Tuesday 30 August 2016

50 Activity Ideas for Seniors


We’ve all been there working in activities. Scrambling to find the perfect activities for our residents, while mixing it up! I personally love cognitive games, mainly because I prefer to work in dementia care. I decided that I would make a list of 50 different activity ideas for when you’re in a pickle!

1.   Toss & Talk (throw a ball around and when someone catches it, ask them a question)
2.    Facts & Fun
3.    Current Events
4.     Fun & Fitness
5.     Reader’s Circle
6.     Reminiscing Circle
7.     Trivia
8.      Music & Memories
9.      Discussion Group
10.  Travelogue
11.   Puzzles & Ponderings
12.  You Be The Judge
13.  Name That Tune
14.  The Price is Right
15.   Hand Massages
16.   Crafter’s Corner
17.   Socials (ice cream or fruit salad in the spring/summer, coffee & hot cocoa in the fall/winter seasons)
18.   Baker’s Club
19.   Knitting Bee
20.   Chair Yoga
22.   Movie Matinee
23.   Cocktail Hour
24.   Writer’s Club
25.   Study Hall Social (teaching children how to write letters, intergenerational program!)
26.   Who Am I?
27.   Mystery Boxes
28.   Computer Tutorials
30.   Spa Days
32.   Bible Study
34.   Residents Game Night (like Family Game Night, but for the residents J)
35.   Gardening Club
36.   Animal Therapy
37.   Aromatherapy
38.   Brain Fitness
39.   Kitchen Helpers (mashing potatoes, shucking corn, etc.)
40.   Scavenger Hunts
41.   Pokeno
42.   Recipe Book Making
43.   Men’s Club/Pizza Party
44.   Crossword Club
45.   Tea Party
46.   Walker’s Club/Afternoon Strolls
47.   Homemaking Activities (folding old clothing, polishing silverware, etc.)
48.   Joke Club
49.   Singalongs

Monday 29 August 2016

links + loves

I went to the CNE with my bestie, Nicole, on Saturday. It was my first time going, and it was so much fun!! We went on rides, ended up in the beer tent and had lots of delicious food. Summer 2016 has kind of sucked, but this was definitely a highlight of it.

As I’m getting older, I’m learning the importance of finding awesome beauty products and sticking with them. I’m in love with the Urban Decay Naked2 Basics palette for my everyday eye palette. It’s matte neutrals and looks so natural on. If I’m going on a Saturday night, then I use my Naked2 palette.

In high school, I had fantastic skin! I never had a single zit, my skin was a beautiful even tone. Entering my 20s, I’ve developed the skin of a sixteen year old. I have tried several products, and I rave about the FAB products. However, their charcoal mask let me down. This charcoal mask is where it’s at, I’ve been using it regularly since I picked it up from The Bay! There’s also a $5 sample size if you want to sample it before buying the full product.

I love baking, however, I find that it’s been so hard to squeeze time into my schedule for baking (I have minimal time for any pass times lately it seems). When I get a chance, I will be baking these Gluten Free Vegan Peanut Butter Cup brownies. They look delightful. 

Sunday 28 August 2016

An Open Letter to my Teenage Self


Dear 17-year-old Felicity:

First off – girl, stop being so hard on yourself. Pick up a damn fork and eat something and don’t feel guilty about it! You’ll realize this once you reach adulthood but I know that food has been a scary thing since your last open heart surgery. I know you’re struggling with self-guilt, blaming your weight for all of the complications in your surgery. In about five years, you’re going to meet a lady named Rachel Wald who will make you have a complete 360 when it comes to self-guilt from that last surgery. You’re a fighter, you’ve been through a lot this past year with your heart and it’s going to take time to fully mend it from your last open heart surgery.

I know you and Adam just broke up. I know you’re heartbroken, spending hours in your room crying over it. I know you’re pushing away people that you love because you’re so pissed off that he ended things. It’s not your fault. It’s not their fault. You’re going to blame your friends, but they were only looking out for your best interest. You’ll figure that out about a year from now. You’re also about to discover the amount of self-love you’ve needed for a long time; you’re going to fall in love with yourself. Once you learn to love yourself, you’re going to find someone who loves you. It may not be a forever love, but I promise you, that your relationship with Will is going to teach you so much about yourself. You’ll have many flings along the way, and you’ll be absolutely convinced that you’re going to die alone with cats at more than one point. Eventually though, you’ll realize that being single is completely okay, even when you feel like everyone is in a relationship.

