Some picture book suggestions from A Mighty Girl. Even if you don't have a daughter, don't you want your son to see examples of strong girls too? It's not just girls who need these role models & great characters they can identify with. Boys need to see girls in stories that aren't pathetic princesses.
A really long, but worthwhile op-ed on the myth of having it all as a working mother. Creating a mythical SuperMom ideal just makes most of us feel like crap because we can't achieve that. We need fundamental change from our workplaces to make work & family more compatible for mothers.
A perspective on how much freedom to allow a toddler. I'm constantly asking myself, "Should I let him do that?" I can't swaddle him in bubble wrap & prevent every single bruise, but where's the line between overprotective too lax?
A couple of months ago, I received a copy of Paula Pugh's Celebrating Beginnings and Endings
to review. It was suggested as a great guide to making life's milestones special. I thought it sounded a little, well, new-agey-hippy & it is. However, after reading it, my inner skeptic realized there are some great ideas in there.
The book consists of a series of stories of various people's celebrations, from baby showers, to graduation parties, to gatherings to involve both families in an adoption, to divorce, to funerals & more. At the beginning there's a 'recipe' for how to approach planning any of these celebrations. Most of the events described are not what you might expect a baby shower or wedding to be like, because they incorporate very personal aspects of the people's lives into the gathering.
What I like best about the book is that it is entirely focussed on making a simple event that will mean something to all those involved. It's not about all the surface stuff that so many other event planning books focus on: decor, venue, fancy food. The book is about the meaning & the memories created by these events, not designer cupcakes or pricey gift cards. This resonates with me; when I was planning our wedding, I didn't want to just follow the formula that's out there with the church, the white dress & expensive reception. I wanted the place where we got married to be somewhere important to us, which wasn't a church or even a building. (We hiked up to the third peak of the Stawamus Chief in Squamish & had the ceremony there)
Even if you're not planning something big like a wedding, there will be something in your life that's worth acknowledging. Maybe it's a child finishing kindergarten, or the death of a much-loved pet, or your kids leaving home. Take a look at Celebrating Beginnings and Endings for some ideas on how to thoughtfully mark the occasion in a way that everyone will remember.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book to review & as an Amazon affiliate, I'll receive a small commission if you buy a copy via the links in my post here. My words & opinions stated here are my own.
This past weekend while I was at MEC BikeFest, I noticed a guy wearing a vest with a URL on it that said Cycle Realtor. My curiosity piqued, I had to go talk to him. Mike Carrier is a realtor in Vancouver who runs his business by bicycle. He graciously agreed to an email interview, which I've posted the entirety of below.
How long have you been a realtor?
I started selling real estate early in 2000 with a small independent company on the North Shore (Angell Hasman & Associates) and now they are a large, very elite firm and I felt that West Vancouver was a good fit for a cycling realtor.
What area do you work in?
The offices for The Residential Group are downtown and in Kits, but I work everywhere. Since I have moved my practice from the North Shore, I have been mainly working with my buyers network and that can take me as far as New West (the Sky Train is wonderful for bikes :-). Essentially I would like to focus more on my marketing strengths as opposed to my knowledge accumulated from living in many parts of the city over the last 25 years.
Do you live in Vancouver?
I was born in Coquitlam and raised by wolves, strike that. I was raised near Mundy Park and spent most of my youth wandering its many trails, forests and lakes. My parents sold, moved east (Maple Ridge) and I moved into Vancouver at 19 and never left.
When did you start cycling rather than driving in your business?
I started cycling five years ago after a long hiatus and only in the last 3 years have I been full time for business and pleasure.
Why did you decide to make the change & get rid of your vehicle? How has this changed your business?
The choice was easy really. I was using my car mainly for trips out of town and transporting signs and riding the bike for work, but when I was in the car coming home one day with some groceries, someone made a hasty left turn and made a mess of the car. I never replaced it.
How many kilometres do you think you put on your bike in a year?
I don't know how many clicks I bike per week/month etc. I have had to rebuild the hubs and replace various parts on my commuter, but never keep track of hours logged. I am not your typical cyclist as I am trying "not" to workout. I give myself adequate time between showings so I maintain an "air" of professionality. Once in a while you will find me inside ice rinks preparing an offer presentation. You learn to use different neighbourhood resources when you the need arises.
Who do you typically work with--are most of your clients cyclists themselves?
My clients are just regular people with families. For years I was told that I need to drive a big car (preferably German at the least) to be a realtor, but even when I had a car, most of my clients had car seats and toys etc so they would prefer to just meet me there or follow me. That was part of the reasoning for not replacing my vehicle. I would love to work exclusively with like minded individuals and just use the bike, but when I am showing "out of towners" around, I rent a Modo vehicle and play the chauffeur with the local knowledge of the roads and services.
I get the impression that many realtors think having a high-status vehicle is important for their image. Do you think you lose potential clients because you don't own a car?
In West Vancouver, the industry is rife with high status this and high status that. Many realtors drive M-5s, Ferraris and Aston Martins. (my Cannondale Quick was out of place.) And yes, I have lost a few clients that could not get past the idea of my nontraditional way of doing business. It is a business entrenched in "tradition" or maybe the word stigma fits better.
Do you know of any other realtors who cycle rather than driving? (or any other professionals you might not expect to run their business by bike?)
There is a woman (I don't know her name) in a Kits office that rides a lot apparently and the Shift Delivery Co-Op has a great platform as well.
What are the advantages to biking instead of driving as a realtor?
When I ride I have this big grin on my face (even in the rain sometimes) instead of the typical stress of being behind the wheel of a car and worried about a traffic jam making me late. You also have a better feel for the "soul" of the neighbourhood on a bike. You see the alley street hockey games instead of blowing by at 50. You see the poverty and the addicts, in other areas you see the community efforts to beautify the streets. I guess you are more a part of your environment when you don't have metal walls and windows surrounding you, therefore you experience more.
