Brrrrr! This morning we bundled up and headed down to Second Beach in Stanley Park to enjoy the sunshine. It was absolutely freezing and the wind was so strong that my ears felt like they were on fire from the cold, but Miss G didn’t mind one bit. She had two new playgrounds to explore and discover, plus many, many warm layers, so the cold was the last of her worries.
Here’s our morning in photographs…
Bundled up for the cold.
Super excited.
‘I thought we were just having a leisurely swing, Papa?’
‘Everyone hold on!’
Mama and G.
Slide race!
The perfect hiding spot.
Moccasin feet.
‘Uh, Papa? What are you doing?’
Wheeeee!
♥
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Today Gracen and I were lucky enough to be invited to check out Family Day at the BC Home & Garden Show at BC Place. Admittedly, we didn’t spend a whole lot of time browsing what most people come to the show to see (the home and garden exhibits obviously), but we definitely would have spent a whole lot more time down there if a) we owned a home and b) if we didn’t have plans to move overseas come August. From spa pools to lane way homes to landscaping and cleaning products, every topic pertaining to home owning/renovation/care was covered.
Where we spent most of our time was in the Kid Zone, set up especially for Family Day. Gracen had a wonderful time roaming around visiting all of the booths and was thrilled to see her favourite ever photographer, Bethany, from Images by Bethany at the Vancouvermom.ca booth. Bethany took some photos of her in front of a rainy day backdrop which are bound to be gorgeous, so I’ll be sure to share them when we get them back. Along the way, we picked up some Monkey Toast, learned about Kibooco, and did a little project at Beesafe.
One of the highlights was definitely having Miss G’s face painted by Kristal of Faceaballoonza. Grae selected a turtle and Kristal decorated her face with this gorgeously elaborate turtle painting in two minutes flat.
The BC Home & Garden Show continues tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday (22nd – 24th) and they’ve generously given us two tickets adult tickets (a $30 value) to giveaway! Kids 12 and under get in for free, so this means the whole family can attend.
This is a FLASH giveaway, so get your entries in now! A winner will be chosen at random tomorrow evening (Friday, the 22nd) at 5:00 p.m. PST. There are multiple ways to enter, so please be sure to leave a separate comment for each.
To enter to win TWO complimentary tickets to the BC Home & Garden Show (taking place in Vancouver, BC this weekend):
Leave a comment below telling me one thing you’d love to update or change in your home.
For additional chances to win:
–> ‘Like’ Mama.Papa.Bubba. on Facebook, then come back and leave a second separate comment saying you did so (or that you had previously).
–> Follow @jkossowan on Twitter, then come back and leave a separate comment saying you did so.
–> Tweet about the giveaway and leave an additional separate comment saying you did so.
Don’t forget to leave your email address! The winner will be announced on Friday the 22nd on the Mama.Papa.Bubba Facebook page and will be contacted via email. Good luck!!
♥
For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.
Since being selected as one of Vancouvermom.ca’s Top 30 Mom Bloggers, I’ve gotten to know some really incredible and inspiring local ladies. Over the course of the last several months, we’ve turned to one another for advice and support time and again, and have become fast friends because of it all. I’m beyond grateful to be part of such a wonderful bunch of mamas, and it goes without saying that I will miss them dearly while away in Kuwait.
Today Miss G and I were lucky enough to meet up with several of my lovely blogger friends – Tairalyn of Little Miss Mama, Amy of The Connection We Share, and Erin of Erin at Large – as well as their adorable munchkins for a Granville Island play date. The weather wasn’t completely on our side, but the company certainly made up for it.
♥
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After a morning downtown and a nap at home, we headed down to the River District to finish off the day with one last dose of fresh air. Tricycle riding, dog watching, playground jumping ensued, and quacking at ducks ensued.
♥
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This morning as we were having our usual wake up cuddle in the ‘big bed’, Grae poked her head through the curtains, turned to me with big eyes, and exclaimed, “Mama, it’s a SUNNY day today!” Then she immediately asked to go to the beach. I explained that it was Thursday morning, which is our usual Strong Start day, then let her know that she could make the decision. She thought about it a moment and said, “Mama, we go to the beach instead of school. We walk…. We play… We see birdies… We see the ocean… aaaaaand… we get hot drinks!” So the beach it was.
Some days are just too beautiful to spend indoors, even if it is at school… (Shhh… Don’t tell.)
