovated and is run by a local couple. It’s a beautiful space for weddings and the huge windows let the light in to create a bright dining space. Upstairs is a bar called Belfry Lounge that offers incredible cocktails made with local ingredients. On Thursdays, they have a record night where people can bring their own records and the owner DJs. It caters to the 35+ crowd and honestly sounds like a total blast. Great spot.
Revel Coffee – This shop is a hub for fairtrade coffee and homemade pastry & sweets made in their open kitchen. It had a steady flow of locals and lots of tables if you want some creative time. We all sat at a large main table with recycled wood from the shop the used to occupy the space. They have a great patio for warm temperatures and are located right in Market Square.

Stratford For the Holidays

Christmas Trail -This is a shopping tour of 25 shops downtown Stratford. You’ll get six gifts along the tour for just $30(+HST). You’ll even be able to see lookout for seven swans a swimming! ? It runs until Dec. 20th, details here.

Outdoor Christmas Market – Their Very Victorian Christmas is at Market Square and has all kinds of cute things that will surely get you in the spirit and boost up your holidays IG content. ?? Ex. carousel rides, mini markets and Santa, of course.

For more info on Stratford check out visitstratford.ca. Huge thank you to the team at Stratford Tourism for taking us on an adventure. Great to explore part of Ontario I hadn’t seen in a while!

Stratford Tourism invited me and covered my expenses but the experience is all mine!

TELUS Friendly Future Foundation: Helping Youth & Communities Across Canada

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Across Canada, 1.5 million children go hungry without access to nutritious food every single day, 30K Canadians are homeless (mostly young people), and 40% of low-income families don’t have internet access putting kids at risk for falling behind in school. We can all do something to help and this year Telus launched the Friendly Future Foundation putting $120 million into addressing the social and economic challenges facing Canadian youth. I am proud to work with Telus and have been a #TeamTelus partner for the last 8 years.

The Foundation will give grants to grassroots charities in communities across Canada who really know their community and how to help. By partnering with smaller charities, they’re able to help out groups that might be missed by huge corporate donors and make a big impact in small communities. I think this is an amazing approach. I work with Brands For Canada, an organization that provides new clothing & basic needs supplies to people across Canada and this method of working with local charities has worked great for them.

The Friendly Future Foundation funding will help kids build up digital literacy skills, get basic healthcare and mental health support to the homeless, and open up other educational opportunities. Here’s an example of doing good in a community not too far from us, Telus donated $20K to the Women’s Shelter in Barrie.

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The $120 million TELUS has provided for the Friendly Future Foundation is the largest donation made by a publicly traded Canadian company in history and one of the largest ever in North America. Way to go team!

Over the past two decades, TELUS, team members and retirees have contributed more than $1 billion of value to Canadians, through $530 million in financial support and 1.21 million days of volunteerism. Last year alone they (we!) volunteered 1 million hours.

I’m continuously impressed by how Telus gives in communities where they live. I’ve had the opportunity to do some giving back of my own through volunteer programs and they have made over $21,000 in charity donations on my behalf. This year my donation went to Cambridge Montessori (where I went!) and last year my donation went to SKETCH, an art based program for kids in the GTA. I’m hoping to do more with Telus and local programs for 2019.

Have a project that could use some help? You can APPLY for funding here. The deadline for Toronto applications is January with different deadlines across Canada. So, if you want to make a difference, learn more about community grants here and get on it.

For more information about the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation visit friendlyfuture.com/en/foundation. And for some inspirational stories about people Telus has already helped, check these out.

This post is part of my long-term partnership with Telus sharing great stuff the brand is doing, my favourite things about being a customer, and tech gadgets I love (or want!).

Instant camera photos of children faces in heart-shaped pile

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Review: Dyson Cyclone V10 Cordless Vacuum

The vacuum is incredible. Best I’ve ever had. I love it. The end.

casiestewart, dyson, airblade, V10, blogger, influencer, toronto, sponsored — VROOOOOOM, this baby has some POWER.

