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Tag Archives: giveaway

The Best Tips for Taking Road Trips With Kids (& a GIVEAWAY!)

8 / 23 / 228 / 23 / 22

The Best Tips for Taking Road Trips With Kids | Mama Papa Bubba

We’ve always loved a good road trip, but over the last couple of years we’ve done more road tripping than usual and it’s been so, so wonderful. If you follow along over on Instagram or Facebook, you know I’ve been lucky enough to work with Toyota Pacific for the last few years and upgrading to a new Toyota RAV4 Hybrid has definitely taken our road trip game to the next level. It’s by far the most reliable, efficient, and safe vehicle I’ve ever owned and it feels SO good knowing that everything is just going to work while we’re on the road.  Also, the fact that it’s a hybrid has made road trips significantly more affordable, which is a massive plus given the current cost of fuel.  Some of my favourite road trip features? Dynamic radar cruise control (seriously so helpful), rain sensing wipers (the best), lane departure alert (safety!), and the digital rear view mirror (perhaps my most loved feature).  Toyota Pacific has generously sponsored this post, as well as an incredible giveaway to help out with your next road trip, so be sure to read all the way to the end for details on how to enter. 

We’ve road tripped A LOT with our two kids and I must say – we’ve become pretty darn good at it!  After YEARS of road tripping with kids, very often as the solo parent and driver, I’ve learned exactly what needs to happen for happy, low-stress road trips.  Here are my best tips for taking road trips with kids…

Best Tips for Road Tripping With Kids | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Clean out the vehicle beforehand – If you want to start your road trip off on the right foot, this is where to start.  A clean vehicle with all of the extra stuff taken out makes SUCH a difference for me.  The night before we head out on a road trip, I wash and chamois my vehicle, take all of the garbage and extra stuff out, then vacuum the carpets and give everything a wipe down.  While I’m out I also stop and top up both fuel and washer fluid if needed.  Then when morning comes and you’re ready to head out, you’re actually ready to head out – no stops needed.

Best Tips for Road Tripping With Kids | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Pack lightly – I’m all about thinking ahead and having everything you’ll need, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned through all of the travel we’ve been lucky enough to do is that when it comes to STUFF, less is more.  Too much usually just equals chaos in my opinion, and in a vehicle that stuff can very quickly end up sprawled out EVERYWHERE.  We always try to bring one suitcase for the family and if we’re going to be gone a while, we only pack clothes for half of the days we’ll be away with the plan of washing them part way through.  Each kid gets to bring one small backpack filled with things to occupy them, and that’s it.  If it doesn’t fit, it generally doesn’t come.

Best Tips for Road Tripping With Kids | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Prepare an activity kit – Okay, so on top of backpacks filled with their personal belongings, I always keep an organizer filled with car-friendly activities in the backseat.  These are generally things that are quiet, low-mess, and reusable or usable for long periods of time.  Think sketchbooks with pencils and twistable crayons, sticker activities books, road trip bingo games, magic marker activity books, pen and paper game pads, paint-by-sticker books, and notepads with colourful pens… Nothing with itty bitty pieces or caps that can be lost in the shuffle.  Before a road trip I’ll often clean up our organizer and switch out a couple of activities or add something new.  Happily engaged kids make for easier road trips.

Bring books – This is a MUST for us being that our kids are such big book lovers.  We pack them along in their backpacks and both kids spend a good amount of our road trips reading and flipping through books. Choosing good ones – books that’ll keep their interest for a long while – is something I often help them with.  For Gracen, my veracious reader, lengthy novels with storylines that really pique her interest do the trick.  For Sam, reference-style books with lots of illustrations that he can flip back and forth in without having to be able to read all of the text are best. If we’re headed to the ocean, we’ll often bring an ocean anatomy book.  If we’re headed to the mountains, we might bring a nature anatomy book… Something that will spark conversation and be useful while at our destination too.  That being said, any book with lots of detailed illustrations, bits of info, flaps with hidden things underneath, etc. are usually a big hit.