What's the downside?
The downside is you need to be better prepared and better equipped.
What kind of bike do you ride?
I ride a battered and bruised Cannondale Quick something or other. It runs well most of the time and I don't worry too much about inadvertently losing it. I don't even have a "status bike", although I have an old carbon graphite Cadex that I rigged up some friction shifters to that works for my "road bike".
What advice would you give to someone who's considering ditching their vehicle in favour of a bike for work?
Don't delay: get some decent all weather gear and any kind of bike will do the trick. Upgrade if you need to later. It will put a smile on your face.
------ Bike Life is a regular feature here on The Sprog, profiling individuals & businesses in Vancouver that cater to or get around with bikes. If you or someone you know would like to be profiled here, please contact lisa DOT corriveau AT gmail DOT com.
The obsession with bikes continues & Sprout regularly lists all the compound words with bike that he knows: bike path, bike box, bike rack, bike lock...
Getting a little more intrepid on his runner bike, taking it down the block on the sidewalk. No running yet, though: he's still only walking slowly & getting the hang of steering it.
It's a shape sorter! No, it's a garage! Look, now it's a stable!
Fascinated with garages, Sprout points them out whenever we pass one (which is a lot when cycling) & pretends that his shape sorting cube is a garage. He turns it on its side & makes the sliding lid go up & down saying 'boom' when it closes completely. At the moment, his toy ambulance is parked inside, along with a little horse, who's peeking out one of the 'windows'.
Favourite foods this week: Kashi Cinnamon Harvest, straight out of the box; radishes from the garden. They're quite peppery, but he will eat them as fast as you hand him slices.
Two hour naps were the norm this week (what happened to those three-hour ones?) & he slept through most of the nights.
New words this week: 'Denny', 'Lo-wens' & 'Tah-lee-ah' (Jenny, Lawrence & Talia, his caregivers at Buddings Daycare)
New toys this week: I had a Toys R Us gift card I'd been meaning to spend since his birthday last year, so I picked up some play dough & finger paint. A month ago, he wasn't interested in play dough at all. Now he loves rolling it flat, cutting it with various utensils & pretending to feed it to his toys. He asked to play with it the next day too. The finger paint, on the other hand, was a very new thing to him & I suspect it will take a few more tries before he gets into it. He did like using a cork as a stamp though, almost as much as he liked banging the paint bottles on the table. Predictably, he had to taste the paint, & from the face he made, it's pretty disgusting. Sadly, no photo of his green tongue!
Parenting Fail of the week: leaving a glass of beer on a low table where Sprout could carefully pick it up & take a swig. I suspect this has been his main motivation for improving his cup drinking technique. Didn't expect he'd be stealing our beer quite this young...
The family vehicle of the Bicycle Hotel owners (Amsterdam)
I couldn't let Bike Month slip away without a bike-related list, now could I? Here are eight reasons why biking is better than driving:
It's great low impact exercise that really works your whole body. The leg part is obvious, but you also need your core muscles & upper body to maintain stability. I don't need to remind you of the myriad reasons why exercise is good for you--just imagine not having to plan when you're going to exercise. It could just happen automatically when you go from point A to point B if you bike.
It's nearly free once you've bought a bike. Cycling is very accessible for anybody--you can get a serviceable bike used for very cheap if you're totally strapped for cash. Maintenance of my bicycle has averaged out to less than $50 a year & I bought the bike over TEN years ago for around $500. That works out to about $100 a year. You don't pay for insurance & parking is always free. No other transportation option except walking is that cheap!
You really get to experience your neighbourhood on a bike. While cycling, I have chatted with strangers, bought a poetry collection from a street vendor, stopped for a glass of lemonade from a kids' stand, seen tiny little lizards sunning themselves on the road & watched seals in False Creek. I would never have done any of these things if I were driving. In fact, I probably would have run over the lizards.
Biking saves you time. Bikes can whiz past traffic jams, take sidewalks (slowly & cautiously) to detour around road work without taking a longer route & sometimes take more direct routes through parks or streets that are one way for cars. If you're cycling regularly, you don't need to make time (or as much time) for exercise. Plus, it's unlikely you'll spend several minutes driving around to find a parking space.
Cycling is greener than driving. Bikes require a lot less material, energy & resources to manufacture than a car. Also--this one's a no-brainer--bikes don't require gasoline. Of course, you do burn calories (~300 for a half hour of 20km/h cycling, depending on your weight) but because it's the most efficient way to travel in terms of energy used to distance travelled, you don't need to eat much more to fuel it. An extra snack & you're good to go. Then again, if you're like most of us & want to drop a little weight, maybe skip the snack?
It's really easy to combine cycling with other modes of transportation. This is a great way to do longer cycling day trips or vacations. You can take bikes on the Skytrain, Seabus & most buses have racks for two of them. BC Ferries charges $2 to bring your bike on board--compare that to the $49.25 for a car! If you have a folding bike, the world is your oyster.
Cycling is fun! Feeling the wind whip past your face & the satisfaction of getting somewhere on your own steam is awesome. When I get to the ferry terminal by car, I think, "Great. Now I have to sit in my vehicle in a giant parking lot & wait to squeeze it onto this ferry." When I biked there, it was a feeling of accomplishment.
You can maintain your own bicycle. The mechanics of a bicycle are pretty simple & it's all right out there in the open, unlike the workings of a car. Changing cables, adjusting brakes, cleaning your chain & replacing tubes or tires is not difficult work. You can take short courses to learn bicycle maintenance with an organization like HUB, or go to a place like Our Community Bikes where you can use their tools & get some help to learn as you go. Even if you don't fix your own bike--taking it in to the shop is not going to cost you anywhere near as much as it would with a car.
