CASIE STEWART

THIS IS MY LIFE • BLOG EST. 2005
LIFE

Celebrating the Power & Promise of Women! #Whatifwomen

casiestewart, war child, whatifwomen

#WhatIfWomen is a fundraising event for War Child, an organization that helps children in war-affected communities get back their childhood by giving them access to education and opportunity.

On Monday I’m excited to celebrate The Power and Promise of Women with War Child Canada. You can get a ticket here. 

Growing up, my mum really instilled in me that I could do anything and be anyone I wanted when I got older. It wasn’t easy and there were struggles but nothing like growing up in a war-torn country like Sudan or Iraq.

For the past couple weeks, I’ve been working with the War Child team to join a group of incredibly inspiring women in this campaign. When they approached me about volunteering it was around the day when all the ‘Me too’ posts hit the internet and I nearly broke down talking about how important it is for women to support other women and girls.

THOUGHTS ON MY MIND…

What if women were given the same work opportunities as men? What if women had the courage to speak up without consequence? What if women had equal pay? What if women had equal access to education? What if women were given the chance to lead? What if women didn’t have to be scared of walking alone at night? 

What if women grew up knowing they can achieve anything they want? 

November 6, 2017 | Eglinton Grand | Toronto | 6 pm | #WhatIfWomen

You can still get a ticket to Monday’s event at Eglinton Grand featuring performances by Sarah McLachlan, Chantal Kreviazuk, and Ruth B. It’ll be a room full of strong voices coming together to show the world that compassion has no borders.

casiestewart, blog, blogger, toronto, canada, travel, tech

 

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Travel NO-NOVEMBER

Make It A November to Remember: #NaNoWriMo + My Next Travel Adventure

Make It A November to Remember: #NaNoWriMo + My Next Travel Adventure

The other day I scrolled an article on Vogue w/ Wes Anderson’s best interiors and discovered Hotel Chevalier. I’m obsessed now,  watched it 5+ times. It’s a 13min American-French short with Natalie Portman and Jason Schwartzman, set in Paris at Hotel Raphael. I have not been to Paris yet but I will go to this place one day.

The more I learned about the film the more I wanted to know. Wes Anderson is so creative with the minute details of everything and I love it so much. Have you seen Grand Budapest Hotel? In Hotel Chevalier, Natalie Portman was cast after W. Anderson get her email from Scott Rudin, the producer of Closer. [Another movie I totally love and it super weird.] This movie is only 13 minutes but is so beautifully written and styled, it inspires me. I love it. I love the colours, directing, script. It’s great. 

This month I’m heading on a week-long vacation (sponsored by ME!) back to New Orleans and staying at a beautiful villa w/ a few friends in the French Quarter. I was there for my first time in September for a speaking gig. Booked this trip months ago and would love Sean to come with me but I also love travelling alone. I love being in airports and on planes or writing in my hotel room. I’m really looking forward to warm weather and wandering the streets. There is also a Christmas store I only had a couple minutes in last time that I plan to spend a good chunk of time in.

Today is the start of National Novel Writing Month and I’m really giving it a go this year.  Have been writing a lot more lately. Planning for to write 500+ words a day for the month between novel/blog. I didn’t know about National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) until this week when I read Casey Palmer’s blog (aka Casey #2) but I am going to try that too. I’ve waited/worked my whole life (ok well the last 10 years of adult life) to have my job as my blog and I’m taking full advantage of every single day. In August I worked really hard to be mentally and physically fit, then September was super busy, and October flew by and I felt like I hardly did anything. November for me is No-spend-November, No-drink-November, Say No-November, I need to stay home. November is my writing month.

Sometimes I think ‘THIS IS MY LIFE‘ and I feel so glad I called my blog that 12 years ago. I never imagined this would actually be my life. Well, I dreamed about it being something like this but didn’t know it would actually happen. Thank you for following and reading and being part of it. 

Natalie Portman: Are you running away from me?
Jason Schwartzman: I thought I already did.

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LIFE HALLOWEEN

CREEP IT CUTE ?

Happy Halloween weirdos!

I wasn’t really feeling in the ‘spirits this morning but Sean asked what I was dressing up as so I started into a ‘little’ Halloween lewk. Well, about 45 minutes and huge coffee later, VOILA! This haunting creeper was born out of a desire to make a cute skellie with pink and sparkles. I love looking like this so much. I also really adore this wig (from Amazon) and will likley wear it more just for fun.

BTW, superzoom in Instagram is so much fun. See video below.  I tried it out finally. I’ve been a but quiet the last couple days dealing with some family things but I’m a-ok. I’m working on a HUGE adventure for December and I want to tell you about it so bad but it must wait.

Be safe out there and let your freak flag fly!

Not sure what my plan is for tonight after handing out candy but I’ll be creepin’ it real all day!

 

 

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Tech Prodigy Game

Casie & Emily’s Review of Prodigy Game on iPad

On a rainy day last week I was almost late to pick Embot up from daycare so we decided to go for burgers and test out Prodigy Game. Em spent hours playing over the next few days. In that time she created an avatar for herself, explored Prodigy Game’s world, enhanced her math skills and even described it as ‘really fun.’

