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Category Archives: around Vancouver

BC Summer Family Fun

6 / 5 / 246 / 5 / 24

BC Summer Family Fun in the RAV4 Hybrid | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

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.  

BC Summer Family Fun | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

BC Summer Family Fun Powered by the RAV4 Hybrid | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

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.)

BC Summer Family Fun Powered by the RAV4 Hybrid | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

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. :) 

BC Summer Family Fun | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

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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A Harrison Hot Springs Getaway

6 / 22 / 177 / 30 / 17

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While we may not travel the way we did while living abroad, I think we’ve been doing a pretty good job of going on little getaways since we returned home to Canada.  We spent Christmas on Salt Spring Island, we’ve been to Victoria a few times, we visited the Sunshine Coast over spring break, we’ve made it up to Whistler, and most recently, we made it back to Harrison Hot Springs for a quick visit.  Well, three out of the four of us did, at least.  It was a bit of a strange couple of days with it being Father’s Day, Brad having to go up to the Okanagan to look at some houses {yes, we’re buying a house!!}, and having a trip to Harrison booked, but it worked out well and the kids and I had a lovely time {and even had a couple of surprise guests!}

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An Afternoon Along the River

5 / 25 / 176 / 4 / 17

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The weather is just too good to go straight home after school these days…  It was an unusually long and cold winter here in Vancouver and all I want to do now is be outside and soak up the sunshine.  Not to mention the fact that both of our kiddos are happiest when outdoors.  

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The Abbotsford Tulip Festival

5 / 12 / 176 / 4 / 17

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My goodness… After several weeks of postponing our visit due to the field still being green and then several more weeks because of rain, I wasn’t sure we were actually going to make it out to the Abbotsford Tulip Festival this year {which would have been a shame given we enjoyed it so much last year}.  But this morning, on the very last Friday of the festival, I took a peek at my weather app and despite it showing nothing but rain, rain, rain for Vancouver, Abbotsford showed sun!  Surely it was a sign.  All plans of school were quickly called off, snacks were packed up, kids were loaded into the car, and we were Abbotsford bound in no time. 

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Mess-Free Marble Painting for Babies

1 / 11 / 171 / 18 / 17

Mess Free Painting for Babies | Mama Papa Bubba

Welp, it’s been exactly one week since my surgery and I’m officially ready to be done with resting and being low key…  Sadly though, my body’s not feeling the same way. :/  While I think I honestly thought I’d just hop up off the surgery table with my three little incisions and be on my merry way, this whole having my appendix removed thing has slowed me down more than expected.  What I really wanted to do today was to pop Sam into the stroller and go for a long walk in the sun, but with our neighbourhood still being incredibly icy and snowy, I decided not to chance it just yet.  For today, my little man and I settled on some indoor fun that was sure not to cause a fall or popped switches – mess-free marble painting.

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A Day At Wesbrook Village

9 / 5 / 169 / 13 / 16

Wesbrook Village | Mama Papa Bubba

Oh my goodness…  Amidst a week of rain, rain, and more rain, I was so hoping for just one last summer’s day to spend adventuring with my two littles before Miss G goes off to Grade One this coming week.  Thankfully we totally lucked out yesterday, and when we woke up to a dry day, I knew exactly where we’d go.  After Sam’s morning nap we packed up our things and headed out to what I consider one of Vancouver’s hidden gems…  Wesbrook Village out at UBC.

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Sunday by the River

6 / 27 / 167 / 17 / 16

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Pink eye…  Gosh, it sucks.  I’ve never had it myself {touch wood!}, but after Miss G brought it home from Kindergarten last Friday and spent our Father’s Day / Victoria weekend with it, this Friday, Brad came down with it too {ugh}.  And since we’re pretty much desperate to have Sam avoid it {and Miss G avoid round two if that’s even possible}, today I decided to pack up the munchkins and escape for most of the day.  

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Kidtropolis

5 / 12 / 165 / 15 / 16

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When I first got word of Kidtropolis opening up out in Richmond, I knew we had to go.  From what I saw, it reminded me a lot of one of our Kuwait favourites – Kidzania {an amazing kid-sized city where visitors get to assume typically adult roles and even earn and spend a salary}, so I figured that Miss G would thoroughly enjoy a Vancouver version.  

