My Breakup Letter to Lululemon

Dear Lulu,

I'm breaking up with you. Don't get me wrong, I believe we've had a good run together: those early awkward years in college when the freshman ten were upon me and none of my clothes fit except my old faithful lulus, not to mention how a fresh outfit always got me back to the gym after a bad breakup. I appreciate that in an "Aritizia-esque" way I can go into your store anytime and am basically guaranteed to find something that looks great on me.

"Its Not You, Its Me Lulu...." (FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Understand that "its not you, its me." I still have absolute faith in your product, and love the choice of color and the super-flattering, ultra-functional high-quality designs. But I gotta say Lulu, I no longer love shelling out $100 or $100 plus for a pair of workout pants. Yes I know they last forever - I could literally send them through the dryer for like the next four years (like that chair you see being sat on every 3 seconds at Ikea). I have tops from like 8 years ago that are still totally wearable...

However times have changed, Seeing your logo no longer sends a chill down my spine. I've got a mortgage to pay now. Don't get me wrong I'm a stay-at-home Mom and workout addict so the yoga pant is like a uniform for me. However the days of your competition having nothing to offer but racks of ill-fitting too-tight workout clothing are over. There's now an abundance of online shopping with free shipping. Great workout fashion is now available at an affordable price, oh and I'm not obligated to wear it for the next 8 years because I paid such an exhorborant price for it, or wash my workout gear multiple times a week because I spent so much on a few pivotal pieces that I don't have enough to go around.



"Okay Its You Too, You've Changed Lulu!" (FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

When I say its ENTIRELY me, I'm not ENTIRELY telling the truth. You've changed. You used to be my cool West Coast vice no one knew about. I would return from Vancouver in my hip and unique Lulu Athletica attire and people would ask me where I got it and mispronounce your name when I told them. Then you went West. You opened a flagship store in - gasp - Calgary. Pretty soon everyone in Western Canada was rocking your designs (I won't even mention what happened in the Okanagan), no longer - what felt like - just an ultra cool Pamela Anderson and myself. 

Our relationship just didn't feel special anymore. While still luxury you became mainstream and "common" when EVERYONE started wearing you......(Don't feel bad Lulu, the same tragedy befell Louis Vutton).

But you got SO mainstream I actually see straight men wearing you now.....

I hate to even bring it up Lulu but you must admit we've had some rough patches, there was the whole see-through pant incident we won't speak about, the time you rolled all your sizing back so a six became and 8, a 4 a 6 and so one and so forth (if you don't remember this thats how far back me and Lulu go!), oh and the fact that you used to make all of your clothing in Vancouver Canada before you sold out of your pseudo-spiritual mandate and started mass-producing it all in China, land of no costly human rights regulations (and charging even more for it!)

Its not that I don't still love you Lulu. I will always have a place for you in my heart. I'll pay good money for what is unique and good quality, but I feel like a fool paying $70 for a different color variation of a shirt every girl in my crossfit class owns. When I can shop C9 at Target and buy 10 comparable items for the price of your two, its a total deal-breaker. The other day I complimented my girlfriend on a pair of workout pants and she told me a girl at her gym sewed them custom for her - for $60!!

Bottom line is, you did this to yourself Lulu. You got so huge so fast and you decided to jack up all your prices and forget about all the little people that believed in you and supported you along the way. So I'm on to find the next thing...

Its not that I still don't want to see eachother on occasion, but I will no longer allow myself to pursue you with such single-minded abandon. You ain't my ball and chain no more Lulu! When someone tells me with pride what a "Lulu junkie" they are,| I think to myself: I hope you'll be really happy together, because you and Lulu deserve eachother.

Love,

A Former Lulu Addict

 

(FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

 

Tips Every Fashionista Needs to Follow to Shop Successfully Online

Its January and time for us all to return to the gym. What can be better motivation than brand new workout gear?

More and more people are turning to online shopping. There are some amazing deals to be found out there not to mention that shopping online gives you access to such an array of merchandise and is so convenient for those that live in more rural areas or don't have the flexibility to get to a mall and dedicate a day to shopping (hullo Moms!). With trepidation, I shopped online for workout gear for the first time ever before Christmas and had such a great experience. But I definitely did my homework first. I seriously probably put about 3 hours into making my order come true, being a perfectionist I wanted it to be perfect and it was.

The end result:
Two pairs of workout pants
One workout skirt
Two super-stylish post-workout pullovers
Four workout tops
Equals $150 with shipping.