You’re going to have a ton of friends come and go in your life. There is a saying, you meet a lot of temporary people from 18-22. This is so true. Don’t be sad when some of your friends don’t make it along the way. You need to truly discover yourself and surround yourself with people who help you experience happiness. Trust me, become close with Nicole and Emily. They’ll eventually become two of the most people in your post-college life. You’ll have some of the best memories of your life with them.

You’re almost out of high school and I know you’re probably thinking that college is going to so much more fun. Truth is: college is fun, but it’s messy. You’ll develop several temporary friendships that you had your heart set on being permanent friendships. You’ll be sad when they end, but know that it’s the best thing for you. You’re going to fall in love in college, then fall out of love with him when you realize you no longer love yourself. You’re going to have your heart broken more than once by the same guy, and your heart broken once by many guys. There will be several hiccups along the way, but you’ll eventually realize that your passion is working in dementia care through activation. Once you get there, you’ll have a really good realization that you’re the happiest you’ve ever been. One day, on your way to work, you’re going to think man, I blame my grandpa for making me end up in this field. Truth is, grandpa would be so proud that you’ve chosen to give back to people like him: people with dementia.

You may be absolutely determined that life sucks now, but you’re on a beautiful path to somewhere unexpected yet incredible.

In about six years, you’re going to look back and think to yourself “oh wow!” because you’ve done so much. You’ll have graduated college twice, have a full time job and experience just as much as your friends who haven’t had four open heart surgeries. In fact, you’ll blow people’s minds that you’ve survived surgeries. Hang in there, kid. You’ve got this.

Love,

23-year-old Felicity

Friday 26 August 2016

23 Things I've Learned in 23 Years

Image from Ashley Creates Things

I haven’t done a lot of posting this week because I have been so busy! I worked 7 am-9 pm Monday and Tuesday, 7 am-6 pm on Wednesday then I worked 8 am-8:30 pm yesterday. Plus, I slept over at my client’s house Sunday night until Wednesday.
This week, I have honestly had a bit of a writer’s block. I usually sit at my client’s house and think of a ton of ideas but this week, I have slacked. I’ve ran the ideas of 50 Activities for Seniors and Why I Love Working in Palliative Care through my head multiple times. To be honest, I have spent so much time with seniors this week that I needed to clear my head for a few minutes from them.
I decided that I would do the 23 things that I learned before turning 23.
1.       Always listen to your parents. They usually do know best, but as young adults, we don’t often realize this until it’s too late.
2.       In order to personally grow, sometimes you have to end a relationship.
3.       Sometimes you’ll break up with someone, even though you still love them.
4.       Every once in a while, you’ll outgrow someone. Even at 23, I am still letting go of some of my childhood friends. There comes a point in some relationships where they become toxic, no matter how long you’ve been friends with that person. In my personal experience, when friendships become toxic, there’s not a lot you can do to savage them. Maybe that friendship can be rebuilt in the future, but in the moment, you need to focus on the now. No matter how shattered that friendship is, always cherish the positive memories you’ve had with that person. Those memories are still important.
5.       Old friends are just as important as new friends. In Girl Guides I learned a saying and it was make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other’s gold. For a long time, I was neglecting to spend time with my best friends from high school. I was fascinated with new people and building new relationships. Looking back now, I regret not spending time with my older friends more.
6.       Always pay attention to your grades in post-secondary education. How many times you got drunk, how cute you looked at a party or many flings you have zero relevance on a resume.
7.       There are many things that I continue to learn on a daily basis from guys. The #1 thing that I’ve learned though is if he treats you like shit, leave. In the moment, you may think that he’s the only guy that you’ll love; but you’ll find someone who treats you like a queen.
8.       Don’t ever let anyone tell you that your dreams are stupid. I had a high school guidance counsellor talk me into a complete different field, however, $40 000 down the drain and I’m working in the area that I wanted to since I was fifteen.
9.       Find your passion and stick with it. Life’s too short to do something you hate.
10.   Social media is not a popularity contest. How many likes/comments/shares you got is not going to get you anywhere in the real world!
11.   Don’t use social media when drunks. Don’t your phone at all when you’re drunk. You always end up messaging the people that you promised yourself you wouldn’t.
12.   Crash diets fucking suck. They don’t work either. Seriously. Just eat healthy and workout, you’ll achieve your goals and keep them.
13.   Every girl needs a little black dress that they can dress up or down.
14.   Every girl needs a pair of black flats to wear regularly.
15.   It’s important to acknowledge your skin’s needs. I neglected my skin for many of my teen years, and now I am just starting to get acne at 23.
16.   Everyone deserves to laugh!
17.   Don’t try to change someone. Find someone who loves you for you.
18.   It’s okay to stay in. It’s also okay to have one too many drinks when you do choose to go out.
19.   Your first hangover will suck! I got my first true hangover this past NYE. I remember driving from the party to my ex-boyfriend’s the next morning with the worst headache and him smirking the whole drive home because I could no longer refer to him as “the old man who gets hangovers”.
20.   Breakups fucking suck. There is no other words than that. You loved him, you aren’t expected to move on from him, the emotions and the memories surrounding that relationship in a day. My advice? Grab your favourite wine and dance it out to Where Does the Good Go by Tegan & Sara.
21.   You’ll develop feelings for guys that you know you shouldn’t. Just ride those feelings out, something will happen if it’s meant to be. I hate to sound preachy, but everything happens for a reason.
22.   In a materialistic society, it’s really important to evaluate your wants vs. your needs. Additionally, it’s important to realize whether or not you’re living outside of your means. This is one thing that I’m personally still working on.

