Listicles: 10 Kisses

Photo Credit: TaniaSaiz via Compfight cc

This topic brings to mind all kinds of adolescent/early 20s hijinks with long-ago boyfriends I'd rather not name. I could talk about 10 places I've kissed my husband, but I imagine that just might embarrass him a bit, but more importantly, bore you. So to avoid embarrassing anyone or being sued for libel, I think I might adjust the topic a bit...

I decided to write about the last ten people I've kissed, but then realized I'd have to go back years to do that--being your typical anglo-Canadian, I just don't kiss people that much. My family isn't really into kissing--hugging, yes, but not a lot of lip action. So I've included things as well as people. Here goes: The Last 10 People & Things I Remember Kissing, in random order, are:

1. My son's head
2. My husband
3. My son's scraped knee
4. Mini polar bear stuffie*
5. My hand (when blowing a kiss to my son in the window when on my way out in the morning)
6. My friend Leigh who has retained the European tradition of cheek kissing as greeting after living there for years.
7. A teddy bear*
8. My son's finger
9. A plastic truck*
10. My son's toes.

*I don't have a fetish for toy-kissing, but my son often demands I kiss whatever toy he's playing with whether it has a face or not.

How about you? What are some of the last few things or people you remember kissing? Share them in the comments below!


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Links I've Loved Lately

I've seen a number of great articles & videos online lately, so I thought I'd share the love. Here are my top picks from the past week or so:

Look! Look! A Human-sized mannequin!

Three Huge Mistakes We Make Leading Kids…and How to Correct Them
I know, I know, the title is a bit "Three Ways You're Ruining Your Child's Life", but this piece has some really good points. Tim Elmore presents a convincing case on how overprotecting children & not allowing them to take risks truly hinders their development right into adulthood.

Best Coin Ever Spent (VIDEO)
I love me a good flashmob. I particularly love the ones featuring orchestras. This one is beautifully filmed & really captures the reactions of children who watched it. Hat tip to Bummies for posting this on Facebook.

Anatomy of a meme: The real story behind the Swedish mannequins that looked like “real women”
You've probably seen the image floating around the social media sphere in the last few weeks. The rumour that it was an H&M mannequin from Sweden is just that: a rumour. Jeff Yang tracks down the real origins of the image.

Pregnancy: It's Not All About the Baby
Kate Fridkis talks about the frustration of everyone telling you your body is no longer your own when you're pregnant. Very eloquently put & worth a read. Whether you're pregnant or not, you've probably made one of the comments she talks about.


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And the Winner Is...

Congratulations to Jill B, the winner of the Shopping Sense $100 grocery card giveaway!

Thanks to everyone who entered. Hopefully you'll find the Shopping Sense website & all its resources useful. Even though you didn't win the free groceries, the tips on the site can help you save some money while still eating healthy. :)

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Toddlerisms

Sprout is a pretty verbal kid (wonder where he gets his loquaciousness from?) with a large vocabulary, but like most two-year-olds, he still has difficulty pronouncing certain words or phrases. Sometimes he just makes up names for things himself. In any case, his baby talk has evolved into some pretty hilarious versions that I call "toddlerisms".

Here's a list of a few he uses these days. Just for fun, I won't translate them--try your hand at it in the comments below.

1. Owligator
2. Gwoss-wee
3. Gellup
4. Pillow-bear
5. Gumpa
6. Eyeball box
7. Pickup-dumptwuck
8. Garbage-bird
9. Killy-cat
10. Chugga-cheese

Have you heard any toddlerisms lately? What's your current or past favourite?


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Wordless Wednesday

This is my last week of classes in Surrey. Despite vistas like this, I'm looking forward to cutting my commute time in half when I start my practicum downtown next week.

Riding shotgun on the Expo Line from Main Street all the way to Surrey Central.

 

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Kashi Blueberry Cereal

For Nutrition Month & following on the heels of my Milk Unleashed review, I've got another one for you. I recently tried out a new cereal: Kashi Blueberry Oat Clusters & Flakes.

Made with natural ingredients, including whole grain oat clusters & blueberries, this cereal is tasty. I particularly liked it with plain greek yogurt--as did Sprout. It's also got each 45 percent of the recommended daily amount of fibre in just a cup. With 6 grams of protein per cup, the cereal has no trans fats, it's low in saturated fat & has no artificial flavours or colours.