Ok jk jk. I received an email about a month to review the new Dyson Cyclone V10 and was 100% down. In exchange for my review, I get to keep the unit and my house had never been cleaner! This thing has some SERIOUS power. It’s also easy to use right out the box (once charged!) and if you have kids around, a great motivator to clean.

Adulting is cool. Excited to bust this open and take ‘er for a spin! Thank you @Dyson! Will be sharing my thoughts on the bloggy. pic.twitter.com/YV3R69Eq7O
— CASIE STEWART ☀️ (@casiestewart) October 3, 2018

I love that it’s cord-free. You can just grab it and go for quick clean ups around the house, the couch, kitchen, stairs, baseboards. I’ve been using it almost daily as a small dust buster style like the photo above. This weekend we had my sister and her step-daughter over for movie night and DIY pizzas complete with chips and popcorn. I usually can be kinda crazy about not making a mess but I didn’t freak out, Dyson to the rescue! The V10 is a godsend for the area around the couch and kitchen. How do they always get so messy?! We have dark hardwood floors in the living room and I find the area around the kitchen stools needs to be cleaned daily, the V10 is especially great for this.

The dusting wand is amazing for corners by baseboards and other hard to reach areas like the ceiling vents. In other news, Emily has cleaned her room every weekend since we got it.

Image result for dyson v10 — All the parts that come with the Dyson V10

Size wise, is a bit bigger and heavier than the V6 which is likely due to the larger bin and additional battery power. Also, I kind of wish it had an on-off switch, you currently have to hold your finger on the trigger to use it but I do like that I’m always in control. The battery lasts up to an hour which is really handy. You can vacuum up almost anything other than dirt like, cereal, sugar, popcorn, paper scraps from crafting (as long as it’s dry). ? The V10 can hold more dust and debris with it’s 40% larger bin and has hygienic bin emptying making it super easy to empty without making a mess. I love this feature because that last thing you want is get stuff all over the floor AFTER after you just vacuumed.

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Learn more about this great little machine at dysoncanada.ca or order your very own on Amazon.

I previously had the Dyson V6 which was an incredible vacuum and after getting the V10 I gave it to a friend. I am a huge fan of Dyson products and also have the Dyson Pure Link Fan and use it daily (read that review here).

Dyson gave me the V10 vacuum but all the cleaning was done by me and this is my honest review!

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Money Mindfulness

Last week I went to a wellness workshop hosted by Capital One for Credit Education Week. This year’s theme is ‘Money Mindfulness’ and at the event, we meditated, did yoga, and learned that being mindful about our everyday expenses can help related stress and anxiety. Stress and anxiety are all too often experienced in this day and age so it’s no wonder people search for the best CBD oil in the UK and around the world to help them deal with it.

The event was held on the top floor of the Broadview Hotel and included a joga class by Jana Webb. We enjoyed a Smoothie Station and were sent home with a Mindfulness package. It was very relaxing!

The location was perfect for a gloomy day with huge skylights to brighten the space. It was nice to spend the morning with a bunch of the blog gang doing something other than being on our phones.

I don’t know about you but money stresses me out on a regular basis, waiting for cheques, people not paying on time, bills, taxes, rent/mortgage. Life is expensive and if you don’t have a handle on your finances, your other problems seem much bigger. Even if you have money, mo money, mo problems! To get a better handle on your personal finances, you may want to start reading articles that cover topics like banking, credit cards, and loans, etc. to help you equip yourself with the knowledge to become a money master! You might find sites like this useful – https://myinforms.com.

According to Capital One, 44% of Canadians say credit, debt, and finances negatively affect their mental health.

Capital One Canada organized a session on mindfulness with the Centre for Mindfulness Studies, where we slowly ate a strawberry, thinking about how it felt to the touch, tasted, and smelled. It was a different way to eat then the usually scarf-it-down-and-head-out-the-door mode. The session was hosted by The Centre for Mindfulness Studies and they offer classes & workshops on slowing down and living a more mindful life.