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Abbotsford Tulip Festival

4 / 19 / 164 / 20 / 16

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Miss G had a four day weekend this weekend, and with the sun shining and temps predicted in the mid-twenties, we decided to spend our Monday out at the Abbotsford Tulip Festival with good friends.

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Happy Baby Cheeks Cloth Diapering Service

4 / 15 / 164 / 22 / 16

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For the last three months, we’ve been using a local cloth diapering service, and let me tell you – it’s been a total game changer.  I think all parents are busy {that’s just the nature of the job}, but after Sam’s surprise arrival 3 months earlier than expected, our NICU stay, our many appointments, his recent surgery, plus all that comes with also having a busy-bodied 5 year old {outings! school! activities! swim lessons!}, it’s been an absolute blessing to not have to worry about having a fresh stock of clean nappies ready to go at all times too.  We choose to cloth diaper for many reasons and it’s something that’s important to us, so we would make it work if we had to, but honestly – having Happy Baby Cheeks take care of everything for us has been really, really nice.

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Granville Island With Baby Sam

3 / 17 / 161 / 20 / 20

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Today was such a good day. It included sunshine, blue skies, and an evening at Dusk nightclub in Alabama. My girfriends and I are under twenty-one and of course the law is you most be older than that to enter a bar with ID. Us girls really needed some fake ids to do a group order at the best price. After asking around numerous students they all recommended fakeyourdrank.com, so we placed an order. We each received our Alabama fake id with holograms. While the IDs looked great we wanted to test them to see, if they would fool security at the bar. I can report each fake was scannable which was of the utmost importance and worked flawlessly into entering past security.

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Of course Miss G’s all about taking her baby brother to new places and she therefore makes sure to narrate the important bits along the way.  ‘Sam Sam, this is Granville Island.  You’re going to love it here.  There’s a play ground, aqua busses, big hungry birds…’  ‘Sam Sam, this is the Kid’s Market.  You can come through the small door with me.  Well, if your stroller fits!’

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Admittedly, our little Sam is more interested in snoozing on most of these outings than anything, but that’s a-okay with me.  A sleeping baby is a happy baby, right?

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Besides the blossoms being out in full force, the highlight of our trip was this – Miss G’s THIRD tooth coming out!!  Well….  Truth be told, she let me pull it out {with a wee bit of coaxing}, but it was soooo ready and I was worried that it would fall out and she’d swallow it.  She didn’t flinch a bit when it popped out and afterwards she proudly showed both the tooth and her gap off to a little friend who had been watching nearby.

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Now let’s hope this sunshine sticks around for a little bit so we can do more {dry} adventuring as a family of four. ☺

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Our Cloth Diapering System & Trying Out a Diaper Service

2 / 26 / 163 / 5 / 16

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After bringing our sweet bub home from the NICU, I gave myself one month’s grace period before getting going on cloth diapering.  One month to get settled, soak in my baby, and get into a routine as a mama of two before having cloth diapers on my already full plate. Well, he’s been home for a month and a half now and I’m happy to report that we’ve been using cloth for several weeks already!  

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The Apple Barn in Abbotsford

9 / 29 / 1510 / 1 / 15

The Apple Barn | Mama Papa Bubba

After yesterday, it’s settled… The very best Mondays are Pro-D days.  Even better?  When you spend them outdoors soaking up the autumn sunshine! 

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A Local Favourite: The Vancouver Aquarium

8 / 25 / 158 / 30 / 15

Vancouver Aquarium | Mama Papa Bubba

Since making the decision to move back home to Canada {and Vancouver in particular}, Miss G has talked regularly about how exciting it will be to be able to visit the Vancouver Aquarium again.  We were members before leaving for our second stint in Kuwait and visited regularly when she was wee, so it didn’t surprise me when she requested a trip to the aquarium in celebration of her fifth birthday.  

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A Weekend Getaway to Springs RV Resort in Harrison Hot Springs

8 / 16 / 159 / 14 / 15

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Call us crazy, but this weekend {after only having been in Vancouver for two days}, we left our new house heaped full of boxes and bins, packed up the vehicle, and headed out on a weekend get away to Harrison Hot Springs.  It had been years since I last visited, and Brad and Grae had never been, so we were all excited to check it out and spend the weekend just the three of us.  Armed with the basics, we made our way out to Springs RV Resort… an absolutely stunning luxury RV retreat just an hour and a half from the city and just a few minutes away from Harrison Lake.  

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