About Kashi
Founded in 1984, Kashi is a pioneering health food company dedicated to providing great tasting, nutritious and innovative foods that help people meet their health and lifestyle goals. Kashi foods are made with wholesome, natural ingredients, including seven whole grains. Visit www.kashi.ca to join the Kashi community.

Disclaimer: I received a free sample of Kashi Blueberry Oat Clusters & Flakes to try, but was not otherwise compensated for this post.

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Milk... Unleashed

As March is Nutrition Month, I've got another food-related review for you. I got the chance to try out some samples of Milk Unleashed recently. If you haven't heard of it before, here's a quick rundown of the product for you.

Milk Unleashed is shelf-stable milk (UHT) which is flash pasteurized at high heat, then packaged in tetrapaks to keep it fresh without refrigeration until opened. It comes in various sizes, including little drink boxes. That means it's great for camping, kids' lunches & travel. It doesn't taste any different from the milk you keep in your fridge.

Check out the Milk Unleashed website for more information & to enter their contest. Get your kids to write a milk-themed song & win a month's worth of milk plus a consultation with a nutritionist. Milk Unleashed is also on Twitter @milkunleashed and facebook.com/milkunleashed.

Disclaimer: I received samples of Milk Unleashed to try but was not otherwise compensated to write this post.

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Listicles: 10 Ways You Know It's Spring In Vancouver

Cherry blossoms. Photo by Daniel Peckham, via Flickr.

Unlike most of the rest of Canada, here in Vancouver, we've actually had spring weather lately. Well, except for that brief bout of snow/hail/sleet (depended on what part of Metro Vancouver you were in) yesterday. Anyway, here's my list: you know it's spring time in Vancouver when...

1. People have been wearing sandals without socks for three months now.
2. You sometimes intentionally leave the house without an umbrella.
3. There are suddenly cyclists everywhere.
4. The tulips & daffodils are in full bloom (crocuses came out in February).
5. The dogs in Yaletown are no longer wearing boots.
6. You've already spotted your first shirtless man walking his dog.
7. When you order any drink at Starbucks, they ask you if you want it iced.
8. Half the people in your Facebook feed have cherry blossom pictures as profile or cover photos.
9. The other half of your Facebook feed is Canadians elsewhere telling Vancouverites to shut up already.
10. Lululemon has put out new sheer yoga pants for spring. 

*If you have no idea what #10 is about, read the FAQ on Lululemon's site. Then read this hilarious article on Gawker. :)

Can you think of any other signs of spring in Vancouver that I missed? What are the signs in your city?



Linking up to all the other Listiclers via Stasha at NorthwestMommy. Check out their lists too by clicking on the button to the left.











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Linnaeus 2.7 (a bit late)

Rain or shine, the bike rack must be played with.

I just realized, nearly two weeks after the fact, that I forgot to actually click 'publish' on this monthly update post. Heh. School has been a priority lately & my poor blog has suffered, as you've probably noticed. However, I've recently got my blogging mojo back & we're back to daily content here on The Sprog.

Without further ado, here's the update on Sprout at two years & seven months old:

1. He's adjusted well to daycare & loves going every morning. It's very rare that there are any tears when dropping him off.
2. He comes home with new songs & manners, plus skills like putting on his own pants, putting on shoes & taking off his coat all by himself.
3. He's becoming more articulate, with few baby talk words left. They're not entirely gone, however--look for a post on "toddlerisms" later this week.
4. The crafts are piling up--he's made a whole lot of things at daycare, including what I think is a paper toothbrush, binoculars, a decorated paper box for Valentine's Day, a tissue paper flower, a doll picture for Hinamatsuri, a bus made of a Kraft Dinner box)
5. The regular routine is working out well, though Sprout sometimes wakes up on weekends expecting to go to Strongstart.
6. I need to remember to keep him in the loop more--explaining what we're going to do & where we're going to go ahead of time.
7. We've backed off on toilet training a bit, though he's made some progress in that department. I think we'll try getting a little more serious in the warmer months & aim to have him fully daytime trained by August.
8. He's getting much more daring on his runner bike & pulling up feet for long glides.
9. When we're on the way home from daycare, his obsession with bike racks makes the trip a fair bit slower. He likes to play on every single one he encounters like a mini-jungle gym.

