Category Archives: Toronto

8 course menu in a Cave!

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I’m not a foodie, but I know trying new restaurants with friends is a love language.

The three core pillars of a restaurant experience are: ambiance, service, food (aesthetics high up on priority).

I’m also someone who will go to a new restaurant, not for the food – as a priority, but for the vibes. I love seeing and surrounding myself with beautiful things. So of course, gorgeous restaurants and how the chef’s make art on a plate are no exception.

My friend and I recently checked out And / Ore and it was spectacular. We specifically went to the Below Ground dining room.

And / Ore did not disappoint. From the moment we entered we were treated with a friendly smile, courteous service and beautiful things to look at everywhere.

The Below Ground dinning room offered an 8 course tasting menu. I had seen pictures of the plates online and thought I’d have to grab a pizza afterwards (lol). But little did I know that 8 little plates would really add up!

The presentation of the food (and the taste of most dishes) were amazing. And just check out the view of the inside, it’s like you are in an actual cave!

If you haven’t been then I highly recommend it. The menu is seasonal and uses local ingredients so I plan on going again with the Hubz.

Would love to hear of any new restaurant experiences in Toronto – do share in the comments!

Love & Light
B

Prep for 2025 with me!

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I love a new year because I love a fresh start. But a fresh start can happen any time. It can happen on a clear weekend, or a Monday morning. It can happen happen on a Friday afternoon, when school starts, or the new financial fiscal and the start of a new month. But a fresh start and some inspiration go a long way. Sharing some ways to prepare for the new year, following the 4Ms method: Mind, Money, Mouth & Mood

:: Mind ::

  • Continuous Learning
  • Regular Journalling
  • Make time for Creativity
  • Practice Mindfulness
  • Digital Detox

:: Money ::

  • Create a monthly Budget
  • Have a No-Spend day
  • Track your spending
  • Build your Savings
  • Create an investment account

:: Mouth ::

  • Reach for veggies & fruits first
  • Drink 3L of water
  • Eat enough protein
  • Limit Sugar
  • Track your food (calories or macros)

:: Mood ::

  • Be Grateful
  • Take Nature Walks
  • Practice Breathing Exercises
  • Have a good sleep routine
  • Find reasons to smile
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Review of “The Art of Banksy” Toronto Exhibit

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A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to check out the Banksy Exhibit. The exhibit was well organized and laid out. There was a bar (although no drinks were allowed inside the exhibit) and both a general and VIP admission ticket.

Some interesting things I learned about Banksy and his art:

  1. His art represents geo and socio economic issues with a side of dark humour and satire
  2. He is known for using street and concrete as his canvases
  3. His stencils are potential evidence for vandalism crime
  4. One of his art pieces was a theme park called DismaLand
  5. No body knows who Banksy really is

Spend a self-care day with me!

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Leaning into your self care routine is essential to being more productive BUT can help in elevating your divine feminine energy. #SayLess

We all have those days where we feel like we should push through the exhaustion and be productive.

But then there are days when you sleep in (not by choice), feel decision fatigue with every little thought and feel overwhelmed by the thought of your to do list.

The way to circumvent getting to any level of burn out (like listed above, because they are both a form of burn out) is to have a regularly scheduled self care routine. 
Or in my case self care day!  These happen very rarely and are usually caused by not making self care a natural part of my day.  So I took the day to lean into myself, be self obsessed and get things done that would feed my soul.

So …Join me on as I take a self care day!

Although I completely missed my morning routine (journal, meditate)…My day started with a healthy breakfast

My go to oatmeal right now is half cup of cooked steel cut oats, 4 strawberries, 1 banana, quarter cup of blue berries an a tablespoon of maple syrup.

c/o pinterest

I have an awesome life partner who noticed me working too hard several weeks prior and booked me a 9am full body massage!

It was the perfect release after many weeks of half marathon training and general life pressures.

c/o pinterest

Since I was out, I figured I might as well get some errands done.  I did a Fedex return and dropped off some overdue books to the library!

