Loulou's views

Sometimes, getting dressed for work every morning can be more challenging than fun. Although closet is full of clothes—countless dresses, pants, and sweaters—often I feel I have nothing to wear, and finding the perfect outfit in my closet isn't always easy. As much as I look forward to waking up each day, getting my children ready for school, and heading downtown to work, trying to decide what to wear can be frustrating. I recently discovered roz + loki , a company that designed a truly innovative and high-quality dress shirt that's the perfect addition to a stylish outfit for the work day... and after-work dinner and drinks. These shirts come in a variety of styles and colours (I love the black one I received) and they are the perfect addition to any woman's wardrobe; they are comfortable, form-fitting, stylish, and made with Supima cotton that resists pilling, fading and tearing, and 10% lycra for that form-fitting look. Best part? The...

The holidays are upon us, and while we're busy decorating the house, baking cookies, and feeling festive, it's also a time to remember that there will be many who won't be celebrating the holiday season from the comfort of their home. Every year, thousands of children and families find themselves spending the holiday season in the hospital. I know from experience—having spent time in our children's hospital with my oldest son—how important it is to keep children entertained and feeling happy while they're sick and not at home. Sometimes, something as simple as a new toy or game can help brighten a child's day while they're in the hospital, giving them the power to imagine a better tomorrow.  Since it is the season of giving, Duracell believes in powering the imagination of sick children by helping ensure kids can still be kids, and enjoy the magic of the season despite their illness that's keeping them away from home. For the 10th year in a row, D...

It's giving Tuesday, and I love the idea of giving gifts that give back. CanadaHelps is a registered non-profit charity—basically, a one-stop shop for donating and fundraising online for any registered Canadian charity. Our mission is to promote – and ultimately increase – charitable giving in Canada. Because we’re a non-profit our fees are typically half that of the for-profit alternatives. We do this servicing Canadian donors, charities and corporations. If you're out of ideas and you've already checked out my holiday gift guide , but still haven't found what you're looking for, I'm giving away THREE $10 gift cards to CanadaHelps that you can gift to anyone you want to give them to. Here's what you have to do: 1. Go to CanadaHelps.org and find a charity you'd like to support by doing a search. 2. Choose Charity Gift Card as your method of payment at checkout. 3. Feel great about giving back and giving someone a gift they'll love...

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...

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...

December was an incredibly busy month with so much going on—from hosting and going to parties, celebrating with family and friends, attending Christmas plays at school, volunteering, decorating, shopping, baking, and wrapping—but it was a wonderful holiday, and many new memories were made. One of the best parts of this holiday season is giving back, and this year, we gave back in a BIG way. After all, it is the season for giving, right? This December, my mom, artist Katerina Mertikas , and Ottawa's fabulous Catherine Landry along with the lovely Nella Zourntos from Big Rig Brewery had a fabulous idea to host a paint night at Big Rig to raise money for the Ottawa Food Bank, specifically, the Gloucester Emergency Food Cupboard. Tickets to this incredible paint night sold out instantly, and everyone got ready to paint like Katerina, with some guidance, a lot of laughter, and yummy food and beer. We were lucky to have our wonderful Mayor Jim Watson stop by to say a few w...

I'm so happy to have been invited to attend this year's Boobyball — Planet Booby—taking place on Friday, November 13th. It's going to be an intergalactic night of fun, all for a very worthwhile cause. But the question is: what does one wear to an out-of-this-world gala? I spoke with Alexandra Gunn,  Fashion Editor for Ottawa Life Magazine and member of the Social Media Committee for Ottawa's Boobyball, about this incredible event that'll be in Ottawa for the very first time. Tell me about Boobyball, Rethink Breast Cancer, and this year's Planet Booby that is taking place in Ottawa. If your readers have never heard of Boobyball, be prepared to be impressed by the 'out of this world' fundraiser that is coming to Ottawa for the first time! Boobyball is one of the most coveted and high profile fundraising events for young philanthropists in Toronto, Calgary, Winnipeg, and now, Ottawa. Boobyball has always been about being bold, upbeat, and creative...

