Monthly Archives: July 2012

30 yr old Teenagers and shirts that make you feel pretty!!!!

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Happy Tuesday everyone!!! I decided to start this blog out with what I wore yesterday. Although the weather called for sun, it took all day for it to finally appear. So I brightened up my dreary day with a red scarf (Old Navy). The jean jacket and t-shirt (Gap). Linen pants(R W and Co). Ballet flats (Aldo).

Onto the first part of the title: 30 year old Teenagers. A few weeks ago, my husband and I were at a friend’s son’s birthday party. The adults were having a discussion about how difficult it is to make new friends as we get older. I asked the ladies if they felt it was harder for them to make friends vs. the men? They all answered yes and I added that its harder for women because women are much “cattier” than men are. The women totally agreed with me. I found this to be especially true for me; it was extremely hard to make new friends when I first moved here to BC. I felt and still do that those people who grew up here had their “cliques” and weren’t interested. If you didn’t fit into their “cliques”, you weren’t welcome.

So where does the title 30 yr old Teenager come from? It comes from my experience a few years back when I had my son. I tried to make new acquaintances with some moms and found it very difficult. Those moms already knew each other and I was the “new” mom. I felt like an outsider and no matter what I did I felt like I never belonged. Eventually I just gave up trying and decided to continue friendships with those moms who actually cared and showed an interest in me, and establishing a friendship.

Why is it that when women feel threatened they revert back to being teenagers? And why do women feel threatened by other women? I swear we are 30-40 year old women behaving like we’re 13 year old teenage girls again. Why must women do that? I was at a 2 year old little girl’s birthday party last year and decided to wear a pair of trouser jeans, a tank top, a cardigan and then belted the cardigan. One of the moms at the party eyed me up and down and gave me the nastiest look. I thought to myself, have I done something to offend you? Does my cardigan offend you? Does the fact that I belted my cardigan offend you? Its so funny because after we left I told my husband what had happened and he commented that he too felt the same way and that it was like keeping up with the Jones’ in there. It honestly felt like an episode of the “Housewives”. Needless to say we never returned. I naively thought that the older we got, the easier it would be to make friends and that the cattiness, and teenage-like behavior would be long gone. But I guess I was sorely mistaken.

It is nice to hear that I am not alone in feeling this way. I have spoken with a few of my women friends and they too say that they have had similar experiences. Since my encounter with those women (to clarify it wasn’t just one incident, it was many, many instances where they made me feel like I didn’t belong), I decided that I am too old to put up with this kind of bullshit!! I don’t need people like that in my life. If how I dress, or speak, or the way I am offends you then I’m very sorry but I this is who I am, like it or leave it!!!! I don’t need to be reminded of what it was like to be a 14 year old girl bullied and made fun of. I’ve been there and I hope never to return, nor do I need to feel like I’m apart of a “Housewives” episode.

For my 33rd birthday I decided to go out to dinner with some friends and I did something different: I invited only those women that I truly cared about and that I knew felt the same way about me. What a difference it made!!! Everyone got along so well and I never once worried about saying the wrong thing, or wearing the wrong outfit, or worried about being myself. I could be my true self with these women and it felt great.

To any women out there who either feels this way or has felt this way, don’t worry about it, you are not alone. Those women are not worth your time or energy. At the end of the day I feel sorry for them, that they need to behave this way to make themselves feel better. They are the ones who are missing out on an amazing person and friendship.

Now onto a lighter topic: shirts that make you feel pretty. I am a huge fan of TLC’s show “What not to wear”. In the past few episodes I have noticed that Stacy and Clinton have asked the women whether their current wardrobe makes them feel pretty? All of the women responded no. It got me thinking that whenever I am planning out my outfits for the week, I think about what makes me feel pretty. Below are 2 shirts that make me feel very pretty. I like them because they are not black, because they drape beautifully around your waist, and because they are versatile. Below are pictures of 2 shirts that I love and 2 different ways to wear them.

The first one is a brown shirt (R W & Co.) shown how to wear it on two separate occasions.

