Kid-friendly activities in Vancouver

In honour of being part of the Vancouver mom-blogger community, I plan to use this week to highlight some local and Canadian businesses. Today I'll be sharing my top three local kid-friendly activities, and on Thursday I will highlight my top three Canadian online businesses. Then we'll finish the week off with a giveaway!

Burnaby Village Museum and Farmers Market

A new favourite for us, our discovery of Burnaby Village Museum was a happy accident thanks to its newest undertaking. The village is now host to the Burnaby Farmers Market, previously located in the parking lot of City Hall, each Saturday from 9am to 2pm.

The farmers market is a weekly event for us, a chance to browse the outdoor shops while picking up our produce and sometimes a special treat. It was a nice surprise to discover that not only was the farmers market now being held at the village, but gate admission to the village is free for the 2011 season in celebration of the village carousel's 40th anniversary.

Yes, the village carousel - but more on that later.

After browsing the vendors at the farmers market, we headed into the village. From their website:

Stroll down the streets of a 1920s village exploring at your own pace. The village is a combination of heritage and replica buildings on a 10-acre site that represents a typical tram-stop community along the B.C. Electric Railway. Period costumed townsfolk welcome visitors and give demonstrations in the homes, businesses and shops. Popular stops include the blacksmith, the print shop, the garden at the farmhouse and the General Store.

It really was as delightful as it sounds. The boy enjoyed seeing all the "old things", as he called them. The motorbike, telephone, car, and gas pumps were his highlights, while I enjoyed the browsing the General Store and watching the blacksmith at work. We stopped for a nice lunch at the ice cream parlour and found a couple new treasures at the gift shop.

Browsing done, we made our way to the carousel. A ride on the restored 1912 C.W. Parker Carousel is $2.25 a head, and well worth it. The horses, the music, and the ride itself were a treat for both of us. When it was over, we picked up a carousel-shaped chocolate to enjoy on the walk back to the car.

We enjoyed our visit so much that we headed back for the Victoria Day celebrations held yesterday. We watched the parade, applauded the maypole dancers, listened to the bagpipes (or "dirt bags", as the boy mistakenly called them) and waved to "Queen Victoria". And, of course, we finished off the afternoon with another ride on the carousel.

With something for everyone to enjoy, the village would be an ideal way to spend a warm afternoon. There is plenty of green space for picnicking if you want to bring your own lunch instead of dining at the ice cream parlour. Parking, while free, can be a bit hard to come by during peak hours - but then where isn't that the case in the Greater Vancouver Area?

You can find the locations of Vancouver's Farmers Markets on their website. Make it a weekly adventure and check out each of them!

Community Centers

Community centers too often remain an untapped resource for families. With locations throughout Vancouver, Burnaby, and the rest of the GVA, there's always something going on.

A favourite rainy day activity for us is to attend one of the play gyms many of the community centers offer. The play gyms are filled with balls, large foam building blocks, slides, ride-on toys, and sometimes even trampolines. This large-muscle play is a perfect way to run off some energy when the weather keeps us indoors.

One of our newest favourites is the Kerrisdale Play Palace at the Kerrisdale Cyclone Taylor Arena. The Play Palace boasts two inflatable bouncy castles, an inflatable obstacle course, a large inflatable slide, ride-on toys, ping pong, and a toddler area, along with an indoor picnic area for snack time. Admission is more than reasonable, and the younger kids benefit from a daily "under six years only" time.

Our weekly Attachment Parenting/young homelearners playgroup meets (for free!) at one of the community centers. Access to a locked cupboard, outdoor space, and sometimes the gym makes this an ideal place for a weekly get-together. Join an existing group or see about starting one of your own!

The community centers offer a variety of classes as well. With swimming lessons, arts & crafts, dance, sports, and more, there's something for all ages and interests. Find a nearby community center, browse their schedule, and see what interests you!