Best Tips for Road Tripping With Kids | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Pack along a meal – So I know that there’s already SO much to do the night before a road trip, but I promise – if you’re able to make time to pack a couple of bento boxes and a few snacks, it’ll make for smooth sailing the next day.  I always do our usual snacky lunch and focus on nutritious, easy-to-enjoy-in-a-moving-vehicle foods.  All things the kids like – no spoons or forks required.  Having a lunch packed and ready to go means that you’re prepared for whenever the kids are hungry and rather than trying to scout out a suitable option somewhere along the highway, you already have what you need and can just pass the bento boxes into the back seat.

Have a front seat basket – Speaking of bento boxes, I always keep a basket in the passenger seat that contains everything we’ll need during the trip.  Lunches, my purse, our reusable water bottles, my reusable coffee cup, extra snacks, and anything else we may need.  This makes them easily accessible, but tucked out of the way until they’re needed.  One thing I try to keep in mind here (and when packing for a road trip in general) is that anything that’s loose in your vehicle has the potential to become a projectile in an accident. I try to keep things light and secured down as much as possible, but water bottles are definitely tricky.

Best Tips for Road Tripping With Kids | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Make time for stops – My number one tip for happy, low-stress road trips with kids… Don’t rush the trip. Plan for it to take a couple of hours longer than it “should”, make peace with that, and then make stops along the way. Let the kids out to stretch their legs.  Stop at that beautiful roadside pull out.  Visit the cute cafe in the little town you’re passing through.  It’s so tempting to try and power through to your destination and make it there as quickly as possible, but for us, all that usually results in is stressed out parents and unhappy kids. Not worth it.  Everyone seems to be happier and more chill when there’s no pressure to arrive in record time.

Best Tips for Road Tripping With Kids | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Bring thin blankets – You know those muslin blankets you have stashed away from when your kids were babies?  They’re perfect for road trips.  I actually learned this tip from my friend Lizzie and we’ve brought them along with us on our travels ever since.  They’re super lightweight and fold up small, so they’re easy to pack along, but also, they’re good for allllll of the things.  Use them for some extra warmth and coziness in the car, but also as a neck pillow, a sun shade, and a picnic blanket on your stop.  They’re very multi-purpose and great to have on hand.

Pack along old phones + headphones – My secret travel weapon.  We generally go fairly low tech when road tripping (just my preference – nothing wrong with doing it differently!), but old phones / iPods loaded with the kids’ favourite songs and audio books?  LIFE SAVERS.  I don’t pull them out until I need to, but in those final hours of a15 hour trip? Or on those days when you just can’t muster up the energy to answer question number 567?  They’re the best.  The kids love getting to use them and total silence on a long trip, even if it’s just for a short while, can be just what you need.

Well, that’s them!!  What would you add?  Do you have a tried and true road trip tip that makes travelling with kids easier or more stress-free?  I’d love to hear if so!

Best Tips for Road Tripping With Kids | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

ALSO – do you have a road trip planned this fall?  Because Toyota Pacific has generously offered to fund one lucky winner’s next road trip with a $500 prepaid Visa card to help fuel all the fun!  (Doesn’t get much better than having your adventures paid for, does it?!)  You can enter for your chance to win here:

ENTER TO WIN A $500 PREPAID VISA GIFT CARD HERE

Contest closes at 5:00 p.m. PST on September 12, 2022. Retail value: $500.00 CDN. Must be 19+ and reside in BC or the Yukon to enter.  Winner will be drawn at random at or around 9 A.M. on Tuesday, September 13, 2022 and will be announced here and via Instagram.

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We’d love to have you!

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Bundled at the Beach {& a Giveaway!}

1 / 24 / 142 / 3 / 14

IMG 5592

It’s only January and we’re already starting to feel the summer heat sneaking in…  Ack.  I’m not ready.  Jackets are becoming less needed, boots are starting to seem silly, and sandals are pretty much already acceptable {in fact I think there are several people who never gave up wearing them all winter long}. Buuut, if you sneak down to the oceanside early enough, the wind blows strong and the air is crisp.

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A Mini Shopping Spree for Miss G {With the Help of Coupons.com}

6 / 18 / 136 / 18 / 13

Like I mentioned in our first ever Small Style post, we almost never buy clothes for Miss G at regular price.  I wouldn’t have necessarily considered myself a bargain hunter before becoming a mama, but when it comes to kids’ clothes, there are so many great deals to be had that you almost feel silly purchasing items at full price.  Gracen will be 3 years old in just a couple of months, and so far, stocking up for the following year during end of season sales has worked wonderfully for us.  

