The third metric...... Well-Being

WEEK 1

So I have decided to focus on well-being this month in an effort to feel more balanced in my life. It is one of the areas that I feel could use the most work. Health, wellness, clarity, all the good stuff.

The first area I wanted to focus on was sleep. Should've been easy, right. Who doesn't want more sleep! Wrong. I feel as though I have been.... challenged(???) with this. Here is a sleep journal for the first week:

Night 1 - in bed at 10 pm, lights out at 10:30.
               still awake at 11:30.
               still awake at midnight, so I got up, made some tea and watched a movie.
               back in bed at 1:30, woke up at 7:20am

Night 2 - in bed at 10 pm. I was super tired from the shorter amount of sleep the night before, so I thought I would fall asleep easily. wrong. I was up at midnight again.

Night 3 - in bed at midnight (the weekend) and slept in until 8:30 in the morning. This was awesome!

Night 4 - in bed at 10:30 pm. maybe 10 was too early!!, asleep by 11:30.

Nights 5,6,7 - pretty much the same as the first couple.

Something is not working. I have decided to try and calm myself down before bed a little differently. Maybe that will help.

For the second week I am going to have a cup of tea at around 8:30. I have heard a lot about the wonders of chamomile, lets see if it works for me! Hopefully week 2 is a bit better!!

The next area that I want to focus on is diet. Not going on a diet, just our diet in general. As a family I feel like we eat pretty healthfully already. We don't really eat out (especially fast food - its a MAJOR treat for our kids). We try to focus on eating more veggies and fruit. All the good things. One of the areas that I think we could improve in this area is with the 'quick' food'. Let me explain.

I work outside of the home full time, so when I get home dinner needs to be on the table quickly... or we eat at 8 pm. Which isn't so good for kids. And nobody wants to eat eggs or salad every night. I need healthful meals that are ready to eat quickly. I don't have time to hem and haw over whats for dinner- that's when we make bad decisions.

And the worst part is when we finally decide, I start making it, and halfway through we discover we are missing one very small, very crucial ingredient. that's the worst.

This week I am going to make a meal plan. Just dinners. That way, we will already know what we are going to have for dinner a week in advance. I will make sure we have all the ingredients before the week starts, thus avoiding the dreaded last minute, in the middle of cooking dash to the store. And my husband can start to prepare dinner before I get home (dreaming....) allowing me to spend more time with the kids. It sounds like a win-win situation!

Wish me luck!

Rodan and Fields - REVERSE

As you may have surmised by now.... I'm SUPER excited about Rodan and Fields coming to Canada. Can't really hide that! 

Today I want to highlight the REVERSE regimen. This is a regimen that I have personally tried, and I have LOVED the results. Strangers have stopped me in the mall to comment on my skin... not joking... it has been amazing.

Reverse is a anti-age regimen that works to repair sun and environmental damage, improving the tone and color of your skin. Sun and Age spots to gone!

As you can see from the picture, it is a 4 step process:

Step 1 - Deep exfoliating wash with polyethylene beads and lactic acid. It is a gritty wash that definitely exfoliates and leaves skin feeling fresh.

Step 2 - Intensive brightening toner with antioxidants. This step really brightens skin, gradually fading discoloration.

Step 3 - is a 2 part process. Dual active brightening complex. Pure vitamin c and retinol are combined to brighten skin, while diminishing fine lines and wrinkles. They are packaged separately so they don't break down (chemically).

Step 4 - Sunscreen! 50+ SPF (so you don't add to the sun damage!!!)

The feeling after you've used the regimen is silky smooth. As I said earlier, I LOVE it. I started to notice a difference after 3 days. The tone of my skin evened out. I looked brighter, more awake. 

Again, the proof is in the before and afters. Such amazing results.

See!! amazing!

Interested in trying it for yourself?? Rodan and Fields products are not available in Canada yet (soon!), but information on them and the company IS available. Shoot me a message if you would like to get more info and I will make sure that it gets to you.

Enjoy! 

Fashion - New Store alert!!!

