“Good Night Vancouver” was love at first sight

 Reading
Apr 212010
 

How much do I love this book? Let me count the ways…

1. I love the Vancouver-specific details:

  • a heron in English Bay
  • an Aquabus in False Creek with two seals looking on
  • a flood of cherry blossoms
  • a street performer at Granville Island in front of La Baguette et l’Echalote
  • the waterpark in Granville Island
  • the raccoons in Stanley Park
  • the snowboarders sailing down “The Cut” on Grouse Mountain
  • PLUS a smattering of sailboats, float planes and Canada geese

2. I love the cute drawings

3. I love its sturdy board book construction

4. I love the colors

5. I love the last few lines:

“It’s nice to see you, freighters, nestled in the bay.
Thank you for sharing a wonderful day.”

“Glitter brightly, West End lights.
Sleep tight, Vancouverites.”

How cute is that? Pretty darn cute, if you ask me. I can’t wait to take Caden to the locations mentioned in the book. We can cap off the day by reading about the places we visited. What a great concept.

It feels like a Vancouverite wrote this book; that is, if I overlook the fact that the cyclists are going around Stanley Park in the wrong direction (It’s still one way, isn’t it?). The tidbit about the petting zoo in Stanley Park is not longer accurate either but what the heck, perfection is overrated…at least in my world.

There are  “Good Night” books cropping up for other cities: Boston, Seattle, San Francisco. The only other Canadian city I’ve spotted is Montreal. Hopefully, they’re working on the others as we speak.

p.s. Thank you Sousanna, we love the book.

Links

Our World of Books – Publisher
Kidsbooks – Retailer
Chapters/ Indigo – Retailer

Move over Mattel; Starbucks offers hours of enjoyment

 Restaurant Reviews, Snack
Apr 202010
 

Over the last few months, my passion for the chocolate banana smoothie (Vivanno) has landed me on the doorstep of Starbucks more than I’d like to admit. Starbucks and Mommies go hand-in-hand like diapers and wipes (we should seriously get VIP discounts). Did you know there are 6 Starbucks are within walking distance of my home.

It started with an extra straw and evolved rapidly in to 2 straws, 2 stir sticks, a lid, a cup sleeve….I was insatiable. These items represented peace and quiet to me. For some reason, my toddler was fascinated with these items. The silence would sometimes last for a full 10 minutes at a time…sheer bliss.

This “love affair” started at the “chewing” stage (already peeled straws), next he entered the “straw peeling” stage, then came the “drumming” stage where we branched out from straws to include stir sticks. The next stage happened completely by accident when I forget Caden’s water bottle. This was the most exciting stage for me. The “drinking water from a straw” stage (his first time was at a Starbucks). There was only one drawback to this stage, it was the last time I was able to enjoy my smoothies alone with no mooching, from  that day on it was “share-zees” all the way. Lately, we’ve been “threading” straws and stir sticks through coffee cup lids. What’s next? Who knows. It’s likely he’ll be enjoying his very own half-sweet hot chocolate or steamed vanilla milk….awwwww.

Thanks Starbucks. Thanks for the memories and for keeping me sane by occupying my son for 10 minutes while I went to my happy place.

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival from a toddler’s perspective

 Fun
Apr 192010
 

Friday was a beautiful day. Sunday was a beautiful day. Saturday it poured.

Guess which day we decided to go to Mount Vernon and Le Conner to check out the tulips? You guessed it. We chose Saturday. Lucky, weren’t we? Actually, it turns out we were.

Truth be told, a tulip festival doesn’t hold much excitement for a toddler. Let’s face it, they’d be happy in a cardboard box or under a blanket pretending to be invisible. Taking family pictures with brightly coloured flowers, wandering through quaint streets and shopping in unique stores is the stuff that makes Mommies and Daddies happy…ok, it makes Mommies happy; Daddies miserable.

Our destination was Tulip Town in Mount Vernon, where admission is free for kids under 16 and $5 for adults. There, my husband, son and I met up with my cousin and her twin girls. We had three 2 year olds in tow.

Once inside, we could walk into the fields or take a “Blue Trolley Tour” (a tractor pulled trolley that travels around the property).  There were kite demonstrations happening outside and a  flower and garden show, gift shop and snack bar to explore inside.

We decided to walk into the fields. Experiencing the rain and the mud, slipping, stumbling and getting dirty; that was the real fun for the kids. The highlights, from their point of view, were the slippery, sticky clay-like mud and the fish….yes, fish.

After visiting Tulip Town, we headed to Le Conner, to dry off, visit, and grab lunch. Le Conner is a quaint little town with unique shops and a few funky restaurants. We decided to eat at the first place that had a table because it was lunch time and busy. Thankfully, we found a place with 3 highchairs and room for 2 huge strollers. It was awesome and roomy. No one cared when the toddlers broke free and ran around the room. Well, I did…but no one else seemed to care.

The food was average (except the fries, they were above average) and a little pricey. The restaurant had a kids menu containing grilled cheese, hamburgers and pasta. This restaurant also held our “highlight of the day” which was a tropical fish tank situated at toddler eye level. One of the 2 year olds yelled out “Nemo” at the top of her lungs and it was “game over”. High speed, choppy toddler-running commenced from the table to the tank, to the table, to the tank. The excitement was extreme and hilarious to watch.

A great day was had by all.  We were exhausted upon our return home. Even though you don’t have to go to the Tulip Festival to get muddy and see fish; it’s nice for the Mommy if you do (Daddy, I’m talking to you).

p.s. Most of the shops are small and not stroller-friendly. If you go with a girlfriend, I recommend eating at Calico Cupboard Cafe. Their peanut butter pie was crazy good.

Links
Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
April 1-30, 2010

Tulip Town
15867 Beaver Marsh Road, Mount Vernon, WA 98273
Phone 360-424-8531

La Conner Seafood & Prime Rib House
614 South First Street
La Conner, WA 98257
(360) 466-4014

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