There are busy weekends and then there are BUSAY weekends. It’s now Tuesday morning and I’m curled up on my patio chair on our beautiful brand new backyard deck with a hot cup of coffee in hand, completely and utterly exhausted, but in a good way. Know what I mean?
It has been a crazy jam-packed few days of local events here in ‘the Valley,’ home reno’s and family fun — so much in fact that I figured I really should blog all about it.
Here’s what we got up to this past weekend:
Horseing Around
We celebrated Molly’s 8th birthday party back in June before all her school friends went away on holidays with a karaoke/craft bash. But on the actual day, my mom and I took her horseback riding for the first time ever with Back in the Saddle Again.
Our guide, Darcy, led us on a one-hour ride through the scenic Campbell Valley Park, which is absolutely gorgeous this time of year.
Our favourite part was going off trail and trotting through a meadow of beautiful wildflowers. I’ll be honest, I was a little freaked out about Molly being on her own big horse (all by herself!!), but she was beaming dimple to dimple the entire ride, and was remarkably calm.
We paid $60 per person for the hour-long ride, which was pretty reasonable. I think we’ll book another ride in October for my birthday. FYI, they also do parent-led horseback rides.
For more info, call 604-308-7358 or visit www.backinthesaddle.ca.
Valley Mom’s Gone Wild
When I heard that two of my favourite high school bands were coming here to ‘the Valley’ (Sublime & The Offspring), I just knew I had to go relive my youth.
Abbotsford Centre has been home to some really great acts in recent years, helping to put Abbotsford on the map. Don’t get me wrong, I love heading into downtown Vancouver for a concert — and with the new bridge, we can get there in under 40 mins — but I love staying local even more. Let’s face it, it’s way cheaper and more convenient for us Valleyites.
Abbotsford Centre is a smaller venue, so there really are no bad seats. I invited along two of my friends from elementary school (we have known each other since the 5th grade) for a night on the town.
Sublime with Rome was pretty good, but The Offspring was amazing. Do you remember that song ‘Bad Habit?‘ I had completely forgotten about it until it came on and still remembered every single word.
Yep, I was pretty ‘Bad Ass’ in my tropical Walmart romper and mom sandals, swigging a Pepsi.
Child at Heart
I was a bit tired the morning after the concert, but had promised Molly and Zoe that we’d check out the Grand Reopening event of Toys“R”Us and Babies “R” Us at Willowbrook Mall.
And wow, what a HUGE, impressive transformation it has undergone.
The second I walked through the front doors, I was blown away by the open concept feel of the store, spacious isles and clean, modern feel.
“This is so cool,” said Molly, who was eager to check out the Barbie’s and Calico Critters with her little sis.
I have to admit, it was so much easier to find what we were looking for without feeling frazzled.
We missed out on the goodie bags since we came late, but there were lots of fun activities for children of all ages, including a photo op with Shimmer & Shine, a chance to make and take your own LEGO creation, and some big savings. Both girls had gift cards they hadn’t used yet, so they were pretty excited to put them each pick out a toy.
What I appreciated most about the transformation is the system they have at the cash register. There are more tills, more staff and you get through quickly.
If you haven’t been yet, you’ve got to check it out Valley Moms!
Blast to the Past
After helping the girls assemble their new Barbie swag at home, it was time to bust out the three-prong curling iron and start crimping my hair for the I Love 90’s ~ The Party Continues Tour.
It was also time for a third coffee *glug, glug, glug*
The bands were: TLC, Naughty by Nature, Biz Markie, Montell Jordan and C+C Music Factory with Freedom Williams and SNAP!
Just like the first show, part 2 was a real blast to the past, which was basically an arena-sized dance party filled with men and women who grew up in the decade of chocolate brown lipliner and Pauly Shore movies. Yea, I was one of those fine folks!
So many amazing 90’s outfits, ranging from grunge to glam. My plaid shirt was strategically tied around my waist to conceal my burgeoning muffin top.
Afterwards, we may have done a 12 a.m. McDonald’s run, just like the good ol’ days. Yep, there I am (above), stone cold sober, shovelling a McChicken down my throat. It was good, real good.
Raise those Pinkies!
Once again, we were honoured to be media sponsors of the Princess and Superheroes Tea Party benefiting the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada, BC & Yukon.
My girls informed me they were way too old to dress up as princesses, but were still excited to attend — especially when they heard there was a cotton candy machine on the premises at Cascades Casino Resort in Langley.
The event was another magical afternoon of high tea and treats, as well as a variety of activities and entertainment. A longstanding favorite amongst Children’s Wish supporters of all ages, this event is aimed at delighting the imaginations of young princesses and superheroes with an enchanting experience, while making one youngster’s ultimate wish come true.
On the Home Front
Did you happen to catch my Facebook post a few weeks back about how frazzled I had been feeling? We had two sick kids, two sick dogs and were in the midst of painting our house. As you can imagine, it was like being a triage nurse — one who was high on paint fumes. Miraculously, Jason nor I ended up catching the bug and have managed to get our house in order. We are finally finished painting the main floor, have had a gorgeous new deck installed over the weekend and are now working on crown moulding.
We’ve been living in our townhouse for five years and were about to move, but decided the market is just way too crazy right now. Instead, we’re planning to stay for another five and do some little updates to give it a fresh, modern look. It’s amazing what a simple can of paint can do.
It was so nice to end our weekend on our new patio with friends and family. I invented a delicious mocktail, which consists of pomegranate soda, lemon soda, a fresh lemon wedge and sprig of rosemary from my garden.
Wow, that really is busy, hey? I’m looking forward to really slowing down this week, enjoying our new deck and getting caught up on the blog. Our theatre loving family is also thrilled to check out the alfresco production of Mary Poppins tomorrow with Theatre Under the Stars in Vancouver at Stanley Park. And then, on Friday night, the hubs and I head back downtown for a very special date night to see Phantom of the Opera at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
Did you get up to anything exciting this weekend? Would love to hear all about it! Go ahead, don’t be shy, leave a comment.