I wore this outfit out with my son for a playdate on Friday.

The top (R W & Co.). Necklace (Stella & Dot). Watch (Michael Kors). Jeans (R W & Co.). Shoes (Steve Madden).

The next picture shows the same brown top dressed up. I would wear this out for a date with my husband.

Necklace (Banana Republic). Watch (Michael Kors). Bracelet (Stella & Dot). Jeans (R W & Co.) Booties (Aldo).

The next top is a purple top from Mexx. I wore this outfit this past Saturday to a girl’s night.

Top (Mexx). Necklace (Banana Republic), Watch (Michael Kors). Bracelet (Stella and Dot). Pants (Gap). Flower sandals (Steve Madden).

The last outfit is also an outfit that I would wear going out with my husband.

Top (Mexx). Necklace (Stella & Dot). Bracelet (Stella & Dot). Watch (Guess). Jeans (R W and Co.). Shoes (Aldo).

May this blog inspire you to surround yourself with people who accept you for who you are and bring out the best in you and to inspire you to find a shirt that makes you feel pretty, because everyone deserves to feel pretty :)

Happy Tuesday Everyone!!! :)

Homemade “McDonald’s” and Wedges

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Since much to my dismay, my son absolutely loves McDonald’s chicken nuggets and fries, I decided yesterday to make my own healthier version of their nuggets and fries. To go along with dinner I made a black bean salsa with roasted corn salad.

So first lets start with a timeline, because if you are like me, time is very hard to come by. I’ll be honest with you, this meal is not a fast one, but it is well worth the wait, time and effort. From beginning to end, including prep, cleaning, and frying the fries and nuggets, total time approximately 2 hrs. I know it seems like a lot of time, but its certainly a healthier option than McDonald’s, the black bean salsa is amazing, and its a nice treat for the family without breaking the bank.

Now onto the actual making of dinner. I first made the Black Bean Salsa with Roasted Corn. I altered the recipe slightly by omitting the jalapeno and the mango’s and adding kale. Kale is found to be a “super food” and is very healthy for you. For those of you who have never worked with kale, the first thing you need to do is make sure you remove it from the stem. Then I washed it and put it into the food processor along with the cilantro. The food processor does such an amazing job that you honestly can’t tell that there is any kale in the bean salsa at all. Its a good way to hide it in your food from your kids and for some, from your husbands :). I have to say that my husband is the one who pushes us to eat more kale.

Next I peeled 4 big baker potatoes and added salt. I then tenderized 4 chicken breasts (you can use as much or as little chicken breast as you need). I have to say that tenderizing the chicken is very cathartic, a good way to relieve some stress (you must try it if you haven’t already). Next I sliced the tenderized breasts into strips and seasoned them with salt. I then took out 3 bowls, put bread crumbs in one, flour in the second one and 3 eggs beaten into the third. I took one strip placed it into the flour (the chicken coats easier if you use your hands), then with a fork I placed it into the egg wash (making sure I covered the chicken well), then with another fork I placed it into the bread crumbs (again making sure I coated the chicken well). I use forks for the second and third parts to keep my hands from getting completely goopy. Continue this until all chicken pieces are coated. I then placed some Canola oil in a deep frier at 350 degrees. Once the oil was warm, I fried the french fries. Once they were a nice light golden brown color I removed them. Continue until all the potatoes are done. Then I proceeded to fry the chicken, again until they were a nice light golden brown color.

So here you have it, a healthier version of McDonald’s made at home.

One would think that since my son adores McDonald’s nuggets and fries that he would have devoured his dinner, but sadly no. I swear if I would have put the fries in a McDonald’s box he probably would have eaten it. Seriously I don’t get it. But hey I tried, and my husband and I sure enjoyed dinner.

To end this blog I would like to discuss my love of wedges, as in shoe wedges. I love when Spring arrives because that means I can take my wedges out of hiding. Why do I love them? I love them because they are comfortable, versatile (you can wear them with shorts, skirts, pants, dresses, cropped pants and jeans) and sexy. Below are 3 wedges that I love to wear.