23.   It’s okay to cry. Anyone knows me knows that I am a crier as well as a hugger. I work with seniors, and there are so many days that I just broke down the second I got into my car. There’s so many movies that I’ve started crying over in the theatre. There’s many nights that I’ve cried myself to sleep over boys and friends. Crying is not a sign of weakness. It shows that you’re human and you have emotions.

Tuesday 23 August 2016

30 Places I Want to Travel To Before I Turn 30


For a really long time now, I've dreamt of traveling near and far. I haven't even seen a lot of Canada, which breaks my heart. Therefore, I decided to create this post with an emphasis on North America. The first ten travel destinations are in Canada, the five after are the in the US. The rest are internationally.
(I'm not including a blurb for each location as I don't even know what to write)
Also - don't forget to enter my giveaway here!
Lake Louise, AB
Jasper National Park, AB
Whistler, BC
Kelowna, BC
Churchill, MB
St. John's, NFLD
Halifax, NS
Charlottetown, PEI
Montreal, QB
Yellowknife, Yukon
Point Barrow, Alaska
New Orleans, Louisiana
New York City, New York
Nashville, Tennessee
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Vienna, Austria
Great Wall of China
Havana, Cuba
Santorini, Greece
Budapest, Hungary
Killarney, Ireland
Sicily, Italy
Tulum, Mexico
Kathmandu, Nepal
Auckland, New Zealand
The Inca Trail, Peru
Ibiza, Spain
Matterhorn, Switzerland
Bora Bora, Tahiti 
Disclaimer: All images came from Flickr and are approved for both commercial and modification use. Credit goes to the owners of these photos. 

Sunday 21 August 2016

links + loves plus my first giveaway!

Lipstick is NYX Butter Gloss in Napoleon, sunglasses are from Aldo (similar)!

I finally got my hair done on Thursday! It was so dead and so white, I desperately needed a change. A few people on Instagram commented on photo, so I asked my sister what she did to make it look so freaking fantastic. She used Matrix Color Insider 8A mixed with ½ 10V & ½ 20V and Matrix Sheer Pastel Ash Toner mixed with 10V. I would never recommend doing your hair yourself, always get a professional to do it!

I love baking and cooking. I’ve been struggling since my diagnosis of Celiac disease to find the best comfort food recipes. I found this recipe for bacon mac & cheese, which I’m so excited to try!

Greeting cards are my favourite, especially quirky ones! I could spend hours looking at cards on Etsy. Lately, I have been spending literal hours looking at the cards created by Marichiel Boudwin, the owner of In A Nutshell Studio. She has funny and naughty posts, which anyone who knows me knows that’s my sense of humour! The fantastic news is: one lucky winner is going to get a card of their choice by Marichiel! I have had the pleasure of conversing with Marichiel and we thought it would be a blast to host a giveaway. The submission is below and good luck!

Disclaimer: this giveaway is sponsored, however, the opinions expressed by Marichiel and her products are strictly my own! 

Q&A with Me!

(These pictures are fantastic reminder to me that I need to get my eyebrows waxed ASAP)
Who has been the biggest influencer in your life and why?
Definitely my parents! Both have been through so much and never fail to prove that you can get through anything if you try.

What kinds of things make you laugh?
I have the strangest, most twisted sense of humour but ridiculous internet memes and things seniors say to me never fail to make me chuckle.

What’s your favourite place in the entire world?
Surrounded by loved ones! It doesn’t matter where I am, but if I’m with my family and/or friends, I’m generally super content.

Who is your best friend? What do you like about him or her?
I have a few, but I’m going to talk about one specific friend; my gal pal Nicole. Nicole and I have been through a lot of things together, but she never fails make to laugh on days that I don’t want to get out of bed; she never fails to be my adventure buddy and she’s the one person I can talk to about anything and I know there’s no judgement.

