healthy living

i have been trying to get as healthy as i can in every way i possibly can lately. it's weird and random but i go through these phases of wanting to better myself. now i'm not saying i'm not always healthy, i would say i'm on a good level of healthiness but i want to go to the level of, like, being one with the earth. i'm talking full on hippy-tree-hugger. i know i must sound a little crazy but to be honest, when don't i. anyways i thought i'd share my healthy living tips with you beautiful people.

*drink shit loads of water*
you may have to pee every five minutes but you'll notice your skin will start to clear up, you'll feel more energized and awake and just have an overall refreshed feeling. it's all worth having to pee a lot, right? right.

*use a natural deodorant or none at all*
i've tried going deodorant less most days and its usually ok because i shower daily anyway so i don't create that much "stink" during the day. however, sometimes my job can be a little bit strenuous and i do break a sweat. so on those days it's kind of bad news bears but i'm not overly self conscious about it so it's all good. not using deodorant actually relieves you body of some extra somewhat unneeded chemicals it's exposed to on a daily basis. it gives it a break from these toxins. i haven't tried any natural deodorants like baking soda or lemon juice but i think i will, so i'll report back!

*don't shave*
this one kind of makes me laugh because this doesn't really make you healthy in any way but it's sort of liberating. highly recommend trying. ALTHOUGH i've noticed that when i take long breaks (and i mean long...like 4 months or more) without shaving, when i finally do shave them, they are smoother than i have ever felt them, the pores on my legs are hardly noticeable, and i never get any rash or razor burn which is something i constantly got even if i used a good razor and shaving cream. i've got super sensitive skin what can i say. anyways try it it's fun.

*eat vegan or vegetarian*
now i'm not recommending you jump right into becoming a vegan because let me tell you, it's extremely difficult, especially if you're a picky eater. being vegetarian is much easier. you don't have do it forever but even trying to be vegetarian or vegan for a couple of months will do your body so much good and in turn make you feel great.

*meditate*
you've got to have a healthy mind to go with that healthy bod! mediating and quieting your mind for a little bit every day is excellent for the brain. it will allow you to think more clearly and efficiently!

*no nail polish*
too many chemicals seeping into your body. yes, you can absorb things through your nails. let them breathe!

*no makeup*
no makeup makes for healthier, clearer skin. you're beautiful no matter what, don't listen to people who have nothing nice to say, they're sad, sad people. feel bad for them and feel happy for yourself!

*walk*
get some fresh air in those lungs, INHALE then EXAHLE. feels good.

*take a break from technology*
as i'm writing a blog post on my computer................i think our minds function better being in the real world, experiencing things first hand and communicating face to face. that's how we are programmed. we get so mesmerized by our technology that we forget to live. you can't bake a cake on the computer. if you are using technology, do it to call a friend or chill to some music, things that are good for you.

*be kind*
be kind to others, and be kind to yourself. only good comes from good. you are all loved, important, cherished and here for a reason, don't ever forget that.

xxx

staying positive

as i get older i'm finding it harder and harder to stay positive about things. it actually really bums me out sometimes. the things that used to make me happy just don't do the trick anymore. maybe it's that i had higher expectations for what life was going to bring me as an adult but for right now, i can say that i definitely wish i was a kid again. but who doesn't!

i don't want to be a negative person or in a depressed state because i know that being that way only brings more negativity into your life, it's like a magnet for all bad things. luckily, doing the opposite and being positive can do the same sort of thing except bringing positivity rather than negativity into your life! so instead of wallowing in my own self pity and wasting my precious days away i'm trying to find new things that make me happy and hopefully in the long run, find a new positive path in which to lead my adult life. i'm still trying to figure out what i want to do with this life of mine and i think that is my main problem right now. i think way too much and hurl myself in to this negative mindset, when really there is nothing to worry about!

I have always practiced mediation and i recently starting doing yoga, but i've been trying to do both daily to relax my body and mind. i've seen improvements in my yoga skills however, my meditation still needs work. but i hear meditation takes years of practice to start feeling the benefits from it, so i'm just going keep at it!

i've also been trying to revisit some old things i used to do to see if it may make me feel a bit more at ease on days that i'm struggling to stay happy and positive. i was unpacking a box of my old things a couple of days ago because i'm still not completely unpacked into my new room yet (even though we moved in 5 months ago!) and i came across some of my old diaries. they were actually hilarious, i was laughing out loud at some of the things i wrote and it was beautiful to actually be able to see the innocence in my writing. i was 8/9 years old when i started writing in a diary and even though i was young i did it religiously. every single night before bed, i never missed a day. i stopped around the age of 14 and i think that's partly because i got sucked up in the busy social life of a teenager as well as being embarrassed someone might find out that i wrote in a diary. i wish i didn't stop though because i think it was extremely therapeutic for me and helped me to get anything that i need to get off my chest, off my chest. so i've start up a diary again! my older sister got me this beautiful leather bound journal for christmas last year and i haven't really known what to write in it so i've just been writing anything and everything that comes to my mind, sort of like this blog haha! i've got quotes i like, it's got some drawings of mine and just regular journal entries. i think it will be interesting to go back to it in a couple of years and re-read what i wrote because there are some things you write about and then forget right after. so i'm going to keep writing in it because it's something i'm enjoying right now.

