Give Yourself the Gift of a New Skill (For Free!)

I love picking up new skills and there are so many that I would love to learn, from making something on a pottery wheel to learning to crochet.  I will always love the written format because I like being able to print out a recipe or set of instructions, scribble notes and highlight things, but I often retain things better if I'm being shown a new skill.  Plus, when I'm doing a boring task that doesn't require much brain power, I like to play videos in the background.

That's why I was really excited when Skillshare reached out to me to try their online learning community with over 18,000 classes.  Something I'm sure the other 3+ million students experienced: I had a difficult time narrowing down my selection.  There are so many amazing classes!  Skillshare is also offering Dans le Lakehouse readers a two month free trial so keep reading to find out about this amazing site.

I took a pottery class!  Finally!  Now I really, really want to sign up for the real thing and actually use a pottery wheel, but this class was amazing at showing me the basics and letting me understand the process.  Making a mug seems like a simple first project to make and I feel like I could really do it from this straightforward tutorial.

I also sampled a fitness class that really gave my core a great workout!  The instructor had such a calming presence, she really made the class feel enjoyable.  Even if my abs are aching a little now.

When I was working in First Nations communities, the company I was contracted by led motivational wellness workshops, so I decided to check out some of the health and wellness classes on Skillshare because that's become a passion of mine.  I loved seeing a teacher with a PhD (yay!) and her workshop on emotional intelligence was so in depth.  I appreciated the way it was broken into segments so I could do a little bit each day.  It was a great refresher course for me and one that I would really recommend to people.

In the middle of the workday, I took a mini relaxation course.  This was the type of video I often showed in my own workshops, but it had been too long since I followed one myself.  

There are so many other classes I want to try!  I definitely need help with my photography - a chronic plea - so I'm going to take a few photography classes to learn how to use my camera better.  There are some crafty projects I wouldn't mind seeing either.

I love Skillshare because it's free from commercials so I can really just listen to or watch these videos with interruptions.  It was so nice to play some while I puttered or worked, but some of them I'll really need to carve out some time and focus - like those photography classes!   

If you've been curious about Skillshare, you're in luck because you can try them out for FREE for two months simply by clicking here.  Skillshare normally costs between $8-$15 a month for unlimited access to all classes, so this is a really good deal to try them out.  A membership also makes a great gift for that hard-to-buy-for loved one, or just a gift for yourself to help meet your New Year's Resolutions.

This post was sponsored by Skillshare but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

10 Ways I Stay Relaxed and Chill While Traveling for Work

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TimeWithAveeno #CollectiveBias

Today I’m spilling the beans on my secret job!  In February I landed a really interesting job but didn't share too many details because to even describe my new position would have revealed how much I was traveling and I always worry about giving too much of that kind of info away.  However, I recently decided to leave that job, so now I can comfortably tell you about it!  I'm saving some fun stories - and more juicy details - for another day, but today I'll at least let you know the gist: I worked as a freelance educational workshop facilitator in First Nations Communities.  I spent two weeks each month traveling to communities and delivering week long workshops about anger management, youth engagement, and emotional health.  Although some communities were actually close to a town or city and I could stay in a hotel or motel, other communities were really remote, fly-in places and there I often stayed in someone's home or a lodge where I shared a bathroom with a bunch of guys.  A lot of times there was no internet and in many communities my cell phone didn't work, so it was, at times, a really isolating experience.  Plus I had severe baggage weight restrictions (many planes were so small I couldn't even pack a carry on) and sometimes I had to pack my own food within that weight restriction (I learned to travel light, that's for sure)!  But I always made room in my luggage for a few little luxuries, like AVEENO® products from Walmart, to help me stay happy and relaxed traveling so much for work.  

Here were my must-haves for treating myself!

1. Scented Candle

When I stayed in private homes, they were always pretty immaculate but some of the lodge-type accommodations and motels were pretty old.  One room in particular smelled so terribly bad that I was forced to sleep with the door to my hotel room open all night (so unsafe!) and so, after that, I started packing a small scented candle or room deodorizer which, as it turned out, also helped me de-stress after a long and draining day.   