We did it—we survived the first week back to school! I think this calls for a celebration of sorts, don't you? I love to surprise my kids after school sometimes by taking them to one of their favourite restaurants to eat. Boston Pizza is one place we love visiting—especially because the pizza is delicious! Right now kids can even eat free, because Boston Pizza has once again launched its annual Kids Card campaign which raises money for Boston Pizza Foundation Future Prospects, which is committed to helping kids achieve their full potential through role models and mentorship. (Boston Pizza Future Prospects partners include Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Kids Help Phone, Live Different, JDRF and The Rick Hansen Foundation.) Boston Pizza Kids Cards are a great deal for families—a minimum donation of $5 gets you five free Kids Meals valued at $35. (Isn't that great?) All donations support kids across the country by helping them access role models and mentors. Boston Pizza is als...

It took at least four trips with the car to drop off all my bags of clothes, shoes, boots, and household items I no longer needed—and it took much longer for me to be convinced that I could (and should) let go of the items that were just gathering dust in my basement. I spent an entire day with my mom and a friend going through boxes of old clothes I was sure I'd wear again, (which of course, I wouldn't) and putting clothes my children had outgrown into bags. (Sniff, sniff...) I love doing what I can to give back, and going through items in my home to donate to worthwhile charities like Goodwill is an easy way to do that. I also went through my closet to make room for new items I bought for summer. I always do a closet re-org at the start of each season; I go through all my clothes and give away what I know I won't be wearing again. This way, my closet has some breathing room and gives me the perfect excuse to go shopping! GLAD Canada is teaming up with Goodwill in ...

It's the season of joy, all things festive, giving, and receiving—but most imporant of all, giving to those who need it most. Although we should always remember those in need and those who have less than we do, the holiday season is a time to shine when it comes to giving back, and it's the time of year we're reminded about how much we have, how much we can do to give back to the communties we live in, and how much giving is actually the best gift of all—just knowing you've helped someone, in any way, is such a wonderful feeling. This holiday season, McCain Foods is sharing good news stories to help motivate more  people  to give back and to help support  Food  Banks  Canada. Until December 23rd, McCain Foods will be donating $5 (up to $50,000) for every good news story that is shared using the #McCainShareGood hashtag on Twitter, or by tagging the McCain Foods Canada Facebook page. Pretty easy and worthwhile to take part, right? By simply shari...

You all know how much I love to shop—and if there was a way for me to shop for a living, well, that would be my full-time job. Since I don't yet make my living as a "professional shopper" I have managed to keep shopping an active part of my life by working as a shopping blogger and expert, and as a Brand Ambassador and Spokesperson for brands and stores I love to shop at and do business with. Next best thing, right? As you also know, Nordstrom (my favourite store EVER ) if finally opening in Rideau Centre this coming March. I am beyond excited for this, because Nordstrom is my go-to department store whenever I'm traveling in the United States. (Special shout-out to the amazing staff at Nordstrom in Aventura Mall!) I think having a job in Nordstrom would actually be a dream come true, because I'd be spending time in my favourite store, doing what I love—helping people find things they need and want—and getting paid for it. Not a bad gig, right? Well, if you...

Whether it's a busy weekend of activities or evenings packed with extracurricular activities, eating out can be very convenient when you're on the run and need to get a hungry family fed. Sometimes, our days are too busy to prepare a great meal to eat at home, and those are the days we grab food on the go. As long as we're eating together as a family, that's all that counts. We love eating at Boston Pizza  because of all the good they do to help some very worthwhile charities and local schools. Boston Pizza Kids Cards are still available for purchase until November 2nd , and they only cost five dollars. (So go buy a few, you still have time!) Five dollars gets you five free kids meals , which is totally awesome, especially for those nights where you're running from school pick-up to after school activities—you've got dinner covered and already paid for. Also, if you register your Kids Cards with MyBP , you'll get a sixth Kids Meal for free. It's simpl...

