Get your tickets early - the Backyardigans are coming!

The Backyardigans 2009 Canadian tour starts in September, and they'll be coming to Vancouver.  Check back in our August/September issue of WestCoast Families where we'll be giving our readers a chance to WIN 4 ticket to this fun show.  If you want to be guaranteed a seat, though, we are offering our readers a chance to buy early.  Just go to this special TICKETMASTER website and follow the instructions to get your "Presale" tickets.    Enjoy!

WestCoast Families on Global TV

WestCoast Families magazine is on Global TV Noon News Hour again this Monday, May 25.  Tune in at 12:45 after Sports to hear all about some of the fantastic DAY Camps for kids this summer.  There are so many cool day camps that we're continuing this topic from last week's segment on Global!  If you want to see what we talked about this past Monday, go to the Global page on our website for the info.

Healthy Families Conference This Weekend!

Healthy Families Conference
UBC Student Union Building, Vancouver
April 18 & 19, 2009

Creating Community at Home and in School! Educators and parents from across the Pacific Northwest will gather to participate in an event designed to inspire, support, and connect the amazing individuals who contribute to building community for our children at home and in school

This two-day conference is packed with great presentations, breakout sessions, workshops, discussion groups, and meals that will create a collaborative and participatory setting giving each participant a toolkit of resources and contacts to take home.

Attend the Healthy Families Conference to learn skills and strategies to nurture strong relationships within your family and create strong ties for children within your community.

Call 604.569.6544 or visit www.healthyfamiliescanada.org.

Time for Spring photos!

Spring is a GREAT time to get family photos done.  Think Mother's Day & Father's Day coming soon... So our friends at Bopomo Pictures is giving a free sitting fee for all photo sessions for the month of April only.  That's a $30 value.  At Bopomo you get to review your photo session shots on a large full colour Mac screen at the studio, and pick exactly the shots you want to print.  You can also get the shots edited & cropped to make them picture-perfect.

Check out their work at www.bopomo.ca

This shot setup below, spelling out their name, is one of our favourites for little ones.

WestCoast Families on Global TV

Check us out on Global TV Noon News Hour on Monday April 6!  This week we'll be talking about Kids Camps for summer 09.  No it's NOT too early to be thinking about summer camps for your kids... especially residental (sleep-over) camps!  The Parenting segment is on at the end of the Noon News Hour, about 12:50pm.  all of the information covered on the segment will also be listed on our website - just click on the GLOBAL TV button.  or click here: www.westcoastfamilies.com/globalTV

Attention Mom Entrepreneurs!

Funny, why do we have to tag ourselves as "Mom" Entrepreneurs.  Why are we any different from any other entrepreneurs?  Why are we classified?  Well, here's what I think.  I think it's because being an Entrepreneur on top of the full time job of being a Mom shows what amazing, hard working multi-taskers we are... so why not tell the world!  Another woman in business has recognized the fact that although we MAY not be running multi-million dollar corporations, we still want our businesses to succeed.  

Holly Klaassen has started HerSEO for Moms just like us.  We know online presence is crucial to business success in these times, but we can't always afford an expert to come in and assess our website, optimize our website for search engines, and ensure it's the best it can be.  Holly has created HerSEO so that we CAN afford it.  They offer services with flexible and affordable packages (starting at just $50) to make our websites BETTER and get more hits by browsers out there.  Each package comes with the understanding of why Search Engine Optimization is so important to our business, what they are doing to help, and what we can do in the future to rank higher on search engines.  

If I'm talking above & beyond your technical understanding of websites and search engines, you could probably use HerSEO!!

If you have a website and want to drive more traffic to it, this could be the answer for you. Check it out ...  www.herseo.com

Aden + Anais sale!

You know how we love to support local and Canadian made & designed goods for our little ones... but there are a few products that come from the far side of our borders that are worth taking a look at.  One I've discovered has become a personal favourite - Aden + Anais cloths & blankets for babes.  Developed by a couple of Australian Moms who moved to the US, they're made from an Australian muslin cotton that is amazingly soft, strong, and snuggly.  There's a sale on at Aden + Anais right now... Winter Warmth Swaddles and Dream Blankets on sale  for $20 (USD) off - now $29 and $39.  They do ship to Canada... or to the U.S. if you have someone down south who could use a little snuggle time.  www.adenandanais.com

April Issue on Streets Now!

April, our annual GREEN issue, is now on streets and shelves everywhere! Find cool, green finds, make your family eco-fit, your home eco-chic, and your kids eco-aware, plus much more! Go to www.westcoastfamilies.com to read online!

We love Kashi!

Haven't tried Kashi foods yet?  They're one of our favourite snacks & breakfast foods for families.... and Canadian too!  Now they're offering a FREE box of Kashi granola bars to anyone who asks.  Just go to www.kashi.ca and click on "Free Granola Bars".  The link is even easy to find on their website... no hidden icons or 50 questions!  Fill in your name & address and they'll send you a coupon for a FREE box in a few weeks.  easy.  

Spring Break? "Break" for who?!

Well, it may not feel like "spring is in the air"... but Spring Break is here again!  If you're not one of the lucky ones heading to some fun in the sun, it's ok!  We've got PLENTY of things for you to do right here in our own backyard.

A couple of tips from our experts to keep your kids from going stir-crazy, and to keep your sanity:

- make a calendar for the week.  Kids thrive on a little bit of structure, and like to anticipate what's coming next.  This will also save you from being asked the same questions over & over again!

- share child-minding with neighbours, family, friends, or school parent groups.  This is especially effective if you can't take the whole week off work.  

Now, for a few suggestions of what to do:

- Swimming, skating, skiing - it's the WestCoast... enjoy it!  Most rinks & pools will have expanded public schedules this week, and it's super cheap.  Less than $20 will buy you & your whole family hours of entertainment.

- Head to the Library - most libraries have special programs on this week . Reading programs, special events.  Check out their website or give them a call.

- Check out your local community centre, or YMCA.  They've got loads of day camps and drop in programs.  It may not be too late to sign up!  and typically these programs are really inexpensive compared to some private or specialty programs.

- Look at our local attractions - Science World, Vancouver Aquarium, Greater Vancouver Zoo, Vancouver Maritime Museum, Vancouver police Museum,  Burnaby Village Museum and the list goes on.  Most have family pass rates from $11-$30.  A great deal for a day of guided entertainment.

-  Check out your local regional parks - Burnaby Regional Park and Minnekhada Park in Coquitlam both have programs this week to explore nature.  

- Go to the theatre!  Spring Break kids theatre festivals are becoming a hot trend.  Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in Burnaby, Arts Club Granville Island and Carousel Theatre in Vancouver all have kids theatre shows this week, including matinees.  Great opportunity to take in bit of live entertainment.

Most importantly, HAVE FUN!!!