The other thing I’ve taken advantage of on more than one occasion is shopping online when a great promo code has landed in my email inbox.  The thing is, when online shopping, there’s almost always a great promo code floating around somewhere… you just have to find it.

Enter coupons.com.  Coupons.com is basically a giant digital coupon book that has all of the promo codes you could ever need or want neatly organized in one little corner of the internet.  It houses both printable coupons to use in stores and digital promo codes to use when shopping online for all kinds of brands and companies.  Just enter what you’re looking for in the search bar, and most likely, multiple money saving coupons will pop up! (Tip for Canadian residents: Just add ‘Canada’ to the end of the store’s name when searching, and codes valid in Canadian stores should pop right up.)

When we were recently given the opportunity to stretch our purchasing power at The Children’s Place using coupons.com codes, Gracen and I were more than up for the challenge.  Here’s what we got for our $50…

IMG 9173active solid racer back tank | denim utility skort

IMG 9177active ruffle tee | denim utility pants

IMG 9183aviator sunglasses | denim jacket | floral ruffle romper 

Cute, right?  Okay, so truth be told, we actually spent closer to $58 when all was said and done, but I’d say that’s pretty good for 7 mix-and-match pieces, one of which (the denim jacket) originally cost over half of the entire budget.

GIVEAWAY 50 Dollars to spend at The Children s Place from COUPONS COM | Mama Papa BubbaWhat’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!

Coupons.com has generously offered to give one Mama.Papa.Bubba. reader a $50 e-gift card to spend at The Children’s Place.  This contest is open to US readers only (sorry everyone else!) and a winner will be selected at random on Tuesday, June 25th, 2013.

There are multiple ways to enter. Please leave a SEPARATE comment for each.  To enter to win a $50 e-gift card to The Children’s Place via Coupons.com:

-> Visit the The Children’s Place page on Coupons.com and tell us which coupon code you’d use to stretch your $50 the furthest

-> ‘Like’ Coupons.com on Facebook, then come back here and leave a separate comment saying you did so (or previously did)

-> ‘Like’ Mama.Papa.Bubba. on Facebook, then come back here and leave a separate comment saying you did so (or previously did)

-> Follow Mama.Papa.Bubba. on Twitter, then come back here and leave a separate comment saying you did so (or previously did)

-> Follow Mama.Papa.Bubba. on Pinterest, then come back here and leave a separate comment saying you did so (or previously did)

 

Obviously the more times you enter, the better your chances of winning. ☺  Don’t forget to leave your email address!  The winner will be announced on June 25th and contacted via email.  Good luck!!

♥

For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here. 

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Gracen Tested: Stuck On You Labels {& a Giveaway!}

5 / 21 / 135 / 22 / 13

IMG 8087The other day, while washing a giant sink full of plastic cups and containers for what felt like the gazillionth time, I realized our babushka doll Stuck On You labels have been solidly stuck on Gracen’s drink bottles and bento boxes for the better part of a year now.  They’ve been used daily, chucked into bags and purses, hauled to sandy beaches, and left in freezing cars overnight.  They’ve been stored in the refrigerator for days at a time, soaked in soapy water for hours, and put through the dishwasher several times. Yet somehow, 9 months later, they look exactly as they did when we first applied them.  How that’s even possible, I don’t know.  

IMG 8069Besides our stick anywhere name labels, we also got these adorable woodland animal-themed iron on clothing labels last summer too.  The verdict?  They’re just as great as their stick-on counterparts.  This little quilted jacket is a favourite of Gracen’s, and thus has been washed countless times over the course of the fall and winter.  And despite countless washes, they are still perfectly adhered and looking new.  

IMG 8064In addition to being very durable and ridiculously cute, these labels will be so great for when Miss G begins school or preschool (yes, I count on them lasting that long ☺).  As a teacher, I see the overflowing lost and found bins at the end of the school year, and though we do try to return as much of it as possible, it’s nearly impossible as most of it is not properly labeled.  But if every student had Stuck On You labels adhered onto their clothing items, books, and lunch containers, finding the items’ rightful owners would be no problem at all.

That being said, if you’ve got a munchkin headed off to camp this summer, quickly sticking some Stuck On You labels onto their belongings before dropping them off would probably be extremely helpful.  And what would be more special than sending them off with a personalized toiletry kit, backpack, water bottle, or my personal favourite, a camp sleepaway pack?

