When I went to Dr. Laffa in August, I drove by the following sign.

I thought to myself that it would a great place to check out in the winter when it’s -30 and we have 20 cms of snow. Neither happend and I couldn’t wait much longer so I went!!

Of course I checked out the Korean Family Sauna website first so I could learn what to expect. After reviewing it, I knew that I wanted to go. So I did.

When you walk in…this is what you see.

When you pay ($20), you receive a locker key, a pair of cotton shorts and a cotton tshirt, and 2 very small towels. (um, I should be specific – the towels were the size of handtowels)

When you get dressed in their cotton tshirt and the cotton shorts – this is what I looked like. Pretty site eh? Felt like prison clothes.

The change room is huge, and clean. Infact the whole place is absolutely spotless with gleaming hardwood floors.

The games room is also huge. I mean HUGE. There’s a pool table, numerous leather couches, several flat screen tv’s, and a cafeteria that is licensed. That’s right – licensed.

The main room is also huge and you can call this the “warm up room”. There are bamboo mats to lie on (with wooden blocks to rest your head)  and people just relax here.

I brought a magazine, my Iphone and a pair of ear phones. The other people in this room with me, included a Korean family of 4. i.e mom, dad and their two kids (10 and 12?).

There’s 8 different doors that lead you into the saunas. Some are warmer than others but whats important is the rocks on the wall. Each room have different rocks that have different health benefits. I went to each and every sauna.

What I found interesting in these saunas was the fact that there were no benches in them. You simply lay on your bamboo mat.

In between visiting each sauna room, I hung out in the cold room.

I also enjoyed the opportunity to go back into the games room to enjoy a Sapporo ($9) and a maki roll. ($4.50)

My visit to the Korean Family spa cost me $20 (food and alcohol separate) and I swear I was there for close to three hours. Pretty good value, in my humble opinion.

Definitely worth visiting if you like saunas!! I know I will be returning. I have no doubt in my mind.

Things I learned:

-bring a 1.5 litre of water with you. I promise you, you will drink the whole thing (you can refill it there).

-bring shower shoes for the shower

-bring a book, magazine, earphones, music and earphones

-bring a towel incase you want something larger than the towel they give you, which is the size of a kitchen towel. It makes GoodLife’s towels look like bathsheets.

Korean Family Spa – 382 Magenetic Drive (416) 514-1965 Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!!

Once again, I was on twitter and saw a tweet from @JonSinden that the Maple Leafs would be practicing today at the Sunnydale Outdoor Rink in Rexdale. I thought to myself – “hmm that would be fun”. So I went home to grab my camera and asked my 12 year old DD to join me. I had no idea what to expect seeing as the practice was in Rexdale, it was outdoors, and it was an event that began at 11:30 a.m.

Well – I soon found out that it was a HUGE event with close to 3,000 people attending. There were speeches by executives from  RONA as well as Mayor Rob Ford. However the crowds were less interested in the speeches and wanted to see the Maple Leafs hit the ice!!

I also found out that MLSE Team Up Foundation, RONA and the City of Toronto invested over $150,000 to improve the Sunnydale Outdoor Rink. It is now a state-of-the-art rink complete with a UVA coating which will prevent the winter sun from affecting the ice quality plus it will extend the skating season. Plus they installed some sophisticated rink boards.

I was super thrilled to BE THAT CLOSE to the players and hear the blades cut into the ice. (you know that sound, I am talking about, right?) It was a completely different experience than going to a game in an indoor arena.  Note to self: I really should go to a game this year. Its been too long.

Despite the cold, I managed to take off my winter gloves and snap a few photos. Just a few!!

PS Sunnydale Outdoor Rink is located at 50 Amoro Drive, Rexdale. For further info call (416) 338-RINK.

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My Bucket List for 2012. Drum Roll..Please.

1. Drive a Volt. I mean how cool would it be to drive a full performance and full speed electric car? Seriously, I want to drive this car not just because it’s cool but because it’s the right thing to do. My next car will not be a gas guzzling car – repeat – will not be a gas guzzling car.

