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Monday, January 31, 2011

What's your passion?!

The other day, I talked about finding a job you are passionate about.  But it's also cool to know what are your life's passion's.  Whenever someone asks me what my passion is I answer, without hesitation, TRAVELLING! :)   I love to travel and have visited almost 30 different countries.  But would you believe, that I have never worked in the travel or tourism industry. I'm a big budget traveller, I think you get more out of staying at a local casa/pension than a big luxurious hotel.  Now don't get me wrong...I love luxury just like the next person.  It all depends on what I want to get out of the next trip, whether I budget travel or hang out in a resort.  But I have to say, without a doubt, the biggest adventures came when I travelled independently. Follow my Travel Girl Tales if you are interested in travel stories.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Wine & Dine at Ricardo’s Mediterranean Grill

Wine and Dine is on!  And last nite I checked out Ricardo’s.  And the ever gracious hosts Ricardo and Sue were on hand to welcome us.  Ambiance, service, and food…a trifecta in my books!  I started off with the Mediterranean Salad which had a great combination of  Wild Greens with homemade canned organic Beets, fresh Fennel slices, crunchy Garbanzo beans tossed in a creamy vinaigrette. For my main, I  had the Sicilian Trout that was accompanied by a fragrant rice and grilled veggies.  I finished this with PannaCotta al Limone.  But with all the great things that this restaurant is (great food and hospitality), it’s the ambiance I love the most!  There is so much energy coming from the other patrons that it makes it such an enjoyable place to eat.  Who would have thought an old office building could have so much character.  Check out the rest of their Wine & Dine menu here, on till Feb 5th.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Are you Twongo/Groupon addicted?

I am!  The first few times, I got a little excited.  But now I am recognizing what is a good deal.  It’s amazing what kind of deals you can get through these sites.  I thought these sites had only been around for a little bit.  And while locally it is relatively new, Groupon was originally launched in Nov 2008, and is now valued at over $1.35B…why didn’t I think of it!   Groupon has been so successful it is now in over 200 cities. If you haven’t signed up yet,  it only takes minutes and they will email you the daily deal. Personally, I prefer Twongo, I’ve found the deals better – I think they know the area better.  Let me refer you, and we’ll both get $5 credits with their websites.  Go here for Twongo and here for  Groupon.
                      

Friday, January 28, 2011

Have you ever thought to find your passion by trying 52 jobs in 52 weeks?

Wednesday night, I went to see a young man who has done just that-Sean Aiken.  We watched a great video that documented his travels for the year.  Coincidently, the documentary played on CBC on Wednesday night as well.  He was able to work 52 jobs in 52 weeks, and the resounding result…do what you are passionate about.  I remember my Ah-ha moment, when I realized that when doing a job I loved I didn’t worry about when I was to get paid, and before I knew it I had received another pay cheque.  I truly believe that if you do what you are passionate about, you will be good at it, and then if you are good at it, the money will follow.  Sean Aiken has a website www.oneweekjob.com and a book you can purchase called The One Week Job Project- the Book

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Crock-pot Lasagna…mmmmmm


I’m always looking for good recipes that are quick and provide some variation to meals. Keeping in mind, that I’m quite new to this domestic stuff. I was watching an old show of Oprah, and Jessica Seinfeld shared this recipe…and last night I tried it! It was easy and yummy! This recipe is vegetarian, but I’m sure that you could add some ground beef to meat it up. Just make sure that you brown the ground beef with some onions before adding. I pretty much followed this recipe, but I did use Italian Seasoning instead of Oregano. The recipe can be found on Oprah’s site or in Jessica Seinfeld’s cook book Double Delicious. Good Simple Food for Busy, Complicated lives. Enjoy!

Serves 8. Each serving: 437 calories, 16g fat, 6g fibre

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Just got the coolest diaper bag!

                            I just got my Kemby Sidekick diaper bag! It’s the bee’s knees. It comes in some great colors (I got the grey one!), and includes an insulated snack pack, two bottle pockets and soft lined diaper pad. There were some reviews that it is kind of small, but I put everything in it I need (6 diapers, cream, wipes, plastic bags, nursing apron, receiving blanket, extra set of clothes , and still have room to spare). The coolest thing about this bag is that the top flap converts to a Baby Carrier. It’s not something you want to use every day (if your bag is too full, it bangs on your leg when you walk). But it is great for short trips and times when need to free your hands. Plus even without using the carrier, it’s still an awesome bag. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.


Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The hardest part of being a new mom.

I thought that the hardest part of being a mom would be figuring out the right things to do. While it was the hardest part, it was for a reason entirely different than what I expected. Not only are you making life long decisions for someone else (that’s the part I thought would be hard), but you are being judged for every decision you make. Everything from breastfeeding vs formula; to vaccinate or not; or to get your son circumcised; elicits strong opinions from everyone around you. It surprises me that in a world where we are moving towards celebrating people’s individuality and uniqueness, that we still continue to judge other’s decisions. So MOMS celebrate and respect our differences, if we were all the same this world would be a boring place.