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Get 20% Off Blurb's New Designer Photo Book Templates

Blurb has just launched Designer Photo Book Templates for you to capture your favorite memories in. They are quick and easy to create using a new drag-and-drop process. These books make great birthday gifts, are perfect for capturing your child's Sports season, make lovely host/hostess gifts, ideal for capturing your Spring Break memories, and much more! Plus, I have a special promo code for you to take 20% off your order!

About the New Designer Templates
• Designer Collection: six beautiful photo book templates for our 7 x 7 inch books, created with designer Laura Brunow Miner.
• Create a quick, high-quality Small Square book with our streamlined drag-and-drop process.
• Choose one photo to highlight per page, switch photo orientation, add captions if you wish – even import photos from Facebook and Instagram.
• Well-priced: starting at just CAD $12.99

Use the code DESIGNMYBOOK to get a discount on these beautiful new books until 3/31/2013.



Disclaimer: As a Blurb affiliate, I will receive a commission if you use the links in the above post & then purchase a book.

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Shopping Sense & a $100 Grocery Card Giveaway

Did you know that March is Nutrition Month? Just in time for the end of it, I've got a great grocery card giveaway for you, as well as a fabulous new online resource recently launched by Healthy Families BC. The website is called Shopping Sense & it was developed to help shoppers learn the how to make healthier, budget-wise options for their families.

Shopping Sense is really easy to use. It includes fun virtual tours of grocery store departments led by Global TV’s Registered Dietitian Melodie Yong, full of great shopping tips. What I love about it, is that it gives you great tips on how to feed your family great healthy food without breaking the bank. I was lucky enough to get the live version of the tour with Melodie at our local Marketplace IGA store a few weeks back.

Melodie toured us around the perimeter of the store--generally all the healthiest things are on the outside aisles of big supermarkets--learning some great tips along the way. Here are five for you, all about nutrition labels:

Registered Dietitian Melodie Yong leads the Shopping Sense tour

1. Always read the label on packaged foods. Avoid buying products with ingredients you can't pronounce or huge long ingredients lists. Numbers in the ingredients? Stay away from it!
2. Look at fibre on the nutritional info charts. Adults should aim for at least 25g of fibre a day--check how much there is per serving of bread or crackers, for example, & if you're comparing, remember to check how many slices/pieces are in a serving. It's not standardized.
3. How much sodium is in it? 1500mg is the recommended daily maximum for adults & for children it's much lower. It's surprising which foods have a lot of sodium sometimes--bread can be a bad one.
4. Is it high in fat, & if so, is it trans fats, saturated or unsaturated? The first two are bad, basically, so avoid them when you can. Again, watch the serving sizes when comparing.
5. How much sugar is in it? Sugar is a sneaky one like sodium. Things that don't necessarily taste that sweet can have tons of sugar, like ketchup. To get a sense of what X number of grams of sugar really means, keep in mind that 4g is the equivalent of a sugar cube. In some pops like Coke, there can be TEN or ELEVEN sugar cubes per serving.

Another thing Melodie highlighted on our tour is something you can use too: a simple printable meal planner and shopping list. It allows you to plan your meals for the week, make a coordinating shopping list, and have everything organized in one place, so you don't end up coming home with a ton of stuff that won't work together to make decent meals. 

While I'm sure you're pretty excited about the Shopping Sense site & all the resources there, you're probably wondering what this giveaway is all about. I've got a $100 grocery card (valid at Save-On, Overwaitea, Pricesmart or Cooper's) to give away to one lucky winner. This contest is open to BC residents and the winner will be chosen at random on Thursday, March 28th at midnight. If you've won, I'll email you with the address you provided to Rafflecopter. You'll have 48 hours to respond, otherwise I will ask Mr. Random Number Generator to choose again. :)

You've got four ways to enter--the more you do, the better your chances. Don't forget to do the action (follow me on Twitter or FB, etc) & then click 'I did it' so Rafflecopter counts your entry as valid. As always, please contact me if you have any issues with Rafflecopter: lisa.corriveau AT gmail.com. Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclaimer: I received a $100 grocery card as compensation for writing this post & hosting the giveaway.