2. Try the Coconut Cream Pie at Scaramouche. It’s about time I order this famous pie. Reservations have been made in early January with four foodie friends. One piece of pie and 4 forks. So technically this will soon be OFF my bucket list. Hooray for me.

3. Try Rowing. I have always wanted to try this sport. I even called the Mississauga Rowing Club but never made it out there last summer. This summer…will be different.

4. Make Risotto. My friend @TheBumpercrop told me she would be happy to help me out as I have “fear of risotto”. LOL

5. Visit Detroit. I have never been before and again it’s time for me to “eat my way thru Trader Joe’s“.

6. Go to a Concert. I’m pathetic. ..have been to only 3 concerts in my life. Bay City Rollers (stop laughing. Please.), Rod Stewart and Dire Straights (in Israel). I think it’s time to change this.

7. Camp out on Island Spirits. Last year I stayed in their eco cabin but this year I want to try camping on this spectacular island.

8. Participate in another half marathon AND a sprint triathlon. Last year, I only did a half marathon but I really miss the challenge of doing a triathlon. See how happy I am in the photo?

9. Use RCI. I have 3 weeks to use and haven’t used it for years. All my weeks have disappeared into Time Share Heaven and I need to fix this.

10. Watch TV more often. Would like to watch tv shows that I hear about all the time and never watch i.e Modern Family, True Blood, and Dexter.

As you know, planning a party isn’t an easy task. Theme or no theme? where will it be held? who to invite? what to serve? etc. etc.

I thought it might be fun to share the ingredients for an Epic Party that I recently put together:

Ingredients:

10 girls

10 pairs of feety pyjamas from Snugabye

2 suites at Great Wolf Lodge

13 water slides

an assortment of potato chips, grilled cheese sandwiches, cheerios, pizza, juice, and coke.

Party Bus for transportation from Toronto to Great Wolf Lodge from Zoom Tours

Instructions:

1. Mix 10 happy girls in a small coach bus.
2. Chill.
3. Arrive at Great Wolf Lodge – eat pizza.
4. Get into bathing suits and explore the water park at Great Wolf Lodge.
5. Chill. (one more time)
6. Watch movies, go on facebook and give each other manicures with OPI nail polish.
7. Fold into beds, pullouts, and bunk beds.
8. Let Rest for several hours.

SECOND PART OF RECIPE:

1. In the morning – let the girls RISE.
2. Add Cheerios.
3. Get into bathing suits one more time.
4. Pack up.
5. CHILL  before serving 12 tired but happy girls back to their parents in Toronto.

I’m not kidding – this party was epic. The girls loved every aspect of this party and I loved putting it all together. I’ve known these girls since they were in nursery (they are now 12) and it’s been fun to watch them grow up. There is nothing like throwing parties with your good friends. I’m sure they will remember this party for many more years – I know I will remember it!!

Other parties I remember: taking 5 girls to have their hair blown dry, taking 3 girls to an all suite hotel, taking 5 boys to see those Monster Trucks, taking 5 girls to the CN tower, taking 5 girls for manicures and hiring a ballet student to teach 5 girls some ballet moves. Another fun party was at Kortright centre for a nature “harry potter” walk with 5 kids in January!! I always believed in small birthday parties and inviting the kids that my kids played with.

Here’s to many more years of parties. Cheers!!

Disclosure: I am part of the Life Made Delicious Connector Program and I receive special perks as part of the affiliation with this group. The opinion on this blog are my own.

There are many many charities out there – infact I use to work for a variety of non profit organizations,  as a special events coordinator. I know how important it is for these charities to raise money and I know how hard the volunteers (and staff) work to get these events off the ground!!

Usually people have a favorite charity for one reason or another. For me – I like to give back to charities that have affected my family or my friends families.

In particular there are four charities that I will always support:

• War Amps of Canada
• Ontario Track 3 Association
• SickKids Foundation
• Zareinu Educational Centre

Here’s the story how I am connected to all four charities:

a) Ontario Track 3 Ski Association is a cause I will always support, as my son participated in their program for years and as a result of being in their program  he is a confident, accomplished snowboarder who now snowboards with Snowhawks. I use to go to their event at Steam Whistle to decorate the room – for years and years. Their gala will be taking place sometime in early 2012 and I know that I will try to help out anyway I can.