Maplewood Farm

Maplewood Farm was the first kid-friendly activity we fell in love with when we moved here, and it remains our favourite dry-weather destination today. Located in North Vancouver, the farm is home to over 200 domestic animals and birds. From their website:

Maplewood Farm strives to provide a unique experience, incorporating enjoyment, education and a recollection of the rural heritage of this pastoral 5 acre setting.

While we always end our visit with a nice long hands-on visit to the goat pen, the farm has plenty of other things to see and do. Check out the hand milking demonstration daily at 1:15, featuring Lulu the jersey cow. Coo over the baby sheep each spring. Admire the Belgian draft horses and the Sicilian miniature donkeys. Don't forget to bring along some fresh fruits and veggies to feed to the rabbits!

There are washrooms and a large picnic area on site. Admission to the farm is very affordable, making this an excellent way to spend a sunny afternoon. If you plan to go often, consider investing in a family membership. A membership makes an excellent birthday or Christmas gift (thank you, Oma!).

Maplewood Farm will be holding their 31st Annual Sheep Fair Festival this Sunday, May 29th, from 10am to 4pm. Watch the Border Collies herd around the sheep flock at 10:30 am and 12:30 pm. The shearing itself can be observed at 11am and 1pm. Baaad Anna’s will be hosting demonstrations of Spinning and Dyeing and will be offering workshops on Finger Knitting and Felting. Maybe we'll see you there!


I hope you enjoyed the reviews and found something new to check out. Please do share your favourite local hangout in the comments below!

Disclaimer: All reviews are unsolicited and uncompensated, just my honest-to-goodness favourite places to take the kids.

Gardening rambles

Last night we had a delicious grilled chicken salad made with lettuce from our own garden, mixed with mandarin orange slices, almonds, and sliced grilled chicken. It was delicious, and all the more so because the lettuce was home grown.

We’ve been munching on little carrots as I thin them out, marvelling over the height of the radishes, waiting expectantly for our tomatoes to ripen, and checking on our growing zucchinis every day. Our cucumber plants are flowering and our peas are coming along nicely as well. Of everything we planted, only the spinach never came up.

If only our spring hadn’t been so cold! We didn’t plant anything until early June, so some things will only just be ready to harvest by the time we move out. I told my parents to expect a great deal of vegetables when I go! We’re looking forward to the much longer growing season in Vancouver. Unfortunately we won’t have the beautiful large garden that we dug up this summer, but we’ll plant what we can in the vegetable boxes around the back of our new place.

Definitely carrots. Mmm, garden-fresh carrots. I have fond memories of eating them straight from my childhood friend’s parents’ garden. Actually, that seems disgusting in hindsight – but ah well, a little dirt’s good for the immune system, right?

This has been such a great undertaking for us this year. From the hard work of digging the plot, to the gratitude of having someone offer to till it for us with their tractor (and the boy’s excitement of getting to watch it happen), to planting the seeds, watering them, watching those first sprouts grow, pulling out weeds, all the way up to now, finally eating the fruits (well, vegetables) of our labour. It has been so neat to see it through the eyes of our son, all that excitement and learning. I’m looking forward to seeing what next year brings.

I love this man

My husband told me the other day, as he rubbed my bare belly, that he finds me even more irresistibly sexy when I’m pregnant, with all my curves and growing bump - after all, he said, isn’t that the whole point of sex? To form a child?

I love that my children have a father who sees them as a blessing and finds their ballooning mother to be attractive.

I feel the same sense of gratefulness and adoration every time he looks at our son and smiles, whispering to me, “he’s a pretty cool kid, isn’t he?” Every time he leans over to kiss him as he sleeps. Every time he scoops him up in his arms, throws him in the air, then hugs him tightly and tells him how much he loves him. Every time I see him kneeling down to talk gently to our son, teaching him how to grow into a godly man. Every time I get out of bed in the morning and watch the two of them automatically gravitate towards each other, snuggling while they sleep in for a while longer. I couldn’t ask for a better father for my children.