 

Stuck On You has generously offered to give FOUR Mama.Papa.Bubba. readers a $50 voucher to purchase the products of their choosing.  This contest is open to Canadian and US readers and a winner will be selected at random on Friday, May 31st. 

There are multiple ways to enter. Please leave a SEPARATE comment for each.  To enter to win a $50 voucher to Stuck On You:

-> Visit the Stuck On You website and tell us one item you love

-> ‘Like’ Stuck On You on Facebook, then come back here and leave a separate comment saying you did so (or previously did)

-> ‘Like’ Mama.Papa.Bubba. on Facebook, then come back here and leave a separate comment saying you did so (or previously did)

-> Follow Mama.Papa.Bubba. on Twitter, then come back here and leave a separate comment saying you did so (or previously did)

-> Follow Mama.Papa.Bubba. on Pinterest, then come back here and leave a separate comment saying you did so (or previously did)

 

Obviously the more times you enter, the better your chances of winning. ☺  Don’t forget to leave your email address!  The winner will be announced on May 31st and contacted via email.  Good luck!!

♥

For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here. 

 

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Just: Be Session Favourites

5 / 19 / 135 / 21 / 13

I just can’t help but share a few (okay, more than a few) photos from the Just: Be session Gracen and I recently had with Amy Lee of The Connection We Share.  I absolutely adore them.  And the fact that they’re some of the few photos I have of my girl and I just makes them that much more special.  

0I3A37590I3A37970I3A36940I3A37190I3A37120I3A36850I3A36610I3A3751If you haven’t already entered to win a Just: Be session of your own, and you live in the Greater Vancouver area, visit this post immediately!  Contest closes tomorrow evening. ☺

♥ 

For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.

 
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Learning to Cook at Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co.

4 / 22 / 135 / 6 / 13

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.  

IMG 8351Being 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!

IMG 8366Our 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.

IMG 8357Some avocado, mango, lime juice, and fresh herbs later, Gracen and her little friends had a delicious dip for their carrot sticks.

IMG 8390Next 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.

IMG 8401After 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.

IMG 8410Together, 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.

 
 
 
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Gracen Tested: Sparked Kids Discovery Kit

3 / 15 / 133 / 21 / 13

IMG 5277Last month, Gracen and I were lucky enough to receive a discovery kit from Sparked Kids Crafts.  If you haven’t heard of them before, Sparked Kids Crafts is a Vancouver Island-based subscription service that delivers educational art activities, science explorations, and imaginative play activities aimed at 3 to 7 year olds right to your doorstep.  Pretty cool, right?

IMG 5280Gracen 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.

IMG 5283Sparked 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.

IMG 5291Grae was super excited to get started and chose to make the paper pirate hat first (talk about taking me back to my childhood!)

IMG 5296Though 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 dress-up station for future imaginative play.

IMG 5299Next 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.

IMG 5304While we haven’t had a chance to make our treasure map yet, there are already plenty of things I love about Sparked Kids Crafts…

1.  It’s a Canadian-based business (yay for supporting local!)

2.  It’s run by two moms, one a savvy mompreneur and the other a teacher (go moms!).

3.  The kits come with clear, easy-to-follow instructions.

4. The materials included are good quality.

5. The activities included are not at all intimidating, not even for those who claim they’re not crafty (I promise!)

6. A single discovery kit contains several activities, which if spaced out a little can easily keep you and your munchkin(s) creating all month long.

7. Each themed kit comes with it’s own enhancement activities and recommended reading list on the Discover More portion of the Sparked website.

Overall, I’d say that’s a lot of pluses for a fairly new small business, wouldn’t you?  In the interest of full honesty, the only thing I’d say is that I did find the activities in this particular kit to be a little… uninspired?  That sounds too harsh.  Perhaps ‘ordinary’ is a better word?  I’m not sure. Now, I’m not saying that the activities were not enjoyable, because they certainly were.  And truth be told, for the most part, kids don’t really care how unique or innovative an activity is, they’re just stoked that someone’s taking the time to sit down and create something with them.  I guess I just felt like the activities were mostly things that I could pull together on my own without too much planning, shopping, or prep work.  But then again, I’m an elementary school teacher, an owner of a handmade goods shop, and in general, someone who enjoys getting creative, so maybe that’s not a fair assessment. 