Favourite movie of all time? Why?
I have so many favourite movies! One movie that I will never get sick of is Still Alice. I work in dementia care, and I think that Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland did a phenomenal job directing a film that accurately portrays what it is like to have early onset Alzheimer’s disease.

What’s your biggest goal in life right now?
To continue to discover my passion and build upon it.

What’s your favourite way to spend a Saturday?
Watching a movie on Netflix, curled up with a glass of wine. God, I feel so old saying that.

Do you have any pet peeves?
I think I have the strangest pet peeve: when people don’t hit the ‘clear’ button on the microwave and the time left stays on!

What was your family like growing up?
I have a very close family. My grandparents both lengthy battles with illnesses so we were very open about that and making decisions together. My family is still very much like that.

Did you – or do you – have a nickname? What’s the story behind it?
I have two! Flick and Phil. Flick has been my nickname for as long as I can remember. I’ve heard two different stories as to why I have the nickname Flick. The first one was that I was always getting into things when I was little and my aunts didn’t have time to yell Felicity every time I misbehaved so they shortened it. The second is because of the ant named Flik in the movie A Bug’s Life. I got Phil because my last name is Phillips, so it’s just my last name shortened.

Who was your favourite schoolteacher or college professor? Why?
I have a few college professors that stood out to me. I had one professor, John Mackinnon, who will always stand out to me. I’m not entirely sure why he stands out, though. He was super funny, but knew his stuff when it came to lecturing about mental illness. He also was a superb mentor for me through my field and was super supportive via e-mail when I was unsure where I wanted my career to go.

Have you figured out your calling in life? What is it?
Working in seniors with dementia in any capacity. I love working with seniors and adults with disabilities, but for some reason, I connect much better with the aging population. For some reason, I personally prefer working in either dementia or Parkinson’s care. They both are so fascinating to me, and I find that I can develop relationships with these clients on a great basis.


(Questions adapted from this Pinterest post)

Saturday 20 August 2016

An Open Letter to My Ex-Best Friend


Ashley Benson & Shay Mitchell // image credit here

To my former best friend:

Some of the best times that I’ve ever had were with you. From girls’ nights in, to drunken shenanigans to swiping through Tinder together. I had some really, really good fucking times with you.

Unfortunately, as I grew up, I came to realize that you were no longer good for my mental health. I loved hearing about your wild adventures, your boy drama and anything you wanted to talk about. That’s what best friends are for, right? I always felt a need to be there for you when instead, I needed to be there for myself. I felt myself burning out from constantly listening to your problems instead of focusing on my own. I slowly felt my anxiety coming back and my self-love going away. In order to build myself back up again, I needed to focus my attention on me instead of you.

I am aware of how terrible of a person I sound right now, you’re probably thinking “Jesus Felicity, you’re always thinking about yourself instead of others”. That’s not true though. You always wanted me to be your priority, instead of other things going on around me. You expected to come before my professional life, my romantic life and my relationship with other friends. I understand some of them, but my career and my other relationships should be a priority as well. When I didn’t drop what I was doing to answer your texts, or I would simply read your text message and not respond, you would become agitated. I understand that I am a person who usually reads texts and responds immediately, but there are some instances where I was just simply unable to. I’m a people pleaser, but sometimes I burn myself out trying to please everyone; including you.

I was constantly driving back and forth to see you since you don’t have a car because I am someone who tries to please everyone. However, my family wasn’t pleased because they never saw me. I feel as though I was the one constantly putting forth the effort to hang out; and you would have the snarkiest of remarks if I didn’t want to come up to see you. There’s a difference between being respectful of a long-distance friendship and being negative about it because trust me, I missed you too.

I don’t want to dwell too much on the past, I feel as though we both made mistakes in our friendship. I didn’t stop talking to you because I hated you, but because I wasn’t spending enough time focusing on my personal issues and that wasn’t okay. I hope wherever your life takes you, it ends up positively; I wish you nothing but the best of luck in your future.

