Loulou's views

One of the first blogs I started reading in 2007 when I started my blog, was Girls Gone Child . Girls Gone Child is still one of favourite blogs, ever. Rebecca is a super talented writer , published author , and mother of two adorable children. Her posts resonate with me, and they either always make me wipe away a tear , or laugh out loud . She's brilliant, she's interviewed Drew Barrymore , and she's one blogger I am dying to meet. Like, more than any celebrity, truly. That's how awesome she is! Also awesome? This interview with her... now, go fall in love with her, too! When you started your blog, Girls Gone Child, all those years ago - did you ever think you'd still be doing it now, years later? What do you love the most about blogging? Before GGC I'd been blogging for several years elsewhere. I always thought of blogging as a great exercise - getting myself to write every day - it was more of an inspiring hobby, a way to converse with family and friends ...

Several times a day, I have to make decisions. Yup, decisions. Shocking, isn't it? Do you make decisions, too? Right, then. Continue reading. Often, I make the wrong decision, or spend too much time thinking about what decision I should make, and then, it is often too late. Too late to avoid a meltdown from one of my children, too late to avoid hitting yet another concrete column with my car, too late to not buy yet another black sweater. If I were to write an exam about some decisions I've made in real-life situations, I wonder how you would answer? If the answer that you would go with is not on the list, please feel free to add your own in the comments section, as I'm sure it will be the correct answer. 1. Your 2 year old just woke up from a deep slumber at 3 a.m. He motions for you to pick him up, and you do, bringing him to your bed like usual, where he'll quickly fall back asleep again. Upon picking him up, you notice his pajama pants are wet, and that his diaper ...

Why do weekends go by so fast? Monday is here yet again - and it's always a bit of a bittersweet day for me. On one hand, I love getting dressed up and going to work, going to the gym during the lunch hour, shopping, or lunching with friends -but at the same time, I miss my boys terribly when I go to work! Nothing is as sweet to me as weekends with my boys. Waking up together, taking our time to get dressed, and doing whatever we want. Yesterday, we went to the sugar bush and it was amazing - the kids had the greatest time, and I was even able to get in a picture with them! The truly amazing thing is that we're all looking at the camera and smiling! You all know this is not something that comes easy with children, right? Now I'll be able to look at their little smiley faces all day long... Hosted by the lovely Krystyn for Mommy and Me Monday!

It hit me one day, a sudden revelation. It both excited and depressed me at the same time. But, I carried on, and continued doing what I was doing. Any guess as to what I was doing? That's right, I was shopping. And what was my big revelation, you ask? I was searching within myself, trying to find the one thing I am really good at. I know I'm a good mom to my two adorable children, but besides that, what is the one thing I am so good at I could talk to others about? (In a PG environment, wink-wink.) That's when I realized the one thing I am great at is shopping . For myself, for my children, and for others. Regardless of what the status of my wallet is, I will shop. I shop blindly, without abandon. This will be the end of me, I tell you. I don't always feel bad, though, because I am helping the economy, and because I am making myself happy. How bad can this addiction be, really? Well, let's not talk about that part. I have been known to hide bags in my car, after al...

As a mom, something I'll never forget is when my boys got their first cold. With my youngest son, it happened when he was only 6 weeks old! Luckily, I had a bit of experience on my side, so I didn't panic too bad - however, it was still hard on me to watch him struggle with his stuffed up nose - it is so hard to watch your little one suffer to breath when they are sick. Several months later, I came across the hydraSesnse easy dose vials of Nasal Care - and they were so simple to use, and totally natural, too. It wasn't too much a struggle to use them on my baby, either! I was chosen to participate in the hydraSense Nasal Aspirator Blog Tour with Mom Central , and I received the hydraSense Nasal Aspirator Plus, the Ultra Gentle Mist Hydrating Nasal Care, a box of Easy Dose Vials of Hydrating Nasal Care and Nasal Aspirator Filters - I know I will be sharing these with my sister, who is about to have her first baby early this summer! These are amazing Since babies are unable...