- - - - - - - - Why Monday lists? Reading the lovely Chloe's blog, Tea Swamp Park, I found an idea I had to 'steal': a list of all her Halloween costumes, with quite a few photos. She got the idea from Hula Seventy's List Project. I've decided to do the weekly lists for a year that Hula Seventy is doing.
Tea Swamp Park & Hula Seventy are not the only ones doing lists, however. Check out NorthWestMommy's list & 'assignment' for next week.
Sunday was Car-Free Day, so we moseyed up Main Street to check out the festivities. Not what I'd call real exercise, as there was a lot of standing around & only a little dancing.
(Like this)
Monday I biked Sprout over to Buddings, which is a nice 25 minute round trip. Tuesday Ditto Monday, with 10 minutes of walking as well. Wednesday I pushed Sprout in the stroller over to VGH to drop off a little sewing project I did for my sister Dr. Sarah (she's a neurology resident). The round trip was a good solid 70 minutes of walking. Thursday we went out for dinner at Vera's Burger Shack on Main, which is a 20-minute round trip on foot. Friday I biked Sprout over to Buddings & back: 25 minutes total. Saturday was MEC Bikefest at the Athletes' Village, so we biked down there & back, of course. That's about 20 minutes of riding.
Weekly total: 195 minutes. 15 minutes shy of the 30-minutes-a-day goal, but I'm not going to stress about it.
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What is this Exercise Challenge, you ask? Read my post on Day One for details & how you can get involved too.
This particular review has been a long time coming. Bit by bit over the past couple of months I've been reading Whole Foods To Thrive: Nutrient-Dense, Plant-Based Recipes for Peak Health, by Ironman triathlete Brendan Brazier. It's not a difficult read, though dense with interesting information.
Last year's Whole Foods To Thrive follows up on Brazier's book The Thrive Diet: The Whole Food Way to Losing Weight, Reducing Stress, and Staying Healthy for Life, published in 2007. It's a treatise on why a plant-based diet is healthier for people (including athletes) as well as the planet, as well as being a resource on nutrition & a cookbook too.
The first part builds his argument against eating animal products with facts & copious statistics. Though I found most of it engaging, I think the book struggles a bit when trying to explain how much CO2 is produced from producing meat by comparing it to driving huge distances. This still
doesn't really make climate change tangible, in my opinion. I'm also not sure where he gets his concept of the 'healthy American
diet' from--I'm not sure the average healthy eater actually eats meat three times a day.
Brazier's focus on nutrient density really jives with what I've learned while researching baby food & feeding Sprout. He looks at the environmental toll of various food production/processing methods & assesses food using a nutrient to resource ratio. He advocates for veganism because of the inefficiency of meat in terms of water, fuel, land used &
pollution generated as well as considering the micronutrients & calories in
it.
I think this is a really valid point & a great way to decide what's really healthy for us & the planet. However, I find it a bit disingenuous for him to focus so much on the environmental impact of food production while freely admitting that he travels all over the world constantly.
There is some useful info on particular 'superfoods' as well as a section with 200 recipes follows this. We tried a few & like them.
Though I know Brazier hopes his to convince his readers that becoming vegan is a healthier & more planet-friendly way to live, I still like to eat cheese & meat. This book did make me really think about the impact that my animal product consumption has on the world, however, so I think I may endeavor to eat less meat in particular.
If you're looking to green your diet this book is a good resource. For those out there with food allergies & intolerances, the plant-based recipes in the last section are all allergen-free & contain no wheat, yeast, gluten, soy, dairy or corn. I think I'll keep it in rotation to add a few healthy meat-free meals into our diet every week.
Random.org picked lucky #3, which means Callie! As they are a biking family, I know her two girls Keira & Carmen will enjoy the Bike Safety Boogie.
Thanks to everyone who participated & spread the word about the contest!
If you'd like to get a hold of some of Will's music his videos are available to download for $1.99 apiece & each download comes with a free song. You can also pick up 'Will's Jams' DVD for $14.99, which also includes a download of the soundtrack for free.
Go camping (I'm embarrassed to say it'll be Sprout's first time--it's been three years since we went)
Get the deck & roof fixed
Have some summer barbeques
Start regular fitness classes again (I'm thinking deep water aquafit & maybe a bootcamp style class I've heard about)
Go to water parks & pools weekly
Do a short bike tour, maybe on the Gulf Islands
Take a trip or two to Vancouver Island
Go on at least one hike a month with Sprout
Get out & play in nature at least once a week (the ocean, the forest, lakes--not just groomed parks & gardens)
Find a men's XL shirt at a thrift store & try out some of these looks
Renew/get passports for all of us & travel to the US (I really want to visit Portland)
Have you got a bucket list this summer? What's on it? Let me know in the comments or... if you have a blog: I'm trying out a Linky.
Quick Primer on Linkies: If you have a blog & you want to share your summer bucket list, hit 'Click here to enter' then put in your blog info. Your bucket list will be linked below so my readers can find you too!
Last week the sprog & I took the train out to New Westminster to try out a little kids' baking class at the River Market. This was all part of some 'research' I was doing for a Vancouver Mom article on kids programs at the River Market. (Check out my Vancouver Mom article for more on all the other stuff for kids aged 1-12, including summer camps) We arrived early (don't faint--I was surprised too) & Sprout ran around the Food Hall exclaiming at all the 'gwahges' (there are roll-up garage doors on all the businesses) while River Market staff Melissa & Pamola Bakery owner Katia set up for the class.
After donning little aprons, each of the dozen or so children was given a lump of cookie dough to knead & roll out. Then they got to use cookie cutters to create quite a few cookies each. Sprout hasn't really ever been interested in play dough the few times I've offered, but he got into the rolling & cutting.
Carefully adding sprinkles.
All the cookies were laid out on trays with each child's name written on the parchment. While the cookies baked, Katia & Melissa handed out chocolate cupcakes to decorate. This reminded me instantly of the Stanford marshmallow experiment. A few of them got nibbled while the kids waited for the cream cheese icing to be distributed. Next the kids got to add a few other colours of icing as well as several kinds of sprinkles. Sprout definitely ate more sprinkles than he put on the cupcake.