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How to use ONE paper towel to dry your hands

How many paper towels do you use when you dry your hands in a public washroom? I saw this TED talk quite a while ago & made these tips part of my routine. It's become even more relevant lately because, as a full-time student at SFU, I'm using public washrooms with paper towel multiple times per day.

In case you haven't seen the video, I've embedded it below. It's under five minutes--I urge you to watch it & try the technique. It works, I promise!



In case the video didn't work for you, please watch it here on YouTube.

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Wordless Wednesday

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Well, I tried... still not a hockey fan

Last week Oli was given a pair of tickets to Saturday's Canucks game. Though most people would probably be pretty thrilled to get free tickets to an NHL game, particularly given how bloody expensive they are, I wasn't. I initially didn't want to go, as I'd be rushing home from a full day of classes to do it, but I soon changed my mind & decided free tickets would be a good opportunity to see what a live NHL game was like. 

Though I am definitely not a fan, I'm not a total hockey virgin--I've been to several Vancouver Giants games over the years. (For those not in the know, the Giants are a junior feeder team for the NHL) I enjoyed myself there & it gave me an idea of what to expect at the Canucks game. The scale of everything was larger with the Canucks--the stadium held more fans, the beer & food cost more, the entrance of the players was even more over-the-top with glowing red lights, fake smoke & flashing lights everywhere.

The ticket cost is probably what makes the biggest difference to the atmosphere of the games. For a front row seat to see the Giants play at the Pacific Coliseum, it's $22 (or was last time I went--don't quote me on that). For a Canucks ticket like we had, about half way up the stadium in the 19th row, you'd pay $330. The Canucks crowd was a lot more well-heeled, a lot fewer children & not that many big groups of people that I could identify. The Giants games have a real community feel & the stands are generally full of little kids & families. 

Maybe the serious hockey fan could tell the difference between the game play & the skill of the players from the Giants to the Canucks, but I didn't really see it. I'm glad I had the experience, but I wouldn't pay for tickets to go see an NHL game.

What about you? Are you a die-hard NHL fan? What do you like about the game? Or are you like me & couldn't really care less about pro sports?

10 Ways My Husband is Awesome

This week's Listicles topic is a lovely one: 10 ways my partner's awesome. I have to admit, I don't tell Oli how awesome he is nearly enough. Here's hoping he won't get embarrassed at this list...

1. He can really sing. You'll probably never hear him though, because he's also quite shy & only does it at home, usually when he's alone.
2. He can play the guitar. Like #1, this is something he does on his own so you won't see him on a stage any time soon.
3. He wants to share all the work of parenting & at the moment--while I'm in school full-time & doing homework most nights--he's doing more of it.
4. He's as committed as I am to do what we can to reduce our carbon footprint, from composting to cloth diapers to not owning a car. (see #5 for further effects of this)
5. He's in great shape (probably related to the 150km he cycles to & from work most weeks).
6. He can cook pretty well & makes most of our dinners.
7. He's careful with money. Maybe too careful, as he takes forever to decide to actually buy things...
8. He can make decent beer from scratch at home.
9. He has lovely big gray-green eyes.
10. He's got a big heart. From bugs to animals to people, he has compassion for them all. Except wasps.

Okay, that's my list. Now go write your own! Blog it, or FB it, or write it on paper--wait, do people still do that anymore? :)




Linking up with Stasha's Listicles fun this week. Click on the button to the right & head over to join in the fun or just read more lists on this topic.







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Sharks & Rays at the Vancouver Aquarium

When I say shark, do you immediately hear ominous music & envision a great white stalking a fishing boat? Jaws is pretty hard to forget, but not all sharks are like the big white in that movie.

A Mermaid's Purse, aka shark egg, at the Vancouver Aquarium.

Unfortunately, sharks are one of the most widely misunderstood animals in our oceans. Now more than ever, sharks & rays need to be protected to sustain their population. Our past habit of eradicating species we just didn't like--rattlesnakes, wolves, bears--included the gentle basking sharks in the waters off BC. This put basking sharks on the “endangered” list under Canada’s Species at Risk Act.

