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.
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.
If there’s one thing we’ve been doing more of this month, it’s definitely eating out. Normally, we eat out very rarely, but with our days filled with packing, sorting, organizing, and keeping little hands busy so they’re not digging in already packed boxes, we’ve been giving ourselves a break lately and eating some of our meals out. Not only does mean that I don’t have to cook and that Brad doesn’t have to do dishes, but it also gives us all a much needed break from being indoors.
While we spent Gracen’s first two Canada Days in the Okanagan at the lovely Davison Orchards, today was our first Canada Day in Vancouver as a family of 3. As usual, there is tons of fun, family-friendly stuff happening around our vibrant city, but we decided to spend the day at one of our favourites – Granville Island. We arrived early, while parking still wasn’t an issue, picked up a couple of little treats from the public market, and walked along the boardwalk to the water park and playground. Brad and Grae zoomed down the water slide a few times, Grae got a tattoo and her face painted, and we enjoyed some lunch in the park while taking in some jazz. To say that it was lovely would be an understatement. Here are some photos of our day…
♥
For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.
Gracen has been very anxiously awaiting this day since we first visited the Second Beach playground back in February. From the opposite side of the park, she immediately spotted the seal-shaped water slide in the outdoor pool enclosure and has asked when we’d be able to visit ever since. Sadly, when it opened at the end of May, we had a long bout of rainy, dreary weather, so that prolonged our visit even further… But when we woke up to a gorgeous, sunny day this morning and asked the little lady what she wanted to do, the first thing out of her mouth was “Go to the pool with the seal slide – WOOHOO!” Her fist shot into the air in celebration and our adventure for the day was set.
Surprisingly, the much talked about seal slide was not the hit of the day today… Instead, she was all about this much larger, much faster turtle slide over in the deeper end of the pool. The truth of the matter is that she loved this slide so much that very little swimming actually took place – it was simply slide after slide after slide for pretty much our entire visit, which was totally fine with me. Watching the anticipation as she climbed the steps and the absolute joy as she sped down and splashed into the water melted my heart and filled me with pride. I’m so, so glad our little lady loves water as much as she does.
The only slight downside to our morning was that it was chilly. Very chilly, in fact. Despite the fact that the pool is heated and it truly was a beautiful day, the wind off of the ocean sucked away the warmth and made you shiver the moment your shoulders left the water. And while Grae didn’t seem bothered in the least by it, at a certain point we knew it was time to get out, dry off, and warm up.
But that won’t stop us from returning very soon – Miss G’s already asking when that’ll be!
Second Beach {Outdoor} Pool is located on the west side of Stanley Park. For more information, including schedules and rates, click here.
♥
For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.
The upside to a very rainy June is that we’re crossing things off of our rainy day idea list that I thought we wouldn’t get to do before leaving Vancouver in July. Today, we headed out to UBC to do something we’ve been meaning to do for a long while – attend a drop-in gymnastics session! The class was held in Osborne Centre (where there is plenty of metred parking out front) and was a ton of fun. We walked into a gym filled covered in mats and soft, padded flooring with everything from balance beams to parallel bars, to trampolines, rings, and ropes and Miss G began exploring. Despite her very cautious nature, Grae had a wonderful time and actually asked if we could ‘flip the car around’ and go back to gymnastics while driving home. Sadly, today was the last day of the spring session, and starting July 4th when the summer session begins, drop-ins will be on Thursday nights from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m. only, which really doesn’t work with young kids.
Find out more about UBC Gymnastics drop-ins here.
♥
For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.
This morning we woke to a chilly, grey day and decided to get outside and enjoy the change in temperature. Miss G happily took the opportunity to wear her favourite {giant} purple toque and we headed down to Olympic Village (a.k.a. “Pickle Village”) to explore. We definitely don’t spend as much time in the village as we should considering how lovely it is. With interesting art pieces, a boardwalk lining False Creek, a gorgeous view of downtown, and one of the best natural playgrounds I’ve seen, it’s a great reminder of how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful city. Here are a few snapshots of our morning…
“That’s a really, REALLY big birdie, Mama!”
Enjoying a bread treat and the view.
A kid-operated water feature – a playground favourite!
“Mama, I’m following the water!”