The first one is a pair that I wear all year around. They are great paired with a trouser jean or skirt. This one is from Aldo.

The second one is a pair that I like to wear with dresses or skirts. Its very comfortable and is my husband’s favorite, especially paired with a dress. Also from Aldo.

The last one is wedge that I wear with everything. What I like about it the most is that it isn’t too high so I can wear them while I’m out with my son. This one is from Steve Madden.

May this blog inspire you to try your own version of nuggets and fries, add some kale into your diet and add a fun flirty wedge to your shoe collection (I promise you won’t be disappointed).

Happy Friday everyone!! May you enjoy the Olympics and your weekend :)

Couponing 101 and Stripes

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Before I get to “Couponing 101″, I wanted to post two pictures of myself demonstrating how to add some color to your outfit.

Red cardigan, with blue watch and pink nails

This is the outfit I wore today. Red cardigan (Jacob), hat (Ariztia), shorts (Reitmans), white tank top (R W & Co.), gladiator sandals (Aldo), bracelet, earrings and necklace (Stella & Dot), and watch (Coach). You can see how I added color with my cardigan, watch and my pink nails.

Red cropped pantsThis is the outfit I wore yesterday. Red cropped pants and jean jacket (Gap), sweater (Jacob), ballet flats (Aldo) and necklace and earrings (Stella & Dot). Yes I know that in both I used something red to add color to my outfit, but what can I say? I like red!!!

Now onto “Couponing 101″. Let me start by saying that I am not some crazy “extreme” couponer like the ones from TLC’s show. I do not spend hours clipping coupons or have a warehouse full of stuff I don’t need, but got for free. I am a normal (ok that’s debatable if you ask my friends and husband :)) person, who when her husband lost his job 6 months ago, wanted to find ways to help save money. With some help from friends, who are quite proficient in the couponing world, I was able to purchase everyday items at a fraction of the cost. So here are some of my tips to help Canadian families out.

1. Check out the following site: Healthy Shopper. It is a great site for natural products that can be found here in Canada. The great bonus is that the coupons have long expiry dates, so you can use them many times. By printing off a coupon from this site, I was able to purchase 7th Generation laundry detergent (which normally costs $9.99 for 1.5 L) for $2. I had a $3 coupon from the Healthy Shopper site, then I waited until my grocery store had a 2 for 1 special. Instead of spending $10 on one, I was able to purchase 5 for the price of one. This did not take any extra time and saved me tons of money.

2. Check out other Canadian sites: Brandsaver.ca, Save.ca, Go Coupons, Websaver, Simply Frugal and Samples-4-free.com. There are many other Canadian sites out there, these are just some of the many.

3. Look at your weekly flyer’s from your local grocery stores, Walmart and London Drugs. They have great deals and you can combine them with coupons. I try and base my weekly grocery list on items that are on sale.

4. Know the price of things. Know when its a good deal.

5. Don’t buy when you need to, wait until its on sale. You can always freeze things (I do that and i don’t even have a deep freezer) or store them.

6. FYI you can freeze cheese. Cheese is quite expensive so when its on sale I usually will buy 3 or 4 bricks. They also keep quite well in your fridge. They have long expiry dates.

7. Sign up on websites like Deal Find, Groupon or Swarmjam. I just got a great deal on carpet cleaning for $44 for 4 rooms plus the hallway. Always check the fine print before buying.

8. Sign up for e-mails from your favorite stores: Gap/Old Navy/Banana Republic, Jacob, R W & Co,Stella & Dot, Children’s Place, Gymboree, Aldo, Sephora, Chapters and Michael’sjust to name a few. These stores ship to Canada without having to pay duty. Shipping is usually free if you spend above a certain amount. Most of the stores are reasonable, anywhere from $25-$100. They will e-mail you when things go on sale and when they offer free shipping. Michael’s usually has 40% off coupons on their website or in their flyer and if you subscribe to them you usually get extra coupons.