But hey, sharks are scary killers right? What do we need them for? Why should we change our way of thinking & embrace these misunderstood creatures? For one, sharks are a part of the natural ecosystem & serve an important function: they hunt & eat sick & dying animals. Just like any other ecosystem on our planet, when you remove a predator, the populations that it once controlled can grow to unsustainable numbers, having a snowball effect on through the environment.

Yup. This is a shark. A Tasselled Wobbegong, to be exact.

In an effort to raise awareness about the issues sharks & rays face, the Vancouver Aquarium is
highlighting secrets about them through their current feature The Secret World of Sharks and Rays. I was invited to a tour of the show last weekend & found it fascinating to see some of these animals in real life. We got to watch a shark & ray feeding, saw "mermaid's purses" (shark eggs), & got a very close-up view of my new favourite shark: the Tasselled Wobbegong.

I knew before going that sharks, skates, rays & ratfishes often fall victim to “bycatch” (unintended catch) in commercial fisheries, but I had no idea that the toll is in the millions annually. Along with the well-known sharks & rays, unknown species are also removed from our oceans. In addition to bycatch, up to 73 million sharks are killed every year for the global shark fin market. Because of these two issues & other ecological disasters, the world’s shark population is rapidly decreasing. We need to do something about it. Through The Secret World of Sharks and Rays, the Vancouver Aquarium hopes to educate people about the threats these animals face.

One of the easiest ways you can help conserve the diminishing shark population is to be Ocean Wise. Next time you’re dining out, look for the Ocean Wise symbol on the menu next to a seafood item for Vancouver Aquarium’s assurance that the dish you’re about to order is an ocean-friendly choice. When buying fish at the market, if you don't see the logos, ask!

Visit the Vancouver Aquarium to see and learn about the following sharks, skates, rays and ratfishes:

Blacktip reef sharks
Whitespotted bamboosharks
Southern Stingray
Whiprays
Zebra shark
Ocellated freshwater stingrays
Tiger stingrays
Xingu River rays
Blue-spotted fantail rays
Epaulette sharks
Tasseled wobbegong
Pacific spiny dogfish
Spotted ratfish

The Secret World of Sharks & Rays is on now until April 30th at the Vancouver Aquarium. If you're planning to go twice or more this year, get a membership! It's a great rainy day activity. You'll save on admission after two visits, plus you get 20% off at all their cafes & the gift shop. There are lots of other benefits--check out their membership page for more details.

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(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday

Ermagherd! Shark spotted in the waters of coal harbour!

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10 Fantastic Smells

Marmoleum makes some crazy colours! (not getting this one)

Listicles Time! This week our topic is 10 Fantastic Smells. Here are the first ten things I thought of:

1. Marmoleum. I just like the linseed oil smell, I think. Reminds me of my oil paints from long ago. (Can you tell we're looking at renovating our kitchen?)
2. Chocolate. Duh. Need I explain?
3. Vanilla. Ditto number two.
4. Lavender. This is nearly the only flower I like the smell of. Just not into the smell of flowers, probably because they often make me sneeze.
5. Black Tea. Sadly, I can't drink the stuff, however. It seems the caffeine just doesn't agree with me.
6. Cinnamon. This is hands down my favourite spice.
7. Sprout's head. I don't know why little baby or toddler smell so good, but they do. 
8. Pine. Real pine, not those paper tree thingies people hang in their cars.
9. Grapefruit. I love the smell of the oils that come out of the skin when I'm peeling one for a snack.
10. The air when it rains after a dry spell in the summer. This happens about once a year in Vancouver. (the dry part, that is)

How about you? What are your favourite smells?




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Lenore Skenazy's PEP Talk Nearly Made Me Pee My Pants

Lenore Skenazy at PEP Talks in Vancouver, 7 March 2013

Last night I went to see Lenore Skenazy, aka "America's Worst Mom" speak at the Vancouver Playhouse, the first in the Parenting Education Program Talks. Before the 'educational' part makes you think it was one of those dry workshops where you're struggling to keep your eyes open, even though you know it's supposed to be important, let me tell you it was immensely entertaining.

