Tag: Summer

May Favourites 2021!

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Let’s Go Eco Reusable Tote Bags

I’ve been trying to be more eco friendly in my life so I’ve slowly been making changes. Using a reusable coffee filter, dry balls instead of dryer sheets, reusable bags instead of Ziploc bags and more. I have bags I bring to the grocery store but they’re not made to carry food, it’s like those Roots bags or they’re thin and break as soon as you put 3 packages of meat in them. I was throwing out more than I should be! My Mum found this site because it gives you those seasonal box sets and she knows I’m trying to find good reusable stuff. I told her these bags were cool and to my surprise she ordered them for me and shipped them to my house! Best Mum and these are the best bags. I went to the store the other day to pick up some essentials we ran out of and used them, because they have sorting pockets on the inside it evenly distributes the weight and prevents you from cutting off circulaton to your hand and arm. My Mum got these off letsgoeco.com and the 2 pack is $30. I will definately be ordering more!

Zenni Optical

So I finally went to the eye doctor after not going for years and needed to get new glasses. Glasses are so expensive especially if you get name brand frames, some frames alone are $200 and then you have to pay for the frames and everything else on top of that. My family has used Zenni and they love it so I thought I would give it a try since were in a pandemic and all! I research glasses and tried them on virtual for about 2 weeks to try to find the ones that I would really like. Eventually I just kept coming back to the same pair so that’s how I knew they were the ones. They tell you the measurements and everything so I could compare them to my old glasses to make sure I didn’t get a pair that had things I didn’t like about my old pair. I also got prescription sunglasses so I can actually see while I’m driving in the sun (I’m short, the visor doesn’t work!). My glasses frames were $40 and sunglasses frames were $55 then you pay for lenses and anything else you want to add on. I got the bluelight blockers for my glasses as I’m either watching tv, on my phone or using my laptop, my sunglasses I got them mirrored and polarized and 2 cases. In total it was about $300 but if you break that down $7 for each case and $143 for each pair of glasses. That’s not a bad deal considering some frames alone are $143! Check them out if you need classes and compare the prices to other sites aswell!

Botanica Modular Hanging Garden Planter

At my apartment I have a long but narrow balcony, of course I want to put plants and make it beautiful but having planters on the ground takes up room. I looked into getting a plant shelf but that sold out by the time I blinked. Everyone in my apartment was getting those planters that sit on top of the railing which is nice but I’m 6 floors up and if one of those falls off that could be bad. I decided to get something that would hang on the inside so if it fell it just fall onto the balcony. I ordered these from Canadian Tire and they come in a set of 2 and you don’t have to hang up one below the other! I set up the straps, plants my plants and put up the planters side by side with a little space in between and it looks nice! Plus I have space on my floor! My plants have been growing like crazy as they’re in the sun more and the colour is nice; it comes in grey and terracotta. I got this set for $50.

Thanks for reading,

Maeg

COVID-19 Layoff: Day Sixty-Six

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Welp.

Today was semi productive day, this morning Drax didn’t want to walk as it was already 20 degrees at 9am. This weather is insane and it’s only going to get worse next week.

Dave and I finally got the AC unit from my Mum’s cause she is the bomb, came back to installed it and now we’re ready for the heat wave to come aka tomorrow!

Tomorrow I may be going to my Dad’s to get my tires changed over saving me some money, plus I’ll get to see my Dad and the doggos.

The rest of the day not much was done besides hanging out and watching tv, then Dave and I got a complaint saying we were loud all day, banging things even though we were not. The man below us is old and apparently complains about everything, which we were warned of when moving in but he seriously needs to calm down. In the evening we took Drax for his longer walk so he was cool and he could actually get some exercise in.

That’s all I’ve got today!

Thanks for reading,

Maeg.

COVID-19 Layoff: Day Thirty Five

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Welcome to spring-winter.

This morning Dave and I did some grocery shopping, we got there around 9:30am and by the time we left (10:30am) there was a big lineup to get in. It’s just crazy to think this is actually happening even though it’s been 35 days since I last worked.

While we were shopping Dave said he wanted a BBQ since we’re allowed them on our balcony. I definitely miss having BBQ food so I was okay with it. He found one that wasn’t too big and was only $160 from Walmart.

It came in a box but putting it together was easy as Dave did it pretty quick. The best part was the food, we had sausages, potatoes and salad. Definitely going to be used a lot!

That was pretty much our day! We walked Drax as he was super sucky together for some reason but he’s good and asleep for the night.

Dave and I are now watching Absurd Planet on Netflix, it’s pretty funny and educational. It’s fun to see all the weird animals on this planet! Go check it out!

That’s it! Hope you’re all staying sane and staying safe!