What I do think is that a Sparked Kids Craft subscription would be an amazing help to parents who are super busy, parents who don’t have the time/energy/inspiration to pull together crafts on their own, and parents who don’t consider themselves creative or crafty.  I also think a subscription would make an awesome gift, because truly, which child doesn’t love receiving mail?!

 

WIN A SPARKED DISCOVERY KIT OF YOUR OWN

Sparked Kids Crafts has generously offered to gift a discovery kit to one lucky Canadian Mama.Papa.Bubba. winner.  The contest is open until Friday, March 29th and there are multiple ways to win (please be sure to leave a separate comment for each).

To enter to win a complimentary Sparked Kids Crafts discovery kit:

–> Visit their website and tell us one thing you like about Sparked Kids Crafts

-> ‘Like’ Sparked Kids Crafts on Facebook and come back here and leave a SEPARATE comment saying you did so (or previously did)

-> Follow Sparked Kids Crafts on Twitter and come back here and leave a SEPARATE comment saying you did so (or previously did)

-> Follow Sparked Kids Crafts on Pinterest and come back here and leave a SEPARATE comment saying you did so (or previously did)

–> ‘Like’ Mama.Papa.Bubba. on Facebook, come back here and leave a separate comment saying you did so (or previously did)

 

Obviously the more times you enter, the better your chances of winning. ☺  Don’t forget to leave your email address!  The winner will be announced on March 30th and contacted via email.  Good luck!!

♥

For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here. 

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A Local Favourite: Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company {& a Giveaway!}

3 / 8 / 133 / 9 / 13

IMG 6283After our recent Shopping Sense tour, some of my {awesome} mama blogger friends and I planned on grabbing a cup of coffee, sitting down, and catching up for a bit.  The thing was, it was already lunch time, we were all hungry, and the kiddos were tired of being restrained in shopping carts. They needed to play.  So where can you go to catch up with friends, grab a fresh delicious meal, and let your kiddos play all at once?  Luckily we were in my hood and I knew the perfect place.  Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company.  

IMG 6284I’ve written about Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company before, but if you haven’t heard their story before, it’s truly pretty amazing.  First off, their entire menu is designed to use the freshest, most nutritious ingredients possible.  The produce they use is local and organic, the meats are Canadian and free range or organic, and their seafood is all Ocean Wise approved.  Their promise is that their food includes minimal salt and sugar and absolutely no GMOs, additives, or preservatives. (Talk about a place you can feel good about eating out at!)  Of course, every single thing – from dough to sauces to breads and desserts – is made fresh on site.  And it doesn’t stop there.  Rocky Mountain Flatbread restaurants are all carbon neutral.  Amazing, right? (Read about how they do it here.)  In addition to all of this, they pride themselves on being family-friendly, which is huge when you’ve got munchkins in tow.  The Main Street location, which we visited, has an awesome little kitchen area, complete with felt food and miniature aprons, that kept our wee ones happy during a nearly two hour visit. And as always, the food was delicious.

DSC 0108What 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 Green Cleaning Products workshop I’m attending next week, happen only on special dates.  
 
In addition to the cleaning products workshop, the Main Street location is hosting a Kid’s Camp this Spring Break too.  It takes place on March 21st, from 9:30 a.m. until 12 p.m. and kids aged 7 to 12 will have a blast learning how to make their own lunches out of fresh, local, organic ingredients.  Included on the menu is homemade ginger ale, healthy kale chips, individual pizzas, veggie dips, and their signature BEET brownies!  Goodness gracious, how I wish Miss G was old enough to attend.  The next best thing is being able to help a couple of other local kids go though.  Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company has very generously given us TWO spots (valued at $35 a child) to give away to Mama.Papa.Bubba. readers.  Yay!
 

Please note that this camp takes place in Vancouver, BC on March, 21st and is open to children ages 7 through 12. The winners will be chosen at random on Friday, March 15th, 2013.  