Too pretty to eat?
Once the cupcake masterpieces were finished, they got eaten pretty quickly, except for Sprout's. Oddly, he didn't seem at all interested in having any. He finally had a few pieces from the bottom, but didn't eat any of the icing. At that point, all the cookies came out of the oven & we were handed a little bag with Sprout's name on it, full of delicious sugar cookies. I noticed that despite serious variation in the thickness of the cookies rolled out by all the little bakers, none of them seemed to be over- or underdone.
Bag of treats to take home.
The River Market's free kids' baking classes happen at 10-11am every Tuesday in the Food Hall of the River Market.
Sprout has officially become a 'buddy' at Budding Children's Garden & Daycare. He's been there a few times now & loves all the toys they have. He seems pretty at ease there already, so I'm excited that I can start getting more time to work.
He's actually pretty good at drinking from a cup now. We use straw cups or sippy cups when we're on bikes or he's in the stroller, though.
Sprout has really been doing lots of imaginary play. His dolls & little Playmobil toys talk, make sounds, eat & do all sorts of things.
On some of our rides along the sea wall, there have been pedestrians on our side, so I ring the bell & tell them they're on the bike path. Since then, Sprout has started randomly shouting, "Bike path!" during the day, whether we're cycling or not.
For weeks now, Sprout has been waking up once every night between 2 & 4am. Rather than one of us trying to get him quieted down & back in his crib, Oli just brings him back to bed with us, where he instantly falls asleep again.
Passed out after noms.
Sprout's sleep schedule has been a bit all over the place this week. A few times he went for eight hours before falling asleep for a nap. This makes me worry that he's getting really close to giving up a nap. I'm not ready to give up that two hours in the afternoon!
His favourite food continues to be cheese. I've still never seen him turn it down. He is eating less in general these days, though. I can't find any reason for it, so I think it might just be that toddler thing that so many kids seem to go through.
Papa & Sprout found a dinged up little tow truck on the way to the park & Sprout has been carrying it around ever since. He's started to try to take his little toys with him whenever we go out. On Sunday we got to Car-Free Day on Main Street & I realized he was clutching his Playmobil horse in his hand.
Along with the Little Pookie books, Sprout's favourites this week are Along a Long Road & Where the Wild Things Are. He really likes pointing out all the things he sees during the bike ride that makes up the story of Along a Long Road. I think this book is what made him walk along the yellow line in the road during Car Free Day on Main Street.
Sprout has become obsessed with nipples. It doesn't surprise me that he's fond of mine, because he's still breastfeeding around four times a day. But it's his too: when I'm getting him dressed, as soon as his chest is bare, he says, "Nipples," & starts poking them.
NorthWestMommy's Monday Listicles 'assignment' for this week was to list what ten things we'd buy with $1000. Despite a difference in three zeroes, I've now got the Barenaked Ladies song stuck in my head, "If I had a million dollars". Ouch. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. $1000. Ten things. Hm... Since this is all in my imagination, I'm not going to be realistic & spend it on particularly practical things or things for other people. I'm going to treat myself. I'd be inclined to drop it all on a bike. Or, rather, put it toward a bike, as the ones I'm coveting are well over $1000. Heh. But that's not the game. Here goes, ten things I'd spend a grand on:
What I came home with last time I went to Electroladylux
Another tattoo by Teresa at Electro-ladylux, of course. I'll really restrain myself & try not to spend most of a thousand like last time... heh. $300+
A short credit-card tour (by bicycle, natch) to a Gulf Island for a couple of days. $200?
A case of environmentally-irresponsible-shipped-all-the-way-across-the-damn-Atlantic Spa water (the red ones, if I could find them here) because it reminds me of Brussels. $36?
Another bottle of Joseph, an organic spelt ale, brewed in Belgium (as most of my favourite beers are) by Brasserie de Silenrieux. (I'd link it to their site, but Belgacom sucks, so it probably won't work for you either.) $8
- - - - - - - - Why Monday lists? Reading the lovely Chloe's blog, Tea Swamp Park, I found an idea I had to 'steal': a list of all her Halloween costumes, with quite a few photos. She got the idea from Hula Seventy's List Project. I've decided to do the weekly lists for a year that Hula Seventy is doing.
Today's Car-Free Day in Vancouver! Since we live just a few blocks east of Main, that's where we'll be today. See you there?
Here's this week's exercise confessional for y'all:
Sunday I lounged around the house (this is becoming a regular thing). Monday I got in a little walking--20 minutes total, hauling toddler & milk in a wagon. Tuesday I did a little walking & running between buses downtown. Maybe 10 minutes total. Wednesday I biked to the Museum of Vancouver for the Vancouver Mom Top Bloggers event. It was a lovely evening for a ride & got a little more of a workout due to being fairly weighed down by two swag bags on the ride home. The round trip was just under an hour. Thursday I walked about 22 minutes. Friday I biked Sprout over to Buddings Daycare to sign up which was 26 minutes total. Saturday was another day of lounging, so we're not going to make the 210 minute goal this week. :(
On a happier note, my knees are feeling better.
Weekly total: 135 minutes.
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What is this Exercise Challenge, you ask? Read my post on Day One for details & how you can get involved too.
Sprout has started to really enjoy the 'sand' table at the Mount Pleasant Family Centre, so I thought I'd get one for him at home. Not wanting to spend $50-100 for one like these, I decided to make my own. I used an under bed storage box that I had around, attached it to a plastic box with packing tape & filled it with 'sand', then added shovels, containers & sifting toys.