♥
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Ahhh… Is there anything better than starting off the day with a good walk and a generous dose of crisp air? A new goal of mine is to explore places around our beautiful city that we don’t usually venture out to. So today, the three of us headed out, walked the seawall along Beach Avenue (stopping to visit the inukshuk and explore the beach), and visited a new-to-us park. It was a perfect way to start a Sunday.
♥
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I don’t know what it is, but I’ve hit a major lucky streak recently. I swear I’ve rarely won anything in my entire life, and throughout the last few months, I’ve won a conference ticket, photo book credit, and most recently, a giveaway from Kidsvancouver.com (an awesome online resource for Lower Mainland families – check it out if you haven’t already!) My prize? A family pack of tickets to North Pole BC, operating up at Maplewood Farm this year. We were very excited to check it out, and luckily the weather cooperated quite nicely for us.
Our evening consisted of story time with Mrs. Claus, a personal visit and photo with Santa, a stop by the North Pole post office, a visit to Santa’s toy workshop, and a quick stop at elf school. Here is our night in photos…
Waiting patiently for the action to begin.
Story time with Mrs. Claus.
A visit to Santa.
Lovely horses in the post office.
Santa’s toy workshop.
Elf school in the barn.
Goofy Gracen and Papa.
Overall, Gracen had a really good time. Each element was done nicely and the elves and other staff members were all really lovely. Did it feel like we were visiting the North Pole? Well, not really… But I blame that partly on the lack of snow. The event is a little pricey (everyone 18 months and up pays between $15 and $20 admission, depending on when you go), but you certainly can’t complain when you’ve won your tickets!
Today we woke up to the first dry morning we’ve had in days… So though we already had plans for a lovely indoor day, we put them on hold, layered up, and headed down to the beach for a morning of fresh ocean air. It’s been quite a while since our last beach day, but our routine little lady didn’t skip a beat. Our visit went as all of them do – playground time, a walk to Starbucks for a hot drink, actual beach time to collect treasures in the sand and dip our toes in the ocean, and then back to the playground for a second round of play before heading home for lunch and a nap.
Here is our morning in photos…
Uncovering treasures in the sand pit.
Cashews and a steamed milk while making friends through the window.
Driftwood collector.
“Mama takes a picture of Grae!”
“A little bit farther?”
Running from waves.
“Here birdie. Have dis green leaf.”
Sand drawings.
Water watching.
Admiring our autumn-coloured city.
Hand wash.
“No almost time for home. Grae Grae naps on the log!”
“It’s cooooooomforble, Mama.”
Suddenly she can do this.
“Spin it, Mama! Spin it!”
Little adventurer. (She climbed to the very top of this play structure and went down the giant tube slide all by herself. THREE times.)
Though we had a particularly dry summer / early fall, the rain has officially made its way to Vancouver and it looks like it’s here to stay. It’s the time of year when park visits, beach days, and walks around the neighbourhood beg to be broken up by time spent in the warm, cozy indoors, and preferably not always in your own home. With the amount of rain we get here on the coast, coming up with new, fun ways to spend your days with little ones isn’t always easy. And though we’ve found many favourite indoor spots around our lovely city (the aquarium, Coquitlam’s Kinder Cafe, The Outpost Cafe, the many indoor pools, the airport’s public viewing area, play gyms, the Bloedel Conservatory, Science World, the local libraries and story times…) it’s always nice to add another spot to the rainy day list.
I originally learned about SweetSalt Baked Goods and Playscapes on yoyomama.ca and couldn’t have been more excited to visit. Authentic German baked goods {all made with local organic flour}, hot drinks, a play area for munchkins all in a stroller-friendly shop? Yes please. So this afternoon, with the rain doing what it does best, we made our way down Fraser Street to check it out.
Located on the corner of Fraser and 19th (not far from our other munckin-friendly cafe, The Outpost), SweetSalt is super bright and inviting, even on the gloomiest of days. We ordered some hot drinks, a couple of baked treats, and settled in.
The coffee was strong, the pretzels were exactly as they should be, and Brad’s hot chocolate was ridiculously large and served in a beautiful bowl (we also ordered a cinnamon bun, but it disappeared so quickly that I didn’t manage to get a bite… I take it it was delicious).