2. Good Book

I know e-readers are all the rage but I like to decompress in the evenings without a screen, so I always brought along one good old fashioned paperback.  I buy cheap books at yard sales specifically for traveling so I can leave them behind for the next weary traveler.

3. Warm Drink

I learned this from a co-worker, who always traveled with his favorite instant coffee.  I was used to just hitting up a local Starbucks whenever I traveled but that definitely wasn't an option for this line of work!  The places I stayed often had communal everything: bathroom, kitchen, living room, so I did often have the means to at least boil water and bringing my own fancy loose leaf tea or instant coffee/hot chocolate was such a nice treat in the evening and made me feel more at home.

4. Healthy Snack

Many communities had really limited food choices so I made sure to always pack my own snacks because having something to nibble on in the evening that reminded me of home was always a treat.  Plus I definitely did feel stressed after some workshops and without a healthy snack to rely on, I was weak and would have said yes to every doughnut and chocolate bar that crossed my path...

5. AVEENO PURE RENEWAL® Shampoo and Conditioner

My hair already takes a beating thanks to bleaching and dyeing it bright hues like hot pink, shades of teal and mint, or, heck, four different vivid colors at once!  Plus the water was really harsh in some communities so I had to take special care to be gentle to my strands.  AVEENO PURE RENEWAL® Shampoo and Conditioner is creamy and gentle but effectively removes impurities while renewing my hair to a balanced state.  Plus it's clinically proven to be mild on sensitive skin and it's safe for color treated hair - which is a bonus, for sure.  I always decanted some of each in a travel sized bottle to take with me on the road.

6. Calling Card

It felt like the 1990s to have to track down a public phone.  When my cell service didn't cover in a particular area, it gave me peace of mind to know I could still connect with Hubby.  I still keep a calling card in my wallet just in case - you never know when a cell phone might give up the ghost.

7. Comfy Lounge Clothes

The first few trips I made I packed my (required) business casual attire and then some PJs for hanging out in my room - not realizing everyone would SEE them when I had to trek to the communal bathrooms.  I ended up buying PJs that weren't quite so thread bare but I also packed some comfy lounge clothes so I could hang out in common areas with ease.

8. Running Shoes

At first I was too nervous to wander around the communities (bears! blackflies!), but eventually I started to get cabin fever so I started packing running shoes and going for a walk or run every night.  I am not a runner, by any stretch of the imagination, but that daily exercise helped clear my mind and connect with people in the community so I always made room for my runners in my suitcase.  In my room I did some gentle stretching or yoga. 

9. Music

After I started traveling for work, I spent a good chunk of money and bought some music.  To save a penny, I usually listened to a lot of free music apps on my phone but they all required internet and I didn't have internet or data many places so I finally bought some songs which was definitely a sanity saver for me.  It was nice to block out the noise through paper thin walls and decompress.  Had I kept traveling for work, noise cancelling headphones was next on my list because those small planes are so LOUD. 

10. AVEENO® POSITIVELY RADIANT® 60 SECOND IN-SHOWER FACIAL

Did I mention the shared bathrooms?  It was, surprisingly, not as terrible as I imagined but there were some terrifying moments.  Sometimes I only had to share with women, but it was the unisex showers that still give me nightmares.  It definitely didn't leave time for much primping, but my skin was really taking a beating so the AVEENO® POSITIVELY RADIANT® 60 SECOND IN-SHOWER FACIAL is something I started using.  It works with the steam of a shower to deeply but gently exfoliate dirt, oil, and dead skin.  After piling on makeup every day (something I was not used to, working from home in my jammies as a blogger), spending a day in a sweaty meeting room, and trudging back to my room on a dirt road, only to wash my skin with harsh well water (treatment facilities really varied), my skin started to feel really awful.  This facial in a bottle worked like magic to make my skin feel velvety soft and naturally radiant.  I always showered at night, so taking 60 seconds to treat my skin at the end of a day felt like a luxury in my work environment and I'd shuffle back to my room feeling so content.  It's now a permanent staple in my shower at home, too, because I love that it only takes a minute and it exfoliates without leaving my skin feeling dry or stripped.