Maybe you're wondering why I keep using quotes around 'sand'? Because the sand is actually corn meal. Here's the 'recipe' for how to make the 'sand' table:
Ingredients:
2.5-5kg corn meal (I used 2.5kg for a box that's about 45cm by 60cm)
plastic containers & toys
under bed storage box (preferably with a lid)
plastic shopping basket/milk crate
clear packing tape (or Tuck tape, or duct tape--it all depends on how visible you want it to be)
(Really simple) Instructions:
Tape the base to the top. Here's what I did: I cut four 10-20cm pieces of tape, pushed one end through the holes at the sides of the basket/crate. Folded them over themselves at the ends a few cm to secure, leaving most of the piece sticky side up. Placed the under bed storage bin on top of the basket/crate & pulled the tape strips up around the sides to stick it down.
Fill with corn meal & add toys. Voila! You're done.
Tips
Use a base that's about the same width & length as your top so it isn't tippy.
If you use the sand table indoors, put it on a large mat to reduce tracking the 'sand' around the house.
Use binder clips or bungee cords to secure the lid on when you don't want little fingers (or critters) getting into the sand table.
You could use other types of containers for the top of the sand table, like an old baby bath, or even a sturdy cardboard box--just tape the seams to avoid corn meal escaping.
A base isn't necessarily required--you could just use a shallow container to hold the sand & put that on a low table. A non-skid mat underneath should help keep it from sliding off.
If you wanted your table to look a little fancier, you could make a fabric skirt around it. Attached just below the lip of the under bed box, it would cover up the base as well.
How much does it cost?
I found a set of relatively small-scale toys for $7, but you don't have to buy anything. Yogurt cups & containers, measuring cups, spoons & other kitchen utensils you might have on hand work fine too. The box & bin were just taking up space in my garage, so we'll call them free.
Pros & Cons
Using corn meal rather than sand has two disadvantages: firstly, you can't get it wet, or you end up with moosh; secondly, animals might want to eat it. However, the advantages outweigh that, I think. Corn meal is cheaper than non-toxic play sand (I paid $4 for 2.5kg); it's easier to find--you can get it at any grocery store; you can buy it in small quantities; it's okay if your child eats it; it isn't abrasive; you can easily see dirt in it & lastly, it comes in a lovely bright yellow colour.
When you want to get rid of the corn meal, you can compost it, feed it to the birds or sprinkle it on your garden or lawn. The corn meal encourages Trichoderma, which is a natural fungicide, helpful if you're having any root or leaf rot.
Try out my 'recipe' & let me know how it worked for you.
This contest is now closed! Thanks for playing! Don't worry if you missed it--you can still see Will's videos online or buy a DVD. Details below...
Here on the Sprog, I'm excited to be hosting my second giveaway! While I don't mind doing product reviews or contests, I won't devote blog space to just anything. Particularly when doing a giveaway, it's got to be something I can get behind. Well-written, multilingual kids' music, made by local musician Will Stroet? Check!
We first heard Will Stroet perform this year at the Vancouver International Children's Festival. One of the reasons we took Sprout to his show was that I'd heard Will was really fun & the show was listed as appropriate for two & up. The kids in audience--babes in arms to 7 or 8--all were engaged, singing & dancing along because Will is a really interactive performer. From his years of teaching, he's gleaned the skills to really connect with his audience.
Will & his Backyard Band played a set of fun, catchy tunes that also have educational value, covering things like eating veggies, bike safety, French vocab, colours, counting. His songs are so attractive to kids because they have associated dance moves or actions that go with the music; seeing Will in concert or watching his videos is really worthwhile.
Besides having seen Will play at Kidsfest, I also had the pleasure of meeting him & his family a few times. I was introduced to Will at the opening night party then chatted a couple of other times during the festival. He really is as genuine as he seems in his shows.
Now that I've introduced you to Will, here's the scoop. I will be giving away one copy of his new DVD, 'Will's Jams', which features ten music videos of his songs. To enter the contest, you need to do THREE things:
Leave a comment on this post telling me which song is your favourite & why.
BONUS: you get one extra entry if you share this contest on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Just leave a second comment telling me where you shared.
Follow me on Twitter or leave your blog address or email address in your comment so I can track you down if you win! Contest closes at noon (PST) on Friday, June 22, 2012. I'll choose a winner from the comments with a random number generator.
The fine print:
Two entries maximum per person.
This contest is only open to people living in Canada & the continental USA.
DVD will be mailed out to the winner the week after the contest closes.
I'm probably the last of the bunch to post my report on the Vancouver Mom Top Bloggers celebration, but it's not because I didn't have fun. I also don't have any impressive photos to post here, except a couple of really lame ones on my phone camera.* That was quite intentional, actually. Yesterday, when I was deciding what to bring with me (business cards, lip balm, credit card, ID, keys--that's about it!) I thought, "Hey, I should bring my camera." Then I realized what that would mean. I'd be trying to get good photos all night, experiencing the event through the LCD on my camera back.
So I put the camera down & decided not to take photos all night. Which is not to criticize the people there who were taking photos--I'm glad the event was documented. But for me, the night was about meeting people, in real life, without the electronics between us.
Harriet & the 2011 riot window boards.
The evening started off great, with the weather picking up to make for a lovely ride there. It's less than 30 minutes along the Ontario, 10th Ave & Cypress bike routes. I realized a few minutes into my ride that I'd left my front light at home, so I grabbed an MEC Turbo Turtle on my way. (really bright & under $5--awesome little light!) Once I arrived, changed into my fancy shoes on the sidewalk outside (classy, eh?) then washed the bike grime off my fingers I was ready to party!
All the agonizing that we did about what we were going to wear on Twitter in the week leading up to the event seems to have paid off, because everyone looked great. I was one of the few not wearing a dress, my excuse being that I still have bruised knees from my last minor spill off my bike.