The cafe, though beautifully decorated, maintains a very laid-back vibe, making parents visiting with children feel completely at ease. Gracen (along with two other little ones at the cafe at the time), played freely in the kids’ corner, made her way back to our table for a bite of pretzel now and then, and then back again for more fun and at no point did we feel like she was in the way or bothering other patrons. The play area was fully stocked with a mini kitchen, cooking tools, a chalkboard-topped table, colouring pages and crayons, wooden building blocks, nesting cups, and toy trucks, which was perfect for keeping our little lady happily busy for our entire visit. And though we didn’t bring ours in, there was plenty of aisle space for strollers, not to mention a big bathroom, complete with stroller space, a change table, a step stool for hand washing, and possibly the most adorable alphabet-cards-turned-wall-art I’ve ever seen.
On the way out, the super sweet owner, who is also a local mom, sent us on our way with a loaf of pumpkin seed bread and this adorable little dragon-shaped chocolate chip pastry (we visited just before closing on a Saturday) and both were absolutely delicious. So delicious, in fact, that we may have to make a weekly trip just for the bread alone.
♥
SweetSalt is located at 3497 Fraser Street and is open Tuesday to Saturday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Take a look at their amazing space & baked goods by joining them on Facebookhere.
Though we had a particularly dry summer / early fall, the rain has officially made its way to Vancouver and it looks like it’s here to stay. It’s the time of year when park visits, beach days, and walks around the neighbourhood beg to be broken up by time spent in the warm, cozy indoors, and preferably not always in your own home. With the amount of rain we get here on the coast, coming up with new, fun ways to spend your days with little ones isn’t always easy. And though we’ve found many favourite indoor spots around our big lovely city (the aquarium, Coquitlam’s Kinder Cafe, The Outpost Cafe, the many indoor pools, the airport’s public viewing area, play gyms, the Bloedel Conservatory, Science World, the local libraries and story times…) it’s always nice to add another spot to the rainy day list.
I originally learned about SweetSalt Baked Goods and Playscapes on yoyomama.ca and couldn’t have been more excited to visit. Authentic German baked goods {all made with local organic flour}, hot drinks, a play area for munchkins all in a stroller-friendly shop? Yes please. So this afternoon, with the rain doing what it does best, we made our way down Fraser Street to check it out.
Located on the corner of Fraser and 19th (not far from our other munckin-friendly cafe, The Outpost), SweetSalt is super bright and inviting, even on the gloomiest of days. We ordered some hot drinks, a couple of baked treats, and settled in.
The coffee was strong, the pretzels were exactly as they should be, and Brad’s hot chocolate was ridiculously large and serve in a beautiful bowl (we also ordered a cinnamon bun, but it disappeared so quickly that I didn’t manage to get a bite… I take it it was delicious).
The cafe, though beautifully decorated, maintains a very laid-back vibe, making parents visiting with children feel completely at ease. Gracen (along with two other little ones at the cafe at the time), played freely in the kids’ corner, made her way back to our table for a bite of pretzel now and then, and then back again for more fun and at no point did we feel like she was in the way or bothering other patrons. The play area was fully stocked with a mini kitchen, cooking tools, a chalkboard-topped table, colouring pages and crayons, wooden building blocks, nesting cups, and toy trucks, which was perfect for keeping our little lady happily busy for our entire visit. And though we didn’t bring ours in, there was plenty of aisle space for strollers, not to mention a big bathroom, complete with stroller space, a change table, a step stool for hand washing, and possibly the most adorable alphabet cards turned wall art I’ve ever seen.
On the way out, the super sweet owner, who is also a local mom, sent us on our way with a loaf of pumpkin seed bread and this adorable little dragon-shaped chocolate chip pastry (we visited just before closing on a Saturday) and both were absolutely delicious. So delicious, in fact, that we may have to make a weekly trip just for the bread alone.
♥
SweetSalt is located at 3497 Fraser Street and is open Tuesday to Saturday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Take a look at their amazing space & baked goods by joining them on Facebookhere.
This morning we headed downtown to the quintessential Seattle destination… Pike Place Market. I’ve always loved strolling slowly through the market and out onto the nearby streets, and I knew Gracen would too. Live music, flowers, fresh treats, and flying fish… What’s not to love?
Here’s our morning in photos…
Topping the favourites list? Watching fresh fish fly through the air to slippery-handed market visitors was without a doubt her favourite, and coming in a close second? Devouring the roasted nuts she was more than willing to be strapped into her stroller in order to eat.