Looking to dive into a new read this summer? We've rounded up a list of our favourite picks. Malibu Rising, Taylor Jenkins Reid Purchase here Malibu 1983. Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of one night, each of their lives will be changed forever. Accidentally Engaged, Farah Heron Purchase here A "delectable" romantic comedy about a woman who fakes an engagement to the boy next door to enter a couples cooking contest. Burning Sugar, Cicely Belle Blain Purchase here A poetic exploration of Black identity, history, and lived experience influenced by the constant search for liberation. Astra, Cedar Bowers Purchase here What if you could see yourself as others see you? Astra is a beguiling debut novel that reveals the different faces of one woman, as seen through the eyes of ten people over a lifetime. Five Little Indians, Michelle Good Purchase here With compassion and insight, Five Little Indians chronicles the desperate quest of five residential school survivors to come to terms with their past and, ultimately, find a way forward. The Swap, Robyn Harding Purchase here A riveting tale about the toxic relationship between two couples after a night of sexual shenanigans, and the manipulative teenager with an explosive secret at the centre of it all. Seven Days in June,  Tia Williams Purchase here Seven days to fall in love, fifteen years to forget, and seven days to get it all back again...

[bc_video video_id="6259876361001" account_id="2226196965001" player_id="rkljM4WDEg"] As the school year comes to a close, you may be thinking of how to thank your kids teachers for all the hard work they’ve put in – in a year that’s presented many challenges.  Here are some ideas that will tick off the boxes for most teachers! Homemade card or video 

Last year we appreciated what teachers dealt with from March to June, and we were really grateful. But this year, our teachers have really been on a roller coaster ride and have shown resilience by being able to pivot back and forth between in-person and virtual learning.

After this year, teacher's want to know that the kids, their students, appreciate them and value them. So try to take some time with your kids to make cards or a picture that you can send via email, or better yet shoot a short video of your child to send them.

Self-care  I think we all need a little extra self care now, but teachers more so than ever before. Sending them some at home spa treats is a great was to say thank you and show them that you think they deserve to be pampered. Epsom salts We recommend beautiful Epsom salts and foaming bath from Dr. Teal’s Glow & Radiance line. Epsom salt soaks are amazing for tired muscles and can be used in different ways, as a foot soak or a body scrub. Personalize the gift even more by decanting into an apothecary bottle or putting the Epsom salts in a mason jar tied with twine and a sprig of flowers Hand Cream The Lemon Cream collection from J.R. Watkins, will have you thinking of lemonade! This line doesn't test on animals and it is paraben and dye free. After all the hand washing this year, everyone needs hand cream! Dress up these goodies by tucking them into a little basket with a face cloth. And a basket is also something practical they can use after the hand cream is all used up! Or if your teacher is more of a lavender person, Yardley London makes a great line of luxury Lavender lotions, soaps and shower products. This line is available at Shoppers Drug Mart. Grazing boxes  Grazing boxes are the latest trend in snackable gifts and their awesome variety is the best feature. Pictured below are ones from Graze Anatomy in a few different sizes, tbd, and themes. Basically, we’re going beyond a cheese or charcuterie board. And this is the type of gift you can purchase in advance and just provide an email address, for the teacher to arrange the delivery themselves. For any of the gift ideas, you can order online, but even if your province is doing virtual learning, there is usually an opportunity to drop gifts at the office for when teachers come to do their end of year clean-up. Flowers Everybody loves flowers! But what is special about the ones pictured below from Tonic Blooms, is that the styling is so unique and makes for gift that's a little different. Tonic Blooms is known for this style of hand-tied bouquet known as the Farm Boy, which comes wrapped in denim. If you’re good at arranging flowers, you could even try something like this yourself, with a beautiful piece of leftover fabric. Just be certain that the flower stems can drink and are in floral water tubes or at the very least wet paper towel in a plastic bag. Plants are also super hot right now, and it’s nice to gift a teacher with something that will last. This could be kept at home or brought to their new classroom next September, and it’s in a very on-trend Terrazzo pot with a drainage tray. You can even pop a little card into the dirt on a pick!