Over the evening, I talked to so many new people that I
completely lost track of them all. Despite trying hard to match Twitter
handles & blog avatars to the faces, or even to remember who said what, I think I missed a few names. It was a lot harder than I expected to recognize people from the tiny little Twitter icons I see all the time. The three
(generous) glasses of wine didn't help, either! It was great to meet up with some bloggers I'd only talked to online & see some I'd met in person before.
One of the surprising highlights of the evening was the speeches. Surprising, because--let's be honest--speeches can often be the most boring part of an event. Past Top 30 Bloggers Harriet, Tracey & Amber were given a three minute limit & a topic of What I know now. Their speeches were all very entertaining, but I have to say that it was Harriet who made me laugh hard enough to spill wine.
Yes, it's a plastic golf club.
Later in the evening, after I'd moved on to sparkling mineral water, I checked out the dresses in Art Deco Chic. It's a lovely exhibit for those interested in fashion from the early 20th century. I marvel at the hours that must have gone into the hand embroidery & beadwork on some of the gowns.
By ten pm, the museum staff were gently nudging us out the door, so I strapped my swag basket to my bike, stuffed the other bag of it (yes, I came home with nearly my weight in swag) into my backpack & off I rode.
My head was buzzing when I got home, not just from the wine but the chance to talk with so many new interesting people. I learned a lot & hopefully started a few new friendships. I really needed to go to another blogger meetup like this again soon.
Thanks again to Christine Pilkington of Vancouver Mom for organizing the Top 30 Blogger contest & last night's great event.
*my cycling photos are often lame, as there is always some Scotchlite creating a massive flare in the shot. Sigh.
Kids & the News
Annie at PhD in Parenting always nails it & I'd repost everything she writes, but well, that's a bit excessive, isn't it? Couldn't resist this one, though, as I've been thinking lately about Sprout's exposure to things like the recent mailed-body-parts saga. Her recent post on how much DEATH! DESTRUCTION! MAYHEM! in the news that she exposes her kids to is thought-provoking. I think she's got a good point that sheltering children from what's going on in the world isn't necessarily a good idea. Has this come up for you? What news sources do you let your children watch/hear/read?
Are Drivers an Endangered Species?
A really interesting look into the possible reasons behind the decline in young drivers on MacLeans Magazine.
Dog Body Language
As the mother of a very friendly & dog-loving toddler, I am constantly worried he's going to get bitten. I'm hoping what I learned from this illustrated primer on when NOT to pet a dog will help avoid a potential injury. Thanks to Shihtzustaff for posting it on Twitter.
Etymology is Fun!
Focussing on words that came into the English language from books, this article goes over the origins of neologisms like galumphing, chortle & nerd as well as more established words like bump. Have you ever wondered where the word yahoo came from? Read the article to find out. :)
Behind the Time Cover
A bit late, I know, but if you haven't seen it yet, here's the great interview on Kellymom with the mothers in the sensationalistic Time Magazine article on Attachment Parenting. Unsurprisingly, they were mislead about the focus of the article & photo shoots. The media's exploitation of people for stories really irritates me: in my few dealings with the news media (TV & newspaper), I've found the same thing to happen. You're told that the article will focus on one thing & when published, the result is not at all what you agreed to participate in.
Tonight I go to Fabulous, the Vancouver Mom Ultimate Blogger celebration, at the Museum of Vancouver. I get to go for free thanks to making into the top 30--I'm grateful to all of you who nominated The Sprog for the contest. I didn't win the top spot, (that honour went to Melissa of The Thirties Grind) but I'm not upset about that. There are still plenty of prizes for the top 30, but more than that, the contest has connected me with a lot of other bloggers & introduced The Sprog to a wider audience.
That's what I'm most excited about: matching Twitter handles & avatars to faces in real life. I'm looking forward to meeting lots of new people & celebrating all the writing we do. Also, after much discussion on Twitter about what we're all going to wear, I can't wait to see the outfits!
Saturday I went to the Vancouver Art Gallery to join in the Vancouver Draw Down workshop there. When I arrived, I got paired up with another person & we drew portraits of each other on black paper with white pencils. It's been several years since I did any life drawing, but the old habits came back quickly & I stepped back to literally objectify the person in front of me, focussing on light & dark, form & negative space. It was a fun challenge to use white on black & create the image by layering white cross-hatching to bring up the lighter portions of her face, the opposite of the usual adding in of line & shadow. As we were both drawing I moving our heads constantly, it was tough to get a really accurate likeness, but I'm happy that I got a sense of her. Here is my drawing & my model with hers:
I wish I'd gotten out of the house sooner so I could have visited more workshops, but I'm happy I made it to one. I can't wait til next year--maybe Sprout will be old enough to be interested in drawing images by then. At the moment he likes to use crayons & markers, but he just scribbles.
After I drew my portrait, I looked around the Matisse show at the gallery. Calling it a Matisse show isn't really the whole story, however. The works on display are from the collection of the Cone sisters, two avid modern art collectors from Baltimore. As you walk through the exhibit, you're introduced to Etta & Claribel Cone, their travels & the incredible amount of art they collected. I really enjoyed watching a short BBC documentary showing in the gallery on the Cone sisters, hosted by Michael Palin.
Don't even THINK about asking for drip coffee at Matchstick
I'm joining in with North West Mommy's Listicles this week with my take on the topic: Things that make you go hmmm... or, you know your neighbourhood has been gentrified when:
A new children's store has opened up, featuring princess dresses, $60 toddler tee shirts & ballet flats for 3-month-olds
The closest full-service restaurant is French food & has a two-week waiting list for reservations
There is not one but two yoga studios within 200 feet of each other
Detached single-family homes sell for a minimum of $800,000 (unless you want to live on an extremely noisy trucking route or are buying 'for lot value only'. Then you could score something for a mere $700K)
There is a vegan shoe store & it's somehow stayed in business for over a year
$200,000 buys you a 14-year-old 423-square-foot studio apartment
The closest cafe has only hand-poured single-origin coffee
- - - - - - - - Why Monday lists? Reading the lovely Chloe's blog, Tea Swamp Park, I found an idea I had to 'steal': a list of all her Halloween costumes, with quite a few photos. She got the idea from Hula Seventy's List Project. I've decided to do the weekly lists for a year that Hula Seventy is doing.