My favourite part second to yoga was meditation. I’ve been using meditation apps to help me sleep for about a year and I’m starting to use more in my daily life. I find taking a few minutes to clear my head really helps with focus and anxiety. We got to test out a Braincap experience used brain sensors to track our ability to focus by blocking out distraction.

I’ve spoken about dealing with my finances a few times over the years. In my 20s I worked really hard to pay back over $30K in post-secondary school debt and am always trying to build up my nest egg to save for an emergency. Paying back debt is hard and not being able to do certain things because you owe money is very frustrating. There are people available to help, such as HelloResolve, if you’re struggling with money management and repaying debts. I used to hide away from dealing with things that stressed me out (like money) but I’ve found that the best way to conquer the stress they give you is to deal with them head-on.

“Money is an emotional topic and is one of the biggest sources of stress in people’s lives, but it is rarely talked about. During Credit Education Week, we are aiming to help Canadians begin conversations around money, their relationship with it and how actively prioritizing and managing finances can alleviate stress,”
Patrick Ens, VP of Strategy and Brand, Capital One.

Credit Education Week runs November 13-16th across Canada. To learn, more about bringing mindfulness into your life and how it can help with money management, visit cewc.ca. You can check out the Money Mindfulness Oasis at Woodbine Mall in Etobicoke each day from 10am to 9pm. See all event details here!

This post is in partnership with Capital One Canada for Credit Education Week but all the thoughts an opinions are mine, all mine!

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Bring on the Holidays!

We’re barely one week into November and I am happy to say I’ve made holiday cookies, decorated a tree, wrapped a present, sang Christmas music, and made a DIY ornament. On November 1st, Home Hardware hosted a Holiday Market fit with all kinds of family-friendly Christmas activities and the photos are so cute.

casie stewart, holidays, christmas, home depot, — Grab a hammer, make it cute!

The holiday market was at Twist Gallery Queen West. I picked Em up from school and told her I was taking her somewhere fun, I didn’t realise they would have so many activities. ? We sat right down at the cookie decorating table after eating delicious mac & cheese and grilled cheese catered by Gusto. I could have sat there all night. We put a few decorations on the trees and wrapped presents, both will be donated to a variety of Toronto charities. I love wrapping presents and the holidays so much.

It was so nice to sit down and make things. Natalie Deane joined Em and I to make a frame decorations for the tree. I forgot to take a photo of mine, it was a reindeer (upside down gingerbread man) and I made a new hole to hang it. So fun though.

One crazy fact about this day is that I wore my glasses and I FORGOT MASCARA. I was pretty distracted when I left the house and I guess I didn’t really look in the mirror much that day because I didn’t notice until I got home. I am noting this in the blog diary because THAT NEVER HAPPENS. Mascara is the one thing I *hardly* ever leave the house without. Sometimes I wear it around the house when I’m not even going anywhere. Ok well, this section was longer than I planned it to be. My fav kind for the record is Loreal Voluminous, I’ve been using it for years.

I’m excited for the holidays and don’t even mind that snow is apparently coming this week. Thank you Home Depot for creating this night, we loved it. Sean joined us at the end for dinner and to check out tools. Home Depot is one of his fav stores and they have heaps of holidays decorations and gift ideas.

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Monday Motivation

You got this, girl. Monday is a new week. A new opportunity to make magic happen. Focus on what you need to get done and try not to get distracted. When you catch yourself scrolling mindlessly, STOP, and go back to that list. You will thank you later. Check things off when you’re done. Exercise when you can. It may be the morning one day or the night the next but it all counts. Smile. Forget about things that don’t matter and focus on people who do. Love yourself, you are amazing. Monday means the start of a new week and anything can happen. Make something happen.

You got this.

