Celebration of Lights from the YVR Observation Deck

Just when you thought summer couldn't get any better, Vancouver's much-loved yearly tradition is just around the corner!  I have many memories of watching the Celebration of Light over the years - from when I was a young child making my way through the crowds with my parents to my teenage years when I made the trek downtown via the SkyTrain with my first cup of spiked Slurpee from 7-Eleven (don't tell me you've never tried it!) to enjoying the show with my own kids and creating new memories of the magical "fire in the sky" show.

Last year we had the time of our lives of watching the Honda Celebration of Light fireworks show from the (very) family-friendly YVR Observation Deck:

I can't rave enough about how amazing our experience was watching the show from the YVR Observation Deck and, next weekend, we get to do it all over again!  Everything about it was geared towards families and people who want to watch the fireworks up close and personal, but also have their personal space.  Here are some of the amenities you have to look forward to when you snag your exclusive tickets to the observation deck:

• reserved seating (perfect if you have younger kids or are running late!)
• access to a cash bar and food service (yaassssss!!)
• dedicated washroom facilities
• all-ages licensed area, with an alcohol-free zone upon request (we definitely won't be requesting that, haha!)
• background music and fireworks soundtrack broadcast during the show
• wheelchair accessible

Tickets are $49 plus applicable fees and are available for purchase via TicketLeader for the July 29th, August 2nd and August 5th shows.  

Hope to see you there!

xo,

kristina

Roughin' It

You guys!!  I just did something that I haven't done since I was 18, maybe 19.

C A M P I N G

Or maybe it was more like GLAMPING, but that's okay.  At first when I was asked by my good friend and her hubby if I wanted to go camping with them, my first reaction was nope.  There was no way I was going to spend my summer with the very bugs I despised, in the woods completely cut off from the world and the possibility of (gasp!) no showers.

Welcome to #firstworldproblems.

In the end, it didn't take long for them to convince me that it would be an amazing experience for my kids, and then my kids chimed in, "Let's go, let's go!" and that was the end of that.  We were going camping!

All I had to do was sit back and wait of the start of summer.  My friends were taking care of everything - booking the campsite, getting the food and drinks, and making sure the kids would be entertained for four days.  Jadon had been excitedly talking about our camping trip for the most part of June (his teacher said that's all he talked about for the last two weeks of school) and Zoë just couldn't wait to sleep in a tent.

Okay, so we did have a few things that we needed to round up for our camping trip.  First things first, I secured an amazing ride from Ford Canada (we loved our experience last year!) - a Ford Edge Titanium.  It has all the bells and whistles that a busy parent, like myself, needs with a growing family.  There's enough room in the trunk for hockey gear, camping gear, everyday gear and everything gear, as well as many safety features that give this busy mama a piece of mind.

Last year I raved about the Intelligent Access key fob - as long as the key is in your pocket or purse and you're within a couple feet from the car, the door unlocks by itself (I repeat, BY ITSELF!!), leaving you with two hands to wrangle your active toddler or the 500 bags of groceries.  The MyKey® Safety System is also a great feature for those of you with older kids that are just learning how to drive and allows for owners to restrict certain features to promote better driving habits.

For those of you that have travelled the Sea to Sky Highway, you probably know that the stretch of road from Vancouver to Squamish (and Whistler) is full of twists and turns.  This is where the Driver Assist features come into play, including Enhanced Active Park Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control (I didn't have a chance to try this because, buttons, but perhaps next time), Lane-Keeping System (the best!), Adaptive Steering (also the best!) and Intelligent All-Wheel Drive.  Just to feel these features being activated while driving the Sea to Sky gave me the extra piece of mind that my family would be safe and sound should anything happen.

Back to camping prep.  While we did have everything planned for us, I did end up spending the day before searching for camping gear over the course of 7-8 hours (a huge thanks to my bro who tagged along and helped entertain the kids while I wandered aimlessly from store to store LOL).  I just wanted to make sure I didn't forget anything.  Must be that Type A personality or something.  I swear I'm half Type A and half Type B (yes, I totally just Googled it).

Fast forward to the actual days we were camping and I felt like I was in a dream.  A good one.  I had a few chefs on one side and a few babysitters on the other.  The beers were flowing and once the kids went to bed, so did the shots.  We roasted marshmallows nightly, had gourmet meals (and even maybe a BBQ fire LOL), attempted a failed beach day (even at 35 degrees Celsius, the wind made it seem more like 20 degrees), braved the cold showers and fought off an endless army of mosquitoes.