 

There are FOUR ways to enter.  Please leave a SEPARATE comment for each:

–> Leave a comment telling us why your child would enjoy this camp

-> ‘Like’ Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company on Facebook, come back here and leave a comment saying you did so (or already did)

–> ‘Like’ Mama.Papa.Bubba. on Facebook, come back here and leave a separate comment saying you did so (or already did)

–> Follow us on Twitter come back here and leave a separate comment saying you did so (or already did)

–> Tweet about the giveaway and leave a separate comment saying you did so  

(Win a FREE @flatbreadCo Kid’s Camp spot on Mama.Papa.Bubba.com! https://mamapapabubba.com/2013/03/08/a-local-favourite-rocky-mountain-flatbread-company/ #YVR #giveaway #springbreak)

 

Obviously the more times you enter, the better your chances of winning. ☺  Don’t forget to leave your email address!  The winner will be announced on March 15th and contacted via email.  Good luck!!

♥

For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here. 

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Shopping Sense {& FREE GROCERIES!!!}

3 / 8 / 133 / 8 / 13

IMG 6269Earlier 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 Healthy Families BC.  The site, called Shopping Sense, was developed in order to equip shoppers with the knowledge and skills to make healthier, budget-wise options for their families.  

Shopping Sense is really easy to use… So easy, in fact, that I could see it being used with elementary-aged children as a multi-media learning tool.  It includes fun virtual tours of grocery store departments led by Global TV’s Melodie Yong, and is chock full of great shopping tips.  

IMG 6280During 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: 

Shop in season. Not only will the produce taste better, but it’ll be less expensive too.

Buy local. You’ll be supporting local farmers (and artisans), and because the food doesn’t have to travel far to get to you, it’ll be fresher.

Frozen can be just as nutritious. When it comes to out of season fruit, frozen is often the way to go – just be sure it doesn’t contain and added sugar (this is especially helpful given the amount of smoothies we consume in this house).

Shop the perimeter of the store.  This was my favourite tip and we do this naturally in our day-to-day shopping, but I hadn’t thought about it this way before.  Shopping the perimeter means getting the majority of your grocery items from the produce, dairy, bakery, meat departments, and getting fewer of the processed and packaged items from the centre of the store.

IMG 6275Melodie also introduced us to one of my favourite parts of Shopping Sense – a simple printable meal planner and shopping list.  I’ve talked about my meal planning / grocery shopping routine before, and this printable works perfectly into my little system.  It allows you to plan your meals for the upcoming week, make a coordinating shopping list, and have everything neatly organized in one place, all while avoiding over shopping (or coming home with a ton of stuff that really equals no decent meals).  

IMG 6277While 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! homemade crackers!), and 2 sheets of scented stickers, but by the end of our tour she was done and she certainly let me know it.  She’s lucky she’s so cute.  ☺

 

Now for the really fun part… We’ve graciously been given a $100 Safeway gift card to give away to one of our readers. (Yay!  Who doesn’t love free groceries, right?!)  This contest is open to BC residents and the winner will be chosen at random on Monday, March 18th, 2013.  

 

There are FOUR ways to enter.  Please leave a separate comment for each:

–> Visit the Shopping Sense resource and tell us one thing you learned or like about the site.

–> ‘Like’ Mama.Papa.Bubba. on Facebook and leave a comment saying “I like(d) you on Facebook”

–> Follow us on Twitter and leave a comment saying “I follow(ed) you on Twitter”

–> Tweet about the giveaway and leave a comment saying “I tweeted” (#BC Residents: Win $100 FREE groceries on MamaPapaBubba.com! https://mamapapabubba.com/2013/03/08/shopping-sense-free-groceries/ #giveaway)

 

Obviously the more times you enter, the better your chances of winning. ☺  Don’t forget to leave your email address!  The winner will be announced on March 18th and contacted via email.  Good luck!!

♥

For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here. 

 
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Family Day at the BC Home & Garden Show {& a FLASH Giveaway!}

2 / 21 / 132 / 22 / 13

IMG 5766Today 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.  

IMG 5762Where 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.  

IMG 5765One 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. 

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Kiwi Crate Giveaway Winner

11 / 27 / 1211 / 27 / 12

I’m so excited to announce the winner of our Kiwi Crate giveaway… I know that the lucky winner will enjoy the kit just as much as we enjoyed ours and it’ll make the perfect surprise or Christmas present.  

So without further ado….