9. For your birthday stores like The Body Shop (if you have their card) will give you $10 off your purchase. If you register your Starbucks card you get a free drink on your birthday. R W & Co. give you 25 % your total purchases including sale items 3 days before and after your birthday. With your Sephora beauty insider card you get a free gift when its your birthday.

10. Get an Airmiles card. They send you e-mails informing of extra points that can be earned and stores that have discounts. You can also purchase items from their on line catalogue. That’s how we got a brand new kitchen aid blender and shipping was free.

11. Costco is not always the cheapest place to get things, but with that said it pays to get an Executive card, you get 2% back on your purchases, which usually pays for itself. Its also the cheapest place to get your pictures printed and they also have current best seller books for much less than at your local bookstore.

12. Its cheaper to purchase books on line at Chapter’s then it is in the store and shipping is free after you spend $25.

13. Another thing you could consider is getting a US mailing address and having things shipped there. Its much cheaper and then you don’t have to worry about duties and shipping costs to Canada. I have yet to do this.

14. Borrow books from the Library or from your friends.

15. Host a party like Stella & Dot, Norwex, Tupperware, Usborne or a Candle Party. The hostess usually gets free items which is a great way to get things you need.

16. Buy things at the end of the season, especially kids stuff. Its usually much cheaper and then you don’t have to worry about it next year.

17. Be aware of where you money is going.

18. Call your local gas, cable, internet, cell phone, mortgage provider and see if there are ways to cut down on your bills. We called our local cable company a few years back and we cut our bill by $30/month. It never hurts to ask. The worst they can say is no.

19. Just because its on sale doesn’t mean you have to buy it. Only by things that are on sale or with coupons if you need them, otherwise its a waste of money!!!!

I hope this helps. For some of you, this may be nothing new, but if you were like me, every little bit of money saving tips helps.

Like I said in my last post, I like to end each post with some fashion. Today’s fashion tip comes from my obsession with stripes. Some of you may be thinking that you can’t wear stripes, but I’m here to tell all you big busted ladies out there, yes you can. You just need to find the right type and thickness of stripes. You can find stripes in anything like tank tops, t-shirts, sweaters, cardigans and scarves. I absolutely love stripes and have them in many colors and styles. Below is a picture of my striped t-shirts, cardigan, tank top, and sweaters collection.

So there you have it: my stripes wardrobe. I warned you that I am obsessed :)

May this blog inspire you to help save money and to add something striped to your wardrobe.

Happy Hump Day everyone!!! :)

“Green” Makeup

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My friend and I were at Sephora a few weeks back and we were discussing organic skin care products and makeup. I told her that a few years ago, while watching Oprah, I discovered a great book called “Gorgeously Green“. Being the big Oprah fan that I am (I had a chance to see one of her last tapings in Chicago last April) I went out and bought the book. Let me clarify that I did watch the episode and what the author, Sophie Uliano, spoke about resonated with me. Did I really know what was in the products that I put on my face everyday? Do you know? I can’t even pronounce most of the ingredients. It made me think and re-evaluate the products I use on a daily basis. One of the biggest challenges I found was that this book is American, and 5 years ago organic products were not as readily available as they are now, nor did we have a Sephora in Coquitlam.

Before I continue, I want to preface this by stating that I am not a granola eating hippie (although there is nothing wrong with either, in fact I love granola with Greek yogurt). I am a normal woman and mother in her 30′s that likes fashion and make up. The reason for my change to organic, natural products was that I didn’t like that most makeup and skin care products contain Cancer causing ingredients. The two common ingredients are: parabens found in everything, lip sticks, eye shadow, mascara, eye line, lotion, etc and formaldehyde commonly found in nail polish. Whenever I would wear mascara, my eyes would itch and become irritated. The other reason is that my husband and I wanted to start a family and I realized that whatever I put in or on my body could be transferred to the baby.

So after 5 yrs of trial and error here are my picks for great organic skin care products and makeup that can be found here in Canada at a reasonable price.

