Back in the day, the day before smart phones with built in cameras, Christmas was one of the few times of year we remembered to take photos in my family. I'm betting it was the same at your house too. I love going back over the old pics, reflecting on the various Christmases: the meals, the guests, the presents and of course, the squabbles! — Read More —

As I head out the door in search of Black Friday deals, I thought it a good time to remind fellow bargain hunters of a few important tips and strategies to help you avoid a bad case of retail regret. — Read More —

It’s that time of year again when I like to think back on the months past, reflect, and hopefully extract meaning from my experiences. To quote Confucius, as I often like to do, “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is the noblest; second, by imitation, which is the easiest; and third, by experience, which is the bitterest.” — Read More —

Over the last 12-18 months I’ve been full-on SOOMCZ – stepping out of my comfort zone. Why do this, you ask? To paraphrase one of my favourite quotes, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. You want something different? Do something different. — Read More —

As some readers already know, Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday of the year. It's all about the food, drink and fun and without the stress of gift-giving. Plus it's a shorter season than Christmas, since we've got to move on to the Halloween season. (Which is the other most excellent day of the year.) — Read More —

My love for my dog Lola knows no bounds. The more time I spend with her, the deeper my loves grows. I even let her sleep on my bed.  I would walk across burning coals for Lola and the thought of her getting old and dying makes me want to vomit. That said, she requires a whole lot of walking and I must admit to getting bored once in awhile. — Read More —

I was in the changing room at Zara trying to squeeze into clothes made for women half my age when a potentially embarrassing situation nearly took me down. — Read More —

When something significant happens in my life, I go to any one of my three sisters to share, ask for advice or vent. The nature of the subject matter determines who I reach out to; like if I score a designer sweater on sale or I need to talk for hours (maybe days) about that person who wronged me, I go to the ever-patient fashion-loving Amy.  Then when I need a behavioural analysis that holds nothing back, its straight to the psycho analyst Lisa. — Read More —

I've had a few emails and questions via social media about a number of blog posts and the status of various products I was testing out. Here are some answers to your most FAQs. — Read More —

Parents everywhere are counting the days until school resumes. I know many in this situation: Summer camp is over and kids are hanging around looking for things to do; needing to be fed, driven places and entertained. For some, the dog days of summer mean everyone might be a bit sick of each other. Don't feel guilty if you're in this boat. You're in good company and wanting your time back doesn't necessarily make you bad at your parental job. — Read More —