Thanks for reading,

Maeg.

The 2018 List

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I have been slacking big time and I keep saying I’m back but life is crazy!

  1. Get G
  2. Buy a Car
  3. Travel Somewhere
  4. Tree Top Trekking
  5. Toronto Maple Leaf Game
  6. Hiking
  7. Nuit Blanche
  8. Blue Jays Game
  9. Wonderland Water Park
  10. Wasaga Beach
  11. Rogers Center Tours
  12. Elora Gorge
  13. Imagine Dragons Concert
  14. Rob Zombie & Marilyn Manson Concert
  15. Ed Sheeran Concert

More to be added!

Thanks for reading,

Maeg

Elora Gorge

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My boyfriend and I decided to have a beach day in the summer, we weren’t too sure if the weather was going to hold up since it rained pretty much everyday.

I’ll admit I was grumpy and I was being a pain but I did have a good time. First we went to the beach part of Elora, it was dead when we first got there but it picked up quite a bit. We got really hot so we decided we’d leave and go look at the actual gorge. It was beautiful, you got to hike and see the water.

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Thanks for reading,

Maeg

Wet N Wild Toronto

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Even though this summer had terrible weather I did get a chance to go to Wet N Wild Toronto water park. For those of you who don’t know Wet N Wild took over the old Wild Water Kingdom, they kept some of the old slides and cleaned them up but they’ve added more.

We started out small with the lazy river, then decided to go to the old slides which we thought would be slow but they were fast and fun. Then we decided to go on the new rides which were amazing!

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New slides at Wet N Wild

We started with the one on the left, it was fast but so fun so we said we would try the one on the right, but we were nervous about it (chicken shits I know). By the time we got to this slide it was getting busy so the wait was a little longer but it was alright to warm up and chat. Once we got in tube we were like freaking out but it was actually so cool, you end up going pretty high on that coloured part but it was amazing.

They have other slides but they were crazy and we weren’t about that. The only downfall to this park is that I found is way smaller than Wild Water Kingdom was, you can tell they took some of the slides away and I hope they plan on building them as the years go by.

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Park Map

I would 100% say go to it and enjoy because I totally had fun and I’m an adult! Just remember safety first!

Thanks for reading,

Maeg

June Favourites

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Makeup Favourite:

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Breakup To Makeup Bag 

Awhile back I went shopping with my sister and found this at Sephora. It’s a makeup bag that reminds you no matter what happens in life, you can still truck on and be strong. There’s three different bags, mine is the one above, the others say, “Losing you hurt but losing my makeup bag would be a tragedy” and “Life is short, wear more makeup.” It’s a pretty good bag, I don’t have that much makeup so it all fits in the one bag but if you do have a lot of makeup it’s a good travel makeup bag. These bags are vegan and cruelty-free so they’re badass. You can get these bags at Sephora for $30.00.

Skin Care Favourite:

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Up & Up Sport Sunscreen Continuous Spray – SPF 30

Summer is officially here so we need to protect ourselves! I say this a lot because I have ginger skin even though I’m not a ginger, I burn easy and burns hurt and can turn into cancer and what not. We just don’t want that. In my opinion you don’t need to spend a lot of money on sunscreen, they all have the same thing in it just different brands. For your face, maybe you should spend a little bit more on it but for the rest of your body whats the point? The only thing you really need to focus on is the SPF. Ever since Target was in Canada I used theirs but they are no longer here as you guys all know! I don’t even know how much this was because I got it awhile ago but it’s not expensive at all.

Hair Care Favourite:

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Aveda Sun Care After-Sun Hair Masque

I live for this stuff! I wrote about the shampoo awhile ago in one of my monthly favourites but here is the masque that you use after the shampoo. As I’ve said before I work in a pool so my hair gets damage easily. The shampoo gets all the chlorine, salt, and product build up out and this restores your hair. Ever since I bought this again after awhile of not using it my hair hasn’t turned blonde from the chlorine bleaching it, and my hair stays soft. I use it after every time I come out of the water, and on Thursday I use it about 3 times in one day. You can get this at Aveda for $27.00.

Body Favourite:

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Aveda Singular Notes: Vanilla Absolute

A couple months ago when I went shopping with my sister we stopped at Aveda to get chlorine shampoo, they had these sweet donation that if you donated $10 you get a back massage. When they did it you get to pick the smells you want to relax you and what not. This is the one I used, it smelt amazing, it made the massage THAT much better, it was honestly heaven. You can get this at Aveda for $27.50.