Searching for fish.
♥
For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.
One of our very favourite rainy day spots, the Kerrisdale Play Palace, recently opened for another spring/summer season. It seems to be a bit of a hidden gem because although it does get busy, it never seems busy enough for what it is – a very reasonably priced GIANT indoor play space filled with fun inflatables. Miss G and I went this morning for the first time this season and whoa – did she ever have a blast. While she absolutely loved it last year, this year was even better. A little bit braver and a little bit bigger, she is now able to make her way to the top of all of the inflatables and down all of the slides – even the huge ones. She ran, climbed, and jumped the morning away until her hair was literally wet with sweat and it was time to go home for lunch and a nap. It was a good morning.
The Kerrisdale Play Palace is located at the corner of 41st Avenue and East Boulevard, in the arena directly behind the McDonald’s. When visiting, keep in mind that both you and your little one(s) will need socks and that weekday admission is divided by age groups. For the 2013 schedule and admission fees, click here.
♥
For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.
There’s no doubt that I’m a huge fan of kid-friendly cafés and restaurants. And though a great kid’s menu is a good start, in my opinion, a kid’s play corner of some sort sets a restaurant apart from the rest when it comes to family-friendliness. Needless to say, when I heard that Corduroy, a well-known adult-centred lounge in Kits, had opened its doors for lunch and included a kid’s play area in its weekday plans, I was pretty excited.
Gracen and I headed down to check it out with some friends this morning, and I have to say that I was thoroughly impressed. Firstly, the location is absolutely perfect. Just down the street from Kits Beach, a place we frequent often, it makes for a great lunch spot after a morning of sand and sunshine.
The next thing I noticed was the kid’s menu. Grae and I normally share a dish when we’re out for a meal (partly because one dish is plenty of food for both of us, and partly because usual kid’s menus are filled with deep-fried junk and processed white carbs), but with a menu that includes meals made with wholewheat, organic, and locally-sourced ingredients, I was more than happy to let Miss G order something of her own. She picked the margarita pizza on a wholewheat honey rosemary crust, then was off to play.
The play area, which is right in front of the big open window at the front of the restaurant, was well stocked with a play kitchen and pretend food, a workshop filled with plastic tools, wooden toys and puzzles, board books, mega blocks, and art supplies. The best part, however, is that it’s fully enclosed. No escaping kids here.
Gracen’s food arrived in no time at all, and she dove in immediately. After polishing off her third piece, she paused for a moment and I assumed she’d had her fill. When I went to wipe off her hands and face, she looked at me confused and said, “But Mama, I still have more!” The girl ate six pieces. SIX.
My food was just as good. I ordered the red wine braised organic chicken panini and it was delish. And the green salad? It included dried blueberries, pine nuts, and wild rice. Yum.
After lunch, the kiddos got back to playing while us mamas finished our meals and got to visit a little bit (not easily done when out to lunch with a bunch of toddlers at a normal restaurant).
The entire visit was lovely – the atmosphere, the food, the play area, and the company included! Corduroy is definitely added to our list of go-to kid-friendly restaurants… Now to plan our next visit!
Corduroy is located at 1943 Cornwall Avenue and is open for {kid-friendly} lunch on weekdays from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.
♥
For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.
I can’t even tell you how excited I was to win an annual family pass to Science World from Lisa at The Sprog and VanCity. Knowing that we only have a few months left here in Vancouver, I am absolutely determined to make the most of the pass. (Rainy day? You know where we’ll be. ☺) With our package arriving late yesterday afternoon, we headed off this morning for our first visit to Science World in a long time. G had an absolute blast.
It was also a great spot for me to work on my new personal challenge… using my camera in manual mode only. With Gracen excited as all get out, the first half of our stops being very dark, and the second half being very well lit, there were more than enough challenges to try and work around. Here are a few of my favourite shots…
♥
For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.
Today Miss G and I trudged off the beaten path a little to check out somewhere that’s been on my mental list for a very long while now… Iona Beach. Nestled in a quiet area out beside the Vancouver Airport, Iona Beach is definitely unique. After you pass the farms lining the airport runway, you come to Iona Beach Regional Park, a piece of rural heaven just outside of the city.
