10 Things I Can't Live Without

1.Coffee: There's very little that needs to be explained about this, in my opinion, but here it is. It's warm, it's creamy (with the necessary shot of Vanilla Premier Protein in it), it is a hug in a cup. I have rarely gone a day without it since I was 16 or 17, I think. I'm not particularly choosy about my coffee, but it needs to be darker than brown tea-like water (thank you Grannie, for teaching Dad your 'English' way of making coffee, so that I always had to try to make it first before he could ruin it!)

I like coffee pods in my Keurig - sooooo convenient and fast (Folgers Lively Columbian or Tim Horton's are both fab go-to choices). I also like regular brew in coffee pots (mornings, afternoons, or evenings with my mom, anyone?) and I like fancy, expensive designer coffees too. Hot or cold, mixed with lots of milk a la latte, or straight up in a powerful shot (well, except that one crazy Cuban coffee I tried in Miami), and I'm down for just about any coffee I can find. And yes, sometimes, decaf is good enough if there's nothing else around. Like I said, I'm not particularly choosy. Coffee is liquid gold, and you don't really want to be around me if I haven't had some yet. My neighbour actually owns a coffee shop in Willow Park Village (SE Calgary) called Deville Coffee, and I'd totally recommend you stop by if you love coffee goodness too.

2. Leggings: I love that it's no longer taboo to wear leggings in public, and that leggings are made for ALL sizes! I love that I can teach my grade 3 kiddos in them, that I can go to the grocery store in them, that I can dress them up for a date with Kevin, that I can wear them on my couch to snuggle Bentley, or I can wear them under my snowpants at the trailer for winter camping. I love that I can get them in a bunch of different leg lengths, depending on what I'm wearing them for. I love that they come with flat little pockets! I love leggings!

Is there another article of clothing as versatile and important to one's wardrobe? I hate the ones that are see-through (no one needs to see my panties when I'm bending over, cute as they may be!) and ones that roll or slip down when you move, which is all the time. I do have a few different colours (navy, charcoal grey) but honestly, black is the only real choice for me. I think I have 10 pairs all together - some full length, some capris, some with pockets and some without. I even have a couple pairs with fleece inside - perfect for cold outdoor supervision days at work! Two of my faves options are the leggings from Torrid (sizes 10 - 30), and these from Amazon, that come in sizes XS to 3XL. Go get you some and thank me later!

3. Flair Pens and Post Its: I am obsessed with stationary. I'm addicted to coloured pens and sticky, colourful papers. Getting to colour coordinate my notes brings me joy. Add to that my need to write everything down, and you'll never see me too far away from a stack of Post-its in all colours and sizes - though the Type A personality inside completely prefers the lined ones! It seemed to start early - I've always loved making paper lists and crossing things off. Then after I had my daughter, I began to have that "baby brain" forgetful fog that they warned us about in our Birth and Babies classes. But it never went away, even as my baby was becoming less baby . In fact, it even got worse when my son came along. My once impressive ability to keep all the things straight and orderly and remembered in my head at once, started to fail me.

I had blamed my babies, then just tiredness of motherhood, then school teacher AND mom together tired. It has STILL kept going sideways now that I've been flirting with peri-menopause for the last year or two. So I've just accepted my lot in life - to always carry a variety of Flair pens and Post-its so I don't look like I'm losing my marbles! Thank god I've always loved (hoarded?!) them anyway!

4. Scented Candles: Any scented candle will do but really, Bath and Body Works 3-wicks are my fave. They are huge and smell so good for so long, and usually the wicks burn exactly as they need to without wasting a bit of candle-y fabulousness. I burn mine a lot - I like to catch the fresh, clean, bright or moody smells as I walk around my house every day. You'll pick the fragrances you love of course, but I'm not a fruity or flowery type of candle gal. I prefer water/ocean/clean smells like You, Me and the Sea, Endless Weekend, or Fiji White Sands, with the occasional mix of sexy man/cologne like Mahogany Teakwood or Palo Santo. In a pinch, anything with good ol' vanilla is great as well, such as this new one I found called Coconut Vanilla Surf.

Never buy them full price, though! You could go broke! BBW always rotates the sales between their different categories, so just wait a few days and you'll find them usually half price or B1G1. (Psst...Do they know that we know those actually are the same thing??) They often regularly have free shipping over $75 too, so wait to order a bunch all at once to save on that too!

