Random Sundays: Self-Employed Women

Geez, you’d think we were torturing her!
I’m home today with my babe while my husband is at work.  She’s gone down for a nap, and I’m getting to work.  That’s the life of a self-employed Mama.  That’s how it goes.  I’ve shared with you some of the ups and downs and things that have come up, but mostly I’ve tried to focus on fashion, thought provoking ideas, and the ridiculousness that is my life.  But if you want to hear more about what I as a self-employed woman go through, as well as hear from other such women, you need to check out Revolutionize Her.  It’s a site that is being launched tomorrow and I’m proud to be a part of it as a contributing writer.  This site is a collection of talented and motivated women who are all self-employed and who want to support and learn from other women just like them. 
So if you want to know more about my struggles and joys, about my failures and my successes, or if you’re a woman who is considering packing in the9-5 and wants to know what it’s like on the other side of corporate life may I suggest checking out this site?  
Tomorrow’s Daily Challenge:
Have no pop or juice today – only fresh squeezed allowed.

For the record, I failed the challenge yesterday.  I didn’t bake.  but I did take baby to the park where we played like mad.  Does that count?
No?
Poo.

Detoxing

Top & Skirt – hand me down; Belt – F21; Shoes – Lulus.com

Hello beautiful people!  How I’ve missed you.  I’m finally feeling much better and my energy is almost completely up.  So, I’ll be back to my regularily scheduled posting. I’m also part of am amazing project launching on Monday, but I’ll give you those details tomorrow. 

It’s bright and sunny outside and I can’t wait to get out there with Baby and play in the park.  I’ve started a full body detox so I am having a few rough days as the worst part of the detox is right at the beginning, and my skin is going wild with acne.  But I know at the end it’ll be so worth it when I’m healthier and more energetic, and my skin will be a whole lot better too.  Have you changed anything recently?  Notice any difference?

Tomorrow’s Daily Challenge:
Bake something nutritious and delicious!

Top Price For A Winter Coat?

I saw this in the paper as an encouragement to shop Canadian – to shop our local and native companies.  And I’d love to but frankly look at those prices!  The cheapest coat there is $450.  That’s more than I spent on my last two winter coats combined, and the only reason I spent even that much was because one coat was stolen and so I had to go get another one.   That’s the one beef I have about local and native businesses, as much as I’d love to support them the price tag is just way out of my reach. I know it’s because of fair wages, etc, etc.  But there has to be some way to keep the prices more in check.  I know some people can afford to spend that much, but I not only can’t, I also won’t.  To me it’s just too much to drop on one item.  But that’s me.

How much would you spend on a coat?  How much have you ever spent on a coat and would you change that?  I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions. 

Not A Sign Of Weakness

Shirt – thrifted; Jeans – Guess; Belt – AE; Shoes – Payless; Scarf – Smart Set.

Let’s be honest, as much as I try the real star of these shots is Drake the Dog.  He’s such a ham and camera hog, but I can hardly blame him because he is pretty darn cute.  And I’m so happy to be feeling better, I couldn’t wait to get out there and take some outfit shots for you guys.  I still have a husky voice that’s a cross between Kathleen Turner and a chronic smoker, but at least my energy is getting back up and I’m not dizzy anymore.  yay!

So on that note, let’s get back to the world birth series that the Saturday Star has going on.

This week the focus was on South Sudan – the most recent country since it’s only about 20 years old.  There the statistics are terrifying:
– Only 10 percent of women will see a qualified birth attendant.
– For every 100,000 live births, 2054 women die.  It’s the world’s highest maternal mortality rate.
– A woman in South Sudan has a 1/7 chance of dying in childbirth during her lifetime.
– The majority of women who die so so from treatable problems.

Again, it shocks me to hear about women giving birth under such extreme conditions.  What’s worse is that some women don’t go to the hospital given the choice because it’s considered a sign of weakness.  I know people say that women have been doing it for thousands of years, but before modern health care women also died by the thousands for thousands of years.  I don’t think it’s a sign of weakness to want to live.  Women have it tough enough already, we don’t need to have some sense of bravado holding us back from seeking medical treatment.  Hearing things like that really does make me reflect about how lucky I am to have a medical centres all around, several hospitals within 50 kilometers, and two walk-in clinics less than ten minutes away from me.  Oh, and health coverage of course, let’s not forget that.