What’s important for you to know is that Ontario Track 3 Ski Association has 200 disabled participants (from the age of 6 to 19), 450 volunteers and 17 Ontario Ski Hills (from Earl Bales Ski Hill to Craigleith) I can’t say enough about how organized, efficient and professional everyone is and I am forever grateful to all the volunteers and staff!!

By the way, I heard of Ontario Track 3 Ski Association due to War Amps of Canada and their matching mothers program. War Amps was instrumental to my family back in 1996 and continues to be a big part of my life. There are no words for me to express how grateful I am to them.

b) Zareinu is the also important to me as I know several families who have benefited from this outstanding school for children with developmental and physical disabilities. This is the 8th year that they have held the Zareinu Fashion Show and I’m sure I have attended at least 4 of those events. Each time I attend, I leave inspired. We are SO lucky to have a world leading facility like Zareinu in Toronto. This year the event will be held on Nov. 16th at On The Park and once again will be hosted by  Jeanne Beker from CTV’s Fashion Television.

c) Back in 1996, 1999 and 2010, The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto,  was an important part of my life. I am truly grateful for all the wonderful care my son received during his clinics, surgeries, appointments etc. Therefore I will always support SickKids Foundation. This week some of Toronto’s most terrifying homes are raising money for SickKids Foundation. All of these haunted homes are FREE but will happily accept donations for SickKids.

• Thornhill Woods Haunted House
• Haunt on The Hill
• Scare for a Cure (1 Plover Heights, Woodbridge, Oct 31)
• Legacy of Horror

I’m hoping that in the future, not only can I provide a donation but more important I can give my time to volunteer to these amazing charities.

The conference is now over and it’s time for a NEW definition of BlissDom.

B is for BELIEVE: The message to believe in yourself, to stay true to yourself…was repeated over and over. I couln’t agree more how important this statement is.

L is for LOVE. There was a lot of love going on during the conference!! Hugs were even being given by panelists. I loved when Jeff Pulver declared in his session that “hugs would be given out in the lobby between 2 – 4  p.m. All you had to do was show your badge”.

I is for Inspiration: There is nothing like being surrounded by hundreds of bloggers to give you inspiration. On Sunday I went to Ezras Pound (one of my favorite independent coffee shops) to write 4 blog posts in a row. Can’t remember the last time I did this…clearly I was inspired!!

S is for Sharing: The food bloggers roundtable was an important session for me, as I had the oppotunity to listen to other food bloggers share their experiences, their expertise etc.

S is for Sponsors: I give full credit to those companies who sponsor BlissDom (the conference) or individuals (so that they can attend the conference). These companies “get it”.

D is for Dynamic: Everyone who attends this conference is dynamic. I often sit at the back of a session and marvel at the energy that is in the room!!

O is for Optimism: Over the two day conference, I realized that Bloggers are really optimistic people. We love blogging and are truly optimistic about the paths that we have chosen.

M is for Memories: BlissDom is also about creating memories. Here’s a few memories that I captured by camera:

I’m already looking forward to next years conference!!

I’ve got a confession to make. My twitter handle is “momwhoruns” – but I haven’t put on my running shoes for MONTHS. I should rename my blog “momwhoeats” coz I certainly haven’t been running. But I would never do that – coz I really really like going to the gym.

Just a few months ago,  I was regularly going to Body Pump classes, Zumba Classes at GoodLife Fitness (sometimes two classes back to back), or running on a treadmill. Now I am doing NOTHING ..absolutely NOTHING.

I have even participated in triathlons over the last five years and this was the first year I didn’t do one (sniff).

It kinda feels good and it kinda feels bad.

Here’s why it feels good:

-I have more TIME

-Im not as hungry (infact I have not gained weight at all – huge surprise)

Here’s why it feels bad:

-I miss having a goal i.e to accomplish a half marathon, or do a sprint or an olympic distance triathlon

-I miss zumba and body pump. I totally enjoyed those classes.

I’m sure I will return to the gym one day soon!! It’s just a matter of time….right?

p.s I shouldn’t be so hard on myself (but I am) as I did complete the Sporting Life 10K and The Toronto Half Marathon…but they were in MAY!!