The boy and I gave him tickets to the monster truck show for Father’s Day. I made the mistake of telling the boy about it ahead of time, which resulted in a full day of asking for the monster trucks. I didn’t mention it again after that! More than a week later, I told the boy that I had picked up Daddy’s Father’s Day present. Thinking for a minute, he said, “fadder’s day…monster trucks!!” What a memory that kid has. Anyway, the two of them had a great Saturday afternoon watching the “big loud trucks!” They met up with some friends of ours there, so the boy made a new little friend (and hasn’t stopped talking about her since) and my husband got to talk to someone who wasn’t a toddler for once.

And I, meanwhile, enjoyed the most wonderful belated Mother’s Day. I had chocolate, a good book, a beautiful day, and more than three lovely hours in which to do nothing but relax. Ah, it was sweet.

We invited my family over for a Father’s Day barbecue the next day. I sought out some bison meat to surprise my husband with. We may not have a farmer’s market here, but I am seeking ways to buy local food when possible. I’ve found a local source for bison meat, deer meat, and fish so far. (Oh, and a local source for strawberries – our backyard! The boy and I were exploring the other day and discovered that our backyard is full of wild strawberry plants! I so love this country living stuff.) We enjoyed barbecued bison smokies, devilled eggs, potato wedges, and watermelon for supper. We finished the evening off with a long walk and warm fresh-baked cinnamon buns (my MIL’s recipe – many thanks!). We all had a really nice time.

I hope, though, that I can make my husband feel appreciated and cherished every day, not once a year. Sometimes I need to remind myself of that, those times when I catch myself starting to silently nit-pick at all the things I would do differently if I were still the one at home all day – but for now I’m not, and my son is still thriving despite those differences. For that, and so much more, I am grateful for this man - and grateful that for whatever crazy reason, he loves me too.

Sweet rewards

Rain, blessed rain. I never thought the day would come when I would say such a thing.

As I’ve said, we dug a garden from scratch this year (with the permission of our landlords, of course – they had room to spare on the four acres of land). We weeded, had a very nice man till it for us, and planted it full of all sorts of vegetables – carrots, peas, radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce, spinach, and a few jalapeno pepper plants just for fun.

Then it came time to water it.

For the life of us, we could not find a faucet on the outside of the house to connect the hose to. So, while we waited for our landlords to tell us where it was, we hauled watering cans of water from the house to the garden – 9 trips each evening.

Well, they got back to us. No faucet. Beautiful house...but no faucet.

Le sigh.

We’ve had a rainy few days and so far have a few more rainy ones forecasted. For the first time ever, my sore arms and pregnant belly are grateful for the rain, as every shower saves me nine trips of lugging a heavy watering can to the garden.

Ah, but how sweet the rewards will be – homegrown vegetables...and nicely toned arms.

Appreciating fall

I have decided that this year will be the year that I learn to love fall.

I've never been terribly fond of it before. It's cold and wet and chilly. The fresh berries are gone. The trees lose their leaves. Winter starts looming.

(Oh, how I detest winter.)

But no. This year I will enjoy fall. And so far I have. It was helped along by my growing interest in food and sustainability. What grows in what season? What should I look for? What are the local farmers selling now? What new in-season foods can I add to our menu? What new recipes can I try?

Last week it was apple butter and apple sauce. Nothing fancy, but I've never made either before so it was exciting enough for me. Tonight it was roasted butternut squash. That stuff is delicious!

I've also been enjoying apple cider this month. This intrigues me, as I've always hated apple juice. To be perfectly honest, it looks and smells like pee. Which makes me think it tastes like pee. But apple cider? YUM.

Fall also means the return of the pumpkin hat! Oh pumpkin hat, how I adore thee. (Though not nearly as much as I adore the little boy whose head you sit upon.)



Fall means carpets of leaves to wade through in the wooded area behind our house.



Why have I never properly appreciated this place before? It's beautiful. Our own secret land to explore...



...or just to admire as we sit and contemplate.



So I've decided - fall isn't so bad after all.

Perhaps next year I can work on appreciating winter too.


Apple Butter

Peel and quarter 10 apples and place in large pot.