[bc_video video_id="6259878303001" account_id="2226196965001" player_id="rkljM4WDEg"] Napping has been proven to boost alertness, memory, creativity, and productivity. If you’re not getting the quality of sleep at night, a nap throughout the day may be necessary- here's how to do it! The best time to take your afternoon nap is between 1-3pm. This is when our natural sleep rhythms, our circadian rhythms prepare our bodies to sleep. We want to avoid napping too late because we don’t want it to interfere with bedtime. How long should we be napping?  We can look at a typical adult sleep cycle. A full sleep cycle is typically around 90 minutes and throughout that time we are cycling through stages of light and deep sleep phases. As we enter stage 3 we are in a deeper stage of sleep so when you wake up from a nap after 30-60 minutes this is where you wake up feeling worse than when you went down for your nap. It’s what we call Sleep Inertia. This is the transitional state between sleep and wake, where there is still a desire to return to sleep. It feels like you have a ‘sleep hangover’. To avoid that you have to limit your nap to 15-20 minutes or if you can really commit to the nap sleep for a full sleep cycle of 90 minutes. That way you are waking as your body is cycling into a phase of lighter sleep. Creating a good environment  If you are going to take a nap, commit to the nap and create your own napping pod. You want to keep things quiet and dark – think cave like settings and you can use sleep tools like eye masks, ear plugs or noise machines to help create the perfect nap environment for you. The Nappuccino  Drinking coffee before your nap can help you time the perfect nap. It’s been proven that drinking coffee before you take a nap can increase your alertness more than just drinking the coffee. It takes about 30 minutes for caffeine to metabolize so if you sleep for 20 minutes or so and then wake up you’ll be feeling the effects of the caffeine and a refreshing nap. Bingo! If you’re still feeling sluggish and groggy when you wake up from your nap drinking ice cold water can help stimulate adrenaline that will get your heart pumping and boost blood flow to your brain. Should everyone nap?  Overall napping can benefit most people, even if you get a full night of sleep. Short naps generally don't affect nighttime sleep quality for most people. However, if you experience chronic insomnia or poor sleep quality at night, napping might worsen these problems. Long or frequent naps might interfere with nighttime sleep. If you are consistently waking up tired in the morning and experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness it’s worth having a conversation with your doctor as these can be symptoms of a common sleep disorder – sleep apnea. The Difference Between Sleep and Rest  We have to understand that sleep and rest are not the same thing. Many of us think that we are rested because we’ve gotten enough sleep but there are different types of rest that we need and they don’t all include the actual act of sleeping.

1. Physical Rest: Physical rest can be both passive or active: Passive physical rest is to just let your body rest like sleeping and napping. Active physical rest means more low intensity movement like yoga, stretching, walking, and massages.
2. Sensory Rest: We are a society that is on sensory overload. The bright lights, computer screens, background noise, let’s through in our tenth zoom call of the week, this can cause our senses to feel overwhelmed. This is where it’s really important to limit our sensory input by limiting sights and sounds. Perhaps it means unplugging at the end of the day, or setting a tech curfew an hour before bedtime. We need moments throughout the day or night where we can deprive our senses for a little bit.
3. Emotional Rest: This is for the people pleaser, we all know one, and perhaps you are one. This is the dependable person, who always say yes, even when they want to say no. It’s important for this person to focus on emotional rest by learning to express their feelings and understand that we don’t have to please everyone. It’s okay to say no and be truthful in how you feel. If you’re not okay, it’s important to share that.
4. Social Rest: This is where we need to take a look at the relationships that fill our tanks up and the ones that empty it. Surround yourself with people who get you. Who are positive and support for you no matter what. Sometimes we need to purge those in our lives who are too toxic and exhausting. This can even go as far as social media. Something that I’ve done during the pandemic is curated my social feeds and unfollow those that don’t give me the joy I need throughout the day.

 

