Susan Sierra

The first thing they would teach you in blogging 101 is if you’re going to write a blog, you have to do it consistently. It’s been over a month since I posted and I thought I should tell you why.

My dad, Sunny passed away from cancer on April 8th. From the day he was diagnosed to the day he died was about six weeks. He was just 71 and so full of life. His wife, 6 kids, 10 grandkids and many other friends and family were able to say goodbye. His last 10 days of life were actually quite magical…lots of stories and lots of laughs.

It’s such a life-altering event. I’m doing ok though, and I do believe this stuff makes us stronger, better people. I just need some time to get my life back on track again, so I will continue my break from blogging for a bit longer.

Thanks for stopping by…and please check back soon:)

SS

We’re on the ferry, headed home after a long weekend o’ fun. Steve has taken the boys to the arcade and Jayla is settling in for a nap. We’re on one of the older ferries, with chairs you can move so I’ve rigged up quite the bed for Jayla (lucky girl!).

After our quest to find the perfect spot for our mini-vacation, we settled upon the Chateau Victoria. And what a perfect choice it was. Priority #1 while traveling with small kids is to book a one-bedroom suite. That way, the kids can go to bed in the bedroom, and we get to stay up past 9:00! I read lots of reviews about Chateau Victoria, so I knew it would be great…but it was even better than I expected. Extremely friendly staff, sparkly clean rooms and comfy beds…what more could you ask for?

I’m always a tad embarrassed upon arrival when the bellmen unload the mini-van and just barely manage to load all of our stuff onto one cart. This time was no different. Packing lightly isn’t something we’re very good at. We like to have all the comforts of home. And this time we also had to bring along all the supplies for an Easter egg hunt in the hotel room!

One of the highlights of our trip was the visit to Craigdarroch Castle. My oldest son Jacob (8) especially, thought it was “so cool”. Since I brought along my new bff (my lap top) I was able to check dinehere.ca while we were there and found some great restaurants too. Shizen Sushi served up some of the best sushi we’ve had and Café Mexico was fun and casual for the kids.

Well, the idea of a nap for Jayla was a nice one, but who am I kidding? It’s back to the play area we go…

In the early 90’s, I was working at JRFM. I was single, no kids. I’d finish work at 2:30 in the afternoon and have the rest of the day to myself. I’d usually go for a rollerblade (for however long I wanted), cook dinner for one, maybe talk on the phone to a girlfriend and hmmm…that was about it. I remember saying the words “I’m sooo busy”. hahahaha. I always laugh when I think of that. Here’s my day tomorrow…

10:30-Noon - Jackson, soccer game
11:15-12:15 - Jacob, hockey game
Noon-3 - Jayla, birthday party at Go Bananas
2:15-5:00 - both boys, birthday party at Planet Lazer
5:00-8:00 - Jacob’s year-end hockey party - swimming and trophy presentations

Of course I also need to grocery shop, buy presents for those parties, oh, make dip for the hockey party…

aaaaaaaaaah……

Happy Spring Break!

6 grown adults pushing and shoving to get to the flats of on-sale cans of luncheon meat.

And it wasn’t even Spam. It was no-name brand luncheon meat. Ew.

I used to spend a lot of time (and quarters) at the arcade when I was a kid. I then progressed to my own system. Nintendo. Not the Super or the 64. Just plain old Nintendo…

My favorite game was Super Mario Bros.

The reason I bring this up, is because someone has made a bunch of Super Mario videos out of lego…and they’re really good…

Watch one here.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I remember my first Valentine’s Day with Steve. He was in the studio all day. I waited patiently…wondering all day what would happen on this…our first big day together. When Steve called that night, I was giddy with anticipation. Then…nothing! Nada! Zip! He simply forgot.

He hasn’t since:)

Truthfully, I’m not that into the Valentine’s Day hype. I love my husband and kids every day. I don’t need a reminder for that. I spent last night getting chocolates ready for the kids’ teachers and making sure all of their cards were filled out for their friends. Oh, and the kids had a concert at the school. Jackson sang with his Kindergarten class, Jacob sang with the grade 3’s, Jayla climbed all over me and Steve accompanied all the classes on the piano. Reminding me again that it doesn’t have to be February 14th to feel the love.

I came here one day to find that the web guy had placed a picture on my blog. Nice touch. But, the picture was a pre-bang shot. And that’s a hair memory I’d rather forget. So, I asked him to use a different picture (the one over there —>). The problem is, he didn’t like the dark background, so he photoshopped it out. Is it just me, or do I look like I have a plastic lid on my hair?

Happy Friday!

When I got home from work on Friday, I noticed Jackson (6) had left some art work on the fridge…

The best part though, was the message on the back…

Translation if you need it: “I’m pretty sure you’ll like this, Mom”.

…and as a matter of fact, I do;)

So this year, we wanted to plan another quick getaway after Christmas. We bounced around some ideas with the kids. Victoria, Seattle, Whistler…of course there are lots of options. But the convenience of being able to get to our destination in 15 minutes, combined with the fact that hanging out in downtown Vancouver is a pretty fun way to spend a few nights…brought us right back to the Palisades.

Sometimes it’s tough to recreate the magic of an event the second time around, but this year’s trip did that with flying colors. I think it’s partly because the kids are a little older now and are becoming more fun and less work all the time. We dined out more than last year…Hon’s for Chinese (and I use the word “dine” loosely for that place…but definitely a fun experience for the kids), great sushi down the street and dinner and breakfast at Zin’s (located right in the hotel). Have you ever eaten at Zin’s? The food is outstanding, the presentation is lovely and the staff is wonderful…completely friendly and welcoming to the kids.

During our stay, we went for a long walk down Robson street…in the pouring rain with 5 umbrellas, snuck in a trip to Science World, swam in the hotel, stayed up late and slept in (a little).

Next time you’re stuck as to where to go with limited time, don’t forget about your own city. It could prove to be a great family adventure.

I actually wrote this at this time last year, but we ended up having a similar adventure this year, so I thought I’d post this now…with part 2 coming soon…

We had planned on going to Whistler for a few days over the holidays, but when that fell through, I needed a back-up plan in a hurry. I came up with something that seemed kind of strange at first. I booked us a getaway to…downtown Vancouver! Yep - just a 15-minute drive from home. Not even enough time for fights in the car!

Kids love hotels, so really, you can have a great time in one whether you’re on the other side of town or the other side of the world. If you’ve got elevators, a pool and ice machines, it doesn’t really matter where you are. There are a few must-haves in a hotel when traveling with kids….one for me is definitely a kitchenette. It’s nice to be able to do at least one meal/day at “home”. Another necessity – an extra bedroom! Sitting in the dark after the kids fall asleep isn’t ideal, so if you get a suite, the kids go in the bedroom and you can stay up past 8.

I soon discovered that what I was looking for was not so easy to find in Vancouver. That was until I came across The Pacific Palisades. It had it all…a kitchenette, extra bedroom and a pool – yeah!

To say the staff was outstanding is an understatement. They were friendly and helpful and so nice to the kids…even inviting them to the wine and cheese (and juice) reception. Which is where we received what would become one of the highlights of the weekend…the card for complimentary Haagen Daz…delivered to our door! Yippee!

We ended up having the time of our lives. We shopped Robson Street, ate out in the hotel at Zin (YUMMY), swam lots and rode the elevators. It was a fantastic spur-of-the-moment getaway that my kids are still talking about.

Here’s one of the boys waiting for that tub of Haagen Daz…