Good manners go a long way

I always forget how rude people can be until I head outdoors for my morning walk or jog. Almost everyone I pass on the street makes no eye contact or says “Good Morning”. Everyone is so straight faced and miserable looking.

When I first visited Jamaica a few years ago, I was shocked at how friendly people were. Mostly everyone I came in contact with (children included) greeted me with a smile and a “Good Morning” or “Good Evening”. By the end of my stay, I realized that was just a part of their upbringing and culture. It was so refreshing that I decided that I wanted to do the same.

I consciously make an effort to make eye contact with everyone I pass – whether it’s at the grocery store or on the street - and greet them with a smile and a “Good Morning”. Most times I’ll get a smile and a greeting in return.

If you’re one of those individuals that avoids making eye contact with others and never says “Good Morning” or “Good Evening”, I challenge you to come out of your comfort zone and do the opposite. Not only will it make you feel better, your cheery disposition just might cause others to do the same. 

Why do you think people refuse to make eye contact and greet those they come in contact with?

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Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

The 80’s was by far THE best decade to grow up in as a kid. We had the best fashion, music, toys and TV shows. That’s why I did an 80’s theme party for my birthday this past weekend.

My girlfriends and I dressed up in our 80's gear and headed to the nearest public school for a photo shoot. We re-enacted some of the activities we did as kids, such as playing Basketball, Hopscotch and Double Dutch.

We played a few games like “Name that 80’s TV theme song” and “Name as many 80’s toys and catchphrases in 1 minute”.

We laughed until our bellies hurt. We ate so much junk food to the point where many of us ended up with headaches. 

It was a night well spent as we reminisced about our childhood days. I ended the night by giving all my girlfriends loot bags full of…yes… candy!  

Here’s a list of things I loved the most about the 80’s:

TV Shows: There’s no show like the Cosby Show. I love it so much that I have all 8 seasons and know so many episodes word for word.

Movies: E.T.

Music: Whitney Houston’s, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” is my 80’s anthem. I definitely can’t forget Michael Jackson’s, “Thriller” video.

Candy: Skittles – the original kind.

Clothes: Leg warmers and slouch socks.

Outdoor Games: Hopscotch. When I was in Grade one, my girlfriends and I would rush outside to draw a Hopscotch grid and play until the recess bell rang.

Toys: Who remembers Pogo Balls and Skip-It? I couldn’t get enough of these two toys.

What did you love the most about the 80’s?

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#Grateful

When I was 7, I thought I’d never see 14. When I was 14, I thought I’d never see 20. Then I turned 20, then 30 and yesterday I turned 34.Words cannot express how grateful I am that God allowed me to see another year. 

Those who know me well know that I love to celebrate in style. I rocked my new floral dress and did a quick photo shoot out in the freezing cold (what’s a birthday without a photo shoot?).

I spent my afternoon at my favourite spa (the staff at Sanctuary Day Spas really do treat you like royalty).

I ended my day at the Jays game and they won! 

Thanks to everyone who called me, sent me text messages and messaged me on Facebook.

A very BIG thank you to the APC News Crew for putting together a birthday video for me. It was one of the best birthday presents I have ever received.

I had to laugh when one of my girlfriends asked me who was going to make my birthday cake. Why on earth would I ask someone to make my cake when I can make it myself? LOL. Stay tuned for pictures on my SimplyDelicious Facebook page.

I’m looking forward to another year full of baking, teaching, reading and spending time with the ones I love.

Cheers to 34!!!

What are three things you’re grateful for?

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Know Your Boundaries

Growing up, you had a ton of friends of the opposite sex. Then you met Mr./Mrs. Right. Not long after the wedding, your spouse tells you they aren't comfortable with you keeping these friends. 

Before you know it, you’re screening your friends calls and ignoring their text messages. When you finally build up the courage, you tell them that you can no longer be friends without an explanation.

This type of scenario happens way too often. It could be that your spouse had an unresolved issue with one of your friends. It could be that they have a trust issue. Or maybe they're just the jealous type.

I personally don’t see the problem with keeping friends of the opposite sex after getting married. If they were your friends before you tied the knot, what’s the problem with keeping them as friends after you get married?

This is one of those things that should be discussed while dating/courting. Why not create a list of boundaries that you both can agree on and adhere to.

Here are my suggestions:

1 Introduce your significant other to your friends.

2 Agree on when it’s appropriate/not appropriate to communicate with your friends (i.e. no phone calls after a certain time).

3 Limit your alone time with your friends. Make it a group outing instead by inviting other friends along.

4 Make sure your friends know that if they disrespect your significant other, they in turn have disrespected you.

What are your thoughts on keeping friends of the opposite sex after getting married?

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Toronto: Raccoon Capital of the World

You’ll often hear people say that Toronto has two seasons: Winter and Construction season. Let’s add a third…Raccoon season. If you didn’t already know, Toronto has been labelled “the raccoon capital of the world” next to Chicago and New York City. How lovely!

It’s funny how we get upset and complain when these nasty creatures knock down our green bins and eat our garbage. We do everything we can to stop this from happening by adding locks or using bungee cords to secure our green bins.  C’mon folks! Really? Raccoons are smarter than that.

Last Thursday, Mayor John Tory unveiled Toronto’s new and improved green bin. They’re twice the size of our current one with locking lids and latches. If approved by City Council, these monstrous bins will be distributed later this year/early next year.

Guess how much these new bins are going to cost us? Thirty one million dollars! What’s the point when these raccoons are eventually going to figure out how to open them? Don’t underestimate these furry creatures. 