5. Perfume: Speaking of smelling good, my signature smell is this incredible perfume I got years ago, while shopping with my mom in San Francisco. She took me with her on a work trip for 4 days, shortly after I became a single mom, to give me a little getaway breather and have a few "la-la's" together. (That's what we call that special time for us girls and pampering and love, la-la's, though don't ask me to tell you where that came from, it's just always been.) She encouraged me to scour the stores for hours and sniff everything around me with the intention of finding MY scent. Well, I did find it, THE smell that spoke to me, as a newly courageous and determined mama, with hints of feminine sass to boot!

Here's how they define the scent: An icon in the Byredo luxury fragrance collection, Blanche explores the scent of texture and skin; bodies beneath fresh sheets; laundry baskets; a punch of detergent. An aldehyde hit softens into delicate floral rose; notes of sandalwood and musks conjure the allure and intimacy of human touch.

Blanche by Byredo is not cheap (no decent perfume actually is!) but I don't wear this everyday. I'm just as much of a fan of body sprays and spritzes for regular running around. But when I want and need to feel a little extra, when I crave a little special something that I love and I know smells so good on me, I reach for my Blanche. They have a whole line of products in this fragrance - soap, body and hand lotion, hair refresher, bath bubbles, and of course all ways to enjoy the Eau de Parfum.

6. Zero - Gravity Chair: As I sit here writing this list, I'm well aware of the fact that it is winter here in Calgary ~ it was -47 Celsius with our wind chill just a week ago ~ so I'm sure you're wondering what the hell I'm doing talking about a 'lawn chair'. With the exception of the freezing season, I use and love this chair year round, at home and at my trailer. I actually had to buy a second one last summer for our seasonal campsite because I knew I didn't want to haul it back and forth between the two places, and I used it so much I couldn't just leave it in one or the other spot.

My first chair was an actual 'name' brand one that I found on Wayfair about 6 or 7 years ago, and it was an investment because they were fairly new and high-demand trendy. ! I knew from my sister's recommendations that I wanted the XL one so that it would be super roomy and comfy no matter how I chose to sit in it; it also HAD to have the adjustable sun shade above my head. I also wanted the side table, because....well, I have 'stuff' I need to have handy. I had to wait for it for more than a few weeks but once it came in, it has been loved and used non-stop.

Fast forward to last summer when we bought our lot to set up a permanent summer spot, I knew I needed another one but was hoping to get it faster and cheaper than the last time. Enter my friend Amazon, of course, and I found the perfect addition to my camping world. You need to look hard to get the adjustable sun shade, but do not give up - it is GOLD and you will wish you had it if you don't! Same features, same awesomeness, less cost and sent almost overnight with Prime. Here is the Bliss brand one I got, and you'd never know it was a 'knock off' at all!

Add a giant fleece blanket to wrap up with on those cool evenings in the backyard or at the campground, and you'll be the most comfortable and cozy of all your friends! If you know me at all, you KNOW I love my oversize blankets, and fleece is the best for snuggling up with inside or out!

7. Lighted Mirror: Hear me out! You don't have to be a Seint Artist or a beauty and lifestyle blogger to want and need a good, properly lit mirror to do your hair, skin and makeup. I'm sure there are regular bulbs for your bathroom lights that may work ok (not that I've ever found them) but honestly, if you want to really see what you're going to look like to others when you leave the house, you NEED a lighted mirror.

A few years ago I splurged on a Riki (though I did catch it on sale!) because that's what the majority of the Seint girls use, and I love it so, so much. It has a dimming feature, and it adjusts to 3 different bulb warmths, depending on the look I need. It has a 2-position magnetic holder for my phone, and it also came with a magnetic close up mini-mirror for all that fine detail stuff like plucking! It also has a remote (I think for my phone) but I have never used that yet because I'm just not very technological until I'm forced to be lol. It's been just great in my bathroom on the counter, on the kitchen table, in my dark basement, and on my new vanity in the corner of my bedroom

I can't find the exact model I bought, but here is another one from Riki:

Don't freak out at the price - I told you, it's an investment lol - but it's one you seriously would get so much use of for all the years you need or want to care what you look like. If you'd rather a more economical option, I like this one from Amazon as well:

Do yourself a favour and get yourself a good light! :)

8. Starbucks Sippy Cups: Man, oh man, I can never have enough of these!

Ok, they do NOT have to be Starbucks only, but they MUST be the same shape and size as those ones. The shorter ones make me crazy, and some have lids that don't screw on straight which then leak, and they don't hold enough - you want the Mama-size Venti sippy one that is 24 glorious and drinkable ounces.