For those of us that live in the prairie region of Canada, the fashion choices have been getting better over the last couple of years. The influx of American retailers means that the choice of where to spend our fashion dollars just got a little harder.

Enter Anthropologie.

One of our dear friends moved down to Kansas City approximately 10 years ago. They only lived there for around 4 years, but they moved back with a wealth of knowledge about all of these wonderful south of the border retailers. They would regularly supply us with catalogs and talk about their loveliness. Anthropologie was one if these stores.

I tend to lean a little to the boho side of the fashion spectrum. Earthy colors, prints, denim, I love it all. and Anthropologie has it. 

A recent perusal of their website led to some treasures that I think I just might NEED!! Here are some outfits that I put together. 

For some farmers market shopping...

For Work...

Also for work (these would transition well into fall).... 

And just for fun!!

AS WELL... they also carry interesting pieces for your home. You know, the type of world goods that scream "I'm well traveled and interesting"!! Here are some of my favorite pieces currently on the website...

Handstitched Kantha Throw                                       Joles Coasters

Rattan Hanging Chair                                                   Luxe Fur Stool

Marquesas Kitchen Canisters                                        Psychedeli-Hoo Print

And the options are endless... I can't wait until I can experience it in person.

Please note that all of these things are off anthropologie.com. They vary in price, some are new, some on sale. Enjoy!

The third metric...... well-being.

In the first week of this challenge to myself I want to focus on Well-Being. Its the area that I think will make the biggest difference to me personally. I (like most women) tend to put myself on the bottom of the list when there are things to get done, and that needs to change.

In the book, Thrive by Arianna Huffington, she talks a lot about sleep and the wonders it does for your brain and your body. Did you know lack of sleep can cause health issues putting you at a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis and (eek) premature aging? 

BUT, getting the right amount of sleep can lower stress, help you live longer, maintain a healthy weight, improve memory and attention span, and help fight against depression? It can also make you more creative (all according to HEALTH magazine). Sounds like a good argument for sleep.

I have always been one of those people who needs a lot of sleep. I remember, without any difficulty, the feeling of being extremely sleep deprived when my second daughter was a baby. She was one of those kids that just didn't sleep unless she was touching me. That was ok... except I couldn't sleep when she was touching me. 

Problem. 

I remember the feeling of not being able to function. I couldn't remember anything, I couldn't make decisions, you were lucky to get a coherent sentence out of my mouth. Luckily we figured it out and, almost 6 years later, we are both fine. 

In my current state of life, I probably get (on average) 6-ish hours of sleep. Not too shabby, right!?! Only I know I need more.

One of my issues is that stress keeps me up at night, or I wake very early in the morning (like 3:30 or 4)and can't sleep any longer. This wreaks havoc on my life and it takes several days to get back my missing sleep. so I think my challenge for the upcoming week is to lower stress and sleep more. I am going to aim for 8-9 hours per night. 

Lets see how we do...

Rodan and Fields - REDEFINE

 As I had mentioned in a previous post.... Rodan and Fields are coming to Canada!!! woohoo!

I would like to take a moment to highlight one of their regimens... REDEFINE.

As you can see, there are 3 steps in the regimen. Cleanser, Toner, and moisturizer (one for day and one for night). Pretty easy right... 3 steps.
-The cleanser is clay based, formulated to smooth and clean your skin.
-The toner has been called SPANX for your face (love the visual, heehee). Its focus is on minimizing pores and improving texture.
-The Triple defense treatment has the highest level of peptides available and has a SPF 30 sunscreen (to help avoid nasty sun damage to your skin).
-The night cream works while you sleep to stimulate collagen production and releasing antioxidants into your skin.

I have personally only used a 2 day sample of this regimen. The silky feeling that it left behind after I was finished was enough to hook me. Added bonus... it smells great, a bit citrusy!

The best part is the before and afters.....

I think they speak for themselves. Fabulous results.

Interested?? Rodan and Fields products are not available in Canada yet, but information on them and the company IS available. Shoot me a message if you would like to get more info and I will make sure that it gets to you.