And repeat.

And repeat.

This was pretty much my life for the next four days and I was loving it.  I was relaxed with no care in the world (Type B), but was also intent on making sure the kids went to bed (sort of) on time (Type A).

The conclusion?  WE CANNOT WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR'S CAMPING TRIP!!!!

THE END.

kristina xo


Photo credit (partial):  Modern Fort

too cool for school

Annnnddd just like that, summer is already halfway done!  Over here in Vancouver, we've felt like summer just began a few of weeks ago, as the first couple weeks were a little chilly than normal.  Don't worry though - we took full advantage of the amazing weather while we were living in New West (here and here).

So now that it's August, it's time to think about the most exciting time of the year... BACK TO SCHOOL!!  Okay, it may only be exciting for grade school-aged kids, but it's always the best time of the year for parents (am I not right?!).  No more constant bickering, no more trying to find daily activities to keep the kids occupied (and off those electronic devices), and no more late nights.

We're hoping to put Zoe in preschool in September and have been considering our options, given her muscle condition.  I know I haven't posted full details about it yet, but let's just say that her gross motor skills are slightly delayed and, while she may look perfectly healthy and normal from the outside, she struggles with a lot of normal everyday things that most people wouldn't think twice about.  However, since she loves to do anything that her big brother does, I decided to include her in our recent back-to-school shopping trip courtesy of Sport Chek!

The kids and I headed to their flagship Metrotown location for a fun afternoon of shopping.  While it can get kind of hectic shopping with two littles (Jadon is very meticulous and Zoe is a happy-go-lucky, go-with-the-flow kind of girl), we ended up having major success in finding everything that the kids needed for school come September.

And here are my little models with their new Sport Chek gear (insert heart emoji).  While I couldn't find all of the items online, I've linked them below.  The items that we got from Sport Chek are Jadon's runners and basketball hoodie, and Zoe's yellow backpack, tank and joggers.

ON JADON // Hoodie: Nike | Runners: Nike | Tee: Modern Fort | Hat: Whistle & Flute

ON ZOE // Tank: Under Armour | Joggers: Nike | Runners: Nike | Backpack: Fjallraven | Sunglasses: Gap Kids

xo,
kristina

{win it!}

To kick off your back to school shopping, Sport Chek is generously offering one of our Canadian readers a chance to win a $50 gift card!  To enter, please follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter form below.  This giveaway is open to Canadian residents only and ends on Monday, August 15, 2016 at 9pm PST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  All opinions in this review remain my own and do not reflect the opinions or views of Sport Chek and/or their affiliates.  We received a form of compensation from Sport Chek in order to complete this review.  Note that SwankMama does not accept responsibility for sponsors that do not fulfill their giveaway duties.  Winner will be contacted via email and will have 24 hours to respond, otherwise, a new winner will be chosen at random.

fireworks

It's been a while since we've enjoyed a full day out with the kids, without having to look at rentals, dealing with selling our townhouse and negotiating our newest property purchase.  Not to mention doing some last minute touch-ups to our townhouse to make sure it's in good shape on completion.  More about the craziness in another post...

Saturday was the day that was all about family.  Okay, I lied.  My morning started with a couple of appointments to look at rental properties for us to live in while our new house is being renovated.  There's not very many landlords that are willing to rent their suites out for 3-4 months, so it's been a LONG and tedious task.  After practically wasting my morning, I picked up the rest of the family for a second and third appointment.  The plan was to go home and start some of the touch-ups at the townhouse, but we ended up driving by a street festival and obviously we had to go!  By this time, my phone battery was dying (thanks Pokemon Go!), so I didn't get to take any photos (I guess I should start bringing my camera with me).

After the street festival, we headed to English Bay to watch The Netherlands work their magic at the Honda Celebration of Light.  Not only were we lucky enough to find parking right on the beach, but we were able to watch the fireworks from the family-friendly YVR Observation Deck (highly recommended!).  Tickets start at only $49 (plus taxes and fees) and include:

• Background music + fireworks soundtrack simulcast
• Access to cash bar and food service
• Dedicated washroom facilities
• Reserved bleacher-style seating
• All-ages licensed area, with an alcohol-free zone by request

There is also limited, complimentary accessible seating on the top deck of the YVR Observation Deck (must call for inquiries).  We brought the stroller for Zoe and was able to leave it with security in a gated entrance to the deck from the beach.

