Running While Pregnant

Shirt - thrifted; Cardi - Esprit; Jeans - Gap; Belt - F21; Boots - Threadsence.

 I'm an avid runner.  And I do mean avid.  Before I had the Baby it wasn't uncommon for me to go for 10k runs up to five days a week.  It's just something I liked to do.  And when I got pregnant I pretty much continued doing that.  I listened to my body and the days that I felt too tired or not up to it, I cut runs short or skipped them altogether.  And I also did P90X during my pregnancy - everything except the twists, which all the experts agree is not good for you.  And the abs - 'cause once I have a big belly that just wasn't going to happen!  But I continued this exercise regime pretty much right up until I gave birth.  And then at six weeks post-partum, when I got the medical 'all-clear,' I resumed my running regimen gradually starting from 20 minutes and working my way back up.

What frustrated me were the looks of disapproval I got from some people.  The looks that said, "You're endangering your baby by over exercising."  I got those looks from a wide-spectrum of people, and I always dismissed them.  I told myself that my doctor and midwife didn't have a problem with it, and my body seemed to want to continue it so why shouldn't I? I'm pregnant, not sick.

Today I read this article about a woman who ran/walked a marathon and gave birth shortly after.  She has become infamous, drawing critics from far and wide. We all have different bodies and different capabilities, and where one woman can run a marathon pregnant, another can't, but as long as both women are healthy, what's the big whoop?  If you're healthy and capable and smart, why shouldn't you do it?  I think what's more dangerous is the pregnant woman who lays in bed for nine months and takes pregnancy as an excuse to not move and to eat everything in sight regardless of nutrition. But that's just me.

These days I still run on the treadmill, but I pretty much run all day everyday....after Baby and Drake the Dog.   What did you do during pregnancy?  How did your body feel? What would you change if you were to do it again?

The Last Daily Challenge:

Run.  Whether 10 minutes or 60, just try it. 

An Open Email

Remember my review of this?

You better, it's only been one day!  Well, I received a great email from the creator of these little gems. She didn't mind when I asked to share her words with all of you.  Here's what she had to say:

Dear Joanna,
 
I hope this finds you well.
Thank you for supporting mimiTENS with words and your hard-earned bucks.
I am happy that you like them and that your daughter tried with all  
her might to get them off...
This is the third year that mimiTENS are in stores and I do not tire  
of hearing stories from happy parents.
 
You mention that the price point is high.  I agree and it is my  
product!   mimiTENS are more expensive than most mittens but the  
reason is that they are manufactured in Canada.  Mine are the only  
mittens for kids that I know of that are.  There are lots of mittens  
for kids out there and some even claim to be "Designed in Canada, Made  
in China".  Mine are made in Scarborough.  Start to finish and it is  
super important to me to try and create work locally.  More than 80%  
of my costs are related to manufacturing.  My margins are slim but I  
am fine with that.
 
Also, I chose to use Recycled Thinsulate and and Oeko Tex certified  
bamboo fleece to line the mittens.  Again, the only one in kids-mitten- 
land that does.  I confirmed this with the makers of Thinsulate.
 
I hope to introduce some mittens that are at a lower price point  
without compromising my principles.  I have also asked that retailers  
lower the MSRP but many independent retailers want to make as much as  
possible.  They always make the biggest cut but small independents are  
the ones most likely to support a vanguard brand.  It is a delicate  
balance.
 
 
Thanks again for supporting mimiTENS.  I am a mom trying to make it in  
the big city too.  I really appreciate your time and energy.
 
Best,
Anna-Maria

I really appreciated hearing all the eco-conscious decisions made in their manufacturing, and the fact that they are made locally here in Toronto.  Thanks Anna-Maria for sharing the secrets behind mimiTENS!

HelloCotton Headliner

HelloCotton

Guess what?  I was featured on HelloCotton as the headline of the day in the Fashion section.  

Yay!   

*holds head up high*

The Bravery Of Women

Cardi - Smart Set; Dress - Trashy Diva; Tights - Hue; Shoes - Payless.

 It's a focus on Kenya, where the rich go to private hospitals with clean floors and the poor go to public hospitals with blood and cockroaches as the stomping ground, in this post on world birth.  According to the article, the country has made absolutely no progress in improving maternal and infant care.  Teenage pregnancy, unsafe abortions, and HIV plague women in this African country.  But what is the worst thing?  The conditions and statistics  mentioned in this article are considered an improvement over a few years ago. 

Every new country that is examined just makes me more and more thankful for the blessedly wonderful conditions I had surrounding my labour: a clean hospital, two midwives and a student, my husband, my mother, and my best friend there to comfort and support me.  I can't imagine going it alone, afraid to eat the food, or touch anything, and worrying about the possibility of contracting HIV during my labour.  I applaud the bravery of all these women.

p.s. I promised you guys something good when I hit 200 on GFC and I haven't forgotten.  We're almost there and I'll have a good surprise for you all!

