Loulou's views

If you love a great night out with friends in support of an important cause, then you have to attend this year's Boobyball. The theme? Paradise City. It's going to be bigger and better than ever before, and tickets are now on sale.   (If you're ordering tickets, you can click on my name in the drop down box). This year, Boobyball is celebrating 15 years of forward-thinking philanthropy and raising funds for Rethink Breast Cancer. So if you're ready to shake your tropical tails and fan your fancy feathers in support of Rethink Breast Cancer at the annual Boobyball fundraiser, get your tickets before they are sold out—because you're not going to want to miss this wild and fun night in Ottawa. So far, Boobyball has raised almost $4 million dollars for Rethink Breast Cancer with the money going to educate, empower, and support young people around the world who are concerned about and affected by breast cancer.  This year's wild jungle them...

You may say I have a thing for sunglasses—I have a lot of designer shades that I love wearing, no matter the season. They're a necessary accessory, after all. I'm always looking for a new pair, and even though I have many, I always need more. It's an addiction. A healthy one, though! I was approached by the team at Sicky Eyewear to review one of their incredibly cool and stylish pair of shades, and of course I said yes.  I'm loving them hard and after only a couple of days, I've had quite a few people ask me where they were from and how they could get a pair, too. Creator  John Hildebrand  was a photographer first and created Sicky eyewear when he felt disconnected from the brands of sunglasses he was seeing on store shelves. He set up studio in his Malibu garage and created his brand, using his nickname—Sicky. The rest, as they say, is history. (Well, let's just add here that Sicky creates the highest-quality eyewear on the market, and they're made in...

As summer comes to an end, (how did that happen?) I'm doing everything I can to enjoy the last moments before we get back into the fall routine. There is so much left to enjoy, especially spending time outside, with family and friends—swimming, BBQ-ing, and just soaking up the sun as much as we can. An important part of my day-to-day life is gathering my family together for meal times, and in the summer, we kick back, relax, and enjoy eating fresh foods with each meal, outside. (It's just so simple to eat health during the summer months, isn't it?) I love that Loblaws provides a great variety of fresh, local ingredients, especially during summertime. In fact, 40% of produce sold in Loblaws stores is sourced by Canadian growers during this peak season, and Loblaws is also the largest purchaser of locally grown food in the country. Loblaws recently teamed up the vegan YamChops butcher to create unique and tasty, seasonally inspired recipes perfect for summer dining and...

I can't believe I'm talking about this, but it's almost time for the kids to head back to school. It's crazy how quickly summer passes, isn't it? It's also too bad winter months never, ever seem to go by as fast. I wish summer lasted year-round, but let's be honest—my kids are definitely needing routine back in their lives. And as much as I love lounging by the pool for hours every day... I am also ready for more regular routine. Yes, we've had a wonderful summer filled with great memories and vacations to Mont Tremblant and south Florida, and my boys enjoyed a couple of weeks of tennis camp, too. The rest of our summer days and nights were spent swimming and enjoying the great outdoors, and now... it's time to dust off the backpacks, and start thinking about making lunches every day. Are you ready? I am! (Except for the making lunches every day part. I could do without that.) I was on CTV Morning Live today talking about essential and afforda...

The Rio 2016 Olympic Games have come and gone—it's really amazing how quickly these last two have gone by! What did me in every time was watching the P&G Thank You, Mom commercial, knowing what a huge role family plays in these athletes day-to-day lives. The commercial follows the Olympic Games journeys of four moms and their kids, showing moments, both big and small, when a mother's strength makes all the difference. Canada did amazing this year, winning 22 medals. It was especially heartwarming to see Brianne Thiessen-Eaton win the bronze in women's Heptathlon. She was amazing and inspiring. Thiessen-Eaton is also a Crest Canada ambassador, and it was great watching her #SmileThrough every tough challenge she faced during the Olympics. She really understands the power of perseverance, hard work, and determination. And how amazing was Andre De Grasse? He's Canada's Bolt, and made the country proud with his triple win (a silver, and two bronze medals). I can...

Have you been watching the 2016 Rio Olympics? I've been watching non-stop with my children and we are loving all the events, especially track, swimming, and gymnastics. Canadian women have been rocking the podium at the Olympics, winning so many medals—and I think it's important to watch with my kids to show them how far you can go with the right mind set and determination. I love hearing the stories about the athlete's journey to Rio, and what an important role family plays in helping these athelete's reach their goals. (And I still cry every time I watch a P&G Thank You Mom commercial—without fail.) It was so cool watching Brianne Theissen-Eaton win bronze in women's hepathalon. Unlike other track and field competitions, the hepathalon is a really physically and mentally demanding sport. It's comprised of seven different events over a two-day period, and takes stamina, determination, and the ability to #SmileThrough  the challenges to train for the dif...

Summer goes by so quickly, even though the days sometimes pass slowly when I'm home with the kids every day. We keep busy by going on vacation and when we're not away, my boys do several weeks of tennis camp, which they love. We do the usual fun summer activities, like swimming, BBQ's with friends and family, sightseeing around the city, and more. Another important part of our life—no matter the season—is giving back, doing our part in helping the community, and charity work. I love working with companies and organizations who get the importance of charity and giving back.   Here are some ways you can get active and involved: Ways To Give Back  Stay active in the community: We love staying active in our community by donating what we no longer need to different charity groups. I love getting my children involved so they learn the importance of giving back from an early age. We donate books we no longer read, give away clothes we've...

Mont Tremblant is a favourite vacation destination for us, and only a couple of hours from Ottawa, making it perfect for a weekend or week-long getaway, no matter the season. I had the privilege of reviewing the stunning Manor Chalet home with Tremblant Living , and I was so happy our friends were able to come enjoy this vacation with us, too. We loved every minute, and we can't wait to visit again soon. This home—with nine large bedrooms and bathrooms, plus a small gym, game room, indoor pool, hot tub, and so much more—was breathtaking. Tremblant Living specializes in superior luxury vacation rental homes in Mont Tremblant, with homes located on or close to the Mont Tremblant resort. The Manor Chalet was the home that instantly caught my eye because of the large indoor pool and hot tub—I knew the children would love experiencing their own indoor pool during our vacation. This gorgeous 12,000 sq. ft. home is beautiful—and is the most prestigi...