LevelUp For Fun!

tech By July 18, 2017 No Comments

Are you looking for something fun for the kids to do over summer so they can make some great memories and learn new things? Have you considered a tech camp? We did this summer and sent our son to LevelUp Minecraft Camp at BCIT. My son is a huge Minecraft fan so when he heard about the camp he desperately wanted to go. 

No, he didn’t just sit in front of a computer all day (after all, he can do that at home!) – they had outside time for fresh air and healthy movement and they also did hands on STEM activities.

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Finding Zen on Texada Island

Canada, ROAM By July 6, 2017 1 Comment

My son and I had the chance to explore Texada Island – a Sunshine Coast, British Columbia Gulf Island and I was struck with a grounding and calm sensation that is rare for me to feel so strongly. Perhaps it was the iron ore or gold reserves hidden deep in the ground, but it was clear that this island was a magical place that produced intense vibration. Along the way, we also had fabulous food, saw aboriginal arrowheads on display at Shelter Point, and witnessed the largest douglas fir we’d ever seen (wait for it – HOLY!). You can read about our full adventure on ZenSeekers here >>

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Unique Perspective of Lower Manhattan: The Downtown Experience

EAVESDROP, ROAM, Seen, USA By July 3, 2017 Tags: , 3 Comments

You’re headed to the Big Apple, and you’d love to take in a show, but you’re limited on time and budget. You want to explore Lower Manhattan, but the weather isn’t exactly cooperating.

Or maybe you’ve got your kids with you and they are not interested in hiking all over looking at old buildings and statues while you read from a guide book. Let’s be honest, you’re fed up from wrestling the devices out of their hands when they get even slightly bored.

I could list dozens of reasons why you might be interested in The Downtown Experience, Powered by The Ride. Any one of them would be valid, but it would be window dressing for the real reason: It’s a blast.

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The Thrill of Niagara: Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours

Canada, ROAM By July 3, 2017 Tags: , , No Comments

My family grew up and in and around the Niagara area, and my ancestors settled here as they came over from the British Isles. I have two specific ancestral links to the Niagara River. My great-great-grandfather (my grandfather’s father) moved his family to Welland, Ontario so that he could work on the fourth Welland Canal. And I recently discovered that my grandmother’s cousin married into the infamous Niagara Hill family—and her husband died in an attempt to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel.

I’m not that adventurous, but I have a great love of the Niagara Region and have spent some time on many an occasion enjoying the wine, spas, hotels and other attractions in Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake. When we were offered the opportunity to do a family jet-boat tour for UrbanMommies, we jumped at the chance.

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Boobies After Babies – Change is Good

style By June 30, 2017 No Comments

Sometimes I think about the girls, you know, before the babies arrived. All high and perky and stuff. But then I think about myself before the babies, and I can’t really relate to “life before babies” me anymore. Then I take a deep breath and accept that boobies after babies… they’re not so bad.

Despite the change in address (they’ve def moved a few blocks south) they’re still in a respectable neighbourhood. And really, considering what they went through, or what we went through together… I can’t really complain.

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The Etiquette of Online Invitations

LIVE, nourish By June 29, 2017 1 Comment

Though I adore an old-fashioned letterpress invitation sent through the mail, with busy lives and hundreds of birthday and holiday parties, online invites have become the trend. I was gifted a signed first edition of Emily Post’s Everyday Etiquette from my Great Aunt, yet there is no chapter on the etiquette of online invitations! One of the great benefits, besides being thrifty, is that digital invites are great for the environment and are becoming more and more accepted. But what are some of the do’s and don’ts?

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My Softball Mom Skin Care Routine

beauty By June 29, 2017 No Comments

Use sunscreen or feel the wrath of the burn.  It’s pretty clear cut for my family…..Wear sunscreen or mom will chase you around and put some in the middle of your forehead. Thus causing you to fully sunscreen your face lest you have a non-tanned spot smack in the middle! There has been a time or two I was so concerned about making sure the kids’ skin was protected I forgot about my own. OUCH! As a now 40(+) year old mama, I am more and more aware of the damage the sun can cause. And wrinkles. I don’t want any wrinkles that aren’t from laughing and have fun in my life! I’m not a big makeup wearer but don’t care for the shine traditional sunscreen leaves on my face. This caused a bit of a conundrum for me – how to protect my face and look my best?

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Bacon Is My Love Language

home By June 29, 2017 1 Comment

Some women love flowers. Some women love shoes. This woman loves bacon. Crispy, smoky, delicious bacon makes my heart flutter romantically. “True love is sharing your bacon” – this is my life philosophy and also why Hallmark probably won’t ever buy card concepts from me (but wouldn’t you want to buy one that said that? It’s just so relatable.)

There is nothing I love more than breakfast in bed. My friends actually used to host an annual bacon potluck where each guest would bring their own bacon related dish to share. It was so much fun (and so much bacon!)  One year we actually had 13.5 pounds of bacon on the table and in all the years it was held no recipes were repeated. I wouldn’t have minded if they repeated the bacon wrapped stuffing. That was lovely. 

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A Colorful Pain Free Success at Color Me Rad

fitness By June 28, 2017 No Comments

This post is brought to you by the makers of MOTRIN®

Preparing for race day is a mathematical equation for me. Hydration + Nutrition + Stretching = race day success! Now all people measure success differently. Crossing the finish line with minimal recovery time is how I measure my success. Time doesn’t mean much if I can barely move the next day. As a mom, my children rely on me being able to play, run and get out the door on time.

Our mornings move at a sloth like pace in on a good day. This can make preparations somewhat challenging. I have learned the correct amount of food and water is crucial before racing. Eating and drinking too much or too little close to the start time can hinder your performance.

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Mommy And Me Swimwear… What could be cuter?

style By June 28, 2017 Tags: , , , , , No Comments

Summer is finally here! And it’s most definitely our favorite season. My family spends a ton of time getting wet–whether via sprinkler, pool, pond, lake, or water park. We practically live in our bathing suits from the moment it hits 65 degrees until September. And I have to admit, I have a thing for cute bathing suits. Maybe more than a thing… an expensive obsession?!? Last year, my one-year-old daughter had about six bathing suits. And I’m a sucker for anything retro.

But this year, I’ve found a way to step it up. Not just adorable bathing suits… matching bathing suits! Enter Moderne Child Shoppe and their super stylish Mommy and Me swimwear line. They sent me a pair of swimsuits for my daughter and I to sample and we fell in love!

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