We Day 2013

I've been lucky enough to be a part of We Day for the last 2 years. This year when Telus asked me to be a guest to attend the event, I jumped at the chance. I was so excited to attend the actual event, and as I was able to bring a youth guest, I began trying to think of someone I knew in that age range. It turns out I don't know that many people between the ages of 8 and 18...who knew?! So when my husband suggested the daughter of his coworker, I thought it would be an awesome experience. After all, while I feel I am sort of hip and know a bit about pop culture, I have to be honest in saying I had to google a couple of the celebrity guests at We Day this year...shhhh...don't tell! 

Anyway, my hope was that in bringing Emily along I would be able to get a better idea of how We Day effects someone still in the prime of their young years. When I was Emily's age I was a true idealist, looking to change the world by buying tshirts to save the otters (remember There Otter Be A Law? NO? Just me?! Ahhhh well...). Sadly, I have lost a little bit of that shine since I've become older and a bit more jaded with life. So I was looking forward to catching the enthusiasm and really enjoying We Day in the way it was intended. 

I knew I was going to be very moved, and I was. But what really was inspirational for me was to see the entire stadium filled with young people, all inspired to make changes, no matter how small, in this world for the better. I know that if even 10 of those whom attended carry that forward into their life that this world is a better place. 

On the red carpet with Emily 

If you haven't heard of We Day, it's an event put on by Free the Children. Thanks to generous sponsors like Telus, the event is free for the youth to attend, but they have to earn their way through volunteering in the community and in the world at large. It's a full day of speakers, music, celebrity guests and inspiration. And one of the cool things they have introduced is an app called We365. It's a completely safe digital social space for youth to inspire each other, and bring the spirit of We Day with them into their lives. They can choose causes they identify with and complete challenges from small things like using a reusable coffee cup to larger ones like fundraising. And it can also track your volunteer hours for school projects, etc. It's basically the Facebook of Doing Good. My favourite part about it is that it is totally moderated and it is safe (i.e. you can only "friend" people you know in real life, no geo-tagging of posts for youth, etc). It's a great way to make these ideas real, and to have a tangible way of making changes in your everyday life. It may seem small, but you can see that hundreds of users are doing the same thing, and you can know that you are indeed making a difference. Love it! 
I can write a summary of the event for you, but I think I would rather have Emily tell you in her own words, as they are so perfect. It was such a pleasure tospend the day with such an amazing young woman, and I hope that the experience will remain with her for some time. Thanks Emily for helping me to get a little bit of that old shine back and for inspiring me. 

My experience at We Day is one that I will never forget; from all the inspirational speakers to getting to meet part of one of my favorite bands! When we first arrived at the Saddledome I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect since it was my first time going. All I knew was that I was excited to have the chance to get to see all the amazing people speak. My junior high had always been a big supporter of We Day so I had a general idea of what it was all about but I never imagined the impact it would have on me. 

We got to watch from one of Telus' private suites which was amazing and when we went to our seats there were swag bags waiting for us. Inside were many things including a bracelet that lit up every time you clapped. The idea behind it was that the light was a spark, and a single spark can grow to be so much more. They would get everyone to begin clapping together so that it would demonstrate how everything starts with an idea and eventually that idea can grow to be big and can change the world, like We Day itself. I loved the whole concept of the bracelets and it really got me thinking about how I too can change the world. 

There were many speakers including Spencer West, Martin Luther King the third, Magic Johnson and more! However I was really inspired by Amanda Lindhout. Her story had stood out to me. She was a lady who had always dreamed of travelling the world and going to see exotic places and when she became a journalist she got the opportunity. However her trip to Somalia had gone terribly wrong when she was kidnapped. She had been held captive for almost a year and was treated horribly. She was kept in a dark room and was only allowed to lay on her side. I had heard part of her story already as my mom had read her book she wrote, but I didn’t expect to be as affected by her speech as I was. I think she is an amazing person to go through that, manage to escape, then come back home and get back to living a normal life where she doesn’t always have to fear everything. I can’t imagine how hard the whole thing must have been for her. I think it is incredible that she can take her story and use it to inspire people like she did me. 

Meeting Nelly Furtado. She's even more gorgeous in person, and she is so passionate about Free the Children. Amazing. 

I also really liked the Kenyan boy’s choir! Not only did we get to see them perform with Nelly Furtado and Shawn Desman on stage, but we got to see them perform at the press conference too! They were really fun to listen to and each performance was really energetic! The press conference was also a really neat experience. Nelly Furtado and Craig Kielburger also spoke at the press conference and it was cool how we got to get a kind of inside look into the show before it had started. 

One of my favorite parts of We Day aside from the inspirational parts was the red carpet. We got to meet Shawn Desman, Kardinal Offishal and Down With Webster! I have to admit I was pretty star struck especially when Down With Webster came. I am a huge fan of Down With Webster and it was crazy that I got to meet them! Anyway, each group got to ask each of them questions and I was pretty impressed with many of the answers especially Kardinal Offishal. In one of his answers he had compared his view of the world to glasses. He had said that it was like when you have a pair of glasses and you think you see everything perfectly well but then you go and get your vision checked and realize you need new glasses and when you get those new glasses then you truly see the world clearly. I thought that was a really good analogy and it really got me thinking about what I’m missing in the world that I could help with. 