The photo is from Happy Place in Toronto, I went to the media preview last week. It’s in TO until January. Tickets here! (not sponsored lol)

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Smart Tech to Help You Through The Winter

We all know it’s coming, the dark and cold months of winter where all hibernate a little more and give thanks to the Netflix gods. I’ve been trying to stay on track with being productive when I’m at home and working out and am determined this winter to exercise just as much time as I spend binge-watching. Luckily, we live in a tech world that allows us to have all kinds of smart devices to help our minds and homes running smoothly through the dark seasons. A site like Wired Smart has some great info on practically every type of smart device that can be useful but today I decided to focus more on the tech that will help get you through winter. Scroll down for tech accessories I find help me through colder days.

Finess Tracker: FitBit

I have been using a Fitbit on and off for the past 5 years. I love the reminders to move every hour and getting those steps in each day. It’s a small thing that keeps me accountable to move. I also love seeing my heart rate, the interval tracking, and getting text messages on my wrist. The weekly reporting is a great way to motivate yourself to be more active. I’m currently using the FitBit Versa and Sean has the FitBit Iconic. I still use my FitBit Alta HR sometimes because it’s slimmer and looks more like a bracelet. Telus also has Apple Watch if that’s more your speed.

A Home Assistant: Alexa

I love her, I ask her things every day. Mostly ‘what’s the weather’ so I know how many layers to put on and what type of jacket to wear. I love the weekly email from Amazon telling me with ‘What’s New with Alexa?” and all the skills you can add to help her help you. I am particularly fond of CBC News and Entertainment Tonight. Check out her top & trending skill here and pick up an Amazon Eco that suits your needs and budget. The Echo Dot is a great entry level device at $54.99. I don’t have a Google Home but same kind of thing!

Smart Lights: Phillips Hue

Last winter I added Phillips Hue Smart Home Lights and I love them so much. Almost every night I set them to a certain mood before bed, they’re also timed for sleep and wakeup. I spend a lot of time working from home and during the day I can set the white to a bright daylight that makes me forget it might be gloomy outside. This may seem like a small thing but it really helps my mood when I’m feeling down. My favs are the Phillips Hue starter pack of 4 lights and the Hue Go portable LED. Sometimes I want to concentrate or be in a tropical paradise, a millennial pink world, or be reminded of a cottage sunset on the lake.

Wireless Speaker: UE Wonderboom

Get a good speaker so you can have dance parties, listen to your fav podcast or escape in an audiobook with great sound. These are lots of different available depending on your budget, see here.

I’ve been using the UE Wonderboom for the last couple months and it’s got great sound and is surprisingly loud for a little guy. It’s small enough to pack in your purse for outdoor hangs or in your suitcase for a getaway. It also has a 10hr battery, is waterproof, and you can pair more than one for surround sound. So, go ahead, play your fav music in a relaxing bath and pretend you’re on vacation at a sunny resort.

All my recos can be found online at telus.com or your local Telus store. They have heaps of other cool tech things for holiday and gifting your loved ones, or yourself ha! I’ll be sharing my holiday favs soon, how is it almost NOVEMBER!

The other non-tech thing I recommend for winter is to get outside. Even if it’s cold, bundle up and get some fresh air. A 15-minute walk is great to start your day or clear your head at any other time. I try to get out for a few minutes in the morning so I don’t fall into a work-from-home hibernation slump. It’s the little things that make all the difference!

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I am a #TeamTelus partner and this post was all my idea and these are my fav things. Stay warm out there. Love you.

Podcast: Altavie + The Business of Cannabis

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I was recently on a panel at House of VR hosted by AltaVie, a recreational cannabis brand by MedReleaf. It was broadcast live on The 4:19, a daily show by Jay Rosenthal & The Business of Cannabis. We had a great chat about how we use cannabis in our lives and how is changing the world and becoming accessible to those who need it, for example, from somewhere like this shop weed online. That was not all though. Cannabis is being transformed into other forms like oils which can be used for people with health problems and not to smoke, you can visit Yours Nutrition to get your hands on some CBD oil. I actually know quite a few people who use cannabis for both medicinal and recreational purposes so I was fascinated by this opportunity to explore cannabis in more detail. For example, a friend of mine has recently started to use the purple space cookies strain to manage her stress levels. I will definitely be telling her to check out this talk. Scroll down to listen and watch a few snippets on video.