I can think of two solutions to solve our raccoon problem. One, have a zero raccoon policy like Japan. They trap 10,000 raccoons a year and kill them. Or two, put your green bins out in the morning before heading to work as opposed to putting them out at night. The latter would save our city $31 million dollars and save you from cleaning up after them.

What solutions can you think of to solve Toronto's raccoon problem?

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The Great Escape

Washrooms are not just for brushing your teeth, washing your face or taking a bath. Washrooms are a great place for reading. They’re the last place people will look when trying to find you. Washrooms are what I call The Great Escape.

Being the oldest of five, my Mom was always on my case about watching my siblings.  The only time I would protest was when I was in the middle of reading a book.  I had a hard time putting down the latest Baby-Sitters Club book or Sweet Valley Twins book or anything written by Judy Blume. The more I had to watch my siblings, the more I longed to find a room in the house where I could escape with my book without my Mother or siblings finding me within seconds.

I must have been 9 or 10 when I started taking my book with me to the washroom. I would lock the door, do my business and sit on that toilet until my behind hurt. While all of this was going on, I could hear my Mother asking my siblings where I was.  No one knew. Forty-five minutes would pass before someone would try to open the washroom door.

 “I NEED TO USE THE WASHROOM!" one of my siblings would yell.

 “GO USE THE WASHROOM DOWNSTAIRS” I’d yell back. “I’M READING!”

I read a lot of great books and not so great books in that washroom.

Twenty-four years later, I still find myself heading to the washroom to read. There’s just something about sitting on the toilet with a book that I find comforting. The washroom will forever be my Great Escape.

Where do you escape for some peace and quiet?

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Tipping on Take-Out Orders

Last week I was craving sushi. I decided to head out to one of my favourite sushi joints and order take-out. Since I rarely keep cash on hand, I had to use my debit card to pay for my order. To my surprise, the debit machine asked me to enter a tip amount. I must have stood there like a dummy for a good minute before I entered in a dollar amount.

 Is tipping on take-out orders a new thing? 

I’m not quite sure what service I was tipping for. Maybe it was for the cook preparing and packaging my food. Or maybe it was for the cashier putting my order into a bag with a couple of napkins. Or maybe it was for her keying in my order. Or just maybe it was for her offering me a cup of tea while I waited for my food.

After reading several articles,  tipping is not mandatory when it comes to take-out orders. Tipping should only be expected if dining in at a restaurant. 

The next time I order take-out at this restaurant or any other restaurant and the debit machine asks me to key in a tip amount, I’m going to key in a big fat zero. I will not dish out my hard earned money to someone that is just handing me a plastic bag with my food order. 

What are your thoughts on tipping for take-out orders?

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Household Chores

My blood boils every time I hear husbands and wives complain about household chores. Husbands refuse to clean. Wives refuse to mow the lawn. Taking out the garbage is supposedly a “man’s job” and doing laundry is supposedly a “woman’s job”. Why are we still classifying household chores based on gender? The last time I checked it was 2015 – not 1950.

Gone are the days when women stayed at home to raise a family and maintain a home. With both parents working, both parties should be pitching in to do household chores.

Household chores should be discussed prior to getting married to avoid disappointment later on.

Parents should be teaching their children to be well rounded and self sufficient human beings. Mothers should be raising their sons to be able to cook, clean and how to hem their pants. Father’s should be raising their daughters to mow the lawn, pick weeds and how to change a tire.

Can you imagine if parents did this? Children wouldn’t think of certain household chores as a “man’s job” or a “woman’s job”. They would view it as a job that just needs to get done.

It’s time to throw away this backwards way of thinking where household chores are concerned and start working together as a team to get them done.

Do you believe that certain household chores should only be done by a man and a woman?

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My Happiness Project: Communication

My Happiness Project continues.

For the month of March, my resolution was Organization: to keep all areas of my house tidy at all times – especially my kitchen. I think I did a pretty good job in maintaining a clean home last month.

I also challenged myself to follow a weekly schedule. That was pretty much a hit and miss. Some days were better than others.

I created a meal plan for the entire month. I bought groceries and spent a lot of time cooking. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.

Health and fitness wise, I completed another month of the 30 Day Squat Challenge. I survived my first month of Boxing Boot Camp. I gained some arm strength after completing the 30 Day Arm Challenge. I’m hoping to ditch P90X by mid month and head outdoors to jog, walk and roller blade.

This month I’ll be focusing on my core muscles. After taking an extensive break, I’ll be signing up for Belly Dancing classes again. I’m also going to do the 30 Day Abs Challenge.

For the month of April, my resolution is Communication: to talk more and text less.

I remember the days when I would spend endless hours on the phone with my friends. Then I got a cell phone. Conversations were replaced with texting.

Two years ago, I called my cell phone provider and asked them to add unlimited texting to my plan. Last month I received 611 text messages and sent 464. Absolutely ridiculous! My goal is to cut those numbers in half.

To my friends -  if you text me, then you obviously have time to talk to me. Get ready for a phone call. Let’s return to the good old days – even if it’s only for a month.

I’m also going to set aside one evening a week to call family and friends.

I get a lot of complaints that I don’t return phone messages, texts or emails in a timely manner. Honestly, sometimes it gets so overwhelming that I tend to shut down. I’m going to make an effort to return all messages within 24 hours. I think that’s fair.

For the past few years, I’ve been meaning to write a Will. Whenever I think of Wills, I tend to associate them with elderly people. With more young people dying today, we’ve got to protect our families and assets. This month, I’ll be meeting with my Primerica Representative to create my own Will.

What resolutions have you made for this month?

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Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)