We caught all the fun on my Snapchat account (add me --> kristina.cross), including when I dropped my phone under the bleachers!  Don't worry...my phone is okay, but the experience Jadon and I had retrieving it was hilarious (think crawling through a space big enough for only Jadon haha!).  Gary couldn't stop talking about how watching the fireworks from the YVR Observation Deck was the best time he'd had at the fireworks....EVER!  I have to agree 100% and the cash bar was a great addition haha!

Make sure you reserve your tickets now for the next two showings:

• Wednesday, July 27th - Australia
• Saturday, July 30th - USA

The deck opens up for both showings at 6:30pm.  I'd recommend getting your wristbands first (from the top of the deck, accessible from the street), and then stroll along the beach and enjoy the food trucks before setting on the deck.  If you end up watching the fireworks show(s) from the YVR Observation Deck, I'd love to hear about your experience!

xo,
Kristina


Disclosure:  All opinions in this review remain my own and do not reflect the opinions or views of Honda Celebration of Light, the Vancouver Airport Authority, and/or their affiliates.  We received complimentary passes to the YVR Observation Deck in order to conduct this review.

Getting Fit with Sport Chek

Every year I make a promise to myself to be more active and every year I feel like I could always do more.  Thankfully, I recently partnered up with Sport Chek to get my butt into gear (literally!).  They set me up with a Fitbit Charge, workout gear and a new pair of Nike Air Zoom Elite 8 running shoes, and it was exactly what I needed to start focusing on my fitness again.

Over the past couple weeks, I've been tracking my daily fitness activities with my new Fitbit Charge and it's addicting!  Believe it or not, I had no idea what a Fitbit was before this and it's almost hard to imagine life without one anymore, ha!  Not only does it track how many steps you've taken in a day, but also the calories you've burned, how many stories climbed, the distance you've travelled (walking distance, of course) and more.  Plus, I've been creating daily challenges with my fellow Fitbit-ers, which is definitely keeping me motivated.

{Win It!}

Sport Chek is generously offering one of our Canadian readers a chance to win a $100 gift card!  To enter, please follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter form below.  This giveaway is open to Canadian residents only and ends on Monday, February 22, 2016 at 9pm PST.

Disney On Ice Presents Frozen

It's that time of the year again!  We're getting SO excited for this winter season's Disney On Ice presents Frozen!!

We can wait to relive the magic of the city of Arendelle and its beloved characters, sisters Anna and Elsa, snowman Olaf and more!  "Let it Goooooo..." is on repeat in our house and belted out daily by Zoe, so I'm definitely looking forward to bringing her to the show on opening night.

The show will feature all of your children's favourite characters from Frozen and will be hosted by none other than Mickey and Minnie Mouse!

Scroll down for more details on the show and where you can purchase your tickets!

Show Information:

Where: Pacific Coliseum at the PNE
100 North Renfrew Street, Vancouver, BC

When: November 25 – 29, 2015
Wednesday, November 25 7:00 PM
Thursday, November 26 7:00 PM
Friday, November 27 3:30 PM & 7:00 PM
Saturday, November 28 11:30 AM, 3:30 PM & 7:00 PM
Sunday, November 29 11:30 AM, 3:30 PM & 7:00 PM


Tickets: Ticket price levels range from $25 – $95 (Rinkside)*
Tickets are now available for purchase online at TicketLeader.ca, charge by phone at 604-252-3700 or visit the PNE Box Office.
 *Pricing levels may vary between weekday & weekend performance 

Fright Nights at Playland Review - Vancouver

We got a kick start to our Thanksgiving long weekend with a visit to Fright Nights – a local haunt at Playland at the PNE featuring seven haunted houses, 13 rides, The Monsters of Schlock stunt show and the Kinshira Performance Troupe. This is the second year in a row that I’ve brought Sasha and, let me tell you, it’s ten times more fun when you go with someone who is already terrified (and willing to go, I might add)!

As we arrived, we joked about the tall red-horned “monster” that terrorized her last year and talked with excitement (and slight fear) about the ghouls and zombies roaming around the Playland grounds. The actors are outfitted in full costume and makeup, and put on an amazing show playing their parts as characters in your worst nightmare, while making it a fun and frightening experience for all (I definitely don’t recommend Fright Nights for young children).

While we only had time to experience four out of the seven houses, it was more than enough terror for the night. Each haunted house has its own theme, including the abandoned Keepers Doll Factory, complete with goblins and creepy creatures adding to the anticipation and scary factor of the houses. There were a ton of screams, terrified hugs and cold shivers, but we survived and can’t wait to go back for a second round of pure terror!