help us win...

I took the little guy to have our picture taken the other day for a photo contest. Please vote for us here. It would be so nice to win something right before returning to work!!!
Ours is picture # 6.

Thanks so much!!!

Throwback Thursday #2

I love this photo. I don't really remember it being taken but I just adore how my dad looks so proud of his little monkeys. He is just glowing and happy in this photo. I must have been about 3 years old and my brother looks about 5 or 6 months here, unfortunately the picture isn't dated. It is hard to imagine that my dad was ever this young or this thin! and he had so much hair !!! I remember always brushing his hair into a pony tail on the top of his head. It was very funny!!

my attempt at curly...

have gone out the window. I'm a little dissappointed as I purchase rather expensive frizz control serum a while ago at Trade Secrets. The sales woman there promised me gorgeous wavey, frizz free hair after applying the Bed Head Control Freak to my normally slightly wavey hair. It didn't really do much before my hair was cut and I thought perhaps my hair was just too long and lacking any shape for the product to work. So this morning I attempted to do the curly thing. The stylist told me to apply an anti frizz product-which i did- and then put in some gel-which i did...the results are absolutely disgusting and I am going to go wet and dry my hair with a blow dryer as soon as i'm done this post!!

NOTE- i attempted my hair at 9am...it is now about 11:30 and these pics were taken just after 11...my hair was/is STILL wet and nowhere near dry- i can't wait any longer to dry it as if i had actually needed to be somewhere this look just wouldn't cut it!

any suggestions on how to get the look i want if i ever attempt to go curly again...

New hair new me!!

Life is all about choices and making decisions. I had a choice to make today that kind of sucked at the time but turned out well in the end. My finances have been a little tight lately due to the end of my maternity leave and hubby being in school for a whole year with no income. I was in desperate need of a hair cut, but I was also supposed to meet some friends for lunch. It was either the hair cut or lunch but definitely not both! I opted for the hair cut as lunch would have been nice but not really worth the dough and my hair well...i have finally found a stylist i like and who seemed to actually listen PLUS no surprises regarding price PLUS he didn't try to sell me on coloring my hair (which could use a touch up but i'm well aware of that fact). I would recommend Mattia at L'Attitudes for a great cut.


Here are some before and after pics:

farewell till next time

My husband has two younger sisters. Each has one kid. The middle sister lives in Zurich and was recently here for her annual visit. It is kind of sad that we will probably only see our nephew once a year for the next few years as i don't foresee travelling to Switzerland often and they have very demanding jobs as it is difficult for them to get away for long periods of time.
While they were here all the cousins had a great time. Here are some photos.
First from our day visiting them up at the cottage they rented

Our trip to the zoo

The family (well minus my brother and his wife unfortunately) was all together to celebrate the boys' first birthday!!!

Look at me now ma!!!

My first Throw Back Thursday entry

Inspired by the ladies over at Pinks and Blues, i decided to join in on the fun. I thought about all my hair fashions over the years and chose to show ya'll some of my old styles...YIKES!! These two are both circa 1993. Don't you just love the full crimped look or my gina bangs?!?! OH MY...how about my "club outfit" how could i have thought a blouse and suit skirt would be sexy for a night of dancing???? The jeans and jean shirt don't seem THAT BAD, i think that outfit was my staple back then. I haven't changed my love of jeans but have changed the style and color of the ones i wear now :)

another reason to avoid these fashion fumblers!

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Consumer/story?id=2530368&page=1

(picture borrow from http://www.ihatecrocs.com/ )

here are some of my favourite things

Pretty Mommy over at Whose Mommy is That is having a contest. I thought I'd enter.

I have been on a mission to find the perfect body wash. I love yummy smelling body washes but won't spend a fortune on them. Unfortunately I have come across several duds lately so they are sitting unused in my shower and will I probably never get my money's worth from them...
My first dud is the Softsoap Ultra Rich Shea Butter Mosturizing Body Wash. It just doesn't lather enough and the scent is so minimal it might as well not be there at all. The second dud is a really cheap one called Eves St. Claire Strawberry body wash. It smells great but I never feel clean nor does it mosturize at all.

My favourite body wash from the drug store to date is St Ives Shea butter. It lathers really nicely, smells amazing and leaves my skin feeling smooth and soft afterwards. This is a winner in my opinion. The next one I really enjoy using is Strawberry Kiwi Body Wash from Life Brand. It is an awesome sweet smell and lathers to just the right amount. It rinses off nicely and leaves my skin feeling soft too.
Another new find is the Olay Shower Rinse. When I first heard the idea of a mosturizer you use right in the shower I thought it sounded absurd but I accidently bought this product thinking it was body wash so I tried it. It is awesome. The first time I used it it left my skin feeling a little sticky and I was dissappointed but after using it for a few days I started to notice a remarkable difference in the softness of my skin- especially my arms for some reason. Now I use this product daily and I will likely repurchase it!! (one warning though- this product leaves the bath tub a little slippery so watch out AND I do notice the tub gets dirtier now that I started using this-i think the dirt just sticks to the residue or something)

Last is my new Olay Face Mask. I love this product. I use it every other day and I find my skin feels nicer and looks smoother too. The product is applied to a dry or slightly damp face and left on for 5-10 minutes, until it's dry, then rinsed off with a damp wash cloth or just warm water. You do not need to wash your face afterwards as it acts as a cleanser too. Again a winner!!

Do you look (insert religion here)?

The other day the family and I were over at my in-laws house. We all got to talking about our different friends and such. My MIL made a comment that I have not been able to keep out of my mind since. She said "such and such doesn't look Jewish" Now I have heard this expression before and I never really thought about it much but this time it really bothered me.
How does one "look" their religion? Do you "look Catholic"? Can you "look Christian"?

What differences in appearance does a Jewish person have versus a "non-Jew"? All these questions have been going through my mind since our conversation.

Friends I met in adulthood have commented to me that I don't look Jewish. What does Jewish look like?

Do I look Jewish? Do you?

Happy Canada Day

Living in Canada is such a privilege. I love living here and would never choose to move to another place for so many reasons.



In Canada I as a woman am free to do anything I please. I can wear pants, I can wear make-up, I can show my face in public.



In Canada I can go to the doctor and not have to pay a fee. I don't have to worry that my insurance does not cover the procedure I need. I can see my doctor about any worry I have and not have to pay a fee(which may change in the future because some do abuse this privilege)



In Canada I can choose any place of worship I want. I have many choices within each religion as to the degree of observance I feel comfortable.

In Canada I enjoy democracy. I get a vote-and I like to think my vote counts....

Why do you love living in Canada???