Manulife Place 'Show Us Your Edmonton Style' Challenge

Wearing: Blazer - Smythe, jeans - Paige Denim, camisole - VINCE, necklace - Rebecca Minkoff, 

purse - See by Chloe (all from Holt Renfrew, Manulife Place), shoes - Sole Society (old)

Motherhood: What I Wish I Knew Then, Part 2

Today I'm continuing the second part of my "What I Wish I Knew Then" series, talking about what I've learned during my first year of motherhood and what I didn't expect before I gave birth. To read Part 1 you can click here.

Motherhood: What I Wish I Knew Then, Part 1

Photo of Miles by Fiddleaf Photography 

I can't believe it: Miles will be a year old next week! The past 12 months have flown by and looking back I realized I've learned so much about him, babies in general, myself, my husband and how to survive that crucial first year of parenthood. To say my hubby and I were unprepared for what Miles had in store for us once he entered the world is an understatement. Here are a few things I wish I'd known before I gave birth!

My Favorite Face Masks

I've been using face masks for years. I use them more frequently in the winter when it's extremely dry and cold and my skin needs a little extra TLC. Some of these I've been using for a long time, others I have discovered recently.

My Drugstore Beauty Faves

I've been using a LOT of beauty products bought from stores like London Drugs and Superstore lately (mostly makeup) and I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you. These items will not break the bank AND they work!

Re-Branded

Hey Everyone! I'm excited to share my re-designed personal styling website www.mariezydek.com

Life, Lately

Hi! It's Marie, remember me? I used to blog ; ) I realize it's been quite awhile since my last post, (like a looooong time) and I've missed writing and sharing and connecting with you guys here. So I thought I'd post about what I've been up to lately. My son Miles is now 10 months old! I can't believe it. He's such a happy little dude. These are some photos taken by Ashley Champagne when he was 6 1/2 months old.

Win a Free House Cleaning With Mad Maids!

After bringing baby home from the hospital, cooking, doing laundry and cleaning my house were at the bottom of my priority list. The last thing I wanted to do was scrub my bathroom in between feeding my son, changing dirty diapers and trying to get any little bit of sleep I could. So when Mad Maids offered to come over a few weeks ago to give our home a much-needed deep cleanse, it was SO appreciated and a complete luxury! I was so happy! They did an amazing job - cleaning our home top to bottom, even wiping down our microwave inside and oiut (I HATE cleaning the grime out of the microwave so this was AWESOME,) dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing - they did it all and made our house shine. And it was so easy to book with them, it literally took 60 seconds. You can book and pay online once you enter all of your information about your home (# of rooms, bathrooms, etc.), it's super easy and really fast with flat-rate pricing.

My Must-Have Baby (and Mom) Items

I've been a mom now for 3 months - seriously where has the time gone?? - and I thought I'd share with you some of the items I use every day and can't live without! Starting with Aden and Anais Muslin Swaddle Blankets. These are so soft and extremely stretchy. I used these when Miles was younger and couldn't break out of them ; ). Now I use them as a light blanket when he's in his car seat. At night time I now have him in a Summer Infant Swaddle Me Swaddle but I have to double-swaddle him using a receiving blanket (check out this video on how to do this) because he's getting strong!

Guest Post: 4 Considerations When Hiring a Newborn Photographer

In my last post I shared pictures from my family photo shoot with Fiddleleaf  Photography. I'm so glad I have these precious photos of my son as a newborn with my husband and I : ). For those of you expecting or have recently given birth, I highly recommend getting professional photos taken of your little one. There are so many photographers out there though, how do you choose the right one for your family? Kelly Marleau from Fiddleleaf Photography has some great tips on what to look for when hiring a newborn photographer. 

Family Photo Session With Fiddleleaf Photography

A couple of weeks ago my little family and I had the pleasure of working with local lifestyle photographer Kelly Marleau from Fiddleleaf Photography. I had actually met Kelly when I was pregnant, a few weeks before I gave birth. After following each other on social media and deciding we just had to work together, she came over to my house with coffee from Starbucks to meet my husband and I and check out the lighting in our house for the shoot, which wouldn't happen for another month or so, after baby decided to make his appearance ; ). This time was also spent getting to know one another. Kelly has such great energy and is super talented so I was really looking forward to our photo session with our brand new son! Here are some images Kelly took that day.

Introducing My Son + My Birth Story

Gosh it's been so long since I last blogged, over two months ago! I have a good excuse though: I had a baby : ). A baby boy who we named Miles John. He was born on March 23rd at 12:30 a.m. (10 days late) weighing 7 lbs 15 oz, measuring 22 inches long. Since then life has been a whirlwind and a blur. All my focus has shifted to this little miracle and I haven't had any spare time to sit down and blog until now. So I apologize that this official announcement is so late! Better late than never though, right?? 

Since today is Mother's Day I thought it would be fitting to share with you the moment I became a Mama (above) and my birth story, for those of you who are curious how Miles entered the world. (It wasn't ideal.) So here goes!

9 Months Pregnant: An Update

I can't really believe I'm 9 months pregnant, it seems like just yesterday I was in the early stages of my pregnancy puking my guts out every morning. Time has really flown by quickly! This will be my last preggo update before the baby comes. (!!)

Oscars Fashion 2016: The Good and the Not Good At All

One of my favorite parts of awards season is the red carpet fashion (whether it be good or bad) and last night at the Oscars I was not disappointed. There were some very well-dressed celebs and there were some doozies, as you'll see ; ). I'm starting off with my absolute faves from last night's ceremony: Rachel McAdams was a dream in an evergreen August Getty Atelier gown, Cate Blanchett looked stunning in a floral Armani Prive dress and Charlize Theron looked sleek in a simple (yet beautiful) bright red Dior number.

My All-Time Favorite Foundations at Every Price Point

I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite foundations with you all.

Date Night

 Wearing: sweater - Jessica Halabi (not a maternity top), jeans - Thyme Maternity, jacket - Asos (old), booties - Vince Camuto, 

bag - Marc by Marc Jacobs  Classic Q Natasha via Shopbop, ring - Material Girl via The Bay, scarf - Jacob

What I'm Loving Lately

Here are a few things I've been enjoying the past couple of weeks ; )

8 Months: Pregnancy Update

I can't believe I'm 8 months pregnant. Seriously, where has the time gone? And where have my abs gone??

EIA's Great Jetaway Contest!

It's January. We're all paying off our credit cards from Christmas, it's cold outside, there's snow on the ground and you're probably thinking, "I could use a tropical vacation right about now!" Or maybe your parents, sister or best friend would love to get away and have never been anywhere outside of chilly Canada? Well lucky for everyone, I've teamed up with Edmonton International Airport to bring you a contest that could send one of your loved ones on an ultimate vacation (valued at $10,000.00!) to wherever their heart desires -  New York, or London or even balmy Bora Bora which sounds SO nice right about now! It's easy to enter:

Palmer's Anti-Itch Skincare Package and a Giveaway!

Pregnancy comes with a whole lot of symptoms - some nice (glowing skin, shiny hair, bigger b**bs!) and some not-so-nice (nausea, swollen legs, sore back, itchy skin). I remember one day back in December, my belly was sooooo itchy from it being stretched, I was scratching all day long (it was so hard NOT to) and I felt like I wanted to crawl out of my skin. And it only got worse at night. I thought to myself, "Dear God, I need some relief! Or else I'm going to scratch 'til I bleed!" Luckily Palmer's Anti-Itch Skincare Package came into my life just in time or else I'd STILL be digging my fingernails into my flesh ; )