Lenore is a syndicated columnist who lives in New York City & she first became famous--well, infamous might be a better word--when she wrote a column about allowing her 9-year-old son to take the subway home. Alone. In New York City. (cue ominous music) After her column came out, the barrage of interview requests from the likes of the Today Show & even the Howard Stern Show surprised her. Her son had asked to take the subway by himself & she felt comfortable allowing it, as he'd been riding these trains all his life. What was the big deal?

After becoming a media sensation & being christened "America's Worst Mom", she soon realized her
common-sense approach to parenting--allowing kids to take on responsiblity when they're ready, rather than protecting them from everything all the time forever--was worth writing a book about. She authored Free Range Kids in 2010 & it's become a best-seller. I read the book a year or two ago & I really agree with her perspective. It's by allowing kids to explore & learn about the world that they become safer. Street smarts can only be learned on the streets, right?

Lenore's high-energy talk jumped around in a way that she claimed was a result of downing a large Starbucks before taking the stage. Like her writing, in person she's approachable & funny, with a liberal dose of stream-of-consciousness digressions in her narrative. Through anecdotes that had the audience nearly in tears from laughter, she lambasted the irrational fears that we have as a society over the safety of our children.

Though fear of abduction by stranger is her biggest target, she also pullled several dubious safety products out of her purse to question their validity. I have to say, my favourite was the rubber ducky bath thermometer--c'mon parents, you know the one--that will say "HOT!" on the bottom if the bathwater is too warm for baby. The best part was when she asked an audience member to read out a line from the packaging, telling parents that they must test the water with their hands before ever putting a child in the bath. A product that explains its own redundancy!

Lenore's talk & her book, Free Range Kids, is what parents need. She lays out in words her common-sense attitude toward child-rearing without prescriptive tips or fear-mongering. She reminds us that crime rates are at an all-time low & raising children to fear strangers will not keep them safer.

As I mentioned earlier, PEP Talks is a series: there are three more yet to come, featuring Dr. Sheryl
Feinstein on "The Adolescent Brain" April 10, Deborah MacNamara & "The Lost Art of Play" May 15, then Lisa Bloom on "Raising Smart Kids in the New Millennium". Tickets are $35 per event, available online on the PEP Talks website, with proceeds going to support the Vancouver International Children's Festival.

*Disclaimers: I was given free tickets to see Lenore to help promote the series. Also, the link to Free Range Kids is an affiliate link.

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Father Son Saturdays: the Granville Island Sustainable Seafood Walking Tour

I'm really enjoying being back in school full time, but it leaves me a lot less time to blog here. To keep you entertained in my absence, I have asked my dear husband to write a guest post or two. Here's the first of what I hope will be a few.

Granville Island Market. Photo by uncleweed, via Flickr

Sprog and I spent the morning of the last Saturday of February taking a sunny but windy father and son bicycle ride down through the Olympic Village and along the False Creek Seawall to Granville Island. We were there to take part in the Granville Island Sustainable Seafood Walking Tour, hosted by David Suzuki Foundation and Seachoice.

I locked up my bike at a nearby rack, got Sprouty out of his front bike seat, let him run in circles around the Island's maple tree ringed "Triangle Square" and grabbed the map we needed to embark on our self-guided tour. I had been expecting to join an actual scheduled tour group, based on the event description, but I was consoled when I saw that there was a seafood cooking demonstration later that morning at a "secret location" just for people registered on the tour, so I figured that would be worth the wait and it did give us plenty of time to wander around the island together and visit some of the tour venues.

Now taking a walking tour with an easily distracted toddler in a crowded marketplace surrounded by lanes and parking lots isn't the easiest thing in the world, but once we got to the venues, we discovered that each one had a staff member wearing a fish-shaped hat. That captured my toddler's interest quite well and I was able to convince him to try a small seafood snack at each location, before he'd try and run off to explore the sights and sounds of the marketplace. I'm trying to get this toddler to love fish as much as I do, but I remember not really liking every kind of fish product my German family ate when I was a little boy ("Rollmops", anyone?).

