Faith Style

Dear traveling poet
I wrote you a sonnet
Before you left at sunset
That I tucked in your sachet

A sonnet to the poet
Who enamored me with his rhyming of words
Depictions of beauty
That caused me to fall in love with a never seen world

We’ve grown together, we’ve grown apart
Such is the longing in my heart
This poem I now write
Depicts a parting of souls going from left to right

You are a nomad with no land
Your map and compass in hand
Leaving homeless this land
Leaving mere foot prints in the sand

So worldly yet so lonely
You start over in every city
Leaving behind a story, and legacy
All for the love of the geography and the history

You asked me to come along, many a time
I refused for I loved the world that was all mine
A world I did not want to share with others
Due to fears of myself and others

I don’t know when you will return
But I’ve begun to write many a poem
For it is now my turn
That I seek the new home

A sonneteer I wanted to be
But a traveling poet I now want to be
I cannot write just of broken hearts
No longer a beseeching poet I wish to be

I’ll be the nomad with no land
With a map and compass in hand
I’ll go off in the distance
Where memories are left to the reminiscent

I’m making the world my new home
And I’ll dedicate it many a poem
Adjectives, nouns and verbs
And spoken words to be heard

I’ll be worldly and maybe lonely
I’ll start over in every city
All for the love of discovery
Making friends whom will now be my family

Maybe again you and I will meet
Or maybe from the far off lands
We’ll find a new traveling poet
Who will travel with us, whilst holding hands.

© Valery Santillana

For more information: bygabrielle.com | art@bygabrielle.com | poeticart.ca

“Just cut it out.”

One of the coolest phrases I’ve heard a stylist utter is what Safina tells her clients who don’t like the number on their clothing tag. What she means is, instead of thinking of your dress size in terms of a number, ie., “I’m a 10”, just buy what fits and if the number bothers you, cut the tag out of the garment so you don’t see it. Chances are, that number has little basis in reality anyway. Depending on the store or the brand, one woman can wear any number of sizes on the same day. Higher-end brands typically cut more “generously”, so a size 4 at a lower-end store like Zara or H&M becomes a 2 or even a 0 at BCBG.

Some blame vanity sizing for such discrepancies (the idea that women will feel better about themselves if they fit into a smaller size, so manufacturers lower the size on the label to keep customers happy). Others insist sizes vary according to the designer’s target market. Whatever the cause, it only takes a trip to the vintage store to see how sizing has changed over the decades. I have tried on size 7 clothes made in the 70s that were too small, and yet today’s size 0 often fits me.

Working in the retail clothing industry, I have witnessed firsthand how happy women become when they fit into a smaller-sized dress than what they’re used to wearing. The size of a dress has the power to lift or lower a customer’s opinion of herself, a disturbing fact considering the utter randomness of the number. I learned to err on the side of bigger when beginning to dress a customer—you can always downsize which will make her feel good; however starting off with something too tight could send her straight out of the dressing room and through the door in a cloud of darkness.

Many women admit to feeling better about themselves when they wear a smaller-sized garment. Even the language we use–“I’m an 8”, rather than “I wear a size 8 dress”—lets our size define us. We may be better served by clothing sized according to hip, waist and bust measurements; however, many women underestimate these, too, and the truth might have the same effect as wearing a larger size. The question becomes: why is smaller better? And why does wearing a size 0 invoke near-hatred or at least disdain in other women? The flipside of vanity sizing is that slighter women are being sized out of existence. I lost customers every day because the size 0 was too big for them. And, no they weren’t anorexic; just thin, as some of us are. And I can assure you they weren’t happy because the smallest size was too big for them. They just wanted a dress!

In a confusing climate of varying dress sizes where the number on the tag gives no useful information, a girl’s only recourse is to try on a range of sizes and leave her expectations at the dressing room door. If she doesn’t like the size she ends up with, she can do what Safina says and: “just cut it out.”

Laura Connell

For Those About to Shop

Erica Ehm is the Founder and Editor-in-chief of YummyMummyClub.ca – the online destination for modern moms looking for adult stimulation.