On Oct 13-15, hundreds of women (from Canada and the U.S.) who are bloggers, social media pros and PR divas, will get together at the Toronto Hilton to attend a conference called BlissDom.

This is my definition of BlissDom:

B….is for BLOGGING. Many of the women who attend this conference will be bloggers. They are passionate, engaged and love to share and network. This conference will be the perfect place for them!!

L….is for LEARNING. Throughout the conference, there will be roundtables, speakers, and panels that will cover a variety of topics such as:

• Taking Your Craft To The Next Level: A Little Sprinkle of Viral Dust. Making Your Message Blaze Against the Medium
• Being In A Borderless Digitial World
• She Works Hard For The Money. Why and How You Should Be Making Money From Your Blog.

I…..is for INTERACT. BlissDom will be all about interacting!! It will be a fabulous opportunity to interact with other bloggers, publicists, and women who just love social media!!

S…..is for SOCALIAZING. I suspect there will be a party or two. Enough. Said.

S…..is for SOCIAL MEDIA. Women who attend this conference will be on TWITTER and will be tweeting using the hashtag #BlissdomCanada. You too can follow along, even if you aren’t there. HINT.

D….is for DISCUSSION. There will plenty of discussion!! Participants will want to discuss photography, WordPress, business cards and more. There simply won’t be enough time. (this always happens).

O….is for OPPORTUNITY. BlissDom is all about giving women the opportunity to learn and connect. No doubt, participants will walk away from this conference filled with information, new friendships and a deeper understanding of  social media.

M…is for MUCHO INFORMATION. Participants will walk away with MUCHO INFORMATION (I know I know…I made up this word) that will help them become better bloggers. They will learn from each other and from the speakers and will definitely will be recharged when the conference is over.

I am thrilled to be able to attend this conference and will be blogging about my experience on Friday Oct. 15….i.e You will be able to find me at the nearest Starbucks on my MacBook at the end of the conference!

What a great week…I scored not only an invite to a TIFF movie (see previous post) but I scored an invite to a TIFF Party too.

Both invites were a result of twitter. So if you arent on twitter – what are you waiting for?? I mean really!!

OK back to the party. Here’s what my afternoon looked like on Tuesday:

4: 30 – 5:45 p.m. – watched the US Open Mens Finals at a friends house. It was an epic match between Nadal and Jokovic.

6:00 – 6:30 pm – hair straightened.

6:40 p.m – 7 pm. – shower and dress to impress!!

7:00 – 7: 45 p.m – make up gets done at Shoppers Drug Mart by the nicest make up artist (Andrew) who does magic with his brushes and powders.

Then I went downtown to The Hoxton (69 Bathurst S) for the Diet Coke TIFF Gala!! What can I say? The party rocked. …the music, the people, the drinks, the food and the overall atmosphere. I met some of old twitter friends and met some new twitter friends too (@wedding_crasher, @laurenjacobs @danjacobs).

Congratulations to Diet Coke!! You sure do know how to throw a TIFF party…right down to the napkins.

P.S a huge thank you to @MDee14 for the invite.

I received  a tweet from @Whisk_Food_Blog that she had an extra ticket to see the screening of “Hick” at the Winter Garden Theatre…..would I like to join her?

The answer was “YES, YES, YES”.

I have been itching to go to a TIFF event for the last several years. I didnt care if it was a movie screening or a party…I just wanted to go to something that was related to this Toronto International Film Festival.

So off I went to meet @Whisk_Food_Blog who I have never met before and who had driven in from Ottawa to attend this screening!! I was thrilled to finally meet someone I had been chatting with on twitter for over a year, IRL (in real life)

Watching the movie at the Winter Garden Theatre in itself was pretty neat. As for the movie “HICK’ – I liked it. I liked the story and the acting and I have no doubt that when it hits theatres it will be well received by critics and the public.

After the screening, we went to Tim Hortons to grab a coffee. There was a woman inside, with huge heels, wearing a sparkling dress. She was chatting away and I really didn’t pay attention. When she left I found out that it was “Juliette Lewis“. (who was in the film by the way).

What a great way to end my first experience at TIFF.