Sprog and I finally arrived at the somewhat well-hidden location of the cooking demonstration: a parking garage on Granville Island that was about to be temporarily re-purposed later that evening as a Winterruption food truck festival and beer garden (which sounded wonderful, but was going to be 'no minors'- so not particularly family friendly). Chef Ian Lai's demo of homemade well-crafted salmon burgers and side dishes was well under way. Sprouty found himself a little friend to run in circles with and I was able to relax a bit and watch the cooking demo, while keeping only one eye on him, as the whole venue was fenced off from the nearby traffic with only one exit. Chef Ian Lai made occasional references to the kids in the audience and the importance of educating kids about food issues and involving them in the production of food by gardening or having them help cook. I fully agree with this line of thinking. Lai heads a Richmond, BC based urban agriculture organization that does this kind of outreach work.

If seafood is your thing, or if you want to feed seafood to your family, consider making the most ethical choices you can by following the guidelines in  a well-researched program like Seachoice and their list of available resources (such as an iPhone app or printable wallet cards to help you make sushi choices) or Vancouver Aquarium's Oceanwise program to help you avoid making purchases from unsustainable fisheries or feeding your family fish that can contain a high load of toxins.

All in all, a morning well spent. Despite my previous familiarity with seafood harvesting and farming issues, due to being a seafood lover growing up on the coast with lots of friends and past coworkers involved in fish science and research, marine mammal husbandry and fishing and fish farming, I still feel like I came away from it having learned a thing or two. Maybe more importantly, I got to talk fish with my toddler a bit, helping him make the connection between the sushi he loves eating and those little fishies in the books he reads.


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Wordless Wednesday

Of course Bigfoot was at the Vancouver Bike Show last weekend.

PEP Talks: Lenore Skenazy

Lenore Skenazy

Thursday this week I'll be going to see Lenore Skenazy speak at the first of the PEP Talks series. I'm really looking forward to it. There are still a few tickets available ($35 each). Here's a little more about Lenore's talk from the PEP Talks site:

Free-Range Kids: Why Does an Old-Fashioned Childhood Sound So Radical?

The media labeled Lenore Skenazy “America’s Worst Mom” when she let her 9-year-old ride the subway alone. She wore the badge with pride and went on to found Free-Range Kids: the book, blog and movement dedicated to the idea that our kids are SAFER and SMARTER than our culture gives them credit for. In this funny lecture (she used to write for Mad Magazine) Lenore discusses how today’s parents became so afraid about everything from predators to non-organic grapes (even if cut into quarters!), and how we can regain the perspective that allows us to trust our kids, our community and our own good-enough parenting.

If the above information isn't enough to convince you, I'll add that ticket proceeds support the Vancouver International Children's Festival. See you there?



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Ten Things I'm Proud Of

Buckwheat pancakes with peanut butter, banana & maple syrup.

I have to admit, when I read this week's Listicles topic, I was a bit uncertain about it. I'm generally a fairly modest person, so bragging about things I'm proud of? Hmm... Awkward. However, I'm currently in the process of looking for a practicum & work in Public Relations, so I need to practice self-promotion & telling people how awesome I am. I'll try to be at least a little bit funny along the way. Here goes:

1. My vocabulary & writing ability. I may be wordy, verbose, garrulous with an over-fondness for adjectives but I know how to spell all the words I use.
2. My volunteer work. Though I can be competetive, I do like to share & help other people. That's why I volunteer as much as I do & one of the reasons I blog here.
3. Making things. Unfortunately, what goes along with this creativity is the fact that I can be really disorganized (my sewing room, aka "The Heap" is ample proof of this. Well, actually, my whole house is evidence of my lack of clutter-busting skills). It's kind of awesome when someone compliments me on something & I get to say, "I made it myself!"
4. When I do something, I really do it. I'm one of those people who's pretty black or white about things. I love it or I hate it. I'll jump in with both feet or I won't even bother. I blog once in a while or I blog every single day of the year. Though lately the blogging isn't what I've thrown myself into--it's the full-time Public Relations Certificate program I'm doing at SFU.
5. I'm a good mother. I get frustrated some days, feel lazy other days & often wonder if I'm doing it right, but I love Sprout & he knows it.
6. My weekend breakfasts. Breakfast & the occasional bit of baking is practically all the cooking I do, but I make great French toast & awesome pancakes (how about coconut chocolate oatmeal?). 
7. As much as I can, I try to walk the walk. I think we (in most developed nations, particularly in Canada & the US) need to drastically cut our energy consumption & waste production. So we don't have a car: we bike or walk or take transit most of the time. We recycle everything we can, compost, eat organic & try not to buy anything we don't need. I'm not perfect & my carbon footprint is bigger than I'd like, but I'm working on it.
8. I'm good at saving money. A lot of the time it's just because I'm indecisive & wait to buy, but it's also because I'm just cheap. I hate paying full price & I like getting stuff for free.
9. I gave birth on my feet without any pain medication. I know that luck & privilege definitely contributed to my ability to have the birth I wanted. I'm generally healthy; I live in a wealthy country with socialized medicine; I had my choice of care providers in my neighbourhood; I had the means to afford great prenatal education & doula support during my birth; Sprout aligned himself head-down, facing the right way. I'm not judging women for choosing different births & I really sympathise with those who didn't have much choice in their birth. Most of all, I feel for the women whose experience with pregnancy & birth is loss, because I've been there too. But all that said, I am proud & I've never felt as powerful as I did after I gave birth.



