Glam: 2013 Top 30 Vancouver Mom Blogger Celebration

Last year I was nominated as one of Vancouver's Top Bloggers in VancouverMom's annual contest. I biked to the 2012 celebration at the Museum of Vancouver, where I got to see the exhibits, have some wine & appies. I got some amazing swag--tons of Nature's Path products, freebies from lots of sponsors, plus there were makeup & nail artists at the event. One of the most useful things: I received a great headshot by Images By Bethany.

I was flattered to be on the Top 30 list, & excited to get to go to the event, but I had no idea how it would really change things for me.

Besides getting more attention for The Sprog--meaning tons of interesting opportunities to review things, attend great events--I met the other moms in the top 30. We didn't all talk at the big event, though I met some of them & chatted a little. A little later, we started a Facebook group for just the 30 of us, which grew into something amazing. Our blogs are pretty different, from fashion to reviews & giveaways to photography to you-name-it, but we all have the common bond of being moms & bloggers. We started sharing tips, opportunities, collaborating on things like blog trains & chatted. A lot.

I can't remember how many times we've organized get-togethers in person. Despite being busy moms from all over the Lower Mainland, we manage to see each other in real life once in a while. I've come to think of this diverse network of other mom bloggers as friends & really value their advice & support.

This year's Top 30 Blogger Celebration

This year's Vancouver Mom Top Blogger contest is upon us: dozens of bloggers were nominated & the top 30 have been shortlisted already. You can read about them here, on VancouverMom's site, starting on May 20: 1-6, 7-12, 13-18, 19-24, 25-30.

May 27-June 7, 2013, voting opens for the top overall amazing Vancouver mom blogger. Vote for your favourite among the top 30. The big winner will be revealed on June 19, 2013, when we’ll celebrate the 2013 Top 30 Vancouver Mom Bloggers.

Last year's event was great fun, a fabulous way to network & meet other people: other bloggers, PR people, brands looking to connect. This year's event promises to be incredible too.

The even will be at Secret Location, "one part lifestyle boutique, one part restaurant." Secret Location is a concept store that offers deliciously fresh design and cuisine in the heart of Gastown. Tickets include light appetizers and a glass of wine or non-alcoholic beverage. Cash bar is also available. Tickets are $$ until May 31, then $ until the event.

To buy tickets online to GLAM: 2013 Top 30 Vancouver Mom Blogger Celebration, visit this link. 

Disclaimer: As an ambassador for the event, I will be receiving my ticket for free. The above link to buy tickets is an affiliate link, so if you choose to buy tickets online via my link, I'll get a small commission. :)


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Ukulele Virtuoso Coming to the Vancouver International Children's Festival

Ukulele wunderkind James Hill & cellist Anne Janelle will play at Kidsfest next week

At the recommendation of my ukulele-playing cousin Paul, I booked Sprout & I tickets to see James Hill at the Vancouver International Children's Festival next week. Sprout likes ukuleles (he has two of his own, actually) & I'm looking forward to seeing an artist who's not specifically a children's performer.


There are still some tickets left if you want to come see him too--he's playing several times during the festival next week. More info & tickets here on the Kidsfest site.

A little more about James Hill:

Barely in his 30s, ukulele master James Hill has four genre-bending albums to his name and a fan-base that spans the globe. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin calls him a “rare peer” of Hawaii’s premier ukulele players. His inventiveness and passion for sharing music through this fun, kid-sized instrument makes him an instant hit for all ages. Accompanied by Anne Janelle on cello, this pioneer of “ukulele in the classroom” will delight and surprise!

For even more info about James Hill, & to listen to some of his music, visit his website.

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I♥Biking: Running into friends

This post over on Family Ride recently reminded me of one of the many reasons I love biking: meeting friends along the way. It doesn't happen every time I get on my bike, but it sure happens a lot. I've run into friends along the seawall, at intersections, as I rode past the Mount Pleasant Family Centre & while locking up my bike at my destination. Can't say that ever happens when I'm driving. & while riding a bike, it just seems so much easier to stop for a minute to chat.

Not having a cage of steel & glass around me helps immensely, I'm sure. Driving seems to me to be an inherently isolating activity. I think that's why I see so many drivers doing really selfish & dangerous things like running red lights, speeding, driving too close to cyclists or pedestrians. In a vehicle, I feel protected & very separate from the rest of the world. I can't hear the people walking in the crosswalk or the ones in the other cars. I can't even make eye contact as easily with all the glass & potential glare in the way.

I much prefer the 360 degree view I have on my bike. I love how easy it is to brake & pull up onto the sidewalk to say hello to someone. Cycling is social in a way that driving isn't.
 

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Summer Bucket List

Photo Credit: Redcorn Studios [Matt] via Compfight cc

Though today's weather isn't exactly summery, a rainy day seemed like a good time to daydream a little about what I'd like to get up to this summer. Since finding a job is proving to be rather difficult when pregnant, it looks like I'll have quite a bit of time (if not money) on my hands to do many of these things.

