Why don't you... [end of winter 2013]

Winter's almost over! Here are some little ways you can make the most of the season's end:

-Build a snow fort
-Escape to someplace warm
-Bundle up and explore your city
-Have a hot chocolate party
-Make plans for Easter/Ostara/Passover
-Go for an early morning walk and watch the sunrise
-Start making an action plan for next winter, so you'll be ready to battle SAD
-Make an inspiration board starring your body love icons
-Shop for boots or a winter coat. They start to go on sale at the end of the season. Excellent!
-Make an Easter wreath or garland. Or maybe some Peeps s'mores?

I can't believe it's almost March! Can you?

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Valentine's Day Ideas [2013]

This Valentine's Day. why don't you...

♥ Be your own valentine-- buy yourself flowers, eat something delicious, romance yourself!
♥ Give your sweetheart an amazing massage, a night at the movies, or a home-cooked meal.
♥ Re-read your favourite romantic novel.
♥ Write a love letter to someone you adore.
♥ Have a fancy dinner party.
♥ Go out on the town, solo.
♥ Cook dinner for your parents.
♥ Read this.
♥ Exchange copies of your favourite books with your best friends.
♥ Pop a bottle of pink champagne.
♥ Eat chocolate-covered fruit in the bath.
♥ Make out. (Keepin' it simple, right?!).
♥ Paint your nails red and pink, perhaps with little hearts and tons of glitter?
♥ Splurge on some luxurious lingerie.
♥ Bake a cake for your neighbours.
♥ Have a midnight picnic with your lover (dress code: underthings only), then read some erotica over dessert. Ooh la la!
♥ Take this advice.
♥ Send some valentines! These, these or these, perhaps?
♥ Eat something yummy & heart-shaped, like pavlova with Chantilly cream, a chocolate raspberry tart, or a Sacher torte with handmade truffles dusted with cocoa powder in three different shades?
♥ Buy one of these, one of these, one of these or some of these for some *ahem* adult fun.
♥ Eat heart-shaped eggs for breakfast or lunch with your room mates.

Just remember that Valentine's Day is all about love-- whether it's self-love, romantic love, or love for friends or family. However you choose to celebrate, have a wonderful day!

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50 Bold & Brilliant Moves to Make This Year

As January comes to a close, I'm putting a lot of thought into making the rest of this year really count. Here are some ideas:

1 Give yourself 5 minutes to sit, breathe, and do nothing else.

2 Be polite.

3 Stand naked in front of a mirror for a long time, under unflattering light if possible. Trace the rises and falls of the little ripples on your skin — the scars, the dimples, the cellulite — and think about how much you try to hide these things in your day-to-day. Wonder why you hate them so much, and if this hate stems from somewhere within yourself, or as a result of being told all your life that it’s wrong to have physical flaws (source).

4 Start your own business.

5 Try Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

6 Send care packages to friends far from home.

7 Set up scheduled payments on all your bills.

8 Meditate.

9 Write a list of things you like about yourself. Add one item to it every day for a month. Hang it somewhere you'll see it, like the fridge or bathroom mirror.

10 Host a dinner party.

11 Learn to walk in high heels.

12 Talk to someone you admire on Twitter, or write them a letter.

13 Try something new.

14 Get a tattoo or piercing, dye your hair or try a new shade of lipstick.

15 Visit the library (and get a library card, if you don't have one already!).

16 Support your favourite locally-owned business.

17 Get active! Dance, snowshoe, jog or rock-climb, perhaps?

18 Learn a new language.

19 Donate a large sum of money to charity.

20 Eat a fruit you've never tasted before.

21 Visit New York City, all by yourself.

22 Climb that mountain (literally or figuratively).

23 Start a savings account.

24 Start a weekly gratitude list.

25 Become more accepting of those who are different from you: Experience a different culture, volunteer at a homeless shelter or simply talk to people from different backgrounds.