Tea Swamp Park & Hula Seventy are not the only ones doing lists, however. Check out NorthWestMommy's list & 'assignment' for next week.
Sunday was a day of lazing around & recuperating from a busy week. The only exercise I got in was walking to the corner grocery for a few things to make dinner, maybe a three block round trip. We won't count that.
Monday we walked to & from Famous Foods for groceries, a total of 50 minutes.
Tuesday I wheeled Sprout around in his stroller to the toddler gym in the morning, then out shopping on Main Street in the afternoon. All together, about 50 minutes of walking.
Wednesday we walked over to Clark Park to participate in a little neighbourhood Casseroles. The walk there, the route we took plus the walk home amounted to an hour of exercise.
Thursday I had an appointment downtown & by the time Oli got home from work to watch Sprout, I didn't have time to take the bus. It had just stopped raining, however, so I had a nice ride to & from downtown for a total of 40 minutes cycling.
Friday we walked over to see Oma & Opa where they're staying in the Holiday Inn on Broadway. It's a half hour trip one way, which was all I did, as I had to jet off to massage therapy downtown afterward, which I did by transit.
Saturday was a rest day in more ways than one. Rather than bike, I took the bus downtown to go to a Vancouver Draw Down workshop at the Vancouver Art Gallery & checked out the Matisse exhibit. Stay tuned for more on that Tuesday...
Taking a few days break from cycling actually helped my knees feel a lot better. Though I love being on a bike, I think I may have to work up more slowly to hauling Sprout around by bike for 30-60 minutes a day.
Sprout's been playing with rhyming & word play lately. When his sleep sack (prounounced 'sheek shack') is mentioned, he'll start making up words that sound like it: feek fack, leek lack. I got into the action & he was repeating after me: meek mack, week wack, peek pack, zeek zack, & so on.
He's also getting much more able to express what's wrong. He started crying in bed one morning so I asked what was wrong & he replied, "Bite tongue!" Not much I could do for him there, but sometimes it's really useful to know why he's upset. It'd be awesome if he can learn how to tell us that his mouth hurts because of his two-year-old molars--I've assumed that's been bugging him lately, but I'm not sure. In any case, I'm happy to be past the days of playing guessing games & trying to discern the object of his gaze while he cried, "Amah! Amah!" (I want).
Though his language skills are improving by the day, he's still doing some funny things. He seems to like pronouncing polysyllabic words, but he says them with a bit of a pause between syllables, so it sounds more like a sentence: Buh-too--fyaiy. Sometimes he adds extra syllables, as in boo-doon-doon-doon (balloon). At the moment he's started blurring the distinction between monkey & Mikey, so I can never tell if he's talking about a toy monkey (or one in his books, or the marmosets at the Aquarium) or his Uncle Mikey or the Mikey in The Airplane Ride. His sentences are still typically just two or three words, so there's not a lot of context to go on.
Sprout 'breastfeeding' at Whole Foods
Something I also find hilarious is when he does something he knows he's not supposed to, then chastens himself immediately afterward with an earnest little, "No!" It's as if he just remembers after the fact that he's not supposed to screech inside/whack the wall with a toy/etc.
Monday Sprout had a lot of fun playing in, around & with the bassinet that was just returned to us. I was disassembling it & he wanted to 'sleep' inside it, then started playing with the parts. A year & a half ago when he was still sleeping in there, I didn't imagine him climbing in & out, playing with the canopy & talking about it all during the process.
His role playing has really taken off lately. New this week: breastfeeding his toys--mostly his monkey. He also makes his doll cover its eyes & play peekaboo or dance with him. I came into the kitchen recently to catch him 'washing' his hands in his play kitchen sink. His horses & cow will 'eat grass' & actually, so does dolly sometimes.
A highlight of the week was when Oma & Opa came to visit. They came bearing gifts: a toy electric guitar which thankfully has a reasonable volume setting & some clothing in sizes 4-6T. He is wearing mostly 2T stuff & the occasional 3T, so these won't fit for a while! His stash of clothing & shoes to grow into is soon going to be bigger than what fits him. Yikes.
It's cliche, I know, but I still can't believe my baby is going to be two soon. When people ask how old he is, I've started saying, "He'll be two in August," or "Almost two," rather than 22 months. For comparison, I looked back at the update I wrote year ago: I'd just lowered the crib base, though he wasn't pulling himself up yet. I think he might have been eating more then than he does now. He must be eating enough, however, as he's gained at least seven pounds since June 2011. He's moved up from the 40th percentile to the 80th in the past year. He's not particularly tall or chubby, however, so I'm not sure where he's putting it! I think he's just built of denser stuff, not unlike his Papa, who often comes out on the wrong side of the line in BMI charts, despite testing in the low range of healthy for body fat. But enough about the charts & percentiles: it's easy to see he's a happy, healthy little boy.
I'll leave you with a short video of Sprout's new-found harmonica skills: he's moved past the one-note wonder stage & figured out the sliding sideways part!
I was recently looking through this list of 10 Surprising Safety Hazards on Parents.com & wondering: do we really need to be afraid of all these things? Some were really good tips, like keep your guests' purses & wallets out of baby's reach. We all know how much little kids like to rifle through a new bag & there are likely to be items inside that could pose a choking hazard or cause other injuries. The stats on pet-related injuries were striking as well: "About 100,000 children under age 10 are treated in hospital emergency
rooms every year for dog-bite-related injuries, according to the CDCP.
The majority of attacks happen in familiar places by a dog that belongs
to the victim's family or friend."
