Marketplace: Favourite Gifts for Babies and Toddlers

February 25, 2016 | 4 Commentaries

Between my own nephews and nieces and all of my friends’ babies, I have bought so many baby gifts over the last decade or so. Like many areas of my life, I approach baby gift buying quite simply. When the babies started coming, I thought carefully about what my favourite items were, and then I basically resorted to buying them in bulk. Honestly. Today I’m sharing with you some of my signature baby gift items; they seem to be well-received by babies and parents alike.

Jellycat stuffed animals are the softest, and the faces are super sweet. I tend to buy a lamb or a bunny, but lately I’ve picked up the giraffe, and I just love it. There are so many good chewing options for babies…ribbons, tails, arms…awesome! I’ve got my eye on the unicorn and owl, too. I do tend to stay away from the bear…it’s just a bit too classic for my taste.

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Jellycat bashful bunny

I always buy books for babies and kids. Reading is one of the single most important things that people can do for and with kids, in my opinion, and I do my part to encourage it! My all-time favourite book for babies/toddlers/kids is Each Peach Pear Plum. This was my favourite book as a young kid, and it gives the reader so much to look at and learn!

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Each Peach Pear Plum by Allan Ahlberg and Janet Ahlberg

I also buy just about any Dr. Seuss book, but Green Eggs and Ham remains my all-time favourite.

For one-year olds, I often buy One by Kathryn Otoshi. It’s a beautiful book with sweet, simple watercolour artwork.

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One by Kathryn Otoshi

Now that my friends’ babies are turning two, I’ve started buying Two by Kathryn Otoshi in bulk. Why ruin a good thing, right? 9780972394666_IL_2_dfc8f

Two by Kathryn Otoshi

I also find Press Here by Herve Tullet to be an exceptionally fun book and any kid that I have given it to seems to have really enjoyed it (two others in the collection are Mix it Up! and Let’s Play). For Christmas, I sent my nephews and niece a bunch of Laura Ljungkivst’s Follow the Line books, and they seem to have liked them quite a bit. I’m also always on the lookout for Barbapapa books (in French, English, or Italian) for my nephews and niece; I love the creativity of these stories.

Do you have signature gifts for babies, toddlers, kids, or others? Do tell!

Update:

Books: What I’ve been Reading Lately

August 5, 2015 | Leave a Reply

I read quite a bit (this wasn’t always the case), but my reading lists vary depending on the time of year. During the academic year, I read a lot of academic texts and journals. During my down-time, I read loads of magazines (fashion, design, food, celebrity, anything really!), some non-fiction books (related to living a happy life, promoting one’s strengths, leadership, business, etc.), and random fiction. During the holidays (e.g., spending three weeks in Florida), I lean toward easy breezy beach reads.

Here’s a look at some of the books I’ve recently read:

The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo

Review: I like that I now know what all the fuss about Marie Kondo is about. The book is a quick read and it makes you think about all the stuff you own and why you own it. That said, some of the strategies, suggestions, and techniques are just too extreme or completely unrealistic for my own life. I took this book out of the library, so it didn’t clutter up my home.

Leave Your Mark: Land Your Dream Job by Aliza Licht

Review: Aliza Licht’s Leave Your Mark is an easy read with some good suggestions about how to navigate the workplace. I probably should have read something like this when I was 20.
Funny Girl by Nick Hornby

Review: Let me start by admitting that I have liked Nick Hornby for a really long time, so I am biased. Funny Girl rates high on my list because I really liked the characters and storyline. I am now wondering if a movie is in the works. I hope so!

Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella

Review: I have read every Sophie Kinsella (and Madeleine Wickham) book. I have a soft spot for Becky Bloomwood, and she makes me laugh. That said, I didn’t love Shopaholic to the Stars. Dare I say it – I might actually be tired of Becky’s ways (same story, different location?). I didn’t like how this book ended (and neither did a couple of other people who have spoken to me about it).

The Vacationers by Emma Straub

Review: The Vacationers looked like it was going to be the best beach read. Unfortunately, I didn’t like it at all. I read it from beginning to end (just because I had committed to it), but I was sort of just bored.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Review: Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train was amazing. I could not put this book down. It hooked me in right from the first page. If you like suspense/thriller/action, you’d like this book.

Do you have any book recommendations? I’d love to know about them!

Blog Linkup: Summer Essentials

June 18, 2015 | 19 Commentaries

I almost missed this month’s linkup announcement over at The Well. I must already be in summer mode! This month, Meg and Victoria posed this question for us:

WHAT ARE YOUR SUMMER ESSENTIALS?

After last month’s tough question, I was happy to see this one. This one is easy for me to answer because I absolutely loooooove the summer! I’m pretty sure that it’s because my birthday is in July, there are plenty of warm sunny days, and I have had summer months off from school and work for pretty much all of my life. Summer. Nothing beats it. Wish we had a few more months of it!

Anyhoo, so, on to my summer essentials (apparently I have quite a few). Here. We. Go.

1. Open windows. I love having my windows open and letting the breeze flow through my home.

via

2. Passport. My passport is always ready to go, but the summer is the most convenient season for me to take a vacation, so I always do. Lucky me!

via Mark & Graham

3. Bathing suit. I do not have an extensive bathing suit collection, but I put every piece to very good use all summer long. I typically wear navy or black suits, but I’m also open to colour.