Those were my 10 must-haves for staying chill while traveling for work.  My job was such an unusual experience and, in some ways, I'm sad to have to have to search for something new but at least I can add "savvy traveler" to my list of skills!  I'll be back another day to share more about the actual job - and why I left... 

Do you travel at all for work?  What are your must-haves when you're on the road?  

Click here to download a coupon and save $2.00 on AVEENO® products!

If you're a fan too, check out AVEENO® on Facebook and Instagram. 

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Lake Life Lately: I Have a New Job!

I never intended to become a professional blogger.  I started blogging as a hobby, while I was in grad school, because I wanted to connect with other people who had small budgets and big dreams for their homes.  I've always loved making and creating, and it was just so thrilling to be able to chat with others DIYers.  To my surprise, Dans le Townhouse grew and by the time the blog became Dans le Lakehouse, I was making a nice little income.  I filmed videos with Canadian Tire, saw my house pop up on sites like Elle Decor and Better Homes & Gardens, and even parlayed the blog into some exciting freelance work for various Canadian retailers.  Behind the scenes, even crazier opportunities presented themselves - it has been a wild ride!

But secretly, I was applying to other jobs.

My job search is such a long story - with so many crushing disappointments - but I don't know if it's really all that uncommon.  Lots of my friends, with various backgrounds/education, have struggled to find work.  I was lucky I had a back-up plan!  I decided to start growing the blog more purposefully (wishing I had laid the proper groundwork to run the blog like a business when I started) and things were chugging along.  Looking back, I'm especially grateful that I had a flexible job like blogging to fall back on because when some terrible things happened in my family, I was able to be there.

But I pined for a different kind of job.

Recently I took another stab at looking for a job but I took a wildly different approach with my job applications.  I threw out every single piece of advice I'd been given over the years (and I had been given a lot) and just wrote my cover letters from the heart, keeping them casual and upbeat.

Well, guess what?  I landed interviews for every job I applied to and was offered two competing offers within days of one another, for two excellent jobs broadly (sorta, kinda) in my field - if I can even say that I have "a field" (I have a PhD in Feminist and Gender Studies and an HBA and MA in Philosophy).

I chose the one with flexible hours and a chance for adventure.  Hubby works a really weird work shift and a 9-5 job would mean I'd rarely see him, so I pounced at the opportunity to work a job that has similarly odd hours.  I always worry about sharing too much on the blog, which is why I've kept details like Hubby's first name, our last name, his place of work, our location, etc., private.  I am probably overly cautious, but I hesitate to share too much about new job too, although I will say it's in education.  I am currently training and I start in earnest very soon.  There is a lot to learn and that's why I haven't been posting here with the same frequency as usual.  I'm cramming, haha! 

But I'm not leaving blogland!

The best thing about my new job is that I can keep blogging.  In fact, my new boss has encouraged it, which is amazing because Hubby and I have so many great projects lined up - plus I'm collaborating with some really great brands I've been wanting to work with for years.  With my focus shifted to my new job and new research, I'm actually feeling so much more inspired these days.  I think my brain needed a little bit of a challenge - and probably a change of scenery - to get those creative juices flowing again.  Ideas for posts and projects are just pouring out of me right now.

I wanted to share my news to explain my absence but also because I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who reads Dans le Lakehouse.  I never shared my employment struggles because I try not to let my problems seep into the blog.  There is an abundance of negativity in the world so the criteria for the blogs I read is simple: I like to be entertained, uplifted - and if I can learn something, that's a bonus!  I don't want to be mired in someone else's crazy drama, so I try not to foist mine on you.  But when I was feeling down, your kind comments and emails definitely propelled me forward, made me smile, and made me appreciate this job so much more. 

So I wanted to say thank you.  So much.  I think this year will be our best year yet!

P.S. The photos are from my home office makeover - if you missed it (and our DIY walnut waterfall desk) check out the before and after tour here.

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