If you follow along over on Instagram or Facebook, you know I’ve been lucky enough to work with Toyota Pacific for the last several years and they’ve generously sponsored this post. We have a fantastic giveaway happening right now, so be sure to read all the way to the end for all of the details and how to enter.
Summertime is quickly approaching and I’m not sure we’ve ever looked forward to a summer more than this one. We’ve even gone as far as eagerly naming it “The Summer of ALLLL the Fun”. (Okay, so maybe that’s just me, but I’m beyond ready for fewer commitments, lighter loads, some serious fun with my kids, and more than anything, for Grae to be done with online school. Because it’s been a yeeeeeaaar.)
This summer will be our FIFTH summer with my RAV4, and I’m so, so thankful we own a hybrid that allows us to road trip all summer long without giving much, if any, thought to the cost – even when fuel prices are as high as they have been recently.
If you’re new new to the RAV4 Hybrid, I really can’t say enough good things… It’s an all wheel drive compact crossover SUV that has two electric motors and a regenerative breaking system in addition to a 2.5L four-cylinder engine. (Which basically means you get the perks of electric engines, without ever having to plug it in.) It’s reliable, comfortable, safe, and super peppy and fun to drive, all of which has contributed to it being one of Canada’s best selling vehicles, I’m sure. To boot? It’s super family-friendly, if fits the four of us and all of our stuff easily, and the fuel economy?? EXCELLENT. Since buying our RAV4 Hybrid, my fuel costs have gone down by more than 65%. (Seriously.)
This summer’s plan involves packing up the vehicle and road tripping to all kinds of fun right here in BC… And we’re going BIG! We have nothing set in stone just yet, but we’ve been brainstorming and I think the kids really want to hit up some local attractions that we wouldn’t usually do, which is a-okay with me this time around. Here’s some of the summer fun currently on our list and I’m happily taking suggestions, so if there’s something your family loves to do in BC during the summer, I’m all ears!
Splash BC Water Wibit in Penticton – Have you seen these before?! Wibits are essentially giant playgrounds on the water that include climbing walls, monkey bars, slides, trampolines, and obstacle courses. I’m pretty sure everyone 5 years old and up is welcome to enjoy them so long as they’re wearing a life jacket and they look like a ridiculous amount of fun. The one is Penticton is at the top of our list because it’s right off of the lakefront boardwalk lined with shops, including the cutest ever ice cream stop, Cherry On Top Shake Shop. Loco Landing is also right nearby, which I’ve also heard is great fun!
Cultus Lake Water Park & Adventure Park – A theme park filled with rides, an arcade, and mini golf plus BC’s largest waterpark right across the road from one another? Sounds like the things my kids’ dreams are made of! We have friends who go every single year and honestly the way they talk about it makes it sound like a local version of Disneyland – they love it that much. Apparently there are really great vacation rentals nearby and I hear that the camping options are excellent too.
Wild Play in Victoria – An outdoor adventure in the trees for the whole family? Yes please! Imagine platforms well above your head, ziplines through the trees, giant swings, suspended ladders, bridges, nets, tightropes, and obstacle courses all with the safety tethers and harnesses. The Victoria location is at the top of our list because we LOVE the island and haven’t visited Victoria in years, plus one of our very favourite family-friendly hotels, Hotel Zed, it just 10 minutes away. If you’ve never been, Hotel Zed is the absolute best – all of their locations include fun extras like free bike and roller skate rentals and the retro vibes are beyond cool. The Kelowna location has a huge games room and karaoke room and the Tofino location has epic outdoor games and a SECRET arcade room!!!
Granville Island & Olympic Village in Vancouver – This is one of our many favourite Vancouver adventures and we do it so often that I feel like we’ve got it down, so I’ll share exactly what we do. Park in Olympic Village, wander through Hinge Park and Habitat Island, along the water to Science World and the incredible playground in Creekside Park. If you have a membership, pop into Science World, let the kids explore for a little bit, then take an Aquabus over to Granville Island. Here, wander the public market, pick up some fresh fruit, bagels with cream cheese, and an iced coffee (always coffee) then walk along the boardwalk, in front of the Sea Village and all the way around to the playground and water park. If you have time and energy for anything more, pop into the Kids Market before hopping onto an Aquabus and heading back to Olympic Village. Depending on the day, finish the adventure off with ice cream from the nearby Earnest Ice Cream location (you won’t be disappointed).
Whistler Village – Okay, so this one is a bit of a different pace, but we haven’t been up to Whistler as a family since Sam was a newborn and I’ve been just itching to go. There’s no one main attraction we’d like to hit up per se, but I’d love to do all of the usual things… Ride the Peak 2 Peak Gondola, hike the Lost Lake Nature Trail while listening to the accompanying audio tour, do the village scavenger hunt put on by Whistler Tourism, find the infamous train wreck, and visit all of the restaurants and shops in the village. If you’ve not been to Whistler in the summertime, it’s a must.
