by Annette Quinet | Jun 19, 2016 | Family, Uncategorized |
Father’s Day is today! A day to celebrate the men, who have taught us so much, stood beside us and loved us unconditionally. For me, there are 2 important men in my life, my dad Felix (yes another fabulous F-word) and Bernie-awesome dad to our daughter Isabelle, and step-dad to my older son and daughter. Each day I wake up thankful and feel truly blessed to have these two wonderful men in my life; we should all be so lucky.
As a daughter I have been very fortunate; my father is 86 years old and I get to celebrate this day with him. My dad is a very special person and he has touched the lives of many. As a father, a husband, a public servant, a writer and a part time professor he demonstrated remarkable characteristics and took each role very seriously all with passion, humor, wisdom and love. I have been so fortunate to have this wonderful and special father daughter relationship.
I also love to see the bond Isabelle has with her father and how each day he nourishes it with his love, guidance and presence. For girls this can be one of the most important relationships. These relationships have the ability to ensure a brighter future when they have good examples to follow.
This year for Father’s Day Isabelle made a beautiful card (pictured above) and painting for her dad (pictured below). He was overjoyed with these gifts and marvelled at her “works of art” with enthusiasm and pride. With these positive reactions Isabelle was also gifted because she felt proud, talented, loved and happy.
When I was the same age as Isabelle, I presented my dad with a painting I had drawn. It was a picture of a cup of coffee and some other artistic embellishments and the words “Good Morning”. This picture, now framed and hanging on the wall in my parents room is what they wake up to each morning. It makes them happy. Today, Isabelle’s painting has been placed in our room, it is also in a prominent location and it will be the first thing we see in the morning as well. I know it will make us happy and no doubt put a smile on our faces as we look at her masterpiece.
I truly understand how fortunate I am to have both my dad and Bernie. I would be remiss if I failed to mention that it saddens me that this day will be difficult for some. For my brother, Marc, who lost his only child, Thomas-Paul at 14, this is a day to reflect and remember, but also to celebrate the 14 years this amazing kid was with us and who was so very proud of his dad.
For my friends, who have lost their fathers I hope they find comfort in their memories and are able to celebrate those with laughter and love.
And lastly, for those children whose fathers never understood the importance of their role in the lives of their children, how sad to have missed out on those relationships. Let’s hope these “kids” grow up with courage and knowledge that they can do better and not repeat this cycle.
“The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice.” Peggy O’Mara
by Annette Quinet | Jun 12, 2016 | Giveaway |
Frame your Summer
I truly love Sunglasses; always have and probably always will. Very rarely will you ever find me not wearing a pair, regardless of which season we are in or whether it is cloudy or sunny outside. I love sunglasses as an accessory; in fact they maybe my favourite accessory.
Protect your eyes first. Sunglasses protect your eyes which is most important. The sun produces 3 kinds of light, UV (ultraviolet rays), Blue Light, and Bright or intense light. My eyes are very sensitive to bright light, which is why I need to wear sunglasses all the time. Health Canada has great information on the importance of sunglasses and this link will provide more information including standards for UV protection and how light can damage your eyes.
Next Frame you face to best accessorize your look. Sunglasses are now a multi -billion dollar industry. There are so many companies, designers, styles, shapes, sizes, and of course, price points to chose from. So how does one decide how to purchase that pair of shades? The best advice once you decide on your need and budget is to try, try, try!
Different frames work better on certain face shapes however use this as a guideline it is worth trying on a variety. A rule to consider is matching your face shape with the glass frame i.e. a square face shape suits a square frame. No two faces are the same, which is why some frames better frame your face, and thus look good. It is important that you like them and feel comfortable wearing them. This will be the first thing people notice about you, so work it to your advantage.
There are many options on where to buy your Sunglasses. Department stores like Nordstroms carry many Designer frames, Specialty shops located in most major shopping center such as Sunglass Hut carry a variety of sunglasses. Many clothing retailers such as Forever 21 and H&M have now expanded their lines to include sunglasses, you may also consider online shopping for your new pair.
Net-a-porter is a very popular site for designer sunglasses. You could also consider adopting the latest trend: “renting” your sunglasses. The premise is to wear the latest styles and shapes and then exchange them for a new pair. There is a monthly fee as well as an option to purchase. For more information check out Ditto.
