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!
by Annette Quinet | Apr 11, 2016 | Shopping |
The BCBG Store is closing on April 24th and relocating to a new store in the mall. Today’s Flash Sale was take an additional 50% off everything! Included all garments, shoes, accessories and handbags. The store carries the BCBGeneration line in addition to BCBGMAXAZRIA.
“BCBGMAXAZRIAGROUP offers high-quality, on-trend clothing at contemporary price points.Founded in 1989, BCBGMAXAZRIAGROUP is the lifetime vision of one man: Founder, Designer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Max Azria. After years of success designing women’s wear in Paris and Los Angeles, Azria decided to pursue his dream of launching a design house that spoke to the modern woman, and BCBGMAXAZRIA was born.”
What you will find instore are gowns …perfectly priced for Proms, Galas and formals. Merchandised in price points $39, $49, $59,$69, $99 etc today they were 50% of the last marked price. (I picked up a knit navy/tan striped high/low dress for $20.00) Leather and faux leather jackets in varying price points. I saw a gorgeous cream leather motto jacket with the discount it was under $200.00…..lots of on trend faux leather pants/leggings, skirts and a huge assortment of tops, blouses, blazers, sweaters, leggings in a variety of fabrics,styles & sizes. Depending on your size , variety of footwear, including some over the knee black leather boots! A newer garment collection consisted of sophisticated denim (totally appropriate for the office) including a great denim jacket with black leather sleeves. If you are in the vicinity definelty worth a visit. The staff were unable to share what the Monday promotion would be so if you want to ensure the trip is worthwhile call 819.243.5177 Happy Shopping!
by Annette Quinet | Mar 31, 2016 | Shopping |
Footwear…. DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) comes to Ottawa Trainyards
Women have been having a love affair with shoes forever. Proof is the numbers of pairs most of us have in our closets and/ or under beds, on shelves, in spare closets and even in shoeboxes awaiting that inaugural walk outside. The great thing about shoes is how they can make us feel. Shoes can complete an outfit, elevate our look from ok to outstanding, slim us down, make us taller, and change our body language. And on those days when despite feeling bloated or having put on a few pounds they always fit!
DSW, part of Town Shoes Ltd opens today at the Ottawa Trainyards. This is the first store in the Ottawa region and the company website states that “DSW is all about the thrill of finding the perfect shoe at the perfect price”. Last evening, we attended the cocktail celebration hosted by Blackbook Lifestyle, an Ottawa based event-planning company, to welcome and celebrate the opening of DSW.
The large warehouse store has thousands of shoes for men and women, as well as handbags and accessories. The aisles are wide and the merchandise is displayed well with easy access to boxes containing different sizes. The shoes are merchandised in groupings, heels, flats, athletics, sandals etc. therefore easy to navigate. Replacing bulky shopping carts that can impede the shopping process, are heavy-duty shopping bags, dispersed throughout the store, which comfortably carry several boxes of shoes. Also available throughout the store are “sockets” for those that did not wear socks yet want to try on shoes. Ottoman seating is conveniently located within the aisles to try on shoes and there are several mirrors available to see how they look! Can’t find your size…there are shoe associates who carry tablets and can check inventory or another location for availability.
The Clearance section, located at the back of the store, was in frenzy last night with many shoppers looking for the deal of deals. This is an area where further reductions are offered on limited quantities of shoes. Substantial discounts can be found, some pairs boasting 80% off original prices. Some noteworthy labels at varying discounts could be found amidst these racks organized by size. Such as Birkenstock, Sorel, Ted Baker, Dolce Vita, Cole Haan and the hugely popular comfort and funky shoes by Bernie Mev.
Leaving the store last night carrying an “I am a Shoe Lover“ bag, inside 2 pairs of fabulous shoes purchased at great prices, I now enthusiastically await their upcoming inaugural walk. Last night there was shoe success at DSW.
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by Annette Quinet | Mar 30, 2016 | Shopping
Ottawa’s Fashion Footprint
With the recent opening of Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th in the Tanger outlets , fashionistas and those looking for designer wear at off the rack prices have a new option. Winners and Marshall’s have been the dominant player in this discount designer niche for many years and by the sheer volume of these stores in the National Capital region (14 stores) it appears that Ottawa folk like their discounted designer garb. By all appearances this past weekend the Sak’s Off 5th was were designer bargain hunters lined up and sorted through the racks. For those who are not familiar with Sak’s Off 5th it is a discount designer retailer with ties to Saks Fifth Avenue one of the leading premier destinations for anything designer. The idea is that when previous season items do not sell they go to the less swanky ie no bells , whistles and no service sister store which are offered at discounted prices. With the 2013 HBC purchase of Saks Fifth Avenue and Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th, Canadians now have the ability to shop in these stores, on our own turf and the merchandise is priced in Canadian dollars. It appears that HBC is a taking on a competitive role in trying to change the Canadian retail footprint with the introduction of Saks 5th Avenue (presently only in Toronto) and the Saks Off 5th in Ottawa (new store to open fall 2016 in Rideau Centre)….the retail landscape is changing.
I visited Sak’s Off 5th at Tanger outlets this past Easter weekend. I had mixed feelings, usually I love this store when I am traveling in the US however I found there to be some differences . The store is smaller therefore not as many offerings and labels to choose from, hence fewer sizes and colours . The premier labels , think Armani, Akris, Jill Saunder etc occupied 5 rolling racks and ironically most of these pieces still had sku’s from The Room (which is the upscale department of the Bay) obviously previous seasons garments that were overstock and/or simply did not sell…browsing through you kind of get why! The children’s section was underwhelming only offering a few pieces in each size category as was the accessories area, once again limited selection. The shoe department which occupies a large amount of space was the place to be …lots of designer shoes in many current styles, however very limited area to try anything on……Handbags also had the usual offerings Rebecca Minkooff, Valentino, Tory Burch etc.
All in all I am happy that Saks albeit a Saks Off Fifth now has a presence here. An eagerly awaited opening weekend with no doubt a great deal of merchandise been picked through and purchased . I will go back but most probably will wait for the Rideau Centre location to open.
With that being said shopping online at Saks.com and Saks Off 5th is open 24/7 sans the line-ups. These websites offer a fabulous selection, a great filter to help you shop your specific needs/wants in Canadian currency. After returning from the Tanger outlets and Saks Off 5th I went online to browse and in the clearance section found some great deals on cashmere, coats…have a look at the Jane Post Gramercy Mixed-Media Coat was $450.00 now $112.00 75%off, (perfect for April showers) ….I also ordered some over the knee black leather boots for my daughter who adores this style at a steal “ Gentle Souls Edgefield Leather Buckle Boots for $97.24 original price $575.00 ( 76% off) … if you have the time and patience to surf the site there are lots of bargains available. Sak’s Off 5th uses Borderfree which calculates taxes, duty and shipping at checkout but be sure to visit the correct site for Canadians.
The Ottawa Department store retail landscape is changing. Holt Renfrew is gone but now there is Nordstroms , Saks Off 5th, , Sportinglife and La Maison Simons in the National Capital region joining existing fashion department stores The Bay, Winners and Marshall’s providing options for everyone and every budget. It appears that Ottawa people really like their Designer brands and with this current retail footprint it seems most prefer to purchase at discounted prices! Welcome Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th to Ottawa.