Now I must admit that there were some very serious tears when we got out of the car and Miss G realized that this beach was not the awesome playground-having beach she’s used to visiting. Our saving grace, however, was this lookout tower that was cool enough to {at least semi} make up for the disappointment.
While there were tons of swampy beach areas to explore, we opted to head out for a walk on the park’s jetty.
We were definitely the odd ones out in a community of bird watchers and dog walkers (every single person we passed had a dog or binoculars and/or a camera with a giant zoom), but what we really loved was the plane watching! They were amazingly close and basically came one after the next.
The other fascination during our jetty walk was with potato bugs. I’m not sure if Grae has seen these much in the past, but they were plentiful and she certainly loved them.
What I didn’t realize when I suggested we check out the jetty was that it was 4.5 kms long! We made it a couple of kilometres out before Miss G called it quits and asked to turn around. On the way back, there were definitely a few bouts of carrying, several sitting breaks, and even an attempt to crawl ‘because it’s easier for tired legs’. (Note to self: bring the stroller next time!)
Next time the mood strikes to plane watch or take a long walk out into the ocean, we’ll definitely go back. If you’re in the area and want to visit, simply head to the airport, and before arriving to the terminal, take a right onto Templeton… You’ll run right into it!
♥
For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.
There is absolutely no doubt we love our neighbourhood Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. Whether it’s for Mother’s Day lunch, a lunch play date with friends, or an evening workshop that yields an awesome new change, Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. has left us delighted again and again.
Being the uber generous, community-focused company that they are, RMFC invited Miss G and I, along with a pile of our blogger mama and munchkin friends, down to the restaurant for a toddler cooking class this morning. Now while this could be a challenge given our crunchy ‘food philosophy‘ as one of our lovely readers called it, the thing I love most about this place is that their philosophy on food totally jives with ours. Their ingredients are as simple and natural as possible, plus they’re most often organic and/or locally-sourced. Win!
Our morning began with Suzanne, the restaurant’s co-founder and owner, fearlessly leading our kiddos through the process of making their own mango guacamole. What I loved most is that Suz allowed the kids to do the prep work themselves… No watching an adult cook around here! She gave them the tools, modelled the process, and set them free to be the capable little chefs that they are.
Some avocado, mango, lime juice, and fresh herbs later, Gracen and her little friends had a delicious dip for their carrot sticks.
Next up was a simple and much better for you version of lemonade… A bunch of freshly-squeezed lemons, a little pour of pure maple syrup, and a lot of icy cold water and we had a drink that will be perfect for hot summer days.
After that, we made my personal favourite… Suz’s apple pie popcorn (you can see our slightly modified version here). Oh my goodness. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a sweet popcorn nearly as delicious, and Gracen agreed all the way. When it was time to move onto making our pizzas, I basically had to pry her popcorn bowl out of her hands, promising to keep the crumbs for later.
Together, Portia (one of the sweet little ladies belonging to Jessica of North Shore Mama) and Gracen shared the duties of making a pizza from scratch. Grae covered her half in chicken, mango, and cheese, and ate all 3 pieces once out of the oven.
Despite the fact that Grae had had an early morning and had a couple of meltdowns during the workshop, it was such a wonderful morning. Because it’s hard for the combination of friends, cooking, and delicious food to equal anything but wonderful, really.
Once again, we owe Suzanne and Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. a huge thank you for graciously having us all down to experiment and learn. If you’re in Vancouver, or Canmore for that matter, I highly recommend visiting a RMFC location for one of their weekly family pizza nights. I promise it will be a blast, just as I’m sure one of their onsite birthday parties would be.
Also, as a little treat, one of RMFC’s Facebook fans will be chosen at random and given 2 tickets to enjoy their family pizza night! Be sure to ‘like’ their page to qualify.
♥
For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.
This morning, on the final day of Grandma Charlotte’s visit, we headed down to Stanley Park to soak in the sunshine and crisp ocean air… The photos say it themselves, but it was lovely.
File all of these lovely things – cool sunshiny mornings, layers and boots, days with grandmas – under things we’ll miss once back in Kuwait.
♥
For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.
With days as gorgeous as today, there’s no choice but to soak it all in. It was a morning of sand and sunshine at Spanish Banks for us today.
Saturdays don’t come better than this.