Kiwi Crate Giveaway Winner

Congratulations, Koryn!  I’ll be sending you an email shortly with all of the details.  To everyone else, thank you so much for entering!  Keep your eyes peeled for a few other fun giveaways we have in the coming months. 

♥

Like Mama.Papa.Bubba. on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.

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Images by Bethany Family Portrait Winner

11 / 19 / 1211 / 19 / 12

I am beyond excited to announce the winner of our Images by Bethany giveaway!  We had a wonderful experience with Bethany and couldn’t be happier with the way our photos turned out, and I know that the winner will feel the same way.  So without further ado….

 

Drum roll please….

 

Photo Shoot WinnerCongratulations, 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 Facebook page as I know a few other lovely Vancouver bloggers who will be offering you a chance to win this exact same prize in the coming weeks.  

If you haven’t yet liked Mama.Papa.Bubba.’s Facebook page, you should!

And you can do so here. ☺

♥

Leave a comment

A {Kiwi Crate} Window Garden {& a Giveaway!}

11 / 17 / 121 / 23 / 13

A couple of weeks ago, Gracen and I attended an awesome Halloween-themed story time at Pottery Barn Kids.  (Who knew, right?  It happens every Tuesday at 11 a.m. for those of you who are in Vancouver.)  Afterwards, the kids got their Book Club passports stamped and were each {very generously} gifted a Kiwi Crate to take home.  

IMG 1857I’ve seen Kiwi Crates on a few of the blogs I read and I’ve always thought they were very neat, so I’m not sure who was more excited about the gift…Gracen or I.   (If you’ve never heard of them before, they’re basically little boxes that arrive to your door each month and are filled with all of the materials/instructions/inspiration needed for hands-on projects.  Some are science activities, some are arts and crafts, and some are geared towards imaginative play.) 

IMG 1861This afternoon we took out our crate, opened it up, and found all of the materials needed to put together a window garden.  Needless to say, my little gardening enthusiast was thrilled.

IMG 1865IMG 1903Included was a  clearly laid out instruction card complete with diagrams, and a sweet little observation booklet for Miss G to draw in. 

IMG 1868IMG 1871IMG 1878IMG 1877IMG 1885IMG 1888We carefully set up the garden, referring back to the instruction card after each step.  Gracen, Miss ‘Let’s Do a Project!’, loved it and took her work very seriously.

IMG 1892IMG 1896IMG 1897With the exception of really making sure the suction cups were stuck to the window and printing the words “mint” and “basil”, Grae was able to do everything on her own, which was lovely.

IMG 1898IMG 1900We now have a sweet little garden set up right in our living room and I can’t wait to help Grae water it each day and watch as our fresh herbs grow.  ☺

Because we enjoyed our Kiwi Crate so much, and I sincerely think they are a great way for parents and children to try new things together, I contacted Kiwi Crate and asked if they’d like to share the love with one of our readers.  And guess what? They do!  One Mama.Papa.Bubba. reader will receive a complimentary crate of their own, and will have the option of selecting a regular crate or one of the new holiday-themed crates.  

The contest is open until Monday, November 26th and there are multiple ways to win (be sure to leave a separate comment for each).

 

To enter to win a complimentary Kiwi Crate:

Leave a comment below telling me something you love to do with your kid(s).

 

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).

–> ‘Like’ Kiwi Crate on Facebook, then come back and leave an additional separate comment saying you did so (or that you had previously).

–> Sign up for Kiwi Crate’s fun-filled newsletter, then come back and leave an additional separate comment saying you did so.

–> Follow @jkossowanon 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 November 27th and contacted via email.  Good luck!!

♥

Kiwi crate did not ask me to write this post, nor did they compensate me to do so, but in the interest of full disclosure, I did sign up to be a part of their affiliate program.  This means that when Kiwi Crate products are purchased through the links i’ve provided, I get a small kickback from the company.

60 Comments

MORE of Our Family Photo Session

11 / 17 / 1211 / 17 / 12

Kossowan0002Today Gracen and I headed downtown to pick up our photo order from Bethany. (Which, by the way, Gracen was so excited about.  All morning she said, “Befany’s a niiiice yady. Grae Grae yike Befany.  Befany take Gracen’s picture! We go see Befany now?”)