Home Favourite:

Nexus7

Nexus 7 Tablet

I got this a couple years ago for Christmas from my loving mum. This is such a badass gift because you can do so much on a tablet, I watch movies all the time on here or use it when my phone needs to be charged. It’s great, I don’t believe they sell this one anymore but they have new versions! Any electronic store will have tablets for sale.

Music Favourite:

Cheerleader by OMI

I’m sure you’ve heard this song before since it’s all over the radio but I’m in love with this song, it’s a great beat for the summer! Check it out.

Random Favourite:

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Fujifilm Instax Share Printer SP-1

I heard about this awhile ago and I thought it was just one of those things people make up and it doesn’t actually exist. I was actually in Best Buy one day and I saw it, I grabbed it right away and bought it with a couple of films to go with it. This thing is amazing, there’s an app you can download and it works wireless through WiFi. I’ve printed off about 12 pictures from my phone from this. It’s great and it goes well with the cameras they have.

Thanks for reading,

Maeg

How to Wash Your Bathing Suits!

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How many of you have ruined a bathing suit somehow but you don’t know why it got ruined so fast? Yep, me too. It wasn’t until I started working in a pool that I finally figured out how to take care and wash my swim suits. Bathing suits can be really expensive and you want them to last as long as they can.

I’ve done some research and from my own knowledge I’m going to tell you how to take care of all types of swim suits. Here are the steps,

  1. Do not use a washing machine!
  2. Rinse the bathing suit in cold water immediately after using it. You do this because salt water, chlorine, body oils, sunscreen, dirt and sand can damage the elasticity of the suit causing “saggy bum” or “droopy drawers.”
  3. “Washing” really means to soak the bathing suit in cold water with a light soap for 15 minutes.
  4. Gently massage with your hands, rinse out the soap until the water runs clear.
  5. You never want to wring or twist the bathing suit, rather you want to lay it flat between two towels, roll them up and gently press so the towels absorb the water.
  6. After lay is flat to dry, hanging it up to dry will make it lose its elasticity or stretch out the fabric.
  7. Lastly having more than one bathing suit will help them all last longer.

I hope this helps everyone save their swim suits for the summer time! Remember always use sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun!

Thanks for reading,

Maeg

15 Beach Approved Must Haves

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The official first day of summer is June 21 this year but the weather makes it feel like it’s already here (and were happy about that!) For me when I think about summer the thing that mostly comes to mind is the beach, that got me thinking for my next post! Today I’m going to give you a list of beach must haves! Lets get started…

1. Beach Bag. This is a # 1 must, what are you going to carry all your things in? Having a beach bag will help a great deal, for me this bag needs to be a big bag to carry all the must haves you will read. Getting one with a bright colour or fun picture on it will help with the beach mood.

2. Towels. Notice the ‘s’! Yes, bring two (2) towels to the beach with you! One for laying down on or leaving it on your beach chair and the second is to dry your self off. With the second towel keep it out of the sand, there’s nothing worse then going to dry yourself off when you’re about to leave and your towel is completely covered in sand.

3. Sunscreen. As I wrote in my previous post sunscreen is a must. The sun is getting stronger and we need to protect ourselves, also there’s nothing worse then having a terrible burn (ouch!)

4. A Hat. I’m the type of girl who loves wearing ball caps therefore I have no problem buying or wearing a hat. Some people think they don’t look good in hats or they just straight up don’t like wearing them. When you’re at the beach and you don’t have a lot of shade from the sun a hot is important. You don’t have to wear it the whole time but giving your head, face and neck a break from the sun is a must on a hot, sunny day. Now it doesn’t have to be a baseball cap, that’s just what I like, but I also have a straw cowboy hat! Go out shopping a try to find cheap hats that you love and won’t mind getting a little water on them! Have some fun with it!

5. Sunglasses. Having a pair of sunglasses helps you from squinting your eyes just to see your books or the people next to you. You don’t have to bring your good pair of glasses to the beach, finding a cheap pair (like $5 and under) is a great pair for the beach. If you end up losing them in the water or they get scratched, it’s okay because it’s not your good pair you spent your well earned money on.

6. Reading Material. I know I’m the type of person who has trouble just laying in the sun doing nothing because I fry when I’m out in the sun but I also love reading. Having a good book or magazine at the beach is a must!

7. Water Resistant Phone Pouch. You can find these online, they’re great when you’re at the beach because it’ll protect your phone from water and sand! Now you don’t have to buy one you can simply just use a plastic bag, that works just as well.

8. Lip Balm with SPF. Your lips need protection too! There’s nothing worse them being at the beach and finding yourself with chapped lips and nothing to help fit it. I recommend keeping your sunscreen and lip balm out of the sun to keep it cool and from melting!

