My 5 Favourite Podcasts for Creativity and Inspiration

Audiobooks & podcasts are definitely my main source of on-going “life” education. I listen to them while cleaning or doing the dishes and definitely on the train to work. I find it helps me get the most value out of my time while doing the somewhat boring & repetitive tasks.

While audiobooks are great for light fiction or for learning about non-fiction topics in depth, podcasts are more conversational and less formal, which makes them easier and more fun to listen to.

As promised on Instagram, I am sharing my current Top 5 favourite podcasts. Of course they’re all free! You can listen to them on the Podcasts app on iPhone or on the podcats website, iTunes website, or even Soundcloud in some cases.

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Organizing my Kitchen Cupboards & Pantry with Kitchen Stuff Plus

This is a sponsored post written in partnership with Kitchen Stuff Plus. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hi all! I’m so excited to be sharing my kitchen organization project with you all and inspire you to organize yours.

The Kitchen Stuff Plus Organization Event is currently on, which means almost all organization items are on sale. Everything that I got from the store for my kitchen can be found on one page here. You can use my discount code “inspiredaccountant-10” until Feb 11th, 2018 to get an additional 10% off your purchase on-line and in-store. Don’t miss this opportunity to get things under control in your kitchen 😉

Let me tell you – it’s one of those projects that are super tiring but so rewarding! I had thoroughly organized my kitchen in mid-2016 and had now reached a point where, except for some everyday-use items, I had to forage for items in my cabinets every time I needed them. This year, a major goal of mine is to get all organized on the “inside.” I feel like I always pay attention to my house decor and furniture, but I tend to ignore the mess behind closed closet and pantry doors. Very naughty, I know haha! So when Kitchen Stuff Plus reached out to me during their organization event (happening now till Feb 11th), the timing couldn’t have been better! I’m loving the idea of starting the new year with an organized kitchen! (more…)

My Holiday Dinner Tablescape

As you all know, I was talking about my holiday dinner and tablescape on Instagram since the beginning of November. I really wanted to do something a little special with my dining area and invite my family over during the Christmas holidays for a memorable get-together. I love decorating little spaces and creating vignettes so I take any excuse to do that! 

But when December finally rolled around, so did this crazy cold weather we’ve had in Toronto along with all sorts of viruses. My daughter, my husband and I were all down with colds and fevers on and off for what seemed like three weeks. I ended up calling my guests and telling them that I had to postpone the dinner which was originally planned for Christmas day. I’m sure they were glad to hear it because who wants to come over and eat at a house full of sick people anyway, haha!

My party ended up being more like a New Year’s Eve get-together, which was perfect. We had such a great time, and can I just say – my dining table really stole the spotlight 😛 (more…)

My CPA Journey – Part 4 of 4: Reaching the end of the Tunnel

Continued from Part 3 of 4 – My Crazy Maternity Leave

To Work or not to Work – that is the question

Before I knew it, I was in Month 11 of my insane year of maternity leave and was due to go back to work soon. I had a lot of questions and important decisions to make and still wasn’t emotionally stable. Do I even want to go back? What about my little girl? She still has so many appointments. How can I possibly leave her with strangers at daycare? How would she ever adjust over there? Would she eat? Would she nap? Would they ever understand her needs? Would she spend all day crying? And how can I go back to a work environment which is known to be so demanding? Would I spend my days struggling at work? Would I ever reach the end of the tunnel? I felt so clueless and had no real answers to any of these questions.

The daycare part was hands down the toughest to think about and find a solution for. The last time I went to work, I was pretty much single. Now I had a family – a baby to dress and feed in the morning before catching my train and somehow making it to work on time. I used to hardly reach my office for 9am, so this new daily routine seemed impossible. (more…)

My CPA Journey – Part 3 of 4 | My Crazy Maternity Leave

….Continued from Part 2

My maternity leave is not a time where I look back and see lots of happy memories. Basically, if you met me around then, you would’ve found me with a tiny baby in my arms, and I would’ve said that life is brutal. It’s unfair. It’s hopeless. And if you’re thinking it was postpartum depression, it really wasn’t. At least I don’t think so. Because I had no time to fall into that kind of depression! As you read on, you’ll see why 🙂

I had wanted to travel as soon as possible after the birth of my daughter to be with my husband, but my daughter was too little and too weak for that. So I decided I’d wait until she was a bit older. But things got complicated in a different way and I found myself in places and situations I could have never imagined. (more…)

Family Room Series – The Walls

This is a sponsored post written in partnership with Canadian Tire. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hi guys!!!

I’m finally starting to work on my basement family room that I’ve been talking about for so long on Instagram! Here’s a couple of before/after shots. What a difference! I mean… does it even look like the same space?! (more…)

Simple & Modern Autumn Decor

Hey guys!

The weather here in Toronto has been unusually warm for the end of September… with heat warnings and all! If you follow me on Instagram, then you know that I even headed to the beach last weekend. But we Canadians know better than to complain about that because it’s going to be -20 degrees before we can say ‘winter’! Point in case – even though the weather has been warm, it hasn’t kept me from getting excited about the beauty of fall. (more…)

My CPA Journey | Part 2 of 4 – From New Graduate to New Mom

Anam meditating at great wall of China

Continued from Part 1

Starting Full-Time Work

I started full time work just as enthusiastically as anyone else. I’d just had an amazing summer after finishing my undergrad at university, with a backpacking trip to China and Southeast Asia. I also tried my hand at cooking for the first time that summer and loved it. Life was amazing!

I was already engaged when I started working full-time. My fiancé lived and studied in Melbourne, Australia. The plan was to have our wedding in Pakistan which is where his and my extended family lived. We wanted to have the wedding sooner than later, so for the first time in my school life, I did something slightly off the beaten path. Unlike most of my peers, I opted out of writing my CPA exams in the first year after university and decided that I would start the exam writing process the following year, after coming back from my wedding. Accounting firms help you prepare for your exams during the first year of work by providing you knowledge refresher classes and some time off for study. They pay for your exams as well, which is great. My firm was very understanding and said no problem – I could write my exams the following year! (more…)