Loulou's views

We all lead busy lives—from juggling work to extra-curricular activities, sometimes it feels like there aren’t enough hours in a day to get it all done. Trying to find the perfect balance can be challenging, but one thing remains constant in my household: connecting around the dinner table. Coming from a Greek family, dinnertime was always a priority, no matter how busy our days were, and this is a tradition we’ve kept with our children. Now that our boys are older (13 and 10 years old) my husband and I often get them to help out when it comes to dinner preparation, and even cooking; I’m happy to say that my even my youngest son can make a delicious homemade tomato sauce, with some ingredients coming from our own backyard vegetable garden, like basil, tomatoes, oregano, and onions.   Growing a garden was a new venture for us this summer, and one we thoroughly enjoyed. It made meal time prep more fun, and also forced us all to eat more vegetables than we were used to.  ...

I don't think you can be Canadian and not love hockey, one of the greatest sports on earth. Although I don't love winter, hockey season excites me, and I'm a huge Ottawa Senators fan. I was so excited and hopeful last year that the Sens would finally win the Stanley Cup–and they came so very close.  The last time I was that excited for the playoffs was years ago, and I remember being absolutely heartbroken when the Sens lost. This time around, my youngest son joined in my excitement and we were lucky to attend a couple of playoff games to cheer on our favourite hockey team. The excitement at a Sens game is incredible, and it was even more awesome to see it all through my son's eyes. With the holidays around the corner, wouldn't it be a great idea to give the Senators fan in your life a little something to make them cheer even louder this year? Canadian Tire is giving Ottawa families a head start by helping turn local babies into the next generation of Sens...

It's finally here! Spring, we've been waiting. This weekend was so gorgeous, I bet everyone spent it outdoors. The sun was shining, and it was actually... hot outside. There is so much to look forward to now that warmer days are here... walks to the park, bike rides, flip flops, tanned skin, drink on the patio, BBQ's with friends and family, and... frozen yogurt, of course! I love taking my children to Menchie's as an after-school surprise or just because we're craving something delicious and cold. (And with the new Skor flavour, it'll be hard to keep us away!)  I love that Menchie's yogurts are gluten-free, vegan, and certified Kosher. Everyone can enjoy Menchie's, and with over 128 flavours and 50 toppings to choose from, you're sure to find one you'll keep coming back for! The Menchie's Smoothies bar is awesome, too—made with 100% natural fruit, and four servings of fruit per 16 ounce cup. Sweet! And healthy! Right now, you can sc...

Spring is finally here. It's been a long winter, the snow is (mostly) melted, and I'm ready to toss all the winter gear in a box. Yes, you could say I'm ready to embrace all that spring has to offer—mild weather, sunshine, the great outdoors, and wearing flip flops and little dresses again. The beginning of spring always begins with Easter for me—and what better way to celebrate Easter than to indulge in chocolate? Good chocolate.  Lindt  chocolate, to be exact. I don't want to be the only one eating chocolate, though. I'll go workout at the gym, while you enter my contest, because... I'm giving away a Lindt Easter Basket filled with your favourite chocolate treats: 50g Milk Gold Bunny 100g Chick 90g Happy Easter Bell Box 138g Lindt Crystal Gift Egg 100g Lindor Mini Egg Pack (Milk Chocolate) Mini Gold Bunny 5-pack (Milk chocolate) Lindt is celebrating the launch of a beautifully written illustrated storybook app called "The Bell that Rang...

I am absolutely thrilled that I am a P&G Mom . P&G makes many of my favourite products—Crest, Pantene, Cover Girl, Olay, Tide, Downy and so many more fabulous products I use, buy, and love for myself and for my home. It's exciting being a part of this group, and I'm happy to share news and information with my fabulous readers here about the products I love from P&G. I just got back from an almost two week vacation to south Florida and Orlando, where I walked and swam in the ocean, stayed at gorgeous resorts, and explored Disney World, Epcot and the Kennedy Space Centre with my family. We had a great time, and now we've traded our flip flops for boots, again. It was nice coming home to a great big package of goodies from P&G—it sure beat coming home to all the snow! Winter can seem never-ending, so we do what we can to make the most of the long and cold days. Like going shopping... for clothes that are guaranteed to be comfy, sexy, and just right ...

Many things make me happy: snuggles with my children, vacations to warm destinations where I'm lounging on a beach with a drink in hand, rainy afternoons where I'm lost in a good novel, dinners and wine with friends, and shoe shopping. Yes, shoe shopping always makes me happy, no matter the season—spring, summer, fall or winter—because no matter the season, there is always something just so perfect that I must shop for. Even though we're enjoying the crisp days of fall, winter is literally just around the corner, and if I'm not dressed warm, I'm pretty miserable being outside. I also get really sad when I'm wearing a favourite pair of boots and they get destroyed because of the salt and snow... all because I didn't properly protect them. And trust me, I've ruined quite a few pairs of boots over the years. Living in a city that has such harsh winters, I have learned my lesson—if I'm going to wear boots I love outside during the winter months, I ha...