September went by in the blink of an eye and now we're settled into a routine with school, work, extra-curricular activities, play dates, volunteering and more. As busy as our lives are, we always try to eat dinner together as a family—either at home, or at my parents or in-laws' homes. Coming from Greek families, we're thankful that we're always well-fed with good home-cooked meals. (I'm especially thankful for the help we get because I don't love to cook and I like avoiding kitchen disasters!) We like to take the kids out for dinner, too, because it's a nice treat. We take our boys everywhere—no restaurant is off-limits, and we like to mix things up. However, we do love eating at Boston Pizza because it's close to home, the food is good, and it's a great place to bring the kids. I also love how much Boston Pizza does to give back to the community and schools. Boston Pizza has, for as long as I can remember, partnered with area schools (including...

What movie defines your childhood? For me, it is Girls Just Want To Have Fun. I watched this awesome 80's movie countless numbers of times with my girlfriends. You could say we were a little obsessed. I still remember the entire movie by heart. We all loved to dance, of course, so watching the movie turned into a dance party, too. I'm pretty sure Sarah Jessica Parker wants to bury this movie, but come on—it's a classic! Another movie that makes my top ten best movies ever list? Dirty Dancing. It's a movie that we all still love to watch... over and over and over (and over!) again. I'll never tire of watching.  And clearly I love it very much.  "I carried a watermelon" is one of the best movie lines, no? I danced for many years, until I was in grade 10. (Then one day I forgot to show up for dance class because it was the CD release day for Guns N' Roses Use You Illusions I and II. But that's another story another day...) Anyway, although I...

My family and I recently went to a Toronto Argonauts football game in Toronto. It was a memorable experience, and the perfect end-of-summer event. My children were bright-eyed and had a dozen questions about the game. By the time we left, they knew more about football than I did! They were impressed, in awe, and became instant fans of the game. We can't wait to be in a football stadium again, cheering on our favourite team. Now, we have even more reason to love football, thanks to Sun Life Financial. Sun Life Financial  has teamed up with the Canadian Football League (CFL) and has committed to donating $101 to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (JDRF) every time a successful field goal is kicked during the CFL regular season, up to $40,000, in honour of the 101st playing of the Grey Cup Championship Game. The field goals will be tallied per team and the final funds will be directed to the affiliated JDFRF in the corresponding city. Isn't that even more exciting then a ...

One of my favourite movies is Girls Just Want To Have Fun. I've seen this movie so many time I could actually write it word for word. Dancing was a huge part of my childhood, and recital days were the most exciting—the make-up! The costumes! The pictures! It was such a thrill being on stage performing. I never considered a career in dance, but as my primary extra-curricular activity, I loved every second of it. I started dancing when I was four years old and continued until grade 10. Ballet to jazz, I loved it all. I knew my days of dancing were over, though, the day I skipped jazz class to go to the mall to buy the new Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusions I and II CD. It was a very big deal, remember? Now, I'm bringing dancing back into my life, because I received some very exciting news yesterday. I was asked to be a celebrity dancer for the upcoming Dancing With The Stars For Easter Seals Kids! I'm going to be partnered with a professional dance instructor from Fr...

I've got some exciting news to share... Volkswagen Canada asked me to be their offical blogger for 24 Hours Tremblant! That's right, you guys. I'm being sent to my favourite ski resort in Mont Tremblant, Quebec this weekend as part of Team Volkswagen . I'll be reporting back with all the exciting things that are going on, and I'll be tweeting about how nervous I am to be back on the ski slopes again. Let's just say I haven't gone skiing in a very long time... and um, how will I ski down the hills while tweeting without falling? All joking aside, I'm beyond honoured that VW asked me to take part this way. After all, I'm a car girl , and most definitely Volkswagen's number one fan. The 24h of Skiing is actually North America's biggest sporting fundraising event that's already raised over 10 million dollars for children's causes. This year marks the 12th annual edition and will once again take place on the slopes of Tremblant. 3 da...