Loulou's views

I'm sure we've all looked at pictures of ourselves from "back in the day" (wait - we can say that now, right?) that make us laugh, cry, or cringe. We laugh when we see the awful hairstyles, we cry when we look at how absolutely flat our abs once were, and we cringe when we see the fashions we used to wear, from safety-pinned jeans and shoulder pads, to mis-matched earraings and push-down socks. Oh, yes... I am sure you're guilty of wearing certain items that were trendy at the time, but are now so awful you want to burn the pictures and the box they came from. However, back then, you thought you were HOT STUFF ... am I right? Right... Yeah... I was guilty of wearing the heck out of these red pleather pants. Worst yet, I would wear these awful pants with little cropped tops and go out in public. This picture was taken after I had graduated from university, when I went to college to fast-track my Broadcast Journalism degree. I can't even look at this p

Can you believe how quickly September has gone by? In just a few days, October will be here, and then before we know it, we'll all be talking about the holidays, the cold weather (wait—I'm already complaining about that, damn Canada!) and Christmas shopping. (I've already got my list...) Anyway, things have been busy up in here, as things usually are in September. My boys have happily adjusted to the back-to-school routine, and after-school activities like swimming, and I'm loving that they're together in the same school, finally. Things with me have been good, too. I went to the Madonna concert a couple of weeks ago and even though she was 2 hours late to hit the stage, it was worth it, because hello , Madonna. It helped that I was in a nice big box with my friends, with our own server, yummy food, and drinks flowing all night long. Anyway, if I'm not blogging over here, you can always find me on my shopping blog where I write about a whole lot of things

Someone great once said, "For every occasion in life, there is reason to drink wine." Actually, I just made that up now, but I'm sure many people have had that exact thought. Drinking wine is something I enjoy, immensely. I'm no wine expert (yet) but red or white, my love for a great vino knows no boundaries. Wine is my drink of choice with dinner, when I'm celebrating happy news, attending a wedding, travelling, having a night out with friends and family, or when I have guests over for an evening. I enjoy my wine when I'm flying, too. It tends to take the edge off, you know? Also, when I drink wine I'm doing my body a favour, since it's good for you. So, win-win, right? I was invited by Natalie MacLean (the talented Canadian author of Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World's Best Bargain Wines ) to attend an "An Unforgettable Evening of Wine, Laughter, and Storytelling" at Restaurant 18 on Monday night for a tasting of eigh

We've come a long way (four years, in fact) from the day my oldest son started junior kindergarten.  It has been a mostly smooth journey throughout the years, and my boy has loved every second of grade two so far. He's in a classroom with all his friends, sits next to his best friend, has an amazing teacher, and this year, his little brother joins him at the same school. Today was little D's first day of kindergarten. It was an orientation "meet the teacher" morning, and he was so brave, it made my heart hurt. I held it together pretty well, though. Until I got to my car, and opened the little bag with a few items (tea, tissues, a cotton ball) his teacher gave me, attached with a note... Here is a little gift for you as you leave your precious little one with me on the first day of school. As you hold the cotton ball in your hand, the softness will help you remember the gentle spirit of your child. After you have gone home and dried your tears,

He walked on stage to Fleetwood Mac, and exited to Tom Petty. I mean, really, he had me at hello. Bill Clinton rocked the socks off of us last night, and even though I'm a proud Canadian, I felt like an honorary American, at least for a little while. How absolutely incredible was his speech, you guys? It was brilliant, and witty, and his words moved an entire nation. Clinton also bit his lip a lot, like only he can do. (I lost count after a while.) And when he spoke, we were listening... "I want to nominate a man cool on the outside but burning for America on the inside. A man who believes we can build a new American Dream economy driven by innovation and creativity, education and cooperation. A man who had the good sense to marry Michelle Obama." Okay, seriously? He's a charmer, President Clinton is. I believe (and I don't have a political background, except for when I worked for an MP here in Canada) America will vote for Obama for another four years,

Today I'm thirtysomething years old. I am another year older .  It's not that I'm not okay with being another year old, it's just that... I guess I'm kind of in shock over how old I really am. Not old-old, (not that there's anything wrong with old!) but well, there is no denying it now—I'm definitely an adult. And well, getting... older. I celebrated my birthday at the Marriott in Yorkville last year in a two-floor Presidential suite with my family and friends, and it was one of my most memorable birthdays. This year's celebrations won't be as glamorous, but I'm still excited to blow out my candles, because I have a lot to be thankful for. Every day is a blessing, after all. Last year, I wrote about 35 things I love. I'm adding to my list, and I will not focus on the things that annoy me . Like people who are terrible drivers and people who are mean and people who bite down on their forks or don't understand that Katniss shoul