For prescription lenses you can visit an Optician or an Optometrists office. Click here for the difference between an Optician and Optometrist. Most carry several lines of eyeglass frames including Sunglasses, prescription or non-prescription. Did you know that in Ontario Optometrists offices can only sell you frames and lenses at their cost? Click here more information on why glasses can cost so much.
Here is something for my readers this sunglass season: The F-Word Paradox is having a Giveaway; you have a chance to win these fabulous women’s Oakley Sunglasses – pictured above. To enter simply subscribe to my blog. A winner will be selected on the First day of summer, Monday June 20th, 2016. The winner will be notified via email.
However you decide to Frame your Summer just remember to always Protect your eyes and then Frame your Face for the best look.
by Annette Quinet | May 1, 2016 | My Blog |
Sometimes it takes reading other blogs to provide you with some inspiration or motivation to start your own blog or write a new blog post. This past week I felt like I hit a wall, a blog block (love this term) if you will, lots of ideas swirling around but I could not put any thoughts, statements, words or ideas into anything that would be worth reading. Frustrating would be one F word that comes to mind! My guess is that the blog block is due to Mother’s Day fast approaching and so is my oldest child’s 24th Birthday! This will be the first time I have not celebrated either of these special days with him and as my youngest child, 6, likes to say (usually when she does not get an extra cookie) “you are breaking my heart”. Of course there is a lot more to this situation but for now we will leave it at that and focus on how the blog block broke!
I have been following several blogs on topics that are of interest to me for years. Before I subscribe, I always start with reading the About Me section to get a sense of who that person is and why they blog. I not only want content but I want to be able to relate to them on some level. Whether they have a story, a way with words, great ideas or fabulous pictures the blog needs to make me feel like my time was well spent. That’s my criteria to follow but also what I strive to do with The F-Word Paradox.
Today inspiration to write came from the blog Running with Spoons, health coach and food blogger Amanda Drozdz posts healthy food recipes (such as this weeks chocolate chip cookie dough mug recipe) but her weekly “link love” which are links to interesting articles about a variety of fitness oriented topics gave me the idea to share a few links to blogs I follow. I hope that you find inspiration from their words and pictures.
Food:
Running with Spoons Healthy Eating
Detoxnista Healthy eating and food combining
Mind Body Green (MBG) healthy lifestyle
Fashion:
Fashionista fashion trade news
The Coveteur variety of fashion lifestyle news
The Zoe Report styling tips, product reviews, fashion
Memorandum workplace wardrobe inspiration
Happily Grey trendy fashion blogger great pictures
The Corporate Cat Walk workplace wardrobe inspiration
Sedbona fashion lifestyle blog good photos on instagram
Not dressed as Lambs 40+fashion blog
Shopping:
Net a porter variety of current designers, great styling pictures for inspiration
The Real Real upscale consignment
Intermix variety of designers, good source for current trends and how to wear them
Tradesy online fashion marketplace allows users to buy and sell gently used merchandise
by Annette Quinet | Apr 20, 2016 | Family, Food & Drink, My Blog |
Family has a way of affecting you unexpectedly, sometimes it’s positive other times its negative…. as people like to say you can’t pick your family but you can pick your friends! In recent days my heart and head have been in another place, which makes it difficult to function. Despite the sun shining I feel a large cloud looming over and as a mom it’s the worst feeling in the world to know your child is hurting and be rendered helpless. My intent is not to trivialize my situation but to do something that alters my headspace. I need to function. I am no stranger to these situations; regrettably I have spent way too much time and energy dealing with them. I have tried a multitude of coping mechanisms some good others not so good.
As I want to morph into a positive headspace these are the good ways that help me to cope. Fitness, going for a walk with the dog can be therapeutic. My body moves and my mind does also…many ideas/inspirations come from these moments. Going for a run with awesome music lets those endorphins kick in and start the feel “better” process, thank you Rock My Run. Friends, I know that I can pick up the phone and call one and get someone to listen while being non-judgmental yet supportive…. Amen to that! Family, despite their good intentions this can be tricky, they too are hurting and can fall into a “protective mode”, “I can fix that” mindset, or the role of the “blamer” or “psychologist” but most times all you need is a “I love you”, “sorry you are going through a difficult time”…. and maybe a hug!