Tomorrow’s Daily Challenge:
Sit in total silence for 15 minutes and just reflect. 
I managed to not have coffee, but ooooh do I want some. 

Still Sick, But Here’s Salamanca

Hey guys, I’m still pretty sick over here, so no outfit shots for the time being. Unless you want to see my stellar PJs? In the meantime, here’s a few shots from Salamanca and Bilboa Spain.

The hallway in our hotel room in Bilboa was freaky; straight out of some horror or sci-fi film.
Tomorrow’s Daily Challenge: 
Go through your entire day without coffee or tea *green tea is allowed*

90210 And Kleenex

Today I’m still sick with a bad cold, so I’ve been spending my days in fleece pants curled up on the couch with a box of kleenex and 90210 on Netflix.  Yeah, I need trashy Tv when I’m sick. 

I did manage to drag my butt out for a rehearsal last night.  Check that out here.

Tuesday In Review: My Husband

I’m going to be honest here:  I’m very easily bribed and flattered into doing things.  Well, okay not really.  But for the right person, I come cheap.  Husband knows this.  So, he knew that for a foot massage and a glass of red wine, with some dark chocolate I would easily agree to do a review of his blog for you guys.

Really, he didn’t need to bribe me since I’m proud of him, but shhhhhh….don’t tell him that.

My husband is a singer/songwriter.   He has his day job as an audio technician and manager, but making his own music is really where his passion lies.  Since having a baby, he’s found it hard to find motivation and an outlet for his passion.  So he started a little blog project – Andrew Haughton.

Every month he writes a new song.  During the month you’ll get progress reports, and posts chronicling the process – the missteps, the roadblocks, and the distractions. At the end of the month, you’ll see the final product, or more specifically you’ll hear the final product.  So far he’s got a few songs up there, and they’re all free to listen to.  Plus, you can check out his past albums.

So if you have a few moments, might I suggest you check out this awesome guy?

Awkward, Awesome, And Sick

So…..the garbage men were watching me shoot these pics.  Awkward!

Jacket & Dress – Smart Set; Cardigan – H&M; Scarf – street stand; Tights – Hue; Shoes – Clarks.

This was my first shoot of the day, and it didn’t start off so great.  I had the garbage men staring, wondering why in the world someone would be taking pictures of themselves in front of their house.  But the second shoot of the day went a lot better I think.  Awesome! I’ll share those shots with you when I get them.  And I think I nailed my audition later on.

But then when I got home I started to really succumb to my cold, and now it’s totally full blown to the point where I spent most of the day on the couch watching 90210 on Netflix.  Sick! The pizza lunch was yummy though.  Hope you’re all doing a lot better than I am! 

p.s. I love make-up.  It makes me looks like I’m not at all sick.

p.p.s.  check me out guest posting over here today.  I’m sharing housecleaning tips, and general thoughts…crazy I know.  Who would have thought I had house cleaning tips?  Or thoughts for that matter?

Tomorrow’s Daily Challenge:
Do something nice for someone you love for.

Random Sundays: Babies Are Hilarious!

 They find the strangest things funny and exciting, like sitting under chairs and wearing Daddy’s big shoes.

Baby and I are sick right now.  So we’re resting. Just a bad cold, but it’s got us down.

You Up For Yurt Living?

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Occupy Toronto continues in style with Yurts.  I first heard about yurts from a colleague of mine who’s very aware of their eco-nature, and I’ve sort of become obsessed with them.  They’re so cool looking, and so functional as well.  They can be as big ans as small as you want, and you can totally winterize them as well.  Basically, you just build a platform and throw on up in a couple of days.  You do have to get a cook stove, and an eco-toilet.  I’m not quite sure how that functions, but I’m sure it’s not quite as decadent as we’re used to.  But there’s something so dreamy about them.
What do you think?  Would you live in one?  Would you cottage in one?

Tomorrow’s Daily Challenge:
Thank three people for something.

I failed the last challenge.  I’ve got a nasty cold and I get dizzy going from one room to the next, so no way can I do any crunches or push-ups.  Boo.
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