Tomorrow's Daily Challenge:

Call your mama and thank her...for anything.

Tuesday In Review: Mini-Tens Baby Mitts

Mimi-Tens

I have this little problem.  My precious baby hates to wear mittens.  We put them on her and she flaps her arms like a little bird desperate to take flight until she has flapped them completely off.  I thought that the freezing cold would propel her to keep them on, but no.  I often end up chasing her around with a mitten in my hand - case in point.   But help has arrived! Recently on my way from the doctor's office I walked past a shop that had these delightful things in the window.  I popped in and nabbed them ASAP. The stretchy cuff goes over her arm.  In fact we put it on over her long sleeve shirt and it reaches almost up to her armpit.  The jacket then goes over everything and voila!  Gloves stay on!

No amount of arm flapping gets these puppies off.
Trust me, she's tried.
It's really funny to see her flap for five minutes straight.
Plus, they're lined with thinsulate so they're nice and cozy for the winter.

They are a little pricey for me - about $40 after taxes - but I bought them a size larger so theoretically she can use them for three winters.  And if we do that, they're just over $10 per winter.  I think that's a good deal.

Bold Blue And Radiant Red

Top - thrifted; Dress & Socks - Ruche (sold out, but available at Modcloth) ; Tights - Hue; Shoes - Clarks; Pinwheel pin - c/o Blue Eyed Owl.

I wanted to wear something fun and innocent today, and for some reason lately I'm reaching for bold blues, or radiant reds, so it was only natural that at some point I would combine the two.  I need to thank the two fabulous make-up artists, Jessica and Francesca, on the set of my recent film shoot *here and here* for showing my that I can indeed where bright red lipstick despite my thinner than desired lips.  Oh and by the way, I'm loving this neutral eye palette I recently got, it goes amazing with everything!  Today I wore Virgin, Sidecar, and Darkhorse.

This royal blue dress has become a beloved item in my closet, and whenever I wear it simply can not resist the urge to wear these gorgeous pins I received from Liz from the Blue Eyed Owl.  It's like they were made for each other.

p.s.  if you like this look, please go here and 'like' it for the world to see.  Thanks!

Tomorrow's Daily Challenge:

Look at yourself in the mirror, ignore all your "flaws," and list five features you really like about your physical appearance. 

*if you're willing to, I'd love to hear what they are in the comments*

Naked

I haven't bought make-up in over a year, not counting the odd lipgloss, and since I was running really low on my basics I decided to treat myself to this amazing neutral palette from Urban Decay.  I mostly wear neutrals and only occasionally add a dash of green, purple, or blue to the mix, so this set was ideal.  It has matte, and shimmer and ranges from super soft to daring bold colors.   This is definitely my perfect everyday kit. Done and done.

Random Sundays: Two Goodies

I just finished shooting a film so I'm going to go enjoy a glass of wine and relax. Tomorrow I'll be back with lots of fun posts and outfits. I'll leave you with these two darling shots of the family at the park. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

'60s Look

Me as "Dr. Martha MacTagger" on the set of Writer's Room.

Remember how I told you I'm on set for the next three days on a film?  Well, check out my acting blog for some fun behind-the-scenes shots.  The first day went really well.  We ran a little behind, but that's normal, and I had a blast working with the crew.  But I do have to give a big shout out to the make-up and hair department for making a great '60s look.  They'll be plenty more shots from the next few days as well.

To Bang Or Not To Bang

Top - H&M; Sweater - F21; Scarf - somewhere in Europe; Jeans - Guess; Shoes - Payless.

I flip flop back and forth as to whether I should keep my bangs or not. Granted, I'm very happy that this is my biggest concern right now.  So yesterday, I chop, chop, chopped them off! This is what I do, I grow them out and chop them off, always in the midst of indecision.

Do you guys have a things like that?

And speaking of bangs, I've decided that I'm not going to give Baby bangs.  My mama always did that whole bowl haircut thing, and though I know it was the easy choice and I totally understand that now that I'm a mama, I always hated the bangs.  Straight across and blunt cut.  Ugh!  Gives me shivers just thinking about those grade school pics right now.  So I'm going to try to persevere and resist the temptation to cut and give her bangs too.

First, she has to grow some hair though.  The little baldy has hair on the top and back, makin' an awesome mohawk, but she's seriously lacking some side coverage.

p.s.  I'm not crazy about this outfit, but my commitment to you guys is honesty, so in that vein I was obliged to show you what I wore. 

 *Are you as excited for True Stories and Quote Of Today to come back as I am?  Well, just a few more days until December.  I've got some goodies for you!*

A Great Tip For Mixing Prints

Shirt - AE; Sweater - F21; Jeans - Guess; Shoes - Payless.

