Momcafe: Moms Behind the Headlines

Two successful Vancouver moms come into our living rooms every day--on TV and on the coffee table. Balancing work and family is a challenge in itself, but these moms in the media are doing it all while being in the spotlight too! Come hear CTV Weathercaster Tamara Taggart, and WCF's very own publisher, Andrea Vance, share their personal stories on how they balance work, family and fame. $36 non-members; $32 members.

Childcare is available; kids from birth to 12 years of age are welcome. Listen to the speakers and engage in uninterrupted conversation while the children are supervised in a safe and fun area nearby. Babies up to six months old (or older if you prefer) may choose to sit closer to Mom. An additional fee of $10 for the first child and $5 for each additional child will be charged for those requiring childcare (snacks included). A portion of this event's proceeds go to support Dress for Success.

Momcafe: Moms Behind the Headlines

Friday, November 27, 2009 at 9am

Watermark Restaurant, Kits Beach

www.momcafe.net

Three Great Events This Weekend!

The 7th Annual Baby and Family Fair is Back!

The 7th Annual Baby and Family Fair is every parent's dream. With over 100 booths, the show offers an extensive selection of exhibitors, seminars and hands-on demonstrations on the latest information, innovations, products and services for expecting parents and families with young children. Whether it's reliable information from industry experts, fun for the little ones in the "Big Kids Play Area," or an incredible shopping experience, , this event has what parents need. Plus! Seminars and clinics on babies, breastfeeding and more!

October 24 & 25, 2009

Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre

www.baby-fair.com

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The 9th Annual West Coast Women's Show is Here!

It's the Ultimate Girls' Day Out! Laugh, enjoy and get motivated at the West Coast Women's Show. It's the biggest and most popular women's event in BC, with fun, fashion, food and shopping at over 400 booths. Here great advice on home decor from Colin and Justin, hosts of Colin & Justin's Home Heist! Don't mss Girls' Night Out on Friday night for the sizzling 2010 Calendar Firefighters Fashion Show, and Saturday night for the 911 Fashion Show featuring the hottest men in uniform!

October 23, 24 & 25, 2009

Tradex, Abbostsford

www.westcoastwomen.net

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Lower Mainland Toy and Product Fair

The Annual Lower Mainland Toy and Product Fair benefitting the Langley Child Development Centre offers new, quality toys, products and services for children, birth to pre-teen. Over $500 in door prizes to be won! This event is open to the community and free to attend. Childminding available by donation.

October 23, 2009

Langley Events Centre

7888 - 200 St.

www.langleycdc.com

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!!!

Win FREE Movies Passes to MONSTERS vs. ALIENS

The Weird Will Save the World!! Starring the voice talents of Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Kiefer Sutherland and Paul Rudd, Monsters vs. Aliens tells the story of how a 49-foot girl and her monster friends battle to save the earth from an invading alien robot! This is the first InTru 3D Movie from Dreamworks Animation. Visit www.monstersvsaliens.com for ratings info and to watch a preview. The preview takes place March 21, 2009 at 10:30 am in downtown Vancouver.

TO ENTER: Email info@westcoastfamilies.com and be sure to include your first and last name, mailing address, daytime telephone number, an alternate telephone number and the number of passes (up to four) you require.
DEADLINE: March 18, 2009

Protect yourself... and your family!

Check this out - Scam Jam!  This is really cool.  Scam Jam 2009 is a FREE educational forum & marketplace, where you can learn how to protect yourself, your kids, and your family from the latest frauds & scams.  Hosted by the BC Securities Commission, and the Better Business Bureau, these & other fraud protection agencies will provide you with tips, tools & information to keep you from becoming a victim.  Included is information on how to keep your KIDS safe on the social networking sites and the internet.  There is also an Exhibitor Marketplace to browse for related products & services.  plan to spend the day - you can never be too safe!  visit www.scamjam.ca for more information

Time: 1030am-3pm

At: Kwantlen Park Secondary School - 10441-132nd Street, Surrey

Register: call Susan at 604-685-7226 or email: scamjam@mbc.bbb.org

Time to pull up their socks!

My niece mentioned the other day that she only had a week before the marks cutoff in Grade 8... and that meant she had to buckle down in a few classes to get some stuff done and bring home the good report card.  Now, not all kids are quite so attentive to this detail, but as a parent you know whether your child is keeping up or finding it difficult and falling behind the class.  