Love,
Flick

Friday 19 August 2016

My Summer 2016 Favourites


I would genuinely be lying if I said that I was sad that summer is coming to an end. As I mentioned in a links + loves post a few weeks back, I am obsessed with fall! I love everything about it; blanket scarves, pumpkin spice lattes, Thanksgiving, changing leaves. You name it, I probably love it! 
Reflecting back on summer 2016, my life has changed drastically since the beginning. I've let go of old friendships that were no longer positively impacting my life; and I've rekindled relationships with several friends from high school. I think that this summer has been a great summer and is one to remember. Throughout these moments, I've also had the pleasure to fall in love with some products, as well as rekindle some former flames with other products. I thought today would be a fun day to share those products!
Why Not Me? By Mindy Kaling: I have honestly read this book about a dozen times now. I genuinely didn’t think Mindy could top her first book, but she pleasantly surprised me! I definitely recommend this book to anyone; I swear there have been so many nights this summer where I just curled up in my hot tub with this book and a glass of wine.
Trius Rosé: I had the pleasure of going on a wine tour for my 23rd birthday in Niagara-on-the-Lake. I just happened to choose Yes Way, Rosé! Weekend for my birthday celebrations. Therefore, I got to go to three different wineries for free wine rosé samples. I have yet to open the bottle of Trius, but it was definitely my favourite one that I tried. I do love this wine though, it’s definitely worth the trip to the liquor store.
First Aid Beauty Slow Grow Gradual Self-Tanning Moisturizer: I love this self-tanner! The reviews aren’t the greatest on the Sephora website, however, I personally love this because it leaves a natural glow and hydrated skin. Plus, I hate self-tanners that have sparkles in it, which this one does not! It’s definitely been one of my holy grail beauty products this summer.
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Lip Therapy: This incredible product was my saving grace after this bad boy caused me to resemble Kris Jenner’s Botox-gone-wrong look! I had purchased the lip therapy when I was trying to increase my Sephora purchase so I could have free shipping. I do not regret purchasing this product, it is the absolute best lip product I have ever used. It’s definitely worth the money.
2014 Hyundai Tucson GLAWD: This is definitely not a beauty product, however, I purchased a 2014 Hyundai Tucson two weeks ago! I got in a car accident on July 15, which unfortunately left my 2015 Chevrolet Cruze deemed a total loss. I spent many, many hours researching cars. I thought that I’d end up with a Santa Fe to be honest. My dad has a 2010 Santa Fe, which I became accustomed to driving while waiting for my insurance payout, plus it was great on insurance. However, I instantly fell in love with my Tucson. Today, I’m going to get a new windshield put on her as there was an incident where I lost a wiper blade and I scraped my windshield in the process. Clarington Hyundai is replacing my windshield for free, which is exemplary customer service (I would recommend them to anyone!). I am in love with my Tucson and do not regret my purchase in the slightest.


Thursday 18 August 2016

Favourite Fall 2016 Products at Old Navy

As I’m getting older, I find that my friends and I have discussions about the struggle that we’re having finding grown up clothes and are often left frustrated, winding up in Forever21. I personally have found myself running toward business casual clothing lately and wearing them out in casual settings, such as shopping.
Today's post is my favourite products from Old Navy; a store that I personally find has been reflecting my personal style this year.

Old Navy will always be my favourite store. I love how simple the pieces are, but look so grown up. Their best products, in my opinion are their khaki pant and chambray shirt. If I could wear them every day of the week, I would. Through until August 20th, you could get 20% off any amount, 25% off over $75 and 30% off over $100 using the code BONUS.
(Please note: all items are listed in CAD)
·         Heavy Knit Shirt Dress in New Black Stripe (comes in 4 colours though!), $29.50
·         Dolman Sleeve Shirt Dress in Purple Floral, $34.94
·         Short Sleeve Knit Swing Dress in Black, $29.94 $23.50
·         V Neck Shift Dress in Dark Red (comes in 6 colours though!), $34.94 $31.00
·         Relaxed Lace Shoulder Top, $26.94
·         Relaxed Scoop Back Top in Cosmic Blue, $19.94
·         Relaxed Scoop Back Top in Dark Red, $19.94
·         Boyfriend Drapey Tee in New Black Stripe, $19.94
·         Classic Chambray Shirt in Light Wash, $26.94 $26.50
·         Mid-rise Skinny Khaki Pant in Classic Navy, $32.94 $20.00 (I wear these almost every day, they’re my favourite pants!!)
·         Mid-rise Skinny Khaki Pant in Blackjack Black, $32.94 $20.00
·         Wool-Blend Peacoat in Camel, $69.94
·         Oversized Flannel Scarf in Cream Plaid, $24.94
·         Pointy-Toe Lace-Up Flats in Olive, $34.94 $32.00

Tuesday 16 August 2016

My Favourite Tumblr Posts (from this week)

I usually do this post on Thursdays, however, last week I was super busy and I have some ideas for this Thursday's post! I figured I would do it today instead.
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Also, anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge OneRepublic fan. Their new single, Kids, has me so excited for their new music!