26 Buy a lottery ticket.

27 Write a positive message on a helium balloon & set it free.

28 Go see a movie by yourself.

29 Exfoliate.

30 Pick your own fruit or plant a vegetable garden.

31 Buy your mom a treat that she'd never buy herself.

32 Make a new friend. Be brave and put yourself out there! You can do it.

33 Adopt a rescue dog or cat.

34 Colour code your agenda.

35 Tell a stranger she's beautiful.

36 Over-deliver on your promises.

37 Stretch.

38 Invest in yourself: Put time into doing what's important to you. Spend money on your education. Build an exquisite wardrobe. Become the best you, you can be.

39 Practice Intuitive Eating.

40 Forgive.

41 Take a free online class at Coursera.

42 Listen.

43 Be open about how you feel.

44 Start a journal or blog.

45 Tell him you love him.

46 Practice tzedakah.

47 Savour high-quality dark chocolate.

48 Put a small personal touch on everything you do. – Think of it as branding your work.  If you’re funny, add a little humor into it.  If you’re an artist, decorate it with illustrations.  Whatever you do, customize it with a little personal touch of ‘you.’ [Source].

49 Get organized.

50 Take a Greyhound across the country.

What do you have planned for 2013? Share your amazing ideas below!

75 Good Ideas for a Great Holiday

Here are some little things I recommend to make this winter holiday your best yet. Do them all or pick just a few, then tell me about them in the comments below!

1 Cupcakes! Make some, buy some... Whatever you do, cupcakes are always a fun, delicious addition to any day.

2 Stock up on magazines and novels. When it gets cold out, there's nothing like curling up at home with a good read.

3 Plan a get-together with your best friends.

4 Go snowshoeing or tobogganing. Great exercise, and a fantastic way to spend time with friends or family.

5 Stay inside and indulge in DIY spa treatments-- mani-pedis, facials, the whole thing!

6 Treat yourself to your childhood favourite sweets.

7 Have a movie marathon. All the Harry Potter films? A Fred and Ginger double feature? 

8 Taste a whole bunch of teas. Peppermint is always delicious. David's Tea's holiday blends look amazing, too! And Tazo's passionfruit is yummy and fruity.

9 One word: limoncello.

10 Plan a getaway. 

11 Take an online course. Coursera offers free online courses from top universities worldwide.

12 Have a Channukah party, complete with dreidel games and sufganyot.

13 Try glögg. 

14 Go winter camping and stay in a yurt. My family did this a few times when I was little, and it was a very memorable experience.

