Kidding Around Vancouver Island » General

Other great local blogs to check out!

georgedad — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:36:39 +0000

I am thrilled to have gotten to know some other bloggers and Vancouver Island fanatics – VI Reviews (Shalyn) and Eyes On BC (Linda). These two women write about great happenings across the Island too. I encourage you to check out what they write about – they are a wealth of information! Oh – Shalyn has a penchant for a good breakfast – tell her about your fave spot and Linda loves good sushi – tell her about the best spot to eat Japanese food.

Class acts…. BLYS Yoga in Parksville

kimmom — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:38:13 +0000

This from a magazine article I wrote late last year for a column I did called Class Acts. BLYS Yoga is now part of our lives. Our 10 year old takes the pre-teen/teen yoga classes and LOVES it. 2nd time for it and ask when it starts. We have other young friends going with her and they love April. I have to say, April is a huge bonus in their lives.

Here is the piece:

My next class took place in Parksville and was yoga. I have been trying to figure out my yoga style. Did I like hot yoga? Vigorous yoga? My yoga – The one that makes me feel the best. I have to say, my experience with April Kuramoto of BLYS Yoga (new studio opens on October 3 at #4 – 205 Jensen Avenue) was magical. Big words for a gal who can barely haul herself out of bed some days. I feel awkward in a fitness place at the best of times, but it felt different here. Her choice of music and conversation was not what I usually heard in a yoga studio, and I liked it. I tried the poses and transitions and she would say to us it does not have to be perfect, but you are here and in the moment. She had a gentle, guiding touch and I cannot wait to go back. I have even signed my ten year old up for her preteen/teen class. I want my kids to have the April experience. It is a good and wonderful thing. Here’s what I keep telling myself from my time in her class – “Her Practice made me feel Perfect”. High praise indeed. April I am your new groupie! All the class information – for kids, teens and adults can be found at www.blysyoga.com.

Not just for breakfast.

kimmom — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:37:11 +0000

One of the awesome tree tapping experts at the Forest Discovery Centre in Duncan

5th Annual West Coast Bigleaf Maple Syrup Festival

It’s that time of year again – a whole day devoted to Maple Syrup. Taste maple syrup from Vancouver Island at the Bigleaf Maple Syrup Festival at The BC Forest Discovery Centre in Duncan.

We loved it last year. Pleasantly surprised by the amount of Maple Syrup producers we have here on Vancouver Island. There were light syrups, dark syrups, molassesy syrup and we had a great time choosing the bottle of syrupy goodness that came home with us. Extra bonus – we got to go on the train! Very sweet indeed.

This year we are bringing grandparents, cousins, babies and more. We want everyone to come and celebrate the elixir created here on Vancouver Island.

Here’s the info from the website

Saturday February 4, 2012

10:00 am – 4:30 pm

Visitors are invited to participate in mini-workshops facilitated by experienced maple syrup producers, including tapping demonstrations, presentations, and displays. This year’s event features cooking with local maple syrup and maple foods will be available. The festival features a maple syrup competition with judging by celebrity chefs from Vancouver Island. The evaporator will be running all day so visitors can savour the warm maple aroma of sap and see how syrup is made.

Bigleaf Maple Syrup Festival Schedule:

Explore the sights and aromas of syrup making

Evaporator:
10:00 am – 4:30 pm

Find out more about maple tapping

Tapping Demonstrations:
Every 20 minutes from 10:20 am – 3:20 pm
Approximately 15 minutes long

Maple Syrup Presentations
Approximately 15 minutes long

Taste Local Maple Syrup
10:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Maple Syrup Competition Awards
12:30 pm
Train Rides
10:30 pm – 3:30 pm every half hour

Special Admission Price:

$7 adult/seniors/student/youth

$5 per child (2-12 years)

children under 2 are free

April means Birthdays

kimmom — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:44:19 +0000

I love April – flowers popping up, cherry blossom trees in bloom and in our family, April has more birthdays than Hallmark can deal with.

This month I went all out for Ella Rose’s birthday celebration… High Tea for Little Ladies. I baked, researched the best kid-friendly fruit punch recipes, had invitations made by a talented friend, took cake decorating classes (Yup – I really did), got a butler outfit for my husband, a maid outfit for our elder daughter and I was the chef. All servants for the beck and call of four little girls. It was cute, fun and truth be told, exhausting.

I was talking to a mom today, telling her about the lovely and tiring birthday party and all she said was “Jumping Jiminy’s is a much saner option”. I have to agree – but it was an experience our whole family enjoyed and the little ones had a blast. Being able to include everyone in the event was fun and I know we will remember the experience for a long, long time… but first I have to catch up on my rest.

Is that the Real Santa taking photos?

sharimom — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 08:15:35 +0000

Things got a bit awkward as we stood in line at Nanaimo North Town Centre the other day for the requisite picture with Santa. Our six year old was observing that Santa seemed to be in a lot of places at one time these days and isn’t that odd. As we desparately thought of a way to answer, she thankfully came up with her own explanation: these must all be Santa’s helpers. Problem solved. But then, a few moments later, in strolls our Santa and she observes that his beard isn’t nearly as full as the Santa in the promotional pictures. More silence; more desparate thinking. And again, before we have to come up with something, she notices a barber shop further down the mall – clearly he’s been for a shave. My husband and I glance at each other and smile – yes, a close shave.

Meanwhile our three year old seemed blissfully ignorant of all this – chewing ferociously on a candy cane – but I suspect those little wheels were turning and that she wasn’t buying any of her sister’s rationalizations. She’s silently biding her time, but at least we have a year to think of new explanations. For now she was happy enough to sit with our freshly-cut Santa and actually produce some faint smiles for the camera. She was almost as reluctant to show her joy as the two teenage boys who followed us. I watched with amusement while they dutifully sat with Santa; their mother holding their coats and looking very pleased with herself. Standing in line waiting for our prints, I asked the mother what it had taken to bribe her teens. She laughed and said it had taken a lot – to which the boys gave very satisfied grins – but it was worth it all because she now had a complete set of Santa pictures from new-born to sixteen. I wondered how soon we’d have to start bribing our girls.

Review the ratings

sharimom — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 07:58:13 +0000

Tis also the season of watching more movies, and that means deciding what’s appropriate for your kids. I’ve been surprised to see how many films young kids (under 13) are watching that are rated PG. We’d all do well to remember that PG means Parental Guidance and if you look at www.filmratings.com you’ll see that such films can include nudity and violence. Even a G-rated film allows language that’s commonly used in everyday life, and as we know, that language is getting rougher.

We used to try and watch any movie before letting our kids see it, but as they see more and more outside the household, that becomes impossible. One useful replacement, however, is the internet. The Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com) for example, has a parents’ guide for each film, describing what does or does not take place based on five criteria of adult content.