Food can be a negative coping mechanism. Sometimes you want to feed your soul to see if it can swallow up that pain but generally the wrong food choices are made and perhaps washed down with a glass of wine or 2 and you …ok me are not making any progress due to this being a temporary fix. As I said in my first blog post I need to look at things as the glass half full not half empty. Most days I try to make reasonable food choices and monitor the wine consumption. Quite honestly, I enjoy wine and love sipping on a glass of wine in the evenings but I am also noticing that at my age that wine and sleep are not a good combination. Sleep is a necessity with a young child , so I try to limit wine and find alternatives. Lately I have been repeatedly hearing the phrase “when life gives you lemons make lemonade” (BH Housewives finale last night) and last year I came up with a version of a lemon slush that is healthy, tasty and makes a great mocktail to sip on in the evenings. Despite it not being the ‘fix” I so desperately want, it does fuel my mind to come up what I hope will be positive strategies ….so on that note lets hope that there are some restoring powers within this Lemon Slush to help achieve a sunnier disposition….Cheers!
Lemon Slush
Blend the following together pour and enjoy!
-One whole organic lemon quartered(I use a Vitamix, if you do not have a high power blender use fresh organic lemon juice from one lemon and add some filtered water as needed) see below for benefits and links
-1 tbsp. of Apple Cider vinegar see below for benefits and links
-Handful of ice
-Few drops of stevia or organic honey for sweetness (optional)
-serving over tequila or gin optional
Did you know that consuming the lemon peel has a multitude of benefits such as peels contains 5-10 times more vitamins than lemon juice, also peel is a fabulous source for fiber, potassium, magnesium, calcium, folate and beta carotene. The benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar are also amazing, it can be used as a weight loss tool, sunburn relief, teeth stain remover and the list goes on.
Check out these links:
Eating Lemon Peel
Reasons to use Apple Cider Vinegar every day
The Zoe Report- ACV wellness
by Annette Quinet | Apr 14, 2016 | Friends |
Forever Friends
Fitness is what brought us together over 20 years ago. Our friendships are still strong, loving, supportive and fun. I am a firm believer that we are meant to enjoy our friendships, we did then and we do now. We were all young moms at that time and we bonded over exercise and kids. Forward to the present and how life has changed. Heather and Lynn are now grandmothers, Anna still has a house full and I am now an older mother with a six-year-old, 21 and soon to be 24 year old! When you combine the total years the 4 of us have been “mothering”, thus far, it exceeds 100 years…
I grew up with 2 brothers therefore I have always loved and needed my relationships with my girlfriends. To be honest I’m a tad envious of the sister bonds each of them share with their female siblings. Over the years, the times we get together are less frequents especially the four of us. Last night we got together to celebrate Lynn’s Birthday. By celebrating Lynn, we also celebrate this friendship. Reflecting on the evening it puts a smile on your face, the conversation flows, the laughter is constant and depending on the topic there are tears shed of joy or sadness. I get that we are not unique but how lucky we are as women to have these friendships we reap so much in return. With my recent foray into the twitter world I say # sanity # love# support# fun regardless of whether it’s biased or unbiased…we are blessed to have these friendships.
What is inspiring to see, the benefits of these friendships and the impact on our children. Children learn by example and giving them the opportunity to witness strong, positive, healthy friendships in our lives has encouraged them to do the same. Fitness is how it started for us and it is wonderful to see most of these adult children understand the significance and the role that exercise plays in our physical and mental health. We are all still active although we no longer meet on a daily basis for which we called our therapy runs (#runners code) but whenever we do meet we fall back into this rhythm that provides us with comfort and inspiration. This is what makes us Forever Friends! Happy Birthday Lynn!
This year for Father’s Day Isabelle made a beautiful card (pictured above) and painting for her dad (pictured below). He was overjoyed with these gifts and marvelled at her “works of art” with enthusiasm and pride. With these positive reactions Isabelle was also gifted because she felt proud, talented, loved and happy.