Listen to ‘Cannabis Everyday on the 4:19

The panel starts around the 3-minute mark and is just over half an hour. Hit play below to listen and check out more episodes of the 4:19 here.

Ep. 27 “Cannabis Everyday” Panel – Live from the AltaVie Pop-Up

Image may contain: 3 people, people smiling, text

Joining me on the panel were Shannon O’Hearn, Manager, Clinic Affairs, MedReleaf, Ming Bérubé-Sam, Yoga instructor, cannabis patient. The panel looked at a series of meanings of “Cannabis Everyday” – from medical applications to incorporation into wellness regimes to adult-use recreational use.

Thank you AltaVie & MedReleaf for providing the space for us to have these conversations. I’m looking forward to more like this in the future as Canada becomes a world leader in legal cannabis. You can already see fantastic progress from weed online companies like West Coast Supply.

I recently became a medical cannabis patient, if you are interested or have any questions about the process, feel free to ask!

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Why Don’t You Have a Will Yet? Get One Today, Meet Willful. + Discount Code!

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Do you have a will? No, of course, you don’t! Who thinks about that while you’re out living your best life? Hate to remind you but along with taxes, we can’t avoid death. You should have a will and you can get one with Willful in 20 min for less than $100 today. If you’re in a situation where you’re looking to contest a will, you might want to seek out will contest lawyers to help with this matter.

This weekend my friends got hitched, Erin Bury married Kevin Oulds, the creator of Willful. I’ve knows this duo for 10 years and am not surprised that they had the most unique wedding guest gifts I’ve ever seen, they gave every one of their guest a will. Till Death Do Us Part, right?

Very impressed with @kevinoulds ability to hustle new business at his own wedding. Well played. Well hustled. pic.twitter.com/TqCzdISPPL
— Matthew Slutsky (@iSlutsky) October 21, 2018

Kevin created Willful after dealing with a difficult family situation, something none of us wants to deal with. To be honest, I’ve learned anything from TV or The Young & The Restless, it’s really important to have a will. Do you have any idea what will happen if you don’t? Read this. If you’re common law, your partner gets nothing, the government will get involved in your finances, your family could have to vacate your family home, it’s not pretty.

I saw first hand what can happen to families when certain aspects are unknown and what happens when there’s not a proper plan in place. I set out to make that experience easier to navigate and make it more affordable and accessible for people.
Kevin Oulds, Willful Founder & CEO

Their mission is to move estate planning from the back of your mind to the same spot as insurance, retirement, or financial planning. Stuff we might not want to think about and but get more intense the less attention you pay to them. Even if you don’t have a lot of stuff, you still have something, protect your future and the ones you love. Having estate planning at the front of your mind is very important and doing this can make sure everything is completed to your specifications with the way you want it done without the worry that you haven’t covered your bases. I made special notes for who gets my notebooks, tech, sunglasses, vintage clothes, and shoes. That stuff is important to me!

Over 56% of Canadian adults don’t have a will.

If you don’t have a will, don’t worry, you aren’t alone, 56% of Canadian adults don’t have them. Mum had me make one when I was 21 before moving to Australia, it was with a lawyer and I don’t have any idea what it says or how to access it. This year Kevin gave me a code to set up my own will on Willful and it was so easy. I was done in 20min and can access or change it anytime. Willful helps you create a fully legal will and gives you the ability to add anything you own that’s important including house/car, electronics, clothes, and pets.

What if something happened to you, what would happen to your stuff?

Willful is offering my friends & readers 15% off all plans. Their Essential plan is $99 at full price and gets you Last Will and Testament so you can take care of your estate, children, and final wishes with unlimited changes.

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Learn more about Willful here.

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