Is Content King or An Afterthought?

Back when I started blogging (ahem...2009...feels like forever ago!) content was king. It was the only thing that drew people to your blog. Even though blogging was not as popular as it is today, the market was still there and quite saturated with similar voices and similar experiences. So, as is reasonable, your blog content mattered more than anything. 

I know I am speaking for many other bloggers from that time period when I say that we were all spending hours on the WORDS we wrote. We would write and write and write and edit and edit and edit. The work we put out was personal, built community and was often pretty darn good! Personally, I would write for hours before I felt happy with a post. I would pour my heart out on the page and let it just lay out for people to read. It was probably why people commented and shared and felt connected to me even if they had never met me before.

Content was king. 

Give your kid a camera, see what kind of magic can happen...

My sons got a VTech Kiddie Zoom Action Cam from my sister for Christmas.  

It's pretty cool and perfect for their ages (6 & 4 years) because they can finally do what they are always begging to do: take pictures and video on their own! 

I will admit to being a bit of an annoying "wait I need to get my phone so I can take a picture" mom (in my defence, it's often for my blog or Instagram so...). It's probably why my kids want to capture their own lives and experiences so often. And now they can.

And parents, let me tell you, it is so amazing to see things through your child's perspective. 

We went on a walk through a local conservation area, with the kids sharing the camera. They captured things in a way and at a level that I just wouldn't think of. We've walked this particular path over and over again and yet it seems that they saw something different this time. They were engaged in looking for the perfect picture (whatever that was in their mind) and intrigued with capturing moments that I usually capture. 

The photos were mostly blurry (you try telling a 4 year old to hold a tiny camera still) but they were also spectacular. Take a peek:

Plus Sized MODEL Not a Plus Sized HUMAN

There has been a lot of buzz about the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue including a "plus sized model" in their pages this year.

Here she is:

Sports Illustrated’s Newest Model, Robyn Lawley. Credit: James Macari/Sports Illustrated

Her name is Robyn Lawley and she is beautiful! She a has a body that most women could only dream of having (reminds me of Kate Upton, right?), and she is a size that is a bit more realistic than most swimsuit models.

So what's the stink about?

Well, at size 12, she is considered a plus sized MODEL.  Of course she is.  The normal size for a model is between 5'9" and 5'10" and a size 2 (although I'm guessing they love a size 0 even more). Even "curvy" Victoria Secret models come no where close to a size 12.

But let's face it, much like the television and movie industry, the modelling industry is built on illusion. Those clothes being trotted down the runway? You will likely never wear them. That crazy hair and over-the-top makeup? You won't be leaving your house looking like that any time soon. It's fun, make-believe and fantasy- like little girls or boys playing dress up. THE MODELLING INDUSTRY IS NOT REALITY.

And so, in that fake world, being a size 12 is considered "plus sized". But remember that context is key.

In the world in which we live- the everyday world where we work, parent, and just try to survive- size 12 is considered the norm. In fact, the average women is estimated to be 5'4" and 155 pounds (which is about a size 8/10). So, in the context of our everyday living, Robyn Lawley is perfection. But in the context of the modelling world she is "plus"; she is larger than is normal.

Does it suck that those considered to be amongst the most beautiful in the land are often smaller than seems humanly possible? I guess. Listen, I'm 5'5" and wear a size 4/6. I'm smaller in size than the "average" person and yet I am no where close to meeting model (or television) standards. But I also understand that no matter how hard I tried, I could never reach those standards. And I also understand that I am not MEANT to meet those standards, because they are an illusion, a false reality, a make-believe fantasy.

For some reason we seem set on making all things into a controversy, when there is very little controversy here. For some reason we as a society have decided that any time we use the word "plus" we are equating that with "less than" or "wrong" or indicates that people find someone who is "plus" disgusting or ugly. But it doesn't mean that- not at all!!  It simply means that Robyn is, for better or worse, larger than the fantastical illusion of the modelling industry standard.