Yup, it's only March. BlogHer is 5 months away . But seriously, guys? Time goes by so quicky that in the blink of an eye, it will be the last week of July and we'll all be completely freaking out because we haven't even figured out how many pairs of shoes to bring with us - or how much room to leave in our suitcase for all the shopping we'll do on Fifth Avenue. Wait - we will have time to shop, right? Eek! Top 5 reasons I'm stressed out about BlogHer, in no particular order, although hair does come first: 1. My hair. I will be thinking about my hair for the next 5 months. Because I don't know if I should keep it totally straight. Or with a bit of a wave. Like this? Or this? I know this shouldn't be an issue at all, but, well, it is, okay? Hair can be very stressful! It's a big deal! And it can't be both. It has to be one way or the other. (I can totally hear Maria snickering right now...) 2. I want to meet so, so many fabulous bloggers . I won...

One of the hardest decisions a mother has to make is whether or not to have another child. This is an issue I have struggled with for a long time, probably since my youngest, who is now two years old, was born. Should I have a third child? Or not? Being a parent is the greateset experiernce that life has to offer, and every single day, I count my blessings. My children amaze me. Every day, they say something, or do something, that melts me. I teach them, and at the same time, they teach me. Patience. Love. Understanding. Compassion. When I hug them, I never want to let go. When they fall asleep at night, I don't want to leave their side. I want to watch them sleeping, hoping they are dreaming beautiful, happy dreams. I hate seeing them cry, I hate seeing them sad. When my oldest son started kindergarten this year, it was very bittersweet. I cried. A lot . I was very emotional. I couldn't believe he had reached this milestone already! At the same time, it felt amazing to have a ...

My children have too much. Too many clothes, too many toys, too many books, too much of everthing. I know a lot of you are nodding in agreement right now, looking around your home, wondering when it stopped looking like Pottery Barn and more like the Christmas edition of the Toys R Us flyer. There is a play room for the boys in the basement, with wall-to-wall shelves filled with everything from crafts, to TinkerToys, Wedgits, balls, marbles, books, trucks, cleaning supplies, and LEGO. In between, they have a little table with a magnet board and a variety of magnets. Two other shelves on the other wall hold my my four year old's Playmobil collection, and under those shelves, the chalk and cork boards from Pottery Barn Kids. There are a lot of toys in the family room, too, where 4 shelves are dedicated to their books, trucks, puzzles and crafts. (The rest of the shelves are mine - filled with my books, photo albums, and pictures.) Their little red Ikea table and chairs are in the f...

The Oscars are on Sunday. And I've seen two out of the 10 movies nominated. This never used to be the case - I am the biggest movie buff ever. I would go to the movies once a week before I had children. And now, well... it's just sad. Up for Best Picture: Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds, Precious, A Serious man, Up, and Up in the Air. I've seen Up in the Air - which I loved - and Inglorious Basterds, which I loved even more. My vote for Best Picture? Inglorious Basterds. Because Tarantino can do no wrong! Speaking of movies, I thought I'd share with you all a condensed list of some of my favourite movies, regardless of whether they won an Oscar or not. Stand By Me I saw the movie before I read Stephen's King book. This is my favourite movie ever. And of course, I loved the book once I read it. I saw Stand By Me a couple of days ago, and I was reminded how incredible this movie was. Every time I watch it, I fall ...

You all know about pregnancy brain, right? I remember when I was pregnant, I would forget things all the time. Where my purse was, where the phone was, what day it was, where I was going once I started to drive. In fact, I think I am still suffering from some form of memory loss, but that's another tale for another time. When you're pregnant, you're also very emotional. You snap easily. You cry easily. You get angry for no good reason, and when you do, it comes without any warning at all. No matter how nice of a person you normally are, watch out - a pregnant lady is not someone to mess with! Take my sister, for example. This is a girl, who I swear to God, is sweet as pie. And, no word of a lie, even MY friends like her more than they like me. Because she's just the nicest person ever. Her teachers all loved her as a child, saying on her report cards: "If only all children were as pleasant as Gina!" Now? My sister is pregnant. And let me tell you - she's ...