Lucky us!
Holy Polo—the wave of new shops hitting Polo Park Shopping Centre will be providing us with some sweet spots to do our summer shopping. Besides their great bookselling space, the new McNally Robinson provides welcome respite from the food court with its delicious fare at Prairie Ink restaurant. Italian shoe brand Geox will have us walking on clouds in its patented breathable walking shoes. Streetwear at its chicest will be showcased at Vancouver-based Aritzia. Just moved in is Lucky Brand Jeans, a celeb favourite for vintage-inspired jeans and eclectic fashion for us and our gentlemen friends. Now where is that Banana Republic?

Great Scots!
Design duo Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan of HGTV Canada’s Colin & Justin’s Home Heist and How Not to Decorate will be touching down in the ‘Peg on May 10. Our favourite ridiculously funny Scotch boys present the most atrocious design crimes they have witnessed (and judging by their show, some will be really bad), and their fabulous solutions, then offer inspiration and solve your decor dilemmas. A perfect pre-Mother’s Day outing!

At the Delta Winnipeg. Tickets start at $45 with proceeds benefiting Manitoba Opera. Call 253-2787 or visit www.ticketmaster.ca for tickets and information.

Your Life, Unlimited!
P.S. YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL

If there is one thing that almost all women have in common, it is the utter disregard for a compliment. When one is presented to us, we shudder and shake, we throw it back, we brush it off, laugh it away or make light of it. It’s like a hot potato scalding our hands—we just want to be rid of it!

Remember when you were a young girl, and someone told you that you were beautiful? At that time in your life you probably smiled, twirled around and proudly said, “I know!”
While that may be a little much after, say, 25, there must be a better approach than how many of us handle compliments now. The truth is, we often feel unworthy, that someone else is more deserving or that we must “give one if we get one.” Sadly, we are not setting a good example for our daughters, who are often preoccupied with physical appearance or, more likely, with what they perceive is their lack of physical beauty. Just as not one flower is the most striking, neither is just one woman—we must learn to embrace our beauty, appreciate what we have and acknowledge that our worth is so much more than the package we show up in.

In my attempt to find the answer to “What makes a woman beautiful?” I set out to poll local men for their opinions on the subject. I asked men of all shapes and sizes, aged 18-90, single and attached. Although I received some very strange looks, most were happy to tell me without delay, what made a woman beautiful to them—you won’t believe some of their answers.
• A ready smile
• Her persona
• Self-confidence
• Her character
• How she carries herself
• A good self-image
• Shared values
• The way she cares for others
• Being herself, not trying to be someone else
• And my personal favourite, from an 18-year-old, no less—when you look with your eyes you see if a woman is attractive to you, but when you get an amazing connection with her … she turns beautiful.

Ladies, I don’t know about you, but I was very impressed with the answers. They were sincere, thoughtful and thought provoking. Clearly these men got it.

We may not all look like Nicole Kidman (personally, the only physical attribute we have in common is that we both have two eyes) so I find this list very encouraging! You see, whether we have the symmetrical features, the “right” dress size or perfect button nose, we can use the above list of controllable characteristics that make it possible for each of us to let our beauty shine. We can all smile more, we can work to develop our character, we can stop being so critical of our perceived flaws, lead with our talents and carry ourselves like we know we have value, meaning, worth and purpose—which we all do!

Thank you, men of Winnipeg, for the wake-up call; we needed to know what you have known all along: beauty does comes from within.

And by the way, the correct response to a compliment is “Thank you.” Period.

Stephanie Staples is an international speaker and coach in the areas of personal development and life enrichment.

For life coaching tools, email her at stephanie@yourlifeunlimited.ca.

A second life for suits
Have a business suit that’s two sizes too
small? Never wear those cute black heels anymore? Rather than have them collecting dust in your closet or being sold for 50 cents at a yard sale, give them a new life by donating them to Winnipeg women in need of a hand up.

Established in 1997, the South Winnipeg Family Information Centre’s Clothes Closet provides clothing to women re-entering the workforce who have left abusive situations, are in job training programs or are preparing for job interviews.

You can donate those pinstriped pants or tweed jacket you keep meaning to wear to a woman on her way to success. Drop off clean clothing that’s suitable for the workplace at the SWFIC (800 Point Road) during regular business hours, or call 284-9311.

Another organization in constant need of business attire is the North End Women’s Centre’s Up Shoppe. The boutique is a community economic development project that provides quality used women’s business wear and accessories at affordable prices. As an added bonus, any proceeds earned by the store are put back into the community. Drop off your clothes right at the store at 382 Selkirk Ave., or call 582-3494 to arrange for a pick up.

When in doubt, don't throw it out!

Each Canadian generates approximately 2.7 kg of waste every day. Shocking, yes, but thanks to an ever-increasing interest in recycling, that number will (hopefully) decrease. But even with a stronger green movement sprouting, people still aren’t disposing of hazardous household waste properly, despite the serious environmental, health and safety implications.

• According to Statistics Canada, 60 per cent of households throw old batteries in with their garbage, a big no-no given that many batteries contain toxic heavy metals. So what’s an environmentally conscious Winnipegger to do?

Drop off old batteries at the Miller Environmental Corporation (925-9615), where they will be disposed of safely. You can also contact the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation, which offers free recycling of rechargeable batteries and cell phones. For a complete list of drop-off sites in Winnipeg, visit www.rbrc.org.

• Pharmaceuticals are often kept in the medicine cabinet long after they’ve passed their expiry dates. But what do you do with those past-their-prime pills? Don’t throw them in your trash, flush them or bury them, which is exactly what 40 per cent of Canadian households do. This poses a huge risk to the environment, not to mention humans, when the medication gets into drinking water sources.

Check to see if your pharmacy has a drug incineration program, which can provide a more controlled method of disposal. The City of Winnipeg also has a free hazardous waste disposal depot. For more information, call 986-8888, code 9811.

• Think back to how many times you’ve replaced your cell phone in the past few years. Due to advances in technology, communications devices and computers are being replaced at lightning speed. In fact, according to Environment Canada, an estimated 140,000 tonnes of e-waste is discarded in Canadian landfills every year. If that’s not alarming enough, think of the toxic materials e-waste contains: lead, mercury and arsenic, all of which are known to harm wildlife and human health.

You can do your part by contacting Green Manitoba (greenmanitoba.ca), which, along with the Thomas Sill Foundation’s Epsom Recycling Inc., has compiled a list of companies that reuse or recycle computer equipment and electronics. These organizations will either refurbish the item and then donate or resell it, or they’ll recycle the electronic components and dispose of the heavy metals. Visit greenmanitoba.ca for more information.

• After finishing home renos, you’ll likely have some extra buckets of paint on hand. Thirty-eight per cent of Canadians say they’re still holding onto old cans of paint rather than disposing of them.

Take your leftover oil-based paint to Miller Environmental—never dump it into the sewer or down the drain. Latex paints can be placed out for regular garbage collection if the lids are off the containers and the paint is dry and hard.

For more information about hazardous household waste disposal, visit winnipeg.ca/waterandwaste.

More Lifesavers!
Eco Home Care
Cute as a Button
Shoe Healers
Nice day for a green wedding