Should the industry be providing more and more examples or "healthy" (i.e.: strong, fit) female bodies? Sure! It is always great to see more attainable figures in the fashion and modelling industry- something that is slightly better than the average but not completely and utterly unattainable.

But should we get our knickers in a knot because an industry built on impossible-to-attain standards considers a size 12 to be plus sized? Absolutely not.

Robyn Lawley is gorgeous, fit, healthy, and an absolutely regular (or even smaller!) size HUMAN- let's celebrate and encourage that- but she is not a "normal" sized MODEL.

And let's just leave it at that.

So You Need Some "Me Time"

A year ago I met a mom in my neighbourhood who was living the life I (secretly) dream about. Once a week she dropped her FOUR kids (that she home schooled) off with her mom and spent 4-6 hours just on her. She didn't grocery shop or run errands for the family. She didn't even turn on her cell phone. She dedicated that time to her and her alone- getting her hair done, nails, having uninterrupted coffee, a nap, a massage- whatever she needed to recharge and feel like she could be a good mom again.

I envied that mom then. 

I still do now. Because "me time"- that selfish time where you only think about yourself and what may make you happy, relaxed and whole- is something I just never get around to on a regular basis. It's probably because my time is so saturated, my kids are still so young, and I feel the (unrelenting) need to prove how busy I am.

As females (especially as moms!) we spend a lot of time "out busy-ing" each other, don't we?

I get up at 5:30 a.m., I hit the ground running- working until my kids wake up, getting them ready for what the day holds, driving my oldest son to JK, keeping my youngest son occupied (in, of course, the most "educational" way possible), making meals that no one likes (ever!), cleaning up after what - I swear- is a million dirty gnomes that live in my home, wiping noses and bums, making beds, vacuuming, meeting deadlines, breaking up fights, pitching new stories, looking presentable enough to meeting prospective clients or even (occasionally) appear on TV, reading stories, doing "homework", tucking in, and soothing during the inevitable nighttime wake-up.

Are you nodding your head? Probably!

Your day may play out differently than mine, but we are all busy. Our lives are ruled by the clock and that little thing called "me time" is often no more than a pipe-dream.

Whether you're a mom, a wife, a friend, a sister, a co-worker. Whether you work at home, part-time, at your dream job, or 60 hours a week at something you wish you could love more. No matter where you are in life- you deserve "me time".

I'm learning that- slowly but surely.

Someone will always be busier than you. Someone will always make your existence look not full enough and, honestly boring ("um, when do you have TIME to watch TV? I'm always so busy writing my book/baking cookies/teaching my children advanced algebra/volunteering on eighteen boards"- you get the picture.).

So I'm challenging you to some "me time"- and I'm taking up the challenge too.

My first "me time" stop- using my WaySpa gift card.

What I love about WaySpa gift cards, and what you will too I am sure, is that they can be used at over 2,000 spas across Canada.

We'll just imagine this is what I looked like while being pampered.
I'm sure I was drooling a whole lot more- and maybe snoring a bit?

I used mine at Lavish Salon & Spa to get the most indulgent, amazing 60 minute massage (best one I have ever had!). Just me, delicious oils, tranquil music, and a massage- it was 60 minutes of head to toe bliss. My WaySpa gift card paid for my entire massage (minus the tip), I booked my treatment online in my pjs (same day service for the win!) and I didn't even feel a smidgen guilty.

That's the beauty of a gift card, right? You have to use it- you're forced to pamper!

 Maybe you will give a WaySpa gift card to a woman in your life who is in need of a gentle nudge to get a bit of "me time" during her-busy life. Maybe you'll receive one and use it for a massage (like me!!), a pedicure, a manicure, an indulgent facial or a body scrub to make you sparkle.

Whether received or given, there is no better gift than some time to yourself- "me time" if you will- and truly no better way to spend that "me time" than indulging in yourself.