Erica is one of Canada’s most recognized personalities, having started her career in the mid-80’s as the voice of her generation on MuchMusic. Her multimedia resume includes acting, award winning songwriter, playwright, author, journalist and most importantly, The Yummy Mummy Club.

What is a Yummy Mummy?

Yummy is a state of mind.

A true Yummy Mummy struggles to find the impossible balance between the single sexpot she used to be, the woman she’s become, the professional she works hard to be, the wife she aspires to be and the mother she has to be. Basically, she’s confused and exhausted.

So, what’s this club thing all about?  It’s a place where you can celebrate and commiserate the rollercoaster ride of modern mummydom, win great prizes, find books to stimulate your brain and read eclectic and cheeky articles written for and by other yummy mummies…because mummy needs to play too.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Erica for the premier article of the Stylish Mama’s series. Erica shares her thoughts on Style, Fashion and being true to YOU.

S: Why do you think Style is important?

E: Style is important because it’s a way of communicating how you feel about yourself. It also is a visual representation of who you are.

S: What are your secrets to Authentic Style? How do you stay true to yourself, while running a household, business and raising children?

E: I always dress for myself. I don’t try and copy anyone else’s style – however I do incorporate aspects of someone’s look into my look. As far as being busy and having style – ok – you caught me, I’m often still in my pajamas, hair unbrushed, working away on my computer. When I have to go out for work, I can pull a look together quickly because I tend to re wear the same outfits over and over. I’ve been told I “clean up real good and real fast”.

S: What are the items in your life that you absolutely couldn’t live without?

E: I love stretchy jeans, high black boots and black blazers of all different lengths and a minimizer bra. That’s my staple wardrobe.

S: What are your newest obsessions?

E: I love jeans – Not Your Daughters Jeans, I love my H&M highwaisted skinny jeans. I am obsessed with finding jeans that are comfortable, very stylish but don’t enhance my muffin top.

S: Do you have any exciting news you’d like to share with us? Or can you share what you’re inspired to do next?

E: I’m excited that I get to work with amazing women from coast to coast to create YummyMummyClub.ca – most of us working in our Pajamas during the day as we all work from our home offices. In terms of new programs, I’m excited to be launching a really fashionable promotion with Dell computers to connect style with technology in a really fun way for moms. Stay tuned for that really soon!!

Are you in need of a Style Makeover? If you spend more time shopping for diapers than shoes and your idea of high fashion is a t-shirt with no stains, you need to enter this contest. The Yummy Mummy Club and Faith Style are teaming up and giving away a package of Signature Style Sessions valued at $500! I will work with you to help develop your personal Yummy Mummy Style, identify your body type, teach you how to camouflage your challenge areas, and discover your individual colour palette.

Also, ‘cuz shopping with a friend is way more fun, your favourite gal pal will get to share in the experience and have a Wardrobe Detox of her own – an additional $250 in value!

It’s a prize that’ll have you looking stylishly chic instead of a school-run-mum.  ‘Cuz somewhere underneath the sweatpants and spit up is the woman you used to be.

This yummy prize consists of 4 one-on-one sessions with me, I will:

Help develop your personal Yummy Mummy Style
Identify your body type
Teach you how to camouflage your challenge areas
Discover your individual colour palette
Go through your closet for a Wardrobe Detox
Teach you how to shop strategically
Put together outfits that suit your style, budget and body

To enter the contest, visit www.yummymummyclub.ca, upload a photo of yourself, and tell us why you need a makeover! Mummy most desperately in need of a makeover will be chosen by a combination of our style panel and votes from your yummy peers.

Yummy Rules and Regs:
You must be a Yummy Mummy Club member to win.
Click here to join the club! It’s free and filled with perks. Contest open to Southern Ontario residents only.
Members can enter once a day! Entries accepted until June 3rd, 2010.
Uploaded photo must be in JPG or GIF format!

Many women during their first trimester of pregnancy experience what’s commonly known as ‘morning sickness’. The discomfort of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP) can range from mild nausea (with or without vomiting) to severe vomiting which occurs throughout the day.