Prodigy is a free math game with over 20 million students, teachers, and parents using it worldwide.  It combines gaming and education for students in grades 1-8, alleviates math anxiety and teaches valuable math skills aligned with the student’s curriculum at school.

Prodigy Game was also recently named by Canadian Business as one of the top 10 fastest-growing start-ups in Canada. Companies like this are educating our young people and also providing cool jobs for our tech sector!

I wasn’t very good at math in high school and did summer school or night school every year until I graduated. Safe to say I’ve always been on the highly creative side. It’s important to work on these skills as a kid so you’re equipped with the tools you need to excel in the future. Last year, our provincial government implemented a $60-million math strategy, but math scores in Ontario are still low with half of Grade 6 students not meeting the provincial standard. Prodigy Game addresses that major issue in our education system and helps students tackle – and beat – their math anxieties.

Emily doesn’t mind math but she reallllllly loves her iPad. Legit this kid could watch videos all day of people making slime or doing funny challenges on YouTube. I was so glad to see her using it to play an educational game, by choice. Parenting WIN.

Prodigy Game

Em was on Level 3 when 2 kids about her age passed by and saw her playing. The younger one said “She’s playing Prodigy” and her older brother said “I’m on level 77.”  Ok, this is good. He mentioned that his teacher uses Prodigy Game in their class. I wish there was tech like this when I was a kid! 

A cool feature of the game is the ability to create a parent account. You can check in on how your child is doing, where they excel and where they are having challenges.

Screenshot of Emily’s Progress

When I asked Em for feedback about what could make the game better she said “more math”.  To learn more about Prodigy Game visit the website and download it from the App Store here.

If you’re looking to work for a cool Canadian tech company, see open positions here. They have a lot of cool perks you’d expect to find at a tech company! 

This post is sponsored by Prodigy Game and I told Emily I would buy her a Lego or new toy in exchange for her honest review. ?

LIFE Morningside Park

Helping Communities Grow w/ the TD Common Ground Project

This post is sponsored by TD and the TD Common Ground Project

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, I took a drive to Morningside Park in Scarborough. This year as part of Canada 150, TD is revitalizing over 150  community green spaces across Canada. It’s so nice to adventure and stroll through a new park discovering things along the way.

I took some time to sit in the sun, watch the water, and admire the light shining through the trees in the middle of the forest. ????

When I was a kid in Cambridge, Ontario  I spent heaps of time at Riverside Park near our house. Playing there as a kid, volunteering for summer camp in high school, riding bikes, and watching friends play baseball when I was a bit older. To this day I always take a drive through the park when I go home to see how it changes and go for a walk if I have some. Sometimes I just sit in the car and listen to music with a friend like the good old days. So many memories. 

A park is such a big part of a neighbourhood and city. TD’s Common Ground project encourages Canadians to come together in green spaces across the country. The scale of projects varies and there are 7 flagship projects, the outdoor gathering space at Morningside Park is one of them. 

There are 82 projects in Ontario, with 7 in Toronto, find them all here. Next time I’m in KW I’ll be checking out Waterloo Park to see the new bridge connecting the two universities, provided through the TD Common Ground Project.

Step Into the Forest – 360 Photo of Morningside Park, Scarborough

I hope you’ll look up your local TD Common Ground revitalization project (here) and see what spaces are changing near you. For more information about the project find my first post about it earlier this year here.

 

 

 

This post is sponsored by TD and the TD Common Ground Project

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LIFE DISTRACTED

Hocus Focus, Put a Spell On me Please!

Hocus Focus, Put a Spell On me Please!

I really should not be blogging right now. I have a report to finish but I just can’t get my head in it today. Back in the day when I worked at a big agency I was the Director and had a team and would oversee the reporting but didn’t have to make the reports. It takes me so long, I hate doing it. It’s nice outside. I already went for a walk, got a snack, opened some packages. Looked up flights. Scrolled FB. Sent a few tweets. Talked to other people in the office. Looked for music. Got some ie water. Had a call. Omg, time is moving so fast and the deadline is getting closer. WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF. I do this every single time though. Urgh. We are our own worst enemies sometimes! I think I’ll have a cookie and a coffee. It’s really nice outside. I wish I was at the cottage. Help!

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LIFE IN THE KITCHEN

Healthy Eating FTW! My Food Prep Favs from Amazon

Healthy Eating FTW! My Food Prep Favs from Amazon

I love making things, cooking, baking. Have been eating a bit healthier after a few changes in the diet/exercise category back in January. I generally feel healthier, happier, and that my life is better since. I don’t really blog about food much because it’s a time I like to put my phone down. I find it relaxing. I usually put on music or a show and take my time creating things to eat.

I have, however, been using some badass kitchen appliances I’ve bought over the last year and they’ve helped with the food prep and healthy eating. I always read reviews before buying appliances, from places like All Great Appliances, because they can be pricey so I don’t want to make any rash decisions I might regret later down the line. They’ve helped me find some real treasures that made food prep so much easier.I love making a bunch of things on Sunday afternoon, I’ve even started planning them.