However, the second item on the list was latex balloons. I'm not saying they're okay for babies to play with, but the stats quoted don't really make me thing it's a very likely accident: "Since 1973, more than 110 children have choked to death when chewing on or blowing up latex balloons." That works out to two or three kids a year, compared to cited number that up to 900 suffocate in soft bedding annually. On the other hand, the amount of exposure to balloons versus pets or bedding is vastly different.
There are so many sources of fear & guilt about parenting these
days, often as a part of marketing a product to help you solve the
'problem' that you didn't know you had. I found it quite overwhelming
initially & had to fight the paranoia that books, marketers &
even other parents seem to want you to have. When it comes to safety,
I'm not going to say I'm against doing any babyproofing, but how much is
too much? I've seen ads for padded helmets for children learning to
walk or crawl--isn't this too much? What does that do to a child if
they're never allowed to take any risks? Do they learn if they're not
allowed to make mistakes that result in the occasional bump or bruise?
As the mother of a now very mobile & energetic toddler (though he's not at the extreme end of the spectrum--I have friends whose kids run laps around him) I have almost entirely stopped going to cafes during the day. I used to go a lot when Sprout was easily portable & would sit (or better: sleep) in his stroller, on my lap or in a carrier for hours. But now that he's likely to run straight out the open door of a cafe into traffic, I can't just sit & enjoy an overpriced chai soy latte or a half-kilo muffin in peace.
Pretty much all of the cafes I used to love going to have some sort of major hazard or two that make them off-limits to me & Little Mr. Curious. Even the ones that try to be kid friendly often miss the mark a bit. Glass terrariums set on low shelves, doors always wide open to streets with heavy traffic, fireplaces, display shelves full of breakable mugs at toddler height, lit oil lamps, play kitchen near an oven, buckets of choking-hazard sized toys.
I guess the people who own cafes in Mount Pleasant are already making money enough, but they could make even more by catering to all the parents of toddlers who are free during the day. Seriously, this is not a small market--there are a lot of us who work from home, work part time, work nights or whatever--just look at any morning drop-in gym, Strong Start program or community centre tots class. We get serious cabin fever staying home with the kid(s) & we'd love somewhere that we could actually sit, have a drink or a snack (better yet, beer!) while the kids occupy themselves in a play area full of new, interesting toys. Yes, I get to meet & talk to other parents at the aforementioned kids activities, but we rarely get to finish a sentence without having to dash off & nab a kid from a ladder, an overturned ride-on toy or the glue pot at the crafts table.
Business owners, if you cater to us, we will become loyal devotees because there aren't that many other places we can go. We're social media savvy: we will blog about you, check in on Foursquare, post about you on Facebook & tweet about you. We will talk about it in our stroller bootcamp classes & at the drop-in toddler gym. We will bring friends. If our kids like you, they will beg us to go all the time & we will give in to stop the whining. Then we'll come in & buy food & drinks for both/all three/four/five of us. Think of the turnover: even if you're really kid-friendly, we won't likely stay much longer than an hour anyway--you can earn a lot more money from us than all those people who camp out with their laptop for hours, buying one coffee.
So here's my wish list for this new kid-friendly establishment in Mount Pleasant:
Get a sturdy play kitchen & fill it with toy food, dishes & pots. If you're worried about noise, plastic dishes are quieter & Ikea has (washable) fabric food.
Don't put the play kitchen near the oven, the door or any other potential hazards.
Large building blocks & cars are also fun, cleanable & not that tedious to pick up at the end of the day.
The play area doesn't have to be huge, nor does it have to be fenced off entirely, but enclosed on three sides will make it easier for parents to relax.
Keep the toys safe for all ages: don't have anything that's small enough to fit through a toilet paper tube so no little ones can choke.
If you have the square footage, have a seating area near the kids area & one that's separated for those who aren't fans of the younger & smaller sized humans.
You don't have to spend a mint on gear--there's lots on Craigslist for super cheap--but don't stock it with broken or dirty toys.
Have a kids menu (hint: salads don't usually go down well with small children) of quick to prepare foods so kids can get their meals/snacks really fast. This will avoid a large percentage of low-blood-sugar tantrums.
Have a baby change table in EVERY washroom. It ain't just women who change diapers, you know.
If you offer table service, make sure to train all your staff on serving hot things around children: don't put tea/coffee/steaming food within their reach & don't move it over their heads when you're putting it on the table.
Make sure you have a lot of high chairs. If they take up too much room (there are stackable ones) get some boosters that strap onto chairs--they're pretty small to store.
Leave enough room between tables so that strollers can actually manoeuvre. Better yet, provide an area for stroller parking.
Have a lost & found--we lose stuff all the time but would love to get it back.
Get a liquor license! Just because we're with our kids during the day doesn't mean we wouldn't like a beer or a glass of wine.
Parents: have you got any ideas to add to this list? Cafe/restaurant owners: are you convinced yet?
Everybody has habits they hate, right? Here's a list of some I would like to change.
Procrastinating
Staying up until 2am writing lists for blog posts
Eating sugary food too often
Wasting food
Starting projects & not finishing them
Twirling my hair in my fingers
Not stretching
Sleeping in late (see #2)
Eating a lot of animal products (I'm not going vegan, I'd just like to cut down)
What habits do you have that you want to break? Have you had any success kicking a habit that you'd like to share?
- - - - - - - - Why Monday lists? Reading the lovely Chloe's blog, Tea Swamp Park, I found an idea I had to 'steal': a list of all her Halloween costumes, with quite a few photos. She got the idea from Hula Seventy's List Project. I've decided to do the weekly lists for a year that Hula Seventy is doing.
to review. It was suggested as a great guide to making life's milestones special. I thought it sounded a little, well, new-agey-hippy & it is. However, after reading it, my inner skeptic realized there are some great ideas in there.
, by Ironman triathlete Brendan Brazier. It's not a difficult read, though dense with interesting information.