15 Turn up the heat, mix some piña coladas and pretend you're in the Tropics.

16 Learn to make a classic holiday recipe from scratch.

17 Knit a scarf or sew embellishments to an old sweater.

18 Go thrifting.

19 Go for a drive in the countryside.

20 Call your friends or family back home. 

21 Send handwritten thank you cards to everyone who sent you a card or gift this season.

22 Decorate gingerbread men.

23 Dive into that book you've been meaning to read.

24 Avoid the cold and stay in to organize your closet.

25 Invest in warm, high-quality winter boots.

26 Go skating with your lover (and hold hands!).

27 Catch up on schoolwork (or paperwork, or bills) so there's less on your plate after the holidays.

28 Spend a day doing absolutely nothing.

29 Volunteer (or donate money) to an organization you care about.

30 Send care packages to friends far from home.

31 Make paper snowflakes.

32 Drink hot chocolate with marshmallows.

33 Build a snowman.

34 Go to the beach and marvel at the frozen lake. 

35 Catch up on a TV series you enjoy. I recommend Big Bang Theory or Mad Men.

36 Go to shul or church (or whatever your  place of worship may be).

37 Make holiday cards and send them out to loved ones.

38 Learn a new skill, like calligraphy, skiing or photo editing.

39 Start a journal, diary or blog.

40 Find a new favourite indoor sport. Bowling? Roller skating? Swimming?

41 Go to a burlesque show.

42 Go for a walk at sunrise.

43 Read about Seasonal Affective Disorder, just in case

44 Email someone you haven't spoken to in ages, just to say hi.

45 Create a LinkedIn profile and a twitter account so you'll be ready to network in the new year.

46 Make New Year's resolutions.

47 Knock a few items off your bucket list.

48 Make sugar cookies or decorate ornaments for your relatives or neighbours.

49 Eat peppermint everything!

50 Host a dinner party.

51 Redesign your website.

52 Get reacquainted with your old favourite holiday movies and music.

53 Get a massage

54 Wear something velvet or sequined

55 Stop dieting.

56 Explore Toronto's PATH for some indoor shopping and exercise.

57 Light a menorah

58 Decorate a Christmas tree

59 Learn about a holiday you don't celebrate, but others do, at this time of year. Kwanzaa? Yule?

60 Go to the theatre

61 If you're daring, try a polar bear dip. I want to, but I don't think I'm brave enough (yet!).

62 Learn to crochet, felt or sew, and make something cozy.

63 Discover what style of hat looks best on you, and wear it all winter long.

64 Look at pictures of dogs in sweaters, because they're soooo cute!

65 Buy some cozy pyjamas and fuzzy socks.

66 Make soup. 

67 Peruse a craft show.

68 Spend an afternoon people watching at a local cafe.

69 Bring some unworn mittens to a women's shelter.

70 Have a hot bubble bath.

71 Read the classics.

72 Snuggle with a kitten.

73 Treat a friend to coffee.

74 Look at pictures of palm trees and beaches.

75 Chill vodka in a snow bank and make martinis.

What are you going to do this holiday?

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5 Little Things To Do For Yourself RIGHT NOW

When you're short on time, it can be hard to remember to take care of yourself. By making a point of doing a little something for yourself RIGHT NOW, you're eliminating the chance you'll forget, & guarantee you'll go about the rest of your day cheerfully.

Here are some ideas for easy, affordable, far-from-time-consuming treats you can give yourself this minute:

1 Get an account on Grooveshark, blip.fm or Spotify & make a playlist of upbeat songs to listen to while you work, walk or work out.

2 Paint your nails. Next time you use your hands, you'll look down and grin.

3 Treat yourself to a latte. It isn't hard to find a Second Cup or to whip up a yummy beverage yourself.

4 Text a friend you haven't spoken to in a while. Brighten your day and someone else's.

5 There's a reason cat videos always go viral on YouTube. Go watch a couple for some mindless, fluffy entertainment.

Hope you're having a wonderful day!

Image belongs to Rebecca Esther.

Some Valentine's Day Ideas

Now that February is here, Valentine's Day is on nearly everyone's mind. Here's some advice from yours truly, plus some of your favourite celebs-- for single ladies, couples & BFFs.

Delicious wine & a movie. Amy Lee suggests: "If you're single, watch a movie like Dirty Dancing or Sleepless in Seattle and drink plenty of red wine".

Vantines aren't only for lovers. Send an anonymous love note to someone you admire.

"Buy your own chocolate! Not from the drugstore- go someplace decadent like Godiva and spend $30 on a box of the good stuff. It's so luxe to treat yourself," enthuses writer Jennifer Weiner.

If you're not a chocoholic, go for a nice bottle of pink champagne, as Lauren Weisberger suggests. Your friends will love it too!

Self-love is essential. Take this opportunity to buy yourself a little treat, like a vibrator or lingerie. You're hot & you deserve it!

An awesome idea from Jennifer Garner: "If you don't have a boyfriend, just grab your girlfriends and go. My best Valentine's Day, I took my friend, both of us were single, and said, 'Screw it, we're going to go have a romantic weekend.' We went to the wine country, we stayed in romantic bed-and-breakfasts, and we had wine tastings and great meals and massages. We were surrounded by couples in love, and we did not care."

If you're in a relationship, do as Dan Savage says & "fuck first, eat later". Skip the crowds by having a late, romantic dinner-- one that follows mind-blowing orgasms and a fabulously intimate few hours together.

There are more ideas to come, but I thought I'd get you started! Do you have any ideas to share?

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Are you on Pinterest?

Pinterest is a really great site that allows you to organize all the pages, sites & pictures that inspire you.

More details from What Is Pinterest?: Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people.

Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.

Plus, the site is totally free & really trendy right now.

Request an invite to Pinterest here.

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