Didn't want granola bar, stuffed his face with cherry tomatoes.

10. Sprout. I couldn't write this entire list about me, could I? I'm very proud of my little boy. He's bright, outgoing, affectionate & pretty articulate for a two-year-old. I'm even proud of his eating habits--he actually likes vegetables, loves fruit & will even (sometimes) turn down things like cookies or ice cream in favour of healthier foods.

So, there it is. If you've made it this far, thank you for reading all my bragging. I promise I'll stop once I find a job & can just show them how awesome I am, rather than doing the hard sell in interviews. ;)

Now it's your turn: what are you proud of? Go ahead: what makes you awesome?





Linking up with NorthWestMommy's Listicles! Check out her 'assignment' for next week's list & join the fun!







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Culture Babes

Sprout enraptured by the modern dance performance.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go to a Culture Babes event. Established in 2011 by new mom Hilary Letwin, Culture Babes organizes monthly arts & culture outings for parents & their small children around the Vancouver area. Museum tours, gallery visits & dance performances are a few of things you might do if you went along on one of these meet-up style outings. They're often specially booked so that the group has the place to themselves, with no worries about getting dirty looks if your baby cries or your toddler starts running around.

Baby-friendly Dance Performance

Sprout & I got to see some great short performances by students & graduates of The Source Dance Company, held in the Burnaby Artspace. The venue itself was actually designed for small children to use for arts classes, so it's a very kid-friendly place. The performance was held in the dance studio, where the audience sat on benches along two walls. Leaving the room to change a diaper or chase a toddler was not frowned upon & the show was broken up by an intermission, during which there was a crazy socks contest, treats & lemonade were served.

It was great to expose Sprout to dance performance like this--I can't see it working out very well taking him somewhere like the ballet. Because there was floor space for his antics (copying the dancers as they were performing) he was able to work off his extra energy. Like all the other kids there--from very young babies to preschoolers--he was quiet & engaged during the performances.

Upcoming Culture Babes events include:

A ceramics session at the Port Moody Arts Centre on Wednesday, March 6th at 10am and 1pm where you can take tour of the current exhibit at the Centre then create ceramic tiles with impressions of your child's hands or feet. Tickets are $21 per adult including materials.

At the Museum of Anthropology Wednesday, March 20 at 10am, you'll have a museum tour & quick look at the new ceramics exhibit, Pleased to Meet You: Introductions by Gwyn Hanssen Pigott. Tickets cost $30 per adult, with tots free.

Robert Beck/Robert Buck at the Rennie Collection on Wednesday, April 17 at 10am. Tickets for this event will cost $10, but because the Rennie is usually free to visit, the proceeds from this event will be donated to charity.

Vancouver Art Gallery on Wednesday, May 8 at 10am, we will be touring Grand Hotel: Redesigning Modern Life, which is devoted to the history of modern hotel architecture & design. Tickets cost $30, $15 for VAG members & tots are free. 

 

Please note that tickets for each event need to be purchased in advance. To RSVP or find out more, please drop us an email at culturebabes@gmail.com.

Disclaimer: I was given a free ticket to this Culture Babes event, but was not otherwise compensated to write this review & the opinions above are my own, as always.

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