 I don’t know if it’s because these are our first ever family photos, or because I {obviously} think Miss G is the cutest child ever, or because Bethany is AH-MAZING at what she does (okay, so it’s probably a combo of all three), but I’m just over the moon with how our photos turned out.  Here are some more of my favourites because I just can’t help myself.  

Kossowan0020Family Photo ShootKossowan0033Kossowan0041Kossowan0093Kossowan0053Kossowan0131Kossowan0101Papa  MamaKossowan0119Kossowan0123Kossowan0135Teeter TotterKossowan0139Kossowan0141Tire SwingSwingKossowan0194Kossowan0204Kossowan0208

♥
 
If you haven’t already entered to win a photo session of your own, and you live in the Greater Vancouver area (or will be visiting the area sometime between January and April of 2013), visit this post immediately for details.
 
 
 
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A First: Family Photos {& a Giveaway!}

11 / 11 / 121 / 23 / 13

Kossowan0061Getting family photos done is something I’ve wanted to do for the last two years.  Yet somehow, I just haven’t made it happen.  There was excuse after excuse after excuse…  It started with we’ve got way too much to do before returning back to Kuwait with a 20 day old baby, to it’d probably be really hard to find our kind of photographer here in the desert, to let’s just wait until we’re more settled back here in Vancouver.  The problem with the whole situation is that before long, you have a 2 year old {who is going on 5} and a single family photo that was taken in the living room with a blanket draped over the mantle and a camera propped up on an ottoman and a stack of books. Not good.

So when Bethany, of Images by Bethany, contacted me and offered us the opportunity to have a family photo shoot with her, I jumped on the opportunity.  I had originally met Bethany at vancouvermom.ca‘s Top 30 Mom Bloggers celebration, where she took head shots of each of the 30 mamas, so I already knew how beautiful her work was. We selected a date and planned to meet at Granville Island, a place we love and frequent regularly.

Papa  Grae  Mama  GraeKossowan0081Somehow, amidst a rain-filled week, our shoot landed on a gorgeously sunny afternoon with not a rain cloud in sight.  We met with Bethany, she immediately made friends with Grae, and we got started.  

Now if I’m being honest with myself, the biggest reason we probably haven’t had family photos done until now is that I really don’t enjoy having my picture taken.  The awkward poses, my smile that quickly becomes fake… It’s just not my idea of a good time.  But with Bethany, it wasn’t like that at all.  In fact, it kind of just felt like we were walking around the island chatting with a friend who occasionally snapped a photo or two.  And to me, that was the best part. It felt natural.

Kossowan0031On the night of our viewing session, Brad and I made our way downtown to Bethany’s beautiful little studio.  She greeted us with hot tea and world’s most amazing organic doughnuts (made of locally-sourced ingredients no less!), and turned on a slideshow of our images. They were stunning.  

Kossowan0129The photos spewed Gracen’s little personality and made the simplest of things – walking hand in hand, collecting leaves, marching, and buying bread – look beautiful.

Kossowan0192Kossowan0199We’re so very grateful to have our very first set of family photos and I’m beyond excited to share that Bethany is generously offering one lucky Mama.Papa.Bubba. reader a chance to win a complimentary family portrait session of their own!  The prize includes a 1 to 2 hour photo shoot in a Greater Vancouver location of your choosing (a $350 value!), an in studio viewing session, a month long online photo gallery, and an 8 x 10 print of your choice (a $30 value!)  HUGE, right?

Kossowan0202

The contest is open until Sunday, November 18th and there are multiple ways to win (be sure to leave a separate comment for each).

 

To enter to win a complimentary photo shoot with Images by Bethany:

Leave a comment below telling me your idea of a perfect Greater Vancouver photo shoot location.

 

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).

–> ‘Like’ Images by Bethany on Facebook, then come back and leave an additional separate comment saying you did so (or that you had previously).

–> Tweet about the giveaway {Lower Mainlanders: Win a FREE family shoot at www.mamapapabubba.com ($350 value)!} and leave an additional separate comment saying you did so.

 

Don’t forget to leave your email address!  The winner will be announced on November 19th and contacted via email.

♥

 

Details: Family portrait session will be done on location (Greater Vancouver area only) and will be 1 – 2 hours long ($350 value).  Session must be booked for January – April, 2013.  Includes an in studio viewing session, a month long online viewing gallery, and an 8 x 10 print of your choice ($30 value).

 

 

 

 
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