There are more than 3 million kind of reusable cups out there. BUT! I don't want a handle. I don't want or like a bendy or soft straw. I don't need my cup to change colours to tell me if my drink is hot or cold because I would never put a hot drink in it ~ that's an entirely different kind of to-go cup.

If you enjoy the odd Vodka Paralyzer, these are the BEST for not curdling your beverage ever, and the straw is long enough to mix and stir. If you like iced tea or coffee - again, they are perfect because they hold a ton of ice AND liquid. Clear ones work best for booze (so you can see how big a pour you've got lol) and the pretty coloured ones are great for everything else, including plain water if that's your thing! I've linked this one on Amazon because they will deliver it to your door but shhhh...they are actually cheaper if you buy them at Starbucks.

9. Fleece "Christmas" Onesie: Would a list of my must haves even be partially complete without these? IYKYK! When I moved into our current house in 2015 with my 2 babies after my divorce, I was determined to start some new 'family traditions' that they could count on always, and would bring us all a smile. Enter the holiday fleece onesie tradition!

Our Elf on the Shelf (another new tradition that started that same year - his name is Jake, by the way) brings us our Christmas box every December 1. Inside, we find each of our Advent calendars, a new Christmas book or DVD, and our matching onesies. I have family pictures of us wearing them together, in front of our Christmas tree, every year since. For 5 years, Jake brought us 3 pairs. Since Kevin and his kiddos came into our world, Jake has had to deliver 6 pairs.

My children love these so much, as do I, and the three of us can be found wearing them unapologetically anytime of day or year (they are SO comfortable and cozy - like being dressed in your best blanket!). Kevin - not so much, because he gets too hot he says, and his kids, well, they still want them each year, but never really wear them outside of the mandatory photo. But I think that's ok because they seemingly aren't yet ready to give up this one special little thing we do as 6, even if it is mostly to appease me, so it's good enough, and worth it to keep doing until they say no thanks.

Here are a just few of our past family onesie photos, and the smiles they bring us. The last photo on the right is from this last year, and they might have been one of our most loved!

10. Seint: Ok, choosing the last thing to include (though in no particular order) in a "things I can't live without" piece is actually really hard. I absolutely wasn't going to include Seint in this list because I didn't want to be cliche ~ "of course you can't live without it, you sell it! blah blah blah."

But here's the honest truth, since I've found myself in this new, refreshing space of truthfully embracing myself, and wanting to make sure that I do what I can to pass along what I now know about being the best you can...for yourself, even before others.

Yes, I love the makeup and the skin care. Yes, I think I look younger and better today than I did 10 or more years ago. Yes, I enjoy the paycheque I get 5 times a month from sharing these products with others. Yes, I love having the opportunities I get to travel with new friends, making memories and having the best time.

But more than that? If Seint hadn't come into my life ~ if I had held on to the desire I initially had to ignore it, to be annoyed that it was network marketing or social selling or whatever the buzz word of the day was, to walk away thinking I 'knew' that it would be a waste of money before even trying it, to believe that it wasn't anything special and it certainly wasn't for me ~ do you know where I'd be today?

I don't. Honestly, I don't. None of us have magic mirrors that predict different past or the future events. Though if I know anything, I do know this:

Seint changed who I was, in all the ways I never knew I needed or wanted to; in ways I couldn't have expected. Through the products (obviously they are amazing!) and the new friendships, the challenging of personal and professional mindsets and beliefs, the pushing past comfort zones and safe spots, the encouragement and support to make wishes and dreams and to chase those wishes and dreams ~ with wild abandon, and with guts and grit ~ knowing that the bottom hands of strong, loving women who would catch me if I fell were waiting, if I needed them to be.

I'm happier. I'm braver. I'm more confident. I believe in myself. I know that I'm worthy, even without perfection. All these things are more abundant in my life than they were before I ever contoured my cheekbones, or illuminated my cupid's bow. And the makeup was only just the bonus of it all.

So there are 10 of the things I can't live without. What are some of yours?

~ Michelle xoxo