Loulou's views

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...

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...

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...

Last Monday was a very special day for my family and I. My mother's painting, Honouring My Father, was unveiled in Mayor Jim Watson's boardroom at City Hall, where it will be on display next to original paintings by The Group of Seven. The painting will be seen by school groups, ambassadors and dignitaries who visit with the mayor at City Hall. An enhanced print will also be on display in City Hall for everyone to see. The best part is how much this painting has already given back to fallen soldier Nathan Cirillo's son, Marcus. The paining was made after the tragic shooting at the War Memorial  because like everyone that day, my mom was distraught at the news that a young man—a brave soldier—was tragically shot, especially because this man was a single dad, raising his young five year old son, Marcus. It was an incredibly sad day for Ottawa.  News of the painting travelled far and wide, and my mom received hundreds of emails, likes, requests, suggestions, and messa...

You all know that I love to shop and you all probably  know that my favourite store is Nordstrom —it's my number one place to shop when I'm in south Florida—so when I found out Nordstrom was opening up in Ottawa it was pretty much the greatest news I'd ever heard. (I tend to exaggerate just a little bit, but still—I'm ridiculously excited to see this department store open in my city, finally!) Today I'm excited to announce that Nordstrom will be having a Grand Opening Gala in a few months—on March 4th , to be exact—and it's going to be THE most amazing event of the year, too. A gala night to celebrate the opening of Ottawa's Nordstrom in Rideau Centre sounds like an amazing idea to me. (As soon as you can buy your tickets—they go on sale in November—I'll post the link here for you to do so!) I was speaking to my friends at Nordstrom today and I'm happy to say that I'll be working with them on spreading the word and getting everyone excited ab...