Becoming a parent was a game-changer for me. I had no idea, really, that welcoming a new baby into our lives was going to be such a life- altering experience. Now with two boys in school full-time, things haven't necessarily slowed down, but our routines are a little easier to manage, and my boys are at such a wonderful age—nine, and six years old—and it's been a pleasure seeing them grow into the people they are becoming every day. Some days, it feels like our life could be a reality show, because I truly believe the things that happen to us would make for some great quality entertainment on TV. Some days, it feels like we're players in the game  of life, being challenged constantly in different ways. Every day we are faced with challenges, every day we try hard to reach our goals and, sometimes, we're rewarded with success. It could be achieving something small, like cooking a great dinner without burning down the house, or it could be something...

After the children go to bed, I love to catch up with my husband over a glass of wine, read a good book, or watch one of my favourite shows on television. I stopped watching shows that completely depressed me last year. Shows like Grey's Anatomy? No more. I could only handle so much heartache, you know? Action packed shows, like Breaking Bad, I can handle—and love. I also love a show that can make me laugh. Shows like Seinfeld, Friends, Modern Family and City's original comedy, Seed . This show is funny, and it's back—you can catch a brand-new episode on City TV tonight at 9:30 p.m. There are laughs every week as you get to know and follow the lives of three very different families, who are united—whether they like it or not—by Harry, their formerly anonymous... sperm donor. Yes, you read that correctly—it's quite the show, packed with hilarious moments that'll make you laugh. Still need more convincing that you should start watching Seed, if you're not watc...

I've loved to travel every since I was a child. I have great memories of family trips—from summers spent in Greece, to vacations in England, Cape Cod and Florida, every vacation was special and memorable. Some trips, to this day, are more vivid than others, and one of those vacations for me was the first time we went to Orlando. Now, I'm a beach girl, so going to a city where we weren't surrounded by the ocean made me a bit scared, but once we arrived, I loved it. Disney World was great, even though the line-ups were long, but my favourite part was the resort we stayed in: The Hyatt Recency Grand Cypress . I was almost 13 years old, and I fell in love with the gorgeous pools, waterfalls, slides, and tropical landscape. This was a five-star, five-diamond resort, and the service was amazing . I can't wait to bring my kids. As an almost 13 year old girl, exploring the resort and making new friends with other kids my age was a highlight of my trip to Orlando. ...

The Kick Diabetes Facebook contest is wrapping up, so if you haven't 'donated a kick' yet by selecting your favourite CFL team online, you should totally do it now. If you do this, you'll also have the chance to win one pair of 2014 CFL season tickets—isn't that almost better than a touchdown? (I don't know a lot about football, so maybe that's not totally accurate, but still!) Sun Life Financial, in partnership with the Canadian Football League (CFL), 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. It's all over on November 2nd, though! An additional $10,000 will be donated to JDRF in the city whose team gets the highest number of 'donated kicks' by the end of the regular season. (If you want all the details, check this out. ) If you'd like to he...

It's March 21, and the weather outside looks nothing like spring. I'm not sure when all this snow is going to go away, but I'd love for it to be now. Really, it is almost April, and it's starting to get a little ridiculous, no? Sigh. I would love to be able to pack up my suitcase and head south, to where it's sunny and warm, and enjoy a pina colada on the beach. There is a great contest going on right now that I'm happy to spread the news about, because hello , trip for two to Sandals Resort in Jamaica ? Sign me up, please! To celebrate the launch of   #FeelGoodMovies  on CTS (Crossroads Television System) every Friday and Sunday night at 7:00 p.m., they'll be sending someone (and a friend!) to Sandals. Isn't that so generous of them? I think so. To enter to win a trip for two to Jamaica, click here . It is really that simple! This vacation getaway package includes airfare, too, so you're all set. You have to be a Canadian resident to w...

On my incredibly long list of things I love: My children's laughter, sunshine, vacations to beautiful destinations, and funny television shows. I gave up watching sad and depressing shows this year for good quality television—and television shows that makes me laugh—and it has been a much more enjoyable experience. Some of my all-time favourite TV shows are Friends and Modern Family, and I just found out that there is a new aweome (and Canadian!) television show called Seed that airs on CityTV Monday nights at 8:30 p.m. This show is like a modern version of Friends crossed with the totally hilarious Modern Family. It's totally a show you should be watching if you like to laugh. You don't even have to thank me for spreading the news—I like making people happy! Now, here's the totally awesome part: right now when you watch Seed on Mondays at 8:30 p.m., you can be entered to win one of three Grand Prize trips for two to LA! Seriously, how amazing is that? I wen...