Add:
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/4 cups apple juice
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves



Admire your spice rack for the umpteenth time.



Heat all ingredients to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Mash apples. Simmer uncovered for 1 hour more, stirring occasionally.



Cool for 2 hours and store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks (alternatively, freeze or can it). Serve with the most amazing biscuits ever. Make a mental note to thank your MIL for that Betty Crocker cookbook.




Applesauce

Peel and quarter 4 apples and place in crock pot.



You'll notice mine are unpeeled. Big mistake. I'd read that they were easier to peel after they had been cooked. Again - big mistake. It didn't even give my applesauce the nice "rosy glow" I had been promised. Next time, I peel my apples before cooking them.

Add:
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg



Cover and cook on High for 2 hours or until apples are tender. Stir/mash/puree to desired consistency.



Store in fridge (or can it).



I'm beginning to love fall.



Next up - making pumpkin bread with that cute little pie pumpkin. Assuming I don't change my mind and decide to make pumpkin butter instead. Or pumpkin pie. Or pumpkin cookies.

Oh, the decisions.

I feel loved

Spring? What spring? It went straight from winter to summer here in about a week. I'm not complaining! The boy and I have been going for long walks and playing in the park - well, to be more accurate, we've been sitting in the park. My beautiful little non-walker has issues with touching both the grass and the sand which he has yet to get over. I guess I should count my blessings - in time I'm sure I'll wish he would stay in one spot for even a few seconds!

Anyway, this warm weather has finally brought the return of yet another wonderful summer event - the organic farmers' market.

Granted, ours is a year-round market, but unfortunately I've been car-less this winter (my husband takes our car to work on Saturdays) and just couldn't convince myself to make the cold trip by bus. So I slightly shame-facedly started shopping at our local grocery store again, still buying organic and avoiding processed foods whenever possible.

Did our grocery bill ever jump! Apparently I am an impulse shopper and am not safe anywhere that offers more than the farmers' market does. What's that, lemon meringue pie? Why, don't mind if I do! Brownies? Toss 'em in! Sugar-filled juices and iced tea? Heck yes!

Well, today I decided that it's warm now, I have no excuse not to take the bus to the farmer's market each Saturday. I kinda-sorta-justalittlebit hoped it would rain, but alas, it's another beautiful day.

After making a mad dash to the ATM to pick up cash, we caught the first bus, my son cuddled on my front in a mei tai and my denim bag loaded with plastic bags. We got off one stop too late, ending up on the wrong side of the road...and missed our transfer by a few incredibly irritating seconds.

Harumph.

We walked part of the way, then sat at a bus stop and waited so as not to miss the next bus too. Finally we made it to the nearest intersection and walked the rest of the way, stopping on a patch of gorgeously green grass to move the boy from my front to my back.

First stop, the fish the lady. She remembered us! She commented on how big the boy is now, then sold us our usual salmon. We worked our way through the market - raw crackers for munching, sprouts for wraps and fake sushi, kale for green smoothies, apples, potatoes, and soup - then went to get the rest of the meat (yes, we're still very happy meat-eaters, and my husband just reminded me the other day that he fully intends to stay that way).

The beef man and lady remembered us! We picked up a few different cuts of beef along with the obligatory whole wheat cinnamon bun.

The chicken man remembered us! We picked up chicken breast and pork chops.

I felt so loved.

And I forgot what a great atmosphere the farmers' market is! Everyone offering to help you with this or with that, grinning at your kid instead of giving you a weird look for wearing him, smiling and talking cheerfully - and all sorts of guilt-free deliciousness just waiting to be snatched up!

After downing a glass of delicious green juice, we headed back to wait for the bus. All in all, a very successful trip and for about half the price we'd been spending at the grocery store all winter. Going by bus turned out to be no problem at all - looks like we'll be resuming our weekly trip to the farmers' market. Ah, summer. How I love thee.

Do you know your local farmer?