I was super happy with the quality and fit of all my workout clothes, and let me say for the record I am a recovering Lulu junkie.

So without further ado, here are some great tips to make your online shopping experience a success.

1)Be Resourceful. Don't be afraid to compliment someone and ask them where they got something. Most people will cheerfully volunteer this information. More and more often I find the answer is online.

2) Do your homework. Read, read, read. Google and read some more.

3) Read reviews for each and every item you are thinking of purchasing. Don't ever order anything with less than 4 out of 5 stars. Reviewers will often volunteer information on sizing and fit as well that you don't want to miss.

4)If you aren't sure about the quality of a line or product google it. Someone out there in internetland has an opinion about it. I guarantee it.

5) Give yourself a reality check. Sure it looks great on the model. Will it look great on you(and your problem areas - lets face it we all have them)? Are you ordering 2 because you love the piece or because its just so gosh darn cheap.

6) Put your order together and save it. Look at it the next day, make changes. Keep it in your cart up to 2 weeks while you review and revamp it. This is how you will be most happy with your order. If you impulsively send off your order on the first night you wont put the same thought and care into it. You don't want to have to send things back; you end up paying so much its not worth it. Get things right the first time.

7) If you aren't happy with an item you received, drop your pants a bit on the price and put it up for sale on kijjiji or a local buy and sell facebook page. You are better off selling it a bit cheap to someone than going through the hassle and expense of sending it back.

7) Before checking out, google "coupon code." You can often find an online coupon that will give you an addition 5% + off of your order.

7) Get a U.S. P.O. Box and ship to it. Or use a receiving service in the U.S. Ordering online from the States and having it shipped to Canada will often make a small order run almost double in price. Often times a border guard will just wave you through with your parcel from the States.

8) Wait until you need/want enough clothing to total $50 or $75. You'll likely get free shipping. A smaller order is going to add up with additional shipping charges and probably not be worthwhile unless it is a specific item you are looking for.

9) Make sure you are purchasing from a legit and reputable seller. Seems like a no-brainer but lots of people get bamboozled online. Look at logos and web ips. Do more googling to find a legit seller rating; don't just accept what it says on the site. Also make sure your payment is secure.

Have fun, be safe, and make sure you mention your order to hubby before it arrives (if you'd expect him to do the same): "By the way...." 

Love,

The Home and Happy Housewife

　

Melt-in-your-Mouth Incredible Whipped Shortbread Recipe.

Okay predominantly I mean MELT- IN-MY-MOUTH shortbread, since I pretty much polished off most of a single batch myself and had to go back and make a triple batch to ensure I would have an adequate supply for the holidays.

Prepare youselves. We are going totally old-school. A great shortbread recipe is definetely a kick-back from the eighties when it was totally acceptable to say put lard into your baking. I was looking for some lard - ha ha LARD - for my Moms amazing super-short pasty crust and I realized that they actually dont even sell lard anymore its that politically incorrect.

Anyways when you make shortbread you can't be worried about like being healthy and calories and s$%t like that. You gotta go all the way baby! Think about it like a moment of full frontal nudity in a movie. Yeah. Thats how you want your shortbread. No holding back. We're going for it here folks.

So without further ado, here is a great 4 ingredient whipped shortbread recipe, super easy to make, and absolutely melt-in-your mouth incredible. These are the cookies that make your mother-in-law take a bite and s^&t her pants. Yeah, I said s%&t twice in this posting about shortbread. This shortbread is seriously the s$%t though. It makes me act like I have turrets syndrome. So get ready, without further ado here it is just in time for the holiday (as in about 7 days before Christmas - perfect timing if you are a procrastinator like me!)

Totally Old-School Incredible Whipped Shortbread

1 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Flour
1/4 Cup Cornstarch

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add flour and cornstarch gradually. Beat continuously until light. Drop by teaspoonful onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 11 minutes. Tada!
 

DIY Ombre Haircolor - Natural Results at Home

Yes,
admittedly doing your own hair is not always a great idea. I have experienced it all, the good, the bad the ugly. There was the time my Mom convinced me that she could give me that great Michelle Phypers haircut from "Dangerous Minds." No offense Mom, but not so, not so! I have been doing foils for other people for a long time using - gasp - tin foil and a good old fashioned paint brush, and achieving -gasp - quite professional results.

Because I'm a stay-at-home Mom I really don't have the time to visit the salon on a monthly basis, and usually get impatient and end up coloring and hacking my own hair. The ombre hair trend appeals to me because it is definitely low maintenance and far from a drastic transformation, while still giving you that look update that makes you feel trendy and womanly.