i also like watching movies i watched as a kid. i always gravitated to certain movies to make me feel happy inside when i was worried about something or felt sad. casper, men in black, pocahontas, hocus pocus, the santa clause and jumanji are just a few.

what do you do to stay positive?

as always, stay cheeky!

the end of summer

well, summer is coming to an end. for most people this is a sad thing, but for me it's kind of exciting. fall and winter are my personal favourites.  it may have something to do with me being a red head but summer is just not my season. it does nothing for me. i physically can't tan, i sweat super easily and hate being hot (and my current home doesn't have a/c - lord have mercy) and i'm no longer living the easy life of a kid and have my summers off to play and have fun, i've gotta work the days away. this summer has been rather uneventful for me as well so theres nothing that has made me want it to go on any longer than it already has. so, as you can tell, i'm totally pumped for fall to come around!

as much as the summer has been for the most part uneventful, i did manage to have a little bit off fun. you can't go without it for too long or you'll start to go nuts! so i thought i'd give you all a little glimpse of what i did to stay sane on my limited but, relaxing and fun, days off!

 i got manicure ...or two...or 4.. (OPI roadhouse blues)

i got acquainted to the new house

i explored the new town (this is the town's annual buskerfest) 

 made some new friends

 saw some beautiful sunsets

 spent some time in the great outdoors

 caught up on a couple shows

 celebrated a birthday

 started taking music lessons again! (this is my mom making up some songs)

 took advantage of the new pool

 help a little birdie find his momma again

 hiked with some friends

 caught up with friends

went to a local farm to play with animals

 spent lovely summer evenings with family

and stopped by the CNE!

hope everyone had a safe and happy summer. :)

stay cheeky!

hair love

first off, i want to apologize that there will be no pictures in this post. my phone and laptop have decided they don't want to be friends lately. but i'll do my best to give you links to the things i am talking about so if you wish to purchase them you may!

ever since i turned 18 my hair has given me constant grief. my hair before the age of 18 wasn't too much of a hassle other than the fact that it wasn't to nice natural so i would have to straighten it. it always stayed healthy and soft though. once i went to university my hair started breaking off super easily, it felt brittle and dry, lost some shine, and got frighteningly thin (for me at least). it started to lead me to feel a little sad, no one wants ugly hair! I tried to figure out why this was happening. nothing had changed though. the weather in the area my university was in was the same as it was in my hometown, i was using the same products and still treating it with the love i gave it at home. so, really i have no idea what caused it, perhaps stress or maybe it was just a coincidence and it was going to happen to me no matter if i had moved away from home or not. anyways i realized i had to change my hair routine a little because my old routine just wasn't working out for me anymore.

now i've always had relatively thin hair but it's constantly gotten thinner the older i get. so i've always been hesitant to put any extra conditioning treatments in my hair in fear of it making my hair greasy and weighed down. my hair is extremely greasy on it's own. i can have a shower in the morning and it be greasy by 5pm that same day, and no, i don't touch my hair throughout the day. it's just greasy, that's the way i am! in the past couple of years this whole hair oil thing has gotten extremely popular. i wasn't into it, because i thought "my hair doesn't need anymore oil than it's already got!" but my mom came home one day with Moroccan Oil Hydrating Styling Cream it is amazing. my mom has a similar hair type to me and was looking for something that would hydrate her ends without affecting the rest of her hair too much. it smells heavenly and does a really good job of hydrating with out weighing the hair down. but remember, it's all about portion control, if you use too much it might make you hair oily looking. a little goes a long way!

i also use Icon's India Oil on a regular basis. i only use one of these two oil's at a time though, it's either one or the other. India oil smells heavenly as well, but it is a much thicker oil. i like to put a very small amount of india oil in my ends while my hair is still wet before i blow dry it. it keeps your hair soft and smooth throughout the day. i also put a rather generous amount on the ends before i go to bed at night because i don't really mind if my hair looks oily while i sleep. i wash it every morning anyway so it's not a problem for me.

both oils have helped my hair from breaking as frequently and i highly recommend both!