Although NVP is called morning sickness, you may feel symptoms  morning, afternoon or night.  The cause of NVP is unknown, but is speculated to be related to increased levels of the hormones hCG and estrogen.  Emotional factors and irregular eating habits have also been cited as possible contributors to morning sickness.

You may not be able to get rid of morning sickness altogether but you can minimize its impact through a few, simple self-help measures.  The good news is current research shows your body maybe expelling food from your system to protect your baby from potentially harmful pathogens, such as those found in undercooked meat.

Tips to reduce nausea and vomiting during pregnancy:

• Drink plenty of fluids, 6 – 8 glasses of water daily, to maintain hydration.
• Avoid fluids that contain caffeine or carbonation.
• Eat a diet that is high in protein and carbohydrates, in 5 to 6 small meals daily.
• Eat crackers throughout the day to avoid an empty stomach.
• Pay attention to your senses; avoid noxious odours such as tobacco smoke, and tastes that may nauseate you.
• Limit stressful events and get plenty of rest; avoid being in a hurry, especially in the morning.
• Consider acupuncture or acupressure to assist in relieving nausea.

If you’re throwing up throughout the day this is a serious complication of pregnancy called hyperemesis gravidarum and must be managed under the close observation of your midwife or doctor.  Potential risks of this condition include: weight loss, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and starvation.

Adapted from: Engebretson, Joan C. & Littleton, Lynna Y. Maternal, Neonatal, and Women’s Health Nursing. Copyright 2002 by Delmar, Thomson Division Learning Inc. Albany, NY. P.433

Zahra Haji is a prenatal educator and yoga teacher in Toronto.

To learn more about prenatal yoga classes in Toronto please visit:

http://www.yogagoddess.ca/Prenatal-Yoga-Toronto.html

You move like water
Fluid are your moves
You make me flutter
With your graceful grooves

Slow running water
Gentle like a stream
Yet you race my heart harder
That I cover you with steam

Just you and me, water for nobody
Crystalline element who is in control
Your hand on mine you glide it across your body
I thirst for your drink, I want to give you my all

Like the mist, I want it to caress
Your beautiful nakedness
No roughness
Just gentleness

You press your breast
Against my face
You feel like a hot spring where we rest
That soothes the stresses away

If there was more time
If this was truly real
Together we’d make fire
But this is only a waking deal

You flip your hair like the ocean waves
When it crashes against the rocks
Strands of hair on your face
Like the water that drips from the rocks

You move like water
Fluid are your moves
You race my heart faster
With your graceful grooves

You create for me a fantasy
Resembling much like a reality
Two human beings
Who have forgotten about civility

You are water that runs all over me
Water that I cannot touch
You are in control allowing me to feel
I am earth, I can only sit as such

We are almost skin to skin
Please give this earth a drink
The fluid to caress my skin
Let that water into this earth sink

Like the ocean you are a mystery
And like the earth I bury mine deeply
You wash away the dirt and reveal my secrets
That I the earth has kept for an eternity

But this was only a moment
No kisses, no intimacy
The illusion has come to an end
And we are back to civility

But for an instant
You moved like the water
Creating my fantasy
That I would like to be my reality.

© Valery Santillana

CISCO TECHNOLOGY – The End of Store Fitting Rooms. This amazing technology is already being used in Japan – click here to check out the future of shopping video.

Sex and the City 2 is in theaters in 17 days! The much anticipated sequel, full of fashion, cameos and fun is about two weeks away. If your as much of a fan as I am you’ll be seeing it opening weekend with your girlfriends. Shot in both NYC and Morocco with appearances by Penelope Cruz, Miley Cyrus and many others this juicy plot line promises to be just as good as the first.  Do you have special plans with your girlfriends? What do you have planned?

Spring 2010, May 14-16

Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place Toronto

Tickets $8 Online & $10 at the Door

Shopping, Art, Runway Shows

Enter for a chance to WIN a $1000 Shopping Spree at www.theclothingshow.com