Kidding Around Vancouver Island

With the sunny hot summer we’ve had on Vancouver Island this year, fruits were ripening extra early, and that meant starting blackberry picking mode not long after BC Day – it’s been going strong ever since.  When we head down to the park, we don’t bring any snacks with us; just grab a handful of [...]

Sometimes the kids just need to get away from it all.  You know, from the daily grind of eating, playing, more eating, more playing, but mostly they need a break from their parents.  So sitting around a room with your parents, or going swimming with your parents, no matter how nice the resort,  just doesn’t [...]

The kids have at least half a dozen hula hoops hanging in the carport, but none of us has been able get the hula part of it.  The only use the hoops get is a rare game of daddy toss – 10 points if you get it over his head and 5 points if it [...]

Opening night isn’t far away and Grace remains as cool as a cucumber.  We’re as nervous as… as radishes.  All we can think about is her getting up on stage and trying to remember songs, dances, where she’s supposed to be on stage, and whether her hat’s on straight.  It’s so confusing.  Thankfully, the kids [...]

Students from Winchelsea Elementary and North Oyster Elementary schools are taking the stage this Thursday evening at 7pm at the Port Theatre in Nanaimo.  They’re part of the Voices of Nature concert for the Brant Wildlife Festival, featuring Holly Arntzen and the Dream Band.  Last year’s concert was amazing – you’ll have a great time [...]

Stuffed with Love at Nanaimo North Town Centre has a very special event this Friday from 1 – 3pm.  Stop by the store and for a $5 donation (which goes to the Child Development Centre) you can make your own mini-bear. And then you can move down the mall to Centre Court and enjoy free [...]

One of our favourite children’s musical groups – Bobs and Lolo – is back on the Island Sunday April 5th to help put the fun in fundraising for the Errington Co-operative Preschool. I say “back on the Island” because Bobs (Robyn Hardy) and Lolo (Lorraine Pond) grew up right here in the Central Island area [...]

When I was little we had a canary that loved to escape and fly around the house.  I couldn’t imagine over 700 birds having the run of the place, but that’s what you’ll find at the World Parrot Refuge in Coombs.  Two giant wings of the building – if you’ll pardon the expression – allow [...]

We gave Grace and Ella a choice this past weekend – watch paint dry or watch cheese being made. They opted for the cheese, but, as the folks at Little Qualicum Cheeseworks are fonding of joking, there’s not a lot of difference. However, seeing all the animals at the cheeseworks and hearing about how the [...]

That week is coming. You know what I’m talking about, parents, “the week the kids went” and leave school, only to ask the eternal question “what is there to do?”. The better question is, how do we fit it all into one week? If you’re looking for pre-planned days for the kids, I really like [...]