9. Beach Spike. This is a great way from keeping your drinks being covered in sand! This can be found at https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/184528912/monogram-beach-spiker?ref=shop_home_feat_3

10. Leave In Conditioner. In my previous post I wrote about skin and hair with the sun. Leave in conditioner is a must have when you’re at the beach. The sun takes a lot out of you, so when your done at the beach and ready to head home, put some leave in conditioner so your hair can soak some moisture back into it.

11. A Football. Having some sort of sport equipment at a beach is always fun. For my family it was baseball gloves and a ball, but when I’m with a group of friends we all throw a football around. It doesn’t have a be a football, you can also bring a volleyball, soccer ball, etc.

12. iPod. For me it’s always great to have some music when you’re relaxing. Now if you’re with a group of friends that your close enough to just have your relaxing time, go ahead and bring this. But if your with lets say your boyfriend and his friends I wouldn’t exactly bring this and seem anti-social. Bringing it for the car is great since know one likes listening to the commercials on the radio anyways.

13. A Cooler. When I go to the beach we also go to the dollar store and beer store to stock up on some drinks. Having alcohol is fun and relaxing but be careful with it when you’re in the sun. Make sure your drinking one bottle of water after every beer to prevent yourself from getting dehydrated! In my cooler we also bring water, pop, alcoholic beverages and some food.

14. Lotion/Aloe. When your done at the beach and your sitting in the car driving home and you realize you are burnt, have tight skin or just a nice tan. You want to make sure you have something for that, bringing lotion or aloe will help a great deal. If you’re at a beach that doesn’t have showers to rinse off this may be a little harder but if you are its’ perfect. Once you’re done at the beach, rinse off, dry off and lotion your body up. The drive home won’t be as uncomfortable and it will help keep your tan from turning into peeling skin!

15. Camera. You can use your phone but sometimes phone cameras don’t always do the trick. I carry my camera around with me where ever I got, this is a great time to capture moments with your friends and families!

That’s it! Let me know if this came handy when you were packing for the beach!
Do you have anymore to add to the list, leave them in the comments!

6 Steps to Healthy Summer Skin and Hair!

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Chlorine, sand and sun can be extremely hard on your skin and hair especially since summer is practically here! These are just some small tips that I’ve figured out growing up and working in a pool over the years. Lets get started…

1. Swim Cap. Now I know you wouldn’t want to wear a swim cap at the beach or a lake but if you are going into a pool at a recreation centre you’re better off to wear one of these, they put a lot of chlorine in the water compared to a pool in someones backyard because of the amount of people going into the pool.

2. Shower. At some lakes and beaches they have showers to rinse your body off of the sand but this can also help your hair out a little bit too. The sun will take the moisture out of your hair so giving it a good rinse with clean water will help it out a bit. If you’re swimming in chlorine water, showering right after getting out helps a great deal! Rinsing right away will get the chlorine off a little bit more, now if you were in the water for three hours straight like I have to be, you will have a harder time getting it off but only an hour you should be fine. Waiting to shower when you get home allows the chlorine to be dried into your skin, trust me even a rinse after being in chlorine water makes you feel ten times better then if you were not to shower.

3. Conditioner. There are two ways you can use conditioner when swimming. The first way is the most common way – leave in conditioner – after swimming and a good rinse just put some leave in conditioner in your hair to put some of the moisture back in. Your hair won’t be as dry when you get home to have a shower. The second way is to put normal conditioner in your hair before you go swimming and put it in a bun. The chlorine, sand and salt water will eat away at the conditioner rather then your hair and leaving it in a bun makes it harder for the water to wash it away. We do this at the recreation centre when we don’t feel like wearing our swim caps.

4. Sunscreen. The most common one, I know, but this is an important one! Protecting your skin from the sun is extremely important since the sun is getting stronger and summers are getting hotter. We don’t want bad sun burns, wrinkly skin or worse cancer. Please do not skip this step.

5. Stay Hydrated. Water is great for your health but it’s also great for your skin and hair! It’s pretty self explanatory, water adds moisture to your skin and hair making it look fabulous! This is also an important step because not drinking water can lead to health problems especially in the heat. Please do not skip this step.

6. Lotion. After swimming in chlorine for long amounts of time your skin can get pretty dried out, that goes for the beach and the sun. I know for me putting lotion on after I shower is a must or else I get extremely itchy, but that’s what chlorine does to you. After being in the sun your body may be burnt, have a nice tan or feel tight, putting lotion on will help that out. Now if you have a sun burn I would suggest putting aloe or lidocaine spray on. If you have tight skin or a nice tan put lotion on when you wake up and before you go to bed, this will help with the tightness and will keep your tan turn into peeling!

That’s it! Let me know if this was helpful or if you want to add anymore tips!