Of course we’re hoping for some time at the cabin too, but it doesn’t count because Point Roberts is technically part of the USA. :)
We’ll see how much of our list we actually end up doing, but it’s starting to sound like a pretty great summer, isn’t it? (I’m also REALLY hoping for a short Scandinave Spa trip with my girlfriends too, so fingers crossed for that!)
And while all of these things cost money to visit, the good news is that getting there won’t cost us much. Our usual trip from the North Okanagan down to Vancouver costs less than $45 in fuel, which you really can’t complain about.
If you’re in the market for a new family-friendly, affordable-to-drive vehicle, I can’t recommend the RAV4 Hybrid enough AND if you’re going to be in BC this summer, you’re in luck because we’re giving away seasons passes to WildPlay Element Parks for you and the family courtesy of Toyota Pacific and WildPlay Element Parks. The grand prize includes 2 adult and 2 kids seasons passes for B.C. locations.
Click this link to enter. This contest is open to those 19+ in BC and the Yukon and closes on Contest at 5 p.m. PDT on June 24, 2024 . Good luck, friends!! ❤️
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What’s even better than learning about a new way to save money? Coupons.com is giving one lucky Mama.Papa.Bubba. reader the chance to stretch their purchasing power with a $50 e-gift card to The Children’s Place! Want to see how many cute items you can purchase for your little one with just $50? Here’s your chance!
If you haven’t already entered to win a Just: Be session of your own, and you live in the Greater Vancouver area, visit 
Amy’s Just: Be sessions are designed to capture the love between a parent and child while they are connecting, bonding, and ‘just being’ together… which I adore. Before the shoot, Amy sends out a questionnaire which helps her design a personalized session, just for you. From the colour that best represents Grae to why I’m most proud of her, the questions definitely made me think. In a good way. 
When we arrived to her studio, Amy had caffine-free cookie dough tea waiting for us, which immediately won over the little miss. Grae had been up extra early that morning and it was very near nap time, but Amy was incredibly patient and creative with the ways she engaged her. The shoot itself was laid-back and short, which is any toddler mama’s dream.
When I received our images from the session, I was blown away. They perfectly capture the simple, raw moments of being Gracen’s mama that I never want to forget. They’re soft, honest, and unposed, and truly allow our personalities to shine through. Without a doubt, these images will forever be cherished. 
Last month, Gracen and I were lucky enough to receive a discovery kit from 
Gracen was thrilled to receive a bright and beautiful package full of fun goodies and I was thrilled with how quickly it arrived and how professional the package looked.
Sparked discovery kits come with everything you need to complete several projects right there inside the box – markers, paper, pencils and instructions included! Our kit was pirate-themed and came with four easy activities… A folded paper pirate hat to make, a wooden treasure chest to decorate, a treasure map to create, and a popsicle stick parrot puppet to assemble.
Grae was super excited to get started and chose to make the paper pirate hat first (talk about taking me back to my childhood!)
Though the finished product wouldn’t quite stay on her head, for us, projects like these are all about the process. We spent time together, we worked as a team, and we had fun together, and that’s what’s important. If we wanted to, we could attach some sort of elastic easily enough and add the hat to her 
Next up, Gracen chose to decorate her treasure box. At first she began adding splashes of colour here and there and then she requested that I draw some shapes for her to colour in. She thought decorating a wooden box was a blast and I loved that Sparked had included high-quality crafting products for us to use.
While we haven’t had a chance to make our treasure map yet, there are already plenty of things I love about Sparked Kids Crafts…
After our recent 
What I just learned about Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company, and didn’t know before is that they do all kinds of fun special events. Some, like their family nights, date nights, and pizza making nights happen on a weekly basis, and others, like the 
Earlier this week, Miss G and I were invited to one of our neighbourhood grocery stores to find out more about a new online resource recently launched by 
During our tour, Melodie shared many of these useful tips with us, and though they weren’t completely new, they were great reminders. Here are some of my favourites: 
Melodie also introduced us to one of my favourite parts of 
While I found the whole event very interesting, I must admit this little monkey was slightly less enthused… I managed to keep her happy for most of the trip with a mini colouring pad, healthy snacks (avocado! clementines! tofu cubes! 
Today Gracen and I were lucky enough to be invited to check out Family Day at the 
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, 
One of the highlights was definitely having Miss G’s face painted by 
Congratulations, Caro! I’ll be sending you an email shortly with all of the details. To everyone else, thank you so much for entering! I truly wish I could give each of you the gift of a photo shoot with Bethany because I sincerely think she is that good. But because I can’t, please stay tuned to my