I ended up spending time at the library, perusing books for future readying, searching Pinterest for my vision board and checking out books for the girls #MomLife

c/o pinterest

I went home and made myself a healthy nutritious lunch: scrambled eggs, edamame, roasted potatoes and broccoli and a home made alioli.

With lunch I watched some Modern Family.  I ALWAYS re-watch shows (SATC, Friends, Seinfeld and now Modern Family) because I do not have the bandwidth to start something new.

I let my food digest while I worked on my vision board and then got a workout in: 30 min run followed by a 20 min full body/no repeats tabata.

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Full transparency I watched a few of my fav YouTubers while I worked out (ie: Tam Kaur, Melanie P Cruz, Holly B Fitness) – I love motivational inspo and could watch these creators on repeat.

Immediately followed that up with an epsom salt bubble bath …and yes the bubbles are MANDATORY ;)

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I made good use of my soak by reading.  I try and read 10 pages a day and I’m currently reading “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”.  I love self dev books, but try to balance them out with some fun fiction tool.

By the time I got out of the shower, I had about 30 minutes before I had to pick up my kids so I did a quick clean or my desk.  Switched up my set up and deep cleaned all the surfaces. 

It was a much needed spring clean.

The rest of the evening was spent being a parent but I managed to finish the evening with a brain dump in my journal (released a lot of thoughts/emotions), had a herbal tea and slept early!

c/o pinterest

Hope this inspired you to add some self care to your day, or take a day all together for yourself!

5 top ways to be more confident in your career

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One thing about me, is if I can share my wisdom I will.  I do a lot of mentoring in my corporate girlie life.  And I also look for opportunities to be mentored.  I’ve had a few great mentors over the years who have guided, protected and propelled me – so I really feel passionate about giving back.

Sometimes, those mentors are in my company, in my personal life or even virtual.

So consider me your virtual mentor!  I hope these tips can help you exude more confidence in your job, career, big dreams and beyond.

  1. Don’t take personalities or communication styles personally
    I find that as adults making friends is a hit or miss. There is such a mix of characters and preferred ways of interacting that we can be friendly with some and frenemies with others. The same applies in the workplace. There is also a mix of personalities and communication styles (cultures and genders can add to the bag). Remind yourself that when people are being direct, it is not personal.
  2. Stop putting others on a pedestals
    If you think other people around are better or smarter than you, because of a certain job title, project they are on or experience – they probably arent. And you can prevent the feeling of under confidence by not assuming people are better than you purely based on what you see. Remember everyone is going through something, even if you can’t see it.
  3. Assume you are doing well (unless you are told otherwise)
    Managers have a responsibility to have transparent conversations with their employees about work activities and performance. So unless you are being told otherwise, assume everything is going well!
  4. Remind yourself its not that serious
    Perspective is important. Remember if it won’t matter in 5 years, don’t spend 5 seconds thinking about it. Zoom out and get a higher point of view. Put in an honest effort, but don’t lose sleep or miss your breaks/PTO because of it.
  5. Reframe your negative thoughts into positive ones
    We often think the worse in every situation. It actually takes more effort and energy to negative than positively. If you feel like you are asking too many questions, remind yourself that you want to have clarity. But also if you get feedback that at first stings, take it as an opportunity to improve.

Annual Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

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I’m definitely not one of those moms (read: momfluencers) who plans gram worthy photoshoots at the farm.  Honestly I’d rather engage my kids in a 500 piece puzzle or take an early morning trip to the art gallery.

But once or twice a year, we head out to our local neighbourhood farm to support their small business.

The girls enjoyed “getting lost” in the corn maze and searching for the perfect pumpkin.  The fresh air and crisp air really got us in the autumn mood!

Pumpkins, Pumpkin patch, Barrel, Farm Visit, green grass, Gord, mini pumpkins