So I've been working on improving our eating - and shopping - habits for a while now. I had been buying nearly all of our food from a local organic farmer's market, but unfortunately when the deep winter hit I just couldn't keep it up anymore. Back to the supermarket (and, consequently, higher food bills) for us. Le sigh. I still tried to buy as much organic and unprocessed food as I could. I was thrilled when our supermarket started stocking "free from" meat, which claims to be raised without antibiotics, etc etc. I can't say I have a huge amount of faith in it, but it's an improvement nonetheless.

I've been reading as much as I can on nutrition in the meantime. I am amazed at the power of a simple change in diet to completely turn around one's life, particularly in children. So much of what is currently labeled as attention deficit disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, learning disorders, and just plain misbehaviour could be entirely "cured" by a few changes in the way the child eats. It's sad to think how many children are put on medications instead.

One excellent book I've read recently is Grub (they have a website here), which really drove home for me the importance of not only eating organic and whole, but also local. As such, I've been scouring the local farmers' webpages looking for a steady source of meat, dairy, eggs and produce. I've been considering Community Supported Agriculture, but I'm not entirely convinced as that would only get us through the 17 week harvest season, leaving us with 35 other weeks during which we would have to find another supplier. I would prefer to find one or two farms and buy from them year-round.

Eating local would also mean eating more of what's in season and less of what is not. Up here in frozen Canada, that's not so much fun. I've been having long, drawn-out fantasies of moving to California and having an abundance of great produce "in season" year-round. But for now I live in Canada, not California, so the winter months will require a fair bit more creativity.

My priority right now is eating whole foods, mostly organic, and, when possible, buying local.

Aside from whole, organic, and local, I've also been working on eating more raw foods. I'm not (right now) interested in going 100% raw - I'm not even interested in becoming vegetarian or vegan - but I know that adding more raw foods is definitely a step in the right direction. And so I've started having a "green smoothie" for breakfast or lunch each day. My current favourite is (roughly) a cup of frozen sliced strawberries, one and a half bananas (my son gets the leftover half), a big handful of spinach leaves, and a half cup of water. Delicious.




Frozen blueberries with banana and spinach is also good.



And, just for fun, last night's dinner - crock pot carrots, potatoes and chicken. Yum.

Baby Steps

The other day I picked up a spray bottle from the Dollar Store, mixed together 1 cup water and 1 cup vinegar, and cleaned my bathroom.

It's not much, but it's a start. When I was done, I was able to go pick up my son without worrying about my hands being covered in chemicals. The house didn't smell like harsh cleaners. I wasn't worried about what my family was inhaling.

Baby steps.

I've also been faithfully going to the organic farmers market every Saturday to pick up meat and produce for the week.

This week marked a milestone - it was the first week that I didn't need to make a second trip to the grocery store to pick up additional groceries that I couldn't get at the farmers market.

When I first started buying more organic and less processed foods, it seemed horribly expensive at first. But now that we've been doing it for about a month, I find that I'm actually spending less on groceries. I think mainly this is due to less trips to the grocery store, where all sorts of extra foods always mysteriously make their way into the shopping cart. Now, if I have to go, I go only to pick up a few very specific things. Our meals seem more well-rounded and definitely healthier now.

My fridge and freezer are satisfyingly full. We have fish, chicken, and beef. We have potatoes, lettuce, cucumbers. We have strawberries, blackberries, blueberries. We have eggs, cheese, and orange juice. (We also have milk, but it is admittingly not organic. I just can't bring myself to pay the same amount for 1L of organic milk as I would normally pay for 4L or non-organic milk. I just can't.)

What more could we need?

Tonight I'm making a salmon and fruit salad. Grilled salmon served on top of lettuce, cucumbers, strawberries, mandarine orange slices and a sprinkle of blueberries. Perfect for a gloriously warm Labour Day weekend.

Last night I made banana bread. Yum.

The night before, we had soft tacos for dinner. We made our own soft taco shells. They tasted so good, much better than store bought ones.

So that's our progress so far. They may just be baby steps, but they're still steps forward.