stay cheeky

trip toronto

my family and i love going to lacrosse games and all of the ones that we go to see are in the exciting, nearby city of toronto. so, whenever we go to one of the games were always sure to make a day trip out of it. we go to a couple places, shop a bit, get some food and then off to the game. the last game we went to was the st. patrick's day weekend in march. the first thing we did was stop in at ravi soups which has some amazing ratings and even more amazing food. their food presentation, the restaurants atmosphere and the food itself all make you feel comfortable and content. i got the curry and apricot soup and i highly recommend it. if you're ever in toronto be sure to check this place out!

then we were off to the steam whistle brewery in hopes of being able to go on one of the tours they do of the brewery. we forgot that it was in fact st. patrick's day weekend and that the place would of course be PACKED with people wanting to party. so because it was filled to the brim with party goers we just went into the lobby and snagged a couple of free samples which i was totally cool with.

we had a little more time to kill before the game started so we just decide to walk around the city. even though it was colder than ever. we're canadian though, so were used to it ;)

then we got to the ACC, got some snacks, found our seats and enjoyed the game. overall it was a lovely day out and a fun time with the fam. i feel thankful to live so close to such a fun and lively city. 

stay cheeky

stay updated

remember if you'd like to stay up to date on all of my post you can follow my blog via Google Friend Connect by clicking the "Join this site" button, Google+ or Bloglovin. thanks to all my readers!

stay cheeky

:)

new digs

hiya! a while back i talked about the fact that my new blended family and i were moving into a new home! were super excited and have just got possession of it in the past couple days so we've wasted absolutely no time in getting to the renovations. our family is at the grand total of 8 but my oldest sister doesn't live at home anymore so it'll just be the 7 of us living in this new one. Not that that makes out group any smaller haha! anyways the house doesn't have quite enough bedrooms for all of us so we need to add two in the third floor of our home. it's a beautiful place built in the 1920's, have a look!

on a side note: the coloured portion of the drapery/curtains in the dining room ("the pink room") and the living room ("the room with the fireplace") are for sale so contact me if you are interested!

stay cheeky

random goodies haul

i've been shopping a little more than i probably should be lately. but, there are just some things you can't resist getting, you know? 

i went to a local beauty supply shop not too long ago and was trying to resist my ever growing urge to spend. i refrained to a certain degree, but they had a couple of OPI nail polishes on sale so, of course, i got a couple. i had been wanting the "blue my mind" one for a while so i was happy to see it on sale. the 'a-piers to be tan" one intrigued too me so i grabbed it as well.

 when i was in high school i got in the habit of breaking open vitamin e gel capsules and put the oil under my eyes, on cuts, scars, cuticals and lips. i was in the drug store picking up some things when i came across this little jar of vitamin e oil. i like to put it under my eyes and on my forehead creases while i sleep. 

my hair has been an absolute disaster this winter, probably because it has been extra harsh this year. i've been conditioning , putting oils in it and trying to give it some of it's moisture back so it might actually do what i want it to do when styling (it's not curling or straightening properly!) i have seen this around and smell it every time i come across it in a store -- it smells heavenly. i have only used this twice but it seems to be leaving my hair extra soft and clean feeling, thumbs up so far!

now this is for anyone who absolutely from the depths of their soul hate stick deodorant. i have always used stick deodorants and have never quite liked them, they mark clothes, feel weird and often lose their fresh smell. i was talking with my mom expressing my hatred towards them and mentioned how i was jealous that boys had a spray deodorant option. she then went on to tell me that girls did as well, who knew! she said that this brand "Arrid" was the one that everyone used when she was young. let me tell you, this smells great, stays smelling great, doesn't leave deodorant marks on clothes and is super easy and fast to apply. i am never going back to stick deodorants!

let me know if you have tried any of these or if you try them after reading this, i'd love to hear what you guys have to say! remember, stay cheeky.

tea lovers?

 hello everyone :)

i was given this tea for christmas and it is absolutely divine. if you're a tea lover like me you should give it a try!

stay cheeky!

owl crazy

my older sister is always poking fun at me saying that i'm "so hipster." i think i'm just a unique person with unique tastes, i've always been that way. i liked weird things before this whole hipster thing came about...but i'm pretty sure me saying that makes me hipster doesn't it? anyways for christmas i was asking for "grown up" gifts, such as things for my future house and things to fill up my hope chest (dishes, cutlery, house decorations etc). my mom was nice enough to get me some lovely things for my hope chest and a lot of it was owl themed which is awesome. i have a slight obsession with owls, they're just so rad! when my older sister saw me open them on christmas morning she said that it was "so hipster of me to get owl stuff." i don't know if owls are a hipster thing or if liking them makes me one but if it is/does, so be it! i love my owl stuff.

these aren't owl but they came with my owl dishes below, i love them they're the cutest little spoons ever!

owl mug 

this is just one of the two identical owl dishes i got

what do you guys think? you like?

 stay cheeky.