I was inspired by Jessica Biel's natural look - just google it for a look her stylist is amazing. I bought a Blondissma highlighting kit, and about a one inch paint brush. I separated my hair into two sides as though I were about to braid it. I painted on about the bottom 3 inches of the underlayer. My technique was akin to putting a light sloppy coat of paint on - you don't want it totally uniform; you also want to start by pressing lightly with the brush and then putting more color on the ends (you can even go back and add more color after about 10 mins to say your last inch of hair) to achieve that ombre highlight effect. I pulled some longer strands from the inside layer near the front and painted them through starting at about chin level to the end of each strand using the same technique of starting lightly and focusing the color on the ends. I did probably about 6 to 8 of these per side.

The beauty of this look is that the color you do on the inside, will show through in  a really natural way on the outside layer. I was so happy and pleased with my results. I don't think I could have done better by visiting a salon. This gives me a fashionable, low-maintenance look. I blow dry my bangs, let the rest of my hair dry naturally, curl my fringe and wrap a few sections at the front around the barrel of a curling iron. Ta Da! Ready to hit up playgroup (and rock it hard)!



When you apply the bleach to the last 3 inches of hair focus the color on the ends to achieve the ombre effect



Do about 6 to 8 strands each inner front side, starting around chin level and focusing the color on the ends

 

When you apply the bleach to the last 3 inches, strive for irregularity not perfection.

So pretty! So natural. Perfection!

Attack of Emilio Reggio

You've heard of it all I'm sure: Montessori, Emilio Reggio, attachment parenting, there are so many different schools of thought when it comes to a child's upbringing and development. Recently our local parentlink centre (a free local program that has daily programs you can bring your five an under children to) reopened their doors at a new venue complete with Emilio Reggio nature room.
This means using natural elements as much as possible - wood, stone, glass, and white color. All battery operated toys are out and they try to stay away from plastic as well. So lots of wooden toys, blocks, etc., a light table - still some plastic toys and things like playdo. But the emphasis is on open-ended imaginative play.

I was totally inspired by the feel of the room as soon as I walked into. I felt relaxed, at peace. My children behaved better. I went home a woman on a mission, and cleared our house of all battery operated toys. My husband caught me later that afternoon, spray-painting white bins from our playroom (a project that really wasn't one of my better ideas - I don't recommend it!) I am a total perfectionist, so I had to remind myself that I could start gradually moving towards Emilio Reggio without throwing the baby out with the bathwater, and by slowly incorporating natural elements into my children's room. I couldn't quite get hubby onboard with putting a full-sized tree branch up in the kids room - but I'm still working on it.

Without spending a lot of money upfront, slowly moving battery toys out to the garage, and shopping around online at used sites, visiting thrift stores etc., picking up interesting objects that we find outside, we are making the transition. I still have plastic toys around if they can serve a creative purpose and be a part of open-ended play. I am much more "thoughtful" about the toys I bring into our home now, but I also keep an open mind. We have wooden puzzles, wooden puppet stand and an all-wooden grocer's stand, but we also still have a plastic play-kitchen and my son still has his cars and Thomas the Tank engine - complete with wooden track which totally justifies the whole operation.

Even my husband, a somewhat skeptical - yet bless him silent - observer of the whole operation commented how much more peaceful our house is with the absence of battery operated toys.


Ever the impure purist,

Yours Truly,

The Home and Happy Housewife

The Best Things in Life are Free -or Extremely Cheap! Summer Fashion Finds and Favourites

Have you heard the expression The Best Things in Life are Free. Well the coolest clothes can also be extremely cheap. I love finding things at thrift stores and garage sales. I think it really makes you think outside of the box and get creative about fashion, and that is where the best outfits arise from (I also love love the clearance aisle at Winners!). These are a few of my finds this summer. The average pricetag is $2 - $5.

Saks Fifth Avenue Hat

Leather, never worn. I pledge to rock these babies hard.

Timberlands!!. The perfect pair of slightly worn summer loafers. They complete me.

Leather Hippie Purse. Perfect for rocking that Emo Boho look  all over town - and yes those are mushrooms on it!

Forever Summer Salad

So Yum. And simple: spinach, apple, pineapple, cucumber, snap peas, feta and sunflower seeds with a simple honey vinegarette - 2 TBSP olive oil, 1 TBSP vinegar, 2 tsp honey, and some light salt and pepper. I ate it and almost forgot it was cold outside.