by lisa@lisacanning.ca | Nov 12, 2015 | Interior Design
IT'S DONE! I made it. Praise God, because this was another race to the finish of this amazing blog series called the One Room Challenge, hosted by Linda at Calling It Home. We're all challenged to design and reno a room to completion in 6 weeks. I participated last spring to finish my laundry room before giving birth to our 5th child, (a whole other kind of race in itself!) and am so happy to have participated again. Deadlines like this can be pretty motivating, and the entire experience is a fun ride watching what everyone else does to their spaces, and cheering each other on in the process.
As I have mentioned previously, doing the ORC is kinda like childbirth at times- when you're doing it and things are going wrong and you're realizing you only have 7 days to finish a room and the paint was mixed slightly off hue and so now you have to buy more paint and now you have to delay your electricians and so now you have to delay your trim guy and so now you have to install the carpet at midnight after your teething / sick baby has FINALLY gotten to sleep and you forget how much dirt you still clean before you actually put said carpet tiles down etc. etc. etc.- when you're doing it, it cam be painful. But when it's done… you are blissed out and in love. Well, in love I am!
I wanted the space to feel cheerful and bright, so I started the design with the Frug rug from FLOR. They are modular carpet tiles, which are easy to swap out when mess occurs. I love the soft padding they create for working out- and my children have had so much fun rolling around in what they deem their new place space. Bright white walls in Snowfield by CIL Paints reflect tons of light and let the floor be the star.
As physical fitness has become a new priority for me (just started working out with a personal trainer and I have eliminated the sometimes twice a week habit of eating poutine), I am trying to make it as easy as possible for me to live a healthy lifestyle. For me that includes waking up early and starting the day with prayer and then exercise and a healthy beverage. So I am keeping a mini fridge stocked with lots of my favourite juices (love Jenn Pike's Juice Matters plans).
I am slightly obsessed with applied moulding right now (massive massive thanks to my trim installer Steve Leonard!) and continued the love of it in my gym with the Metrie Very Square collection. And I have to gush publicly over these sconces- which cost only $49!!!! Add a little bench from Bouclair and mirror from Home Sense and my home gym is complete.
And for kicks let's revisit the before:
And now to my happy face with another completed space!
Thanks for following along on my journey- to check out some seriously amazing transformation check out the featured 20 designers and the guest participants here! Photos by Larry Arnal.
by lisa@lisacanning.ca | Oct 30, 2015 | Lifestyle Design
I have heard Linda over at Calling It Home say that week 4 of the One Room Challenge, this crazy fun challenge where designers and bloggers are challenged to complete a room in 6 weeks, is the hardest. Boy is she right. Because looking at my photos and thinking that there are only 13 more days to finish this room off is kinda crazy!!!
Pot lights are in, room has been emptied of stuff save for the treadmill and a few other random things (so much purging happened!), closet is gone and first coat of paint went on today! Woo hoo. However… there are so many things still to accomplish. And so little time!
This is why I love a deadline. I've written about how to complete a room in 48-hours. And deadlines, self-imposed or not, are big time motivators. But of course it can be really challenging. From a whole bunch of personal experience, here are my tips for staying focused to finish strong:
1. Call in the cavalry. Sometimes it pays to pay (whether it be in cash or baked goods!). When life is busy you sometimes cannot afford to spend time doing things that other people can do (and do really well). While I painted myself for my last One Room Challenge reveal, this time around has been a bit nuts timing wise, considering I'm also finishing my bathroom, my husband has been traveling for work, my 5 kids are… well, 5 kids! and I am nursing a cold that is hanging for dear life no matter how many oranges I consume. If you need tissues, come on over. I've got them in bulk. So when other things demand your time that only you uniquely can do, delegate the rest. This time I called in my favourite painters from Finer Edge to help me get this room done. So whether it be in supporting a small business by hiring people to help, or bringing in friends with the promise of your best baked goods, delegate.
2. Picture what will be made possible when the task is complete. It can be hard to see through the drywall dust, bags of garbage, and paint cans what the finished product will be. Last week I wrote about how every time I opened the door to the gym I would literally get so overwhelmed and just close the door behind me without going in. What would motivate me to push through was picturing what it would look like when I would turn the knob and then walk in to a finished gym that will help me towards my health goals. Picture the end and how you'll feel and remember it will be so worth it.
3. Just do the next right thing. I recently learned about the Ivy Lee Method– where you essentially write down the 6 most important things you need to complete each day in order of priority and only focus on that list. Getting a project done is basically just a long list of small things- so just make that list, whether it be 6 or 600 and do the first thing on the list until it's all done.
Check out what the featured 20 designers are doing this time around and what my fellow guest participants are up to as well!
by lisa@lisacanning.ca | Oct 27, 2015 | Mom Coaching
As a busy mom of 5 kids, up until VERY recently I made an abismal effort to be healthy. Vegetable intake was the little garnish on top of the pasta. My car was a literal storage area for Harvey's take out paper bags. Poutine was consumed twice (sometimes three times!) a week and coffee was my beverage of choice (ok, that hasn't changed).
The bad habits finally hit the poor health fan when about 2 months ago, I went to lift my 22 month old daughter into her high chair. She weighs 20 lbs. The simple act of lifting her and not using any of the proper muscles to do so caused me to throw my back out and incur pain like I have never experienced- including labour (and I have done that 5 times my friends!!!!) As I sat literally immobilized on the sofa with all my kids vying for my attention around me I knew I had to make some serious changes.
So I invested in a trainer. We are doing a home gym renovation. I am following a meal plan. And I am basically trying to hack my way into a more healthy lifestyle one shortcut at a time, lol. I'm doing this as when I was lying on my couch, unable to move without stabbing pain running up and down my body with an intensity I would not wish on anyone in life, I realized that the stakes are too high. To be unhealthy in both my diet and my physique does not serve anyone- and can keep me from enjoying life with the ones I love.
So when BioGaia invited me to be a part of their recent event at Kidville on the benefits of probiotics I knew it would be helpful for my family and for yours. You can watch the full presentation here. But if like me, and are new to the language of wellness and all this overwhelms you, here are my 5 super quick health wins for busy moms:
1) Switch up your salt. Presenter Julie Daniluk shared that typical table salt has 2 minerals and usually contains fillers and sugar. Whereas salt originated with 65 minerals- so look for a healthier alternative like pink Himalayan salt.
2) Practice the just one bite rule 10-15 times. Ok, this isn't a quick win but so interesting- it's been scientifically proven that kids between 2 and 4 years of age need to be introduced to a food 10-15 times to "retrain" them to like it again- particularly with greens. So stick it out because it works eventually.
3) Try sweet peas. If the endurance is hard, go for "sweet" veggies like sweet peas and sweet potatoes.
4) Sooth a colic baby with BioGaia. Forget the gripe water presenter Bryce Wylde shared. A medical study showed that infants taking BioGaia cried less after just 1 week of daily intake.
5) Give yourself a daily boost. The biggest benefit I can see for my own life from increased probiotics is a reduction in stress. Increased probiotics reduce the level of cortisol in our bodies- thus reducing our own stress levels.
Reduce my stress say what?!?!? As evidenced by my face in the online stream : ) I would love to know how you might reduce stress and what quick health win you might implement for your family! Leave a note for me in the comments below : )
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