Gucci bikini, via Neiman Marcus

4. Havaianas. I basically live in them during the summer months. I know I should probably up my footwear game, but these flip flops are perfect for grocery store runs, lounging around the pool in Florida, and hitting up garage sales. I currently have brown, black, and orange in rotation, but I think I should invest in a red or fuchsia pair. Maybe even a white pair. Beyond that, by the time June rolls around, I’m just so tired of wearing socks and closed toe shoes (and boots!). My feet need air!

via Havaianas

5. Sangria. Red. White. It doesn’t matter. I just love it. I think this is because when I was in my early 20s, I traveled around Spain for a few weeks with my pen pal (Yes, I have a pen pal. Hi Vanessa!), and I was introduced to this delicious summer bevvie.

via Love Grows Wild

6. Hammock. I won a hammock last summer over at Lindsay’s blog, and I just can’t get enough of it. It’s the ultimate backyard perch.

look at how relaxed I look

7. Ice cream. I love eating ice cream in the summer. When we’re in Florida, my friend Shannon and I stock the freezer with loads of flavours, and ~~slowly~~ quickly eat our way through everything. It’s glorious. The Magnum mini is my current favourite, but I definitely don’t limit myself to just this type.

via Magnum

8. Panama hat. I picked up my Panama hat in New Orleans a few years ago, and I just love it. It’s way better than my winter toque!

here’s a selfie from New Orleans

9. White shirts, tanks, and tees. I can never have too many of these in my wardrobe! I add new versions to my collection each summer (well, every season, really…I do wear a lot of white).

the Gap remains one of my favourite go-to tee shot

10. Camera. I got a new camera recently, but I have yet to really figure out how it works. I am really looking forward to playing around with it this summer. If anyone has a good DSLR how-to book recommendation, please let me know!

11. Books. Stacks and stacks of reading material for at home and on vacation. I’ve been going to the library every week all winter long, and I’m planning on continuing this habit over the next few months/forever. The Waterloo Public Library is fantastic.

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12. Mozzarella. Any cheese. Any time. Right? Mozzarella is on the top of my cheese buying list because it will go so well with the tomatoes and basil that are growing in my garden. Hello caprese salad, I’ve missed you!

via Local Lemons

13. Bicycle. It’s so handy to take my bike around town, and I hope to do it as often as I can this summer. Nothing fancy. Just leisurely rides around town to get my errands done.

via A Beach Cottage

I guess that’s about it for now in terms of summer essentials. What about you? What’s on the top of your essential list?

As per the linkup tradition, I would encourage you to read through the essential items of my fellow bloggers:

26 and Not Counting
Alyssa J Freitas
soak and simmer
The Not Quite Adult
Carrie Loves
The Yuppie Files
PRBlonde
Knowing Kelly
Something Good
Feathers and Stripes
Cassandra Monroe
Otherworldly
Sunny Side Up
Life Modifier
Leigh Clair
Rae Loves
Rose Colored Water
Rossetto
Fashion to a T
PreppyPanache
Emilie Lima Burke
Ember & March
Business Betties
with love from ellie
Mint Julep Girl
Love Peace and shimmer
Rae Everyday
Little Wild Heart
star-crossed smile
Luv in the Bubble
Perfect Enough For Us
LIFE BY BRI
Sorcha Eleanor
Brikasia
Dreams and Colour Schemes
Elana Lyn
Sequins & Strawberries
Pattern Me Pretty
Beauty and the Pitch
White Oak Creative
The Toppy Top
White Cabana
In The Grey
Taryn Williford
Cooper + Thames
Mrs. on the Move
Magnificent Temptations
Meg Biram
Victoria McGinley

Read my previous linkups here: January, February, April, May. Thanks to Meg and Victoria for bringing us all together again this month.

Books: What I’ve Been Reading

March 2, 2015 | 3 Commentaries

Winter in Canada. It sucks. I have complained so much about it (and I just can’t stop). It puts such a damper on my mood and motivation. I’ve tried to embrace it in the past, but, really, it just doesn’t work for me. I’ve been coping with the cold, dark days by watching a lot of television (I’m sort of completely sick of television now, too) and by reading more books (rather than just my usual stack of magazines and list of blogs).

In addition to about a dozen academic books (for a fun-for-me project that I might share one day), I’ve read the following…

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

I’d recommend all three books. Gone Girl was a slow start for me, but once I got into it, I couldn’t stop reading it. It was amazing. The Rosie Project and Rose Effect were both amusing and interesting. Because one of the main characters is a professor, I could relate.

I’ve also been reading a whole bunch of money and tax books. Here are some of them:

I think Gail Vaz-Oxlade’s books have been the most relevant, useful, and informative.

Design: Office Desks

August 20, 2014 | Leave a Reply

It was one year ago today that I had my PhD defense (an oral exam, an examination of my research). It was a full, intense, and very special day. Even though the day flew by incredibly fast, I hope I remember the feelings I had that day for many years to come.

Considering the countless hours I spent at my desk during graduate school, I thought today’s celebratory post could focus on some absolutely stunning offices and desks.