1. Travel (via transit, as usual) to Victoria to visit friends.
2. Edit: Whoops! Forgot #2... Heh.
3. Go camping: probably tent camping with a car at a provincial park--nothing too strenuous.
4. Stay on at least one of the Gulf Islands for a weekend or more.
5. Go hiking: likely not anywhere too ambitious--given my 'delicate condition'--maybe a quick one to Quarry Rock or something? 
6. Visit Spanish Banks at low tide & play on the sand bars.
7. Go to the Vancouver International Children's Festival at least once.
8. Have a picnic dinner in a park somewhere.
9. Host a barbeque with friends.
10. Make popsicles! I keep seeing great recipes for interesting & healthy versions online that I need to try. 
11. Go swimming in an outdoor pool like Kits or New Brighton.
12. Visit the PNE. Should be fun this year with a rambunctious three-year-old & me at about 38 weeks pregnant. Gulp.
13. See some outdoor movies. It was so much fun last year seeing The Princess Bride in David Lam Park, Monty Python & The Holy Grail & Labyrinth in Ceperley Meadows. I definitely want to do it again!

 If we do about one a week, we should be able to accomplish all this in the next few months. What about you: have you made a bucket list? What are your top three things to do this summer? Share them in the comments below!

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Wordless Wednesday

Artist's rendering of the proposed St. George Rainway project, to daylight St. George Creek from Kingsway to 5th Avenue:

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GO VOTE!

To my BC readers: GO VOTE! You've got less than four hours (less than three if you're in the eastern bit of the province on Mountain Time) before the polls close!

Remember, if you don't vote, you can't complain a bit about the results of the election. Even if you think there's no point, if your chosen candidate hasn't got a snowball's chance in hell of being elected, it's still worth it. Frances Bula offers some reasons why in her article in today's Globe & Mail: In the safest of seats, B.C. constituents weigh the value of their vote.

Photo Credit: Dean Terry via Compfight cc

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I♥Biking: Grocery Shopping

This morning I headed over to the quiet aisles of the 9:30am grocery store after dropping Sprout off at daycare. Parking was a breeze--got a spot right outside the door. Headed in, loaded up my cart with what I suspect was my weight in groceries (seems like just the heavy stuff was on sale like watermelons, big jars of pickles & canned beans) then brought the cart outside to pop it all in my... panniers.

Yup. I do a lot of my grocery shopping by bike. It's WAY easier than walking or taking transit--faster too. I'm pretty sure that there are few things in life I hate more than walking with bags of groceries for several blocks. If you've got a couple of panniers (those saddle bag thingies that strap onto a rear or front rack, to the uninitiated) it's pretty doable to bring home half a shopping cart worth of groceries. I also stash things in the child seat on the front--makes for a more balanced load. Sometimes I will strap light but bulky items to my rack too. Today that was a grocery bag full of corn on the cob & a bag of onions. Some days it's a couple of multipacks of toilet paper.

Here's what I bought today:

big jar of jam, 2 jars of peanut butter, honey, 3 cans of beans, 1 kilo of chocolate chips, 2 big jars of pickles, dried dates, 2 cans of soup (I get cravings for the Campbell's stuff, though I know it's horribly high in sodium), mustard, 3 organic romaine lettuce hearts, 3 lbs of organic onions, 1 whole seedless watermelon, 6 ears of corn, 1 lb butter, 3 bottles of Perrier (I just like fizzy drinks & this is the healthiest option. Also: on sale), 2 loaves of bread (I didn't actually buy these, the delivery man from Oliver's Bakery handed them to me as I was loading up my bike. I think they're day-olds, but hey: free bread!)

You might think it's hard work riding back up the hill home, but it's really not. The bike holds the load for you & as long as you go a normal speed--not too slowly--you won't wobble with the weight. Obviously it's a bit more work than riding home unloaded, but you just gear down a bit (I recommend mountain bike gearing if you live in a hilly area) it's fine. I've done Costco trips with my bike before (& Sprout).

Of course, if you have a bike trailer, this whole trip is even easier. Our trailer--without Sprout in it--can carry a huge amount of groceries with the added benefit that we don't have to balance it on the bike. That's my excuse for the crappy photos, by the way--I was holding the loaded bike with one hand & taking a photo with the other.

A basket on the front of your bike would work, or even a big backpack. However, when the groceries are actually strapped to you rather than the bike, it really feels like more work for some reason, so if you can--get them on your bike! However you carry your purchases, grocery shopping by bike is pretty doable if you live within a few kilometres of your grocery store. It's a bit of exercise, a nice way to get outside, enjoy the wind whipping through your hair & the greenest way to travel: no carbon emissions at all!

Do you go grocery shopping by bike? Got any tips to share? Leave tips or questions (I love questions!) in the comments below...

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