The after party

All she wanted was a Hello Kitty cake....more than anything. I would just like to thank Lyndsay from Coco Cupcakes for making such awesome cupcakes.

Collage Collage for big birthday Number 5

We spent our morning celebrating my eldest turning 5 at Collage Collage. It was a little chilly that morning but it was still a treat to spend a winter birthday doing something fun while the snow fell outside.

I just wanted to say outright that I am a fan of Erin and her studio art centre. She began the morning with general colouring to get everyone in the mood and doing something while we waited to everyone to arrive.

Next was a story to fully immerse the kids in the task at hand.

The kids made movable bears. These were not ordinary bears. The kids had free play in any amount of glue, buttons, felt, and pastels. Erin encouraged the kids to talk about their bears and embellish them with all the materials available. The little ones, who were in the 2.5 -3 range, went a little nuts with the glue ( freedom not experienced before) and Erin took it all in stride and encouraged their creativity. I was thwarted in my attempts to control the glue and surrendered to the beauty unfolding before me.

We could have had an art project at home... but truthfully no. This space was perfect for freedom of expression and held 9 little ones' attention for a solid hour.

Our inspirational story.

This is my daughter's to-do list that she started that morning and made me bring to the class. I am not sure if you can read her writing at the top which was instructions for me to make a Hello Kitty cake. I did not complete this task, but had Lyndsay from Coco Cupcakes create some lovely treats for me...photos to come.

Our bears chillin' together while the kids have a snack.

The best part of the morning was gathering all our snacks back up after taking a break and being ready to leave. We have a lovely art project and a group of kids who played so amazingly well together. Here my brother is reading them a story while we gather up our goodies.

I plan to make a return trip sans children so I can have a look at the great selection of art magazines, books and supplies. Erin also stocks handmade creations from many artisans in Vancouver.

This story was heaven as it appealed to both the kids and us grown ups. We shall definitely be checking out Collage Collage more often.

I have been given the all clear.

Now, I may have gone a little overboard, but if I could I would post all the birthday party photos. Two parents responded to my request to put a few pics up so here are a few. The above photo is most certainly my favourite.

The above picture so reminds me of my childhood. It is odd actually. I wonder if I had a dress similar to this.

The birthday girl!!

Fantastic Birthday Ideas

We were at a birthday party this weekend, hosted by the amazing Mandy Hodge of 'the Barefoot Nutritionista' and as soon as we arrived the kids were given their goodie bags. Mandy had made simple faerie wings and skirts out of beautiful sari material. The boys had little capes in the same material. She stated that why wait until the end of the party to give out the goodie bags? Let the kids play with them and then take them home. The park was filled with beautiful running children and the colours streaming off of them. You can imagine how much fun I had with my camera. ( I am waiting to see if any parents let me post photos...come back and check it out again in a few days.)

The wings were looped around their wrists, like most waldorf wings, which allows kids of all sizes to have their wings fluttering without worrying about wire frames knocking things over.

I was also pleased to see Dana Miller there, of Its Party Time, painting faces. She does such an amazing job. (http://www.itspartytimebc.com/ to contact her).

Mandy is an amazing mom and such a wealth of health and nutritional information. She is always posting very healthy meal ideas and organic options for children and pre/post natal moms. Check her out at: http://barefootnutritionista.com/ or fan her at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Burnaby-BC/The-Barefoot-Nutritionista/69714219170

Happy Birthday Sweet Earth!!

Wow, the adventure is one year in and we are going strong!   One of the best features of this last year has been meeting so many new and amazing people.  I am not the most outgoing person so the greatest challenge for me has been to put myself out there.  

The next greatest challenge was taking an artistic outlet and adding a business edge to it which requires a careful balance between keeping the dream going and not letting all the administrative duties simply suck the life out of it.

So, in celebration of this amazing event I am offering a full regular session which usually runs at $300.00 for only $200.00 for the next month.  In this special you will receive a one on one consultation at your abode, a two hour session, an album of approx. 20 images and a cd of all images.  This is a great deal....in my humble opinion.

woohoo!!

Talent Night in My Backyard.

I am very grateful for the people I have around me.

This past weekend we celebrated the 2nd Annual Triple Birthday Extravaganza. This event is started last year as two friends and I all have birthdays 3 days in a row. The event is a talent show in my backyard. Again I was completely blown away by the creativity and boldness of everyone who participated....and let me just say that to come to the party you had to perform.
I am not a performer and no one who attended was, although you wouldn't guess it from the acts. The calibre of all the acts was phenomenal.
This is a family event and I love that my kids get to see me be really silly and perform themselves if they wish. This year we had just over a dozen kids and most of them were up on stage with the rest of us. The number of acts this year took us into the darkness. It is handy being a photographer as I had my studio lights up as darkness arrived and so we even had spotlights on our stage.( the stage being beneath my clotheslines with sheets and lights)
I have a grand vision that in a few years that we rent a cabin or a camp for the weekend and descend to celebrate birthdays, friendship and our amazing extended family and entertain one another by bringing out our inner divas.

It means a great deal that my family and my friends can gather together and celebrate life. We all put ourselves out there and trusted that we would be cheered for and laughed with. Last year I sang and I only sing for my girls at bedtime. It is something I was always curious about and know I have done it. I am not sure a song will be in my future again, but you never know. This year I pulled out an old skit from summer camp to wrap up the night and I joined in the laughter of the crowd.

Our gracious MC and future stand up comedian.

A face from the Family Circus Performers.

hooray for ABBA!!

My child playing the Ukelele and accompanying her singing Nanan.

She was allowed to stay up late until the stars came out. My child is a born performer, I believe, and I hope that events such as these fuel that amazing imagination that bubbles away inside her lovely head.

Raspberries for my birthday

I celebrated another year this weekend. I can't actually even remember how old I am....my brain is too hot to do the math.
So, all I wanted to do was to pick raspberries this year and of course I wanted to head to The Reef for dinner.
We went to Emma Lea's Farm and I will definitely be heading back next year. The raspberries were absolutely massive and so yummy. At one point in our hunt for the good stuff I felt as if I had just jumped into a giant raspberry jam jar. The smell was overpowering, not that I was complaining. Raspberries are my favourite berry closely followed by blueberries. The kids also had a great time. We have bushes in our backyard so even my little one knows which one are ready. My husband and I worked the higher branches while the girls uncovered the lower treasures. These raspberries were so big and easy to grab. I meant to ask the variety because I would love to plant them.
I am quite in love with Westham Island. We have very seasonal destinations there, although not a summer one. Now we will visit more often. In the fall we go to the Herb Farm for our pumpkin, and in spring and winter we go to watch the birds at the Sanctuary.

Another baba turns 2

A very old friend of mine, so old in fact we met at summer camp in our teens, has a second child born a week after mine. We both had our seconds on their due dates and V-backs after C- sections. Our oldests are only a few months apart in age.

So we celebrated her DD's 2nd birthday this week and it was a glorious celebratory day. Of course, my camera was not far behind. It is an appendage after all. If I could just have my eye surgically adapted to be an actual camera I would be set.