One learning centre that we've taken note of is Millenium Kids Learning Centre in Port Coquitlam.  They specialize in programs for kids who have learning challenges and find it hard to keep up.  They also have programs for kids who are not challenged in their classes and want to push ahead - often a group that gets left behind because they're doing well but bored and not at their true potential!  Each student is treated individually to maximize their learning abilities.   Learning is the key here - every kid can do it, no matter what their level. The trick is to find the perfect spot for them.  If you're interested in learning more, talk to Gillian at Millenium.  info@milleniumkidscentres.com or 604-461-3330

Want to clear out the closet?

Kids' Swap Meets are becoming big business in the Lower Mainland!  No, it's not exchanging kids... it's buying & selling kids' STUFF.  and we all know they have a lot of stuff.  Here's one that's in a new location we haven't seen before:  Sunday March 1st, Tsawwassen at the Kinsmen Recreation Centre.  5440 10th Avenue.  doors open at 8am, and you can shop (or sell) until noon. Admission only $2 for charity.  If you're interested in getting a table, please contact Izabel or Janet at 778-895-4050 or by email: izabel@dccnet.com .  If you haven't got the latest already, you'll also be able to pick up WestCoast Families and the Baby Guide there =)

The power of PINK

Wednesday February 25 is PINK SHIRT DAY!  Wear something... anything pink to show that you are taking a stand against bullying.  Boys, girls, dogs & cats.  If you're 19 or older, head to the Roxy on Wednesday night for the big Pink Shirt Day Wrap party, with proceeds going to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Vancouver.  Want to know how it all started?  Ideas to stop bullying at your school and in your community?  Inspiring stories from other kids & parents?  Go to www.pinkshirtday.ca for a wealth of information.  

Head for the barn! Pottery Barn Kids has arrived...

It's their first store in Western Canada, and one of the largest yet.  With over 10,000 square feet of Children's furniture, bedding, bath, rugs, decorative accessories, window treatments, ledges, lighting, and toys (oh, the toys) - all designed for the birth-8 yr old set - it looks like we'll have one more excuse for that redesign of the kiddies' rooms.  The store has a registry service (with complimentary gift wrap) and will be offering complimentary story hours, sing-alongs, and decorating classes.  There is an in-store washroom, lots of room for strollers, and FANTASTIC gift ideas for kids & babies. The toys are safety-tested, and non-toxic, and inspired from classic designs - think building blocks, toy phones, wooden cars - and much of the bedding is organic.  There's just too much to write here.  We were very impressed with our sneak preview, and looking forward to heading back for a little shopping of our own!

Head to 2935 Granville Street, Vancouver.  See you there!

2009 Skate for the Cure

Sharpen those skates, and head to GM Place this Sunday, Feb 8th for the 9th annual Skate for the Cure!  This event raises awareness and funds for childhood cancer research.  As a participant who raises $150 you get a chance to skate on the same ice as the Canucks.  Raise $300 and you'll get an autograph and photo session too!  If you just want to come out & take it all in, $25 gets you in the door.  There's a family fun-zone with games, contests, and more.  A great family day out.  Happy Skating!

Welcome to Our New Blog!

We've tweaked and twiddled, and we're not done yet! Stay tuned for regular updates on events, cool finds, contests and special offers!

Our February/March issue hits the stands today, so be sure to pick up your copy. This issue, it's all about education! Plus articles on fashion, health, travel and much more!

Our next issue, April, is all about being "green," whether you're at home, school, work or play. Don't miss this great collection of articles, on stands on March 20!

Happy Reading!

Keeping Teens out of trouble... and in the studio

It's a fact that's been proven time & time again... If you want to keep your teen, tween, or pre-teen OUT of trouble when they hit high school, keep them interested in something great! Green Apple Arts Centre is one of the few places that focuses on Visual arts for kids & teens, aged 6 & up. Drawing, sculpting, painting, and digital art too. Children not only experiment with art & learning technical skills, but enjoy related activities at the same time. This all makes the experience a bit more fun and a little less like "school". The Green Apple Art Centre also incorporates the art of many different cultures, and looks to the natural world for inspiration. Sounds like a great way to spend the day for a kid of any age! In addition to regular classes, Green Apple also has camps, workshops, and parties too. Check it out soon - in Vancouver and North Vancouver. Oh, and look at the Dec/Jan issue of WestCoast Families for a special offer from Green Apple that's valid until Feb 28/09. You can download the magazine at www.westcoastfamilies.com Contact: info@greenappleartcentre.ca