[bc_video video_id="6259516137001" account_id="2226196965001" player_id="rkljM4WDEg"] There are a lot of misconceptions about sunscreens and skin protection floating around. Think you know all there is to know? Think again! Beauty expert Shobana has the perfect ways to test your knowledge with Sunscreen Fact or Fiction. Statement #1: The SPF in your makeup gives you ample protection­ SPF within makeup provides some protection and is good for layering. You need a quarter to half a teaspoon or the length of 2 fingers to cover your face, ears, and neck. Try sunscreen with makeup properties. Some examples are Super Goop Glow Screen and Tinted Sunscreens. Don't forget to apply sunscreen as the last step of your routine. Let it set for 5-10 minutes before applying makeup. TIP: Don’t forget your eyes, hairline, ears, neck, and anything exposed to the sun. Also, apply sunscreen 20-30 minutes before sun exposure. Source: Allure Statement #2: Wearing sunscreen is the best way to protect your skin from the sun Wearing sunscreen doesn’t protect you 100% from the sun. You must be factoring in you may not apply enough or reapply often enough. Try to stay in the shade, wear a hat, wear sunglasses, and cover up. Layer in antioxidants to neutralize sun damage like Vitamin C. Source: Amazon Statement #3: You should wear sunscreen when spending the day inside UVB rays make up only 5% of UV that reaches our skin. They are strongest during the summer and don't penetrate windows. UVA accounts for 95% of all UV and is pertinent all year around. It can penetrate windows, cause cancer, premature aging, create hyperpigmentation, and cause tanning. TIP: Make sunscreen a part of your daily routine so you never forget. Most sun damage is caused by incidental and unintentional daily exposure. Source: Allure Statement #4: SPF is the measure of how much protection you get from the sun’s UV rays SPF (which stands for Sun Protection Factor) is the protection grade for UVB rays, not UVA. How do you know about the protective measure of UVA? UVA symbols, PA Ratings, or ask companies. Sunscreens with UVA Symbols are Bioderma, La Roche Posay, and Vichy. Sunscreens with PA are Neostrata, Murad, and Super Goop. In Canada, Broad Spectrum indicates protection but doesn’t tell you how much exactly. TIP: If you are unsure about the level of UVA protection, contact the brand and inquire about the measure of UVA protection based on PPD or the PA system, apart from Broad Spectrum. TIP: “PA” followed by plus signs on a label is a rating system originating in Japan to represent how much UVA protection the product offers. Source: REI Statement #5: If you have darker skin, you don’t need sunscreen Popular opinion is that lower risk of cancer still present. Yes, you do get protection from melanin but how much? Skin tone doesn’t prevent premature aging and hyperpigmentation. People of color are more prone to hyperpigmentation TIP: Still doubtful? Educate yourself. Consult a dermatologist and ask about the Fitzpatrick scale, which can be used to make assessment of risks based on skin tone. Source: EverydayHealth Statement #6. If you have sensitive skin, you should use a mineral sunscreen 2 types of sunscreens, chemical which absorbs rays and physical that reflects rays. Popular opinion is that mineral may be less irritating, especially in a non-comedogenic form. Do a patch test with sunscreen before determining the right one for you. It may take a few tries to see which suits your sensitive skin. TIP: Consider fragrance free and oil free options Source: Healthline Statement #7. You can use sunscreens after the expiry date The ingredients and filters can begin to breakdown deeming the sunscreen ineffective. It is best to not use expired sunscreen. You want to preserve your skin and provide it with the most effective product. Using expired sunscreen can create more harm then good if it fails to effectively protect your skin. Source: Brush on Block  

[bc_video video_id="6259516261001" account_id="2226196965001" player_id="rkljM4WDEg"] Do you have bulky gas meters, AC units, vents and more sticking out like sore thumbs from the side of your house? Fret not! Here are three ways to cover them up, while still staying stylish. Privacy Screens  The house pictured below has 2 AC units and a large furnace exhaust that needed to be covered up. Here is what they both looked liked before: Voila! Building 3-sided privacy screens out of recycled fence boards cover up the ac units, while still leaving enough space to not impact air flow. Painting Exhaust Pipes  These white exhaust pipes do not match this dark home at all. One is an intake and one is an outtake. You have to turn off the HVAC- keep it off for the day (dry to the touch) so the paint fumes aren’t sucked in. Make sure to mask the brick off so you don’t paint your brick. Use an exterior spray paint that will stick to plastic, in this case we’re doing black to match and give it a good spray. Pictured below is before (right) and after (left). Corten Steel Planter  These two AC units are actually going to be at the ends of a custom Corten steel planter. If you’re not familiar with Corten steel, it’s the hottest in outdoor design right now. It almost looks like a rusty colour. This planter is made to match, filled with a beautiful garden and is going to curve around the sidewalk to prevent people from cutting across their lawn. Although this isn’t a DIY, there are standard sized Corten steel planters available online if you want to embrace the look at a lower price point. Pictured below are a few examples.