We’ve been at the cottage the last few days and the weather is amazing. I’ve got the windows open, music on, and I’m putting things in the oven and prepping food, while typing away on this week’s work.

When I look out the window the leaves are falling every few seconds and catching sunshine on the way down.

Instant Pot: Last year for Christmas I got Sean (well, us!)an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker and I use it so much. I love that little thing. It’s great for cooking a bunch of chicken breast, rice, stew, chilli. I even made up a risotto recipe. I’m planning to get more adventurous and try some new stuff this winter.

Spiralizer: I’m obsessed! I would love to get an electric one but I have read some bad reviews so I haven’t ordered one yet. If you have a reco, LMK! My favourite things to spiral are cucumber, carrot, or beets for salad, zucchini as pasta, carrot for spaghetti, or onion for everything.

You can spiral stuff at the start of the week and store it in a container or ziplock bag with a paper towel and it will keep for a few days.

Magic Bullet: I use this a lot for salad dressing or sauce for my zucchini noodles. It’s great for smoothies etc but that is obvs.

Garlic Crusher: I love this little OXO guy more than the one you can order without the rubber handle. It’s easier on the hands. I tried a small metal garlic rocker I saw on Buzzfeed but it didn’t work that great (this one $5.79).

Shop my favs below!

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Fashion SASSOON TORONTO

A Night of Style + Sassoon AW17 Salon Collection

I am so in love with all the looks below from the new collection at Sassoon. Every single time I go to the salon I take a peek at looks and cool haircuts from the past. I like working together because I feel like their style and my style are in the same lookbook.

In other news, I low-key stalked someone at the event last night because I love, love, loved her Sassoon cut. (I mean, I only have about 8 photos from the night of her hair. ??)

A Night Of Style night featured a hair presentation by Salon Creative Directors and the SS`18 Ready To Wear collection by Atelier Guarin. It was so nice to mingle and have snacks with the salon gang outside of my appointments. I did an interview with my Sassoon colourist Kim a little while back and she is so funny we laughed our heads off again at the event.

Here’s a sneak peek at the new MONDAINE collection for SS 2018. I love these looks so much. The cuts, colours, glasses, sass. You can see why Sassoon is a good match for me. I would rock every single one of these looks!

The bold, block colours and graphic shapes of this ideal echo the experimental silhouettes of Cristobal Balenciaga who utilised austere architectural shapes and bold colour combinations in his inimitable designs.

I had a cut on Tuesday by Jason Kwan and my colour done about two weeks ago. I absolutely love how they’ve been doing my hair. It feels healthy and I’m looking forward to growing it out a wee bit for the winter.  For Sassoon Salon info or location visit the website or give them a ring at  (416) 920-1333 book your appointment!

Have a great weekend. It’s going to be BEAUTIFUL!

 

 

 

Speaking NATIONAL SPEAKERS BUREAU

Speaking at Blue Mountain – Digital is the Direction

Speaking at Blue Mountain – Digital is the Direction

If you’re not constantly innovating, you’ll get left behind. Last week I spoke at a conference where I stressed the importance of a ‘digital first strategy when it comes to marketing and expanding your business. On the way to Blue Mountain, I stopped by a corn field to take a couple photos in the corn, a la Children of the Corn.

I like to spend some time by myself before I hit the stage so I grabbed lunch at the Italian restaurant in the village. Wore my fav new blazer from Zara. Yes, the same one I was wearing in the video last week.

We all know what happened to Blockbuster when they didn’t think ‘digital first’, they essentially died and were overtaken by online movie streaming services like Amazon & Netflix.

we’ll always have traditional media but if you want to connect directly with your audience in real time, social media is the future

 

 

LIFE

No Dress Rehearsal, This Is Our Life

I’m at the Drake Commissary to do some writing on a new project, biked here in the sunshine, feeling it warm on my face. As I was walking to the door I checked my phone and saw that Gord Downie has passed away. Sad, I was hoping a miracle would keep him alive,but we all knew it was coming. Listening to Tragically Hip over the summer has been a tradition as long as I can remember, driving up to Grand Bend or Wasaga Beach in the 90’s, summers in college, missing home while at Uni in Australia, and all the time at the cottage. Thank you Gord Downie and the Hip for so many memories and being the most Canadian, Canada loving band of all time. You will be missed. ?❤️

Years ago The Hip played Bridle Bash at my friend Lorne’s house for a few hundred people in the backyard. We were so close to the stage and everyone sang along and danced into the wee hours of the night.

Another summer a bunch of us went to see The Hip for Canada Day at Burls Creek. We had a whole gang at the cottage and it was so much fun. I remember dancing around in the field with Carly and everyone singing at the top of our lungs. Sean has no beard here.

Two summer’s ago Mark & Sean set up a huge screen on the dock and we watched the last Hip Concert on CBC from the lake. So many great memories over the years. I’ll think of the great times and celebrate his life whenever I listen to the Hip.

Sending sunshine in your general direction,

 

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