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It’s always an exciting time of year around the SavvyMom offices, preparing for the ‘Christmas of the mom industry, The BabyTime Show and this year’s no different. There are lists to make and boxes to pack and anticipation abounds for the big event. Denise has been immersed in booth design to best showcase a great contest we’ll be featuring at the show and the rest of the team is gearing up to spend the weekend at the show. We always look forward to meeting our current subscribers and prospective new readers, and to seeing all the latest and greatest products that will be on display at the show.
Personally I’ll be experiencing something new at the show this year, as I have been invited to join a panel discussion called Coffee, Tea and IUDs – A Smart Mom’s Guide to Birth Control After Baby. I’ll be joined by some other mom experts—new mom Billie Holiday, host of Virgin Radio’s The Breakfast Show with Mad Dog and Billie, and Dr. Sandy Andrighetti, OB/GYN at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. The discussion starts at 11 am on both Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1 on the Seminar Stage at the Baby Time Show. There will be lots to learn—apparently 4 in 10 new moms change their birth control method after having kids! Based on my experience, everything definitely changes after baby comes—schedules, sleep, priorities and more—and family planning is on that list too. I’m looking forward to the conversation.
This weekend we have the pleasure of participating in Toronto’s annual fall BabyTime Show at the Convention Centre. Our whole team is coming out to play in this three day event where moms and babies come from all over the city to learn, shop, be entertained and check out all the cool new products and offerings to be had during this exciting phase of their life. There is tons of stuff to do and see—check out the website here.
Another attraction to the show is that Sarah will be a guest speaker there on (of all topics) birth control. It’s a bit up front and personal but Sarah can handle it—especially as she will be joined by Virgin Radio’s new mom Billie Holiday (who is not shy).
But I’m leaving the best part to the end…it’s our Duet in the Laundry Room Contest. We have teamed up with Whirlpool and are giving away a Duet Steam Washer and Dryer Pair and we’ll have the grand prize on display at the show. I can tell you, they look gorgeous! I never thought I would be so attracted to an appliance (other than my coffee maker).
Come down to the show and check it out—there is lots to see and do while you are trying to distract everyone from the candy overhaul!
Denise and I went down to the media preview of the One of A Kind Show this morning where we were greeted with fresh coffee, fruit, muffins and all sorts of treats. But the biggest treat of all was the opportunity to walk around, view the beautiful items and meet the vendors while they were opening up their booths. Each artist we spoke to was as beautiful as the work they produce and you understood how they have poured their heart and soul into every piece of art they are selling. One such example is Christina Larson, the owner of Textile Platypus, maker of miniature felt animals. She makes the felt herself and then stitches the lovely little figures together. When we told her how much we liked her work, she replied: “Thank you, I love them very much”. You could tell she really did—and she should. The woodworker who makes the most beautiful chopping boards gave us a 20 minute lesson on how to care for wooden bowls and kitchen blocks. He insisted we wax them after each use. It was difficult to tell him that was not going to happen (when you know how much effort he put into making each piece), so we smiled and nodded but walked away promising ourselves we would care for it as best we could.
What did I buy? Nothing that sentimental, actually. I came home with a picture frame I plan to hang in the front hall with a family photo in it that says: “Remember, as far as anyone knows, we are a perfectly normal family”.
I want to tell you about all of my favourite finds but you’ll have to keep reading your SavvyMom Today newsletters to find out more. Or go to the show yourself. They have daycare and baby changing rooms. There is even a VIP section and, if you’re a SavvyMom reader, you will have access to the Club Membership Lounge next Wednesday, December 2 and also get $2 off your admission. Get your coupon here.
It’s definitely one of a kind, the One of a Kind Show.
I was invited to attend the opening performance of The Big League at the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People here in Toronto last week and when I found out it was a hockey-themed play targeted at children aged 7 to 12 about ‘trying your best and having fun doing it’, I jumped at the chance to take my hockey-loving son for a night out together.
The play opens with long-time friends Tommy and Deke trying out for a AAA hockey team and goes on to deftly tackle the themes of sportsmanship, the pressure to win, and being true to yourself. It’s presented in a humourous way, making it very appealing to kids while providing a perfect platform for learning opportunities. And the fact that the actors perform the entire play on rollerblades and in full hockey equipment—and that one of the main characters, the goalie, is a girl—make it just plain cool.
If you know me, you know I am a conflicted hockey mom—I love my son’s love of the game, but I don’t love much of what goes along with competitive hockey. Observing Tommy’s journey through his hockey career from when ‘hockey was all fun’ to ‘when his dad got way more serious about the game’ (his words, not mine) provides important lessons to all of us hockey parents about being passionate, but not letting our passions carry us away. After all, it’s their game, not ours.
If you get a chance to see it, I would love to know what you thought.
Photo courtesy of Iden Ford Photography
Comments
Sadly we do not have a large scale show like the one of a kind…here in Calgary we have to seek out the smaller/grassroots shows for those neat items…It woul be nice for some consolidation though, one stop shop!
Saw you there. I should really stop trolling you ladies and come say hello next time. You’re right, the cutting board man was very interesting as was Textile Platypus and oh, those wee teacup bunnies! Wish I hadn’t had to run back to the office so that I could have shopped more. Must go back soon.