Inspirational: Jessica Houssain

July 29, 2015January 19, 2016 | ilovevaluevillage

First, our regular programming of fabulous value village finds. I loved doing photo shoots with Nora before she started to crawl. It was fun for me to plan what I was going to make her wear. I also did it for her grandparents who were hounding me daily for pictures of their precious granddaughter.

Swimsuit – $2.99 Valuevillage

Brand: Baby Gap

Headband: Rhyla $16 U.S.

I was lucky enough to hear Jessica Houssain speak at an event this spring. She is on the Board of the Canadian Women’s Foundation and Executive Director of a New York based NPO called Women Moving Millions. I often think about what kind of work I want Nora to do when she grows up. Jessica spoke with so much passion about travelling to Africa to help build wells to provide clean water, working with Unicef to fund life-saving programs for children in need and working with the Canadian Women’s Foundation to help abused women. I want Nora to choose a career path that gives her personal and professional satisfaction, in the long run, those two things have to go hand in hand. I know very few people who can say they feel that way about their job. I should also say that Jessica comes from a very privileged background, the Houssain family is one of the richest families in Canada. She could have gone on to become a captain of any industry and make even more money. But for now, she is in the field of philanthropy, using her pedigree and connections for good.

I was poor, who knew?!?

July 22, 2015July 22, 2015 | ilovevaluevillage

This adorable Joe Fresh t-shirt only cost me $1.49! $1.49! I made her wear this almost every week last summer. The print was easy to co-ordinate and it breathed really well.

Top: $1.49 from Value Village / Brand: Joe Fresh

Bottom: Value Village shorts $0.99

Headband: Rhyla $16 U.S.

When I was a kid, twice a year we would visit the The Scott Mission on Spadina in Toronto. We would go to their basement and pick out clothes from these bins. I remember it was the most awesome feeling in the world. As a kid, I thought what a amazing place this is, we get to pick out all the clothes we want, and take them home without paying. I assumed we did not pay because I don’t recall my parents taking out their wallet or give any money away. We had been in Canada for about a year or two. I never thought of us as poor until years later when I realized that program was for low in come families.

At the time my whole family slept in a single large bedroom. I did not think this was cramped at all and loved every minute of it. If I woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare, I looked around and saw my siblings and mom and dad in beds right next to mine. My brother and sister and I would goof around with each other before bed. They were such simple times.

I was totally oblivious to the fact that stats canada would classify my family as poor. All I knew was bedtime was awesome because I got to play with my siblings right up until the moment I fell asleep. I had all the clothes I needed and my parents were relatively happy when they spent time with us.

This is a big part of why I buy used clothes and toys for Nora. I know that she has no clue nor does she care right now where these things come from. As long as I play with her and give her my undivided attention. I’d rather she not know what poor and rich means for a long time. I’d rather she consider herself rich for life because she has parents who love her unconditionally.

P.S. This post reminds me that I need to make a donation to The Scott Mission. They do great work and I am grateful for their generosity to this day.

Blogging again…

March 20, 2015March 20, 2015 | ilovevaluevillage

It’s been a long hiatus. For the sake of brevity, I’ll just share that I had a baby and live in the burbs. And on most days, I live a happy, content and peaceful life, filled with love and laughter.

I won’t be strictly blogging about my Value Village and Goodwill finds and will blog just about anything and everything. The majority of entries will still be about buying used goods. I love the idea of making use of something that is useless to someone else. It’s my way of saying we’re all all useful/valued to someone, even of someone else may have no use for us.

My goal is to blog once a week and not just on this blog. But another blog I started with my sister two years ago, before we both had our babies. I’m probably being overly ambitious but that’s just how I am. Maybe someday, I’ll learn.

Now on with our regular programming….I found this little romper for Nora at Value Village. It was too big for her at the time (June 2014) but by August 2014, she had grown into it nicely.