Found at your local Sephora store:

  • Origins- I love their “Nature’s Gentle Dermabrasion $46, Ginzing Refreshing Eye Cream $37, and their toner $23
  • Bare Minerals- Has the best face moisturizer $35 and cleanser $25. FYI Bare Minerals has a great selection of natural eye shadows, eye liners, primers, bronzers, blush and mineral powders.
  • Sephora brand eye shadow- check the back of the eye shadows as some of the eye shadows are paraben free. My 2 favorites are the palettes called Taupe and Almost Nude. Prices vary from $16 for single shadow to $31 for the eye shadow palettes. I’ve had mine for almost 2 yrs. Well worth the price.
  • Opi brand nail polish at Sephora- are formaldehyde free. $12 for nail polish
  • Tarte- has a great concealer called Smooth Operator™ Amazonian Clay Waterproof Concealer $29 and mascara called Lights, Camera, Lashes $25. My eyes have never watered or reacted to this mascara.

Found at Body Shop

  • Great facial mask from the brand Nutriganics called Smoothing mask $22.

Rocky Mountain Soap Company has great body butter that is all natural. I used their nipple cream and stretch mark body butter and it was amazing. It can be found at Planet Organic.

St. Ives makes a great body lotion that is made from 92% natural ingredients and is paraben free and can be found at any drug store or Walmart. Retails for $5.99.

Garnier Fructis has a great natural shampoo and conditioner that is made from 95% natural ingredients. Again this can be found at any drug store but the cheapest by far is at Walmart $5.99 for 750 ml bottle.

Last but not least my favorite natural baby brand products are:

  • Live Baby Clean- can be found at most drug stores, includes shampoos, baby wash, bum cream
  • Gaia products- also has a wide variety of products, can be found at Baby’s World
  • Badger- great natural sunscreen, can be found at Planet Organic

I hope that you find this useful. I know I wish I would have had it laid out for me this easy years ago. If any of you have other great natural products that you swear by please let me know.

You can find more information in a great Canadian book called Ecoholic by Adria Vasil. There is also another great book for information on organic products for baby called Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth and Baby Care by Alan Greene.

I want to end each of my blogs with some fashion advice. So for today, since the weather is so lousy, I want to end it with a spruce of color. It doesn’t have to be anything drastic. You can start by adding a colorful scarf to your outfit or some colorful accessories, like a brightly colored watch or bracelet, or earrings or necklace. What about adding some color to your footwear?!!! Tom’s has some great red runners (which I adore and live in) and for every pair you buy, they donate one. Or if you are brave you could add a punch of color to your outfit with a brightly colored trench coat. I was quite brave this Spring and purchased a beautiful bright pink trench coat. I have to say that whenever I wear it, especially when it rains, it brightens up my day.

May this blog inspire you to buy at least one natural product to try and add some color to your outfits and wardrobe.

Happy dreary Monday everyone!!! :)

Welcome to Vodka Infused Lemonade

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Since this is my first post in my blog, I wanted to say why I named this blog Vodka Infused Lemonade and why I started a blog.

I chose this name after a very difficult week, where I had a lot of lemons coming my way and wanted to write something funny on my Facebook update. I wrote “when life gives you lemons, you make vodka infused lemonade”. Let’s be honest, we all have those days where we need a little something to help our day go better. I got lots of “likes” and thought hey this might make a good blog title. I never ended up making vodka infused lemonade, just updating my status was cathartic enough.

A few months ago I became addicted to Pinterest (if you haven’t discovered it please do) and found great blogs on fashion. The problem I encountered was that many of these blogs are American and its hard for those of us living in Canada to buy the products. Shipping, taxes and duties are insane. I thought hey why not start a blog about fashion that Canadian women can find in Canada. I want to clarify that this blog is not just about fashion. I want women of all ages, whether you are married, single, are a parent or not to be able to read my blog and be enlightened. I want it to be funny, inspiring, thought-provoking and relatable. I want a place where women can go to find ideas about chemical free make up, or a good book to read, or my experience being a mother, money saving tips or a great outfit I found on sale at a store. I want my blog to embody my everyday life.

May this blog inspire you in your everyday life.

Agi

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