How much do I love the fact that I'm wearing nerdy chic with ripped jeans?  A lot!  It's so much fun to mix styles and patterns together that "shouldn't" go together.  Like the fact that I'm wearing a checkered shirt with a poodle sweater.  I read a great tip today in December's Marie Claire about mixing prints: "Lay out the items that you plan to mix.  Now squint your eyes.  Each item should remain separate and distinct when examined in this way." Isn't that a great little tip?

I'm on set for the next three days, so I'm going to try to keep posting, but you'll forgive me if I'm a little lax about it until Monday, right?  I'll be sure to have lots of pictures for you to see over on my acting site.

Tomorrow's Daily Challenge:

Give someone you care about a great big hug!

Crafty And Shabby Apple Winner

Ruche has a wonderful holiday DIY guide, and recently I tried to do two of their 'crafts.'  I made the Pomegranate Kiss (minus the alcohol and added a bit of orange juice), and their holiday nails.  So fun!

I'd love to know what crafts and DIYs you're up to this holiday season.

The winner *by random draw* of the beautiful Shabby Apple necklace is:

Congratulations!

Tomorrow's Daily Challenge:

Find a situation to exercise patience where you wouldn't normally do so.

The Privilege Of Giving Thanks

Sweater - made by my Babcia; Infinity scarf/hood - Smart Set; Shorts - Ruche; Tights - H&M; Boots - Feet First.

Continuing with the Toronto Star's focus on childbirth around the world, today we talk about Afghanistan.  I was reading the article when this sentence struck me like baseball bat to the back of the heart, "In this benighted nation, a woman dies in childbirth every 29 minutes."  This country has the world's highest maternal mortality rate.

Then right on the heels of that came this: One out of every five children dies before its fifth birthday.  The maternal mortality rate is 10 times higher than the number of civilians killed in conflict annually."  This is just the cusp of the harsh and cruel reality that faces women there everyday.  During this week of Thanksgiving for our friends south of the border, I join them in giving thanks that I live in such a privileged place.

P.S.  the awesome shorts I'm wearing are on super sale right now!  And today is the last day to enter my Shabby Apple giveaway for a chance to win a beautiful necklace!

Tomorrow's Daily Challenge:

Whether in the U.S. or not, today give thanks for 10 things you have.

Couch Potatoes

Yesterday Baby had vaccinations at the doctor's office.  She took it like a trooper and was playing again not one minute after the shot.  But then in the middle of the night she cried, screamed, squirmed, and just plain carried on for almost three hours.  This morning there is one whiny, sucky, and tired baby in the house, and one tired and grumpy mama.  So we're spending the day on the couch.  In our PJs.  With her blankie.

Int he meantime, why not enter my Shabby Apple giveaway?  It closes tomorrow!

Tomorrow's Daily Challenge:

Listen to a song from your childhood, or watch a movie from the same.

Accentuate The Positive

Cardi - Aritzia; Top - F21; Jeans - Gap; Boots - Feet First.

Can I just say how much I love the fact that Baby always has to get my attention when taking outfits shots?  She either cries *which I'm not crazy about*  or she giggles and makes funny face *which I love a whole lot more*  My absolute favorite is when she shoves her nose up against the glass.   That gets me every time.  I crack up laughing and make just as many silly faces *as evidenced above*

I got together with some friends last night to play board games and have dessert.   It was so much fun.  I think that hanging out with friends and having a blast playing board games has to be one of my favorite activities.  It's so great to connect with people like that.  And I always feel so positive about things when it's all done *even though I didn't win*

Tomorrow's Daily Challenge:

Catch yourself thinking a negative thought today and consciously change it into a positive thought.  Repeat that thought to yourself at least three times.

Random Sundays: By The Light Of A Dying Sun

It's getting dark earlier and earlier now.  Our afternoon walk by the pond ends up being at sunset, instead of in the midday sun. Though the bright green and heat are gone, there's still something very magical about the place.  Especially in the light of the dying sun. 

To-Do Lists

Button-Up - F21; Tee - Lucky Seven; Jeans - Guess; Shoes - Payless.

Don't let these pictures fool you, it's starting to get really cold out here. I'm not a fan of that.  I've been busy working on the re-deisng of the site, and trying to organize one photoshoot, prepare a script for a film shoot, and get a contract all organized.  Needless to say I've been multi-tasking like nobody's business.  Thank goodness to-do lists, or I'd be totally lost. 

But I have to say that all this activity has been incredibly fun, and all the positivity has me so encouraged, excited and productive.  Now if only I could survive on two hours sleep.....

How do you keep track of everything you have to do?  I sometimes find myself losing my to-do list and then I'm totally lost.  What are some of your tricks?

Tomorrow's Daily Challenge:

Buy a loved one a gift. 

Just 'cause.