Enjoy! 

Now reading....

Thrive by Arianna Huffington.

Originally I picked up this book because the title called to me. Thrive is a word that has really resonated with me over the last 6 months. Its a word that I use a lot. Its a word that means a lot. And what she talks about in the book really resonates with me as well. 

I work full time, mother full time, run my household and try to have a life. Its exhausting. My job (like most jobs) is a bit thankless. I am someone who holds others accountable, who tries to fix things - yet also tells you that it cannot be fixed, someone who says no (a lot). All of these things take their toll on you. Then I go home.... and do the same thing. All of this can make a sensitive type like me a little crazy.

In the book she talks about the 3rd metric, that the definition of success needs to change. In the past success has been measured by power and money, but with the massive influx of women into the workforce, things need to change. Women want to do it all, but with family and work pressures, often feel like they are failing at everything (totally relate). The third metric is one that adds balance to your life, after all, all work and no play make for a very dull... well, you get my dift.

There are 4 aspects to the 3rd metric... well-being, wonder, wisdom and giving. All very important in and of themselves, but together they make you feel more connected, more balanced. 

I was very inspired by the book. Firstly to get more sleep, but also to get more involved in my community and to take a moment to savor the wonder (I like to call it magic) in life. I have decided to take the next 4 months and work on the 4 areas... hopefully I will be more balanced at the end of it. or at least feel that way! I think if I focus on one area a month I can create some good habits and make some changes. Lets see how this goes!

Trend Alert!!!!

I just bought these pants! Love them! the wide leg, the flowiness, the texture. Only issue is how I am planning to style them.....                                                                                                             

 I am a working mother, I am young, I would love to have some options that work for all parts of my life. Here's what I'm thinking...

FOR WORK

I love the pattern of the tank, it suits my style and adds a lot of interest to the outfit. The plain black pants could be kind of boring is you let them. The cardigan is perfect for covering up those bare shoulders!

Another option.....

FOR BUMMING AROUND WITH THE KIDS

Plain, maybe! but the color is great. Perfect for the park, walks, or hanging out. 

FOR HANGING OUT (friends, coffee dates, who knows what else!)

The color is amazing. Its flowy (like the pants) but all the embroidery adds a lot of detail and interest. I love it!

JUST FOR FUN....

Here are some shoe options...

FOR WORK

FOR BUMMING AROUND WITH THE KIDS

FOR HANGING OUT

Enjoy!

Its coming!!

Rodan and Fields (the creators of that little acne fighting thing called PROACTIV) have crated a line of multi med therapy systems for older skin. Yah!! While I am not that old, I do feel like taking a little better care of my skin now will keep the wrinkles and old 'look' away! Best part is, that's not the only issue they tackle... 

I am extremely excited about this. The product line has been featured in numerous magazines, complete with celebrity endorsements and glowing product reviews. Its always frustrating when you see a new product... but can't get it in Canada!

Well, that is soon to be NO MORE!! In the late fall, Rodan and Fields in COMING TO CANADA!!!!

The company has 4 main product lines (or regimes), a nifty little tool - the AM MD roller, as well as a line of ESSENTIALS (body lotion, etc). The neat thing is that they really do have something for everyone. I have been lucky enough to have tried the product, and I was astounded by the results. 

One of the really cool things about the Doctors is how passionate they are about empowering women. When I was looking into the history of the company I was surprised. They used to be one of the top clinical brands being sold in major US department stores, but pulled out because they discovered that the reason people were trying their product was word of mouth. They decided to give the power to the people and become exclusively a direct sales company.  It must have been the right move because they have been growing by massive percentages monthly ever since. 

Intrigued?? I have more information about the company and the opportunity to join them, message me.

The Beginning.....

With the arrival of warmer weather comes the desire to start something different. Something new. To step out of your comfort zone (or your house!!) and do something exciting - and after the winter we just had, preferably something outdoors!

The purpose of this blog is to do just that. To celebrate the beauty in us and around us. To celebrate the community. Enjoy.