At the end of the day I was sad that it was over but grateful to have gotten the experience. I decided I would download the app “We Day 365” so that I could make a difference. It is an app that gives you little challenges that can help make a difference in the world. You get to choose what causes you want to support and from there they give you tasks that can help with that issue. They aren’t big tasks but they can be little things that help. For example, if you follow the cause of bullying, then maybe it’ll tell you to give random people compliments or something like that. I think the app is a great idea and I think that the tasks no matter small do make a difference in the world whether it’s helping just one person or many. 

Emily with Down With Webster. Pretty epic. 

We Day was an incredible experience that I will never forget and I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I am so grateful to have gotten the experience to go and it definitely had an impact on me. Since We Day I have been looking for more things I can do to help with anything and everything! If you ever get the chance to go to We Day I suggest you take it because you won’t regret it and you will leave with the experience of a lifetime and the want to go and change the world. 

If I look through my “We Day glasses” I can see acts of kindness everywhere just like the act of kindness Amy showed by inviting a stranger –me--  to experience the life changing event filled with the energy of many great people all joined together to celebrate the changes that WE can make in the world. 

Ok, I fan-girled a little meeting Kardinal Offishall. 

Thank you soooooooo much once again for the opportunity Amy! I can’t thank you enough times for the experience it truly was amazing and I will never forget it!

The Circus is Coming to Town!

For my local readers, I have an awesome family event to share with you! The Royal Canadian Circus is coming to Calgary May 10-20, 2013. 

The Zerbini Family Circus is celebrating it's 250th anniversary under the Big Top. It's basically good, old-fashioned family fun with all the classics! They have an Equestrian act, the largest display of tigers in North America, elephants, acrobats and clowns. Basically everything you could ever want from a circus. 

I am really excited to take Peanut. He loves elephants and will be so excited to see them! Plus clowns, face-painting and acrobats? I know he will love it. I have fond memories of going to the circus when I was little (oddly enough, I remember the cotton candy the most vividly...). He is just getting to that age where everything is THE AWESOMEST EVER! and the circus is the perfect place for childhood amazement. Though if he does get his hands on some cotton candy, I can assure you that he will be making an impromptu visit to Grandma and Grandpa's to burn off all that excitement.  If you want to know more about the Circus and to keep up with all the latest news, you can head over to their Facebook page and give them a "like" or follow them on Twitter. They also are supporting Kids Up Front by providing tickets for children who otherwise might not be able to attend. Love that.  It's always awesome to have an affordable family event in town, and I know that it can get expensive to attend events with your whole family. So I am happy to share a discount code with you for a 2-for-1 general admission! Just enter the code "FUN" at the checkout.  You can purchase tickets on the Royal Canadian Circus website or through the Royal Canadian Circus Facebook page. 

See you under the Big Top!  **Please note: This is a sponsored post. I have received compensation from the sponsor(s) of this post, but all opinions (as always) are my own. 

Adventures in Juicing: Week 2

You can check out week 1 here.
We've had our juicer for almost 2 weeks now, and I have to say that we are loving it! I was a little wary about having another kitchen appliance...I have a bit of an addiction it seems. And usually we use whatever new gadget a couple of times and then it gets banished to the Cupboard of Doom where we only try and dig it out once every 10 months and when we do we have to pull absolutely everything out of the cupboard to reach it...you know what I mean, right?!
Anyway, the juicer hasn't left our counter since we got it. We make at least 1 glass of juice a day with it. It's almost addicting, actually. Once I apprehensively started putting fruits and veggies in very strict combinations according to set recipes, I was hooked. I started thinking of all the different things I could juice, and all the different combinations of juices I could make. JUICE ALL THE THINGS!!!!
We have a couple recipes that came with our weekly SPUD delivery that we love, and they are in our standard rotation. For veggies, I am more of a kale girl, and Hubby is in love with the beets. 
My fave is the Morning Nourish Juice:

1 pear 1 handful of kale 1 apple 2 stalks of celery

Usually I make some juice in the morning and I give a little to Peanut diluted with water. As scared as I was of juicing veggies, it's actually not that bad! So I always make sure to have some veggies in it if Peanut is having some. He loooooooves it. His favourite? Kale. Who would have ever guessed? I normally don't really give Peanut juice, but I feel confident about giving him fresh, organic, homemade juice where I control what goes in, and with no extra sugar. 
For the adults in the house, we love that we can "eat our veggies" without actually eating them! It's awesome to get the nutrients from fresh fruits and veg without having to prepare them. I get so bored of trying to invent new ways to serve carrots. Well, nothing is easier than tossing them in the juicer! Of course we still eat actual fruits and vegetables as well, as we need the fiber and other goodness, but it's nice to know that we are getting our daily dose of vitamins and minerals so easily. 
Hubby's fave is ABC Juice:

2 apples 2 carrots 1 beet
but he always adds some citrus as well, usually by adding 1 grapefruit. 
But my absolute favourite recipe that I have made so far was a tropical-inspired cup of deliciousness!
1 mango 3 spears of pineapple 2 oranges
I could see this being a very delcious adult-beverage in the summer time with the addition of a little coconut rum. Yum yum! I didn't get a picture because I basically downed it the second it came out of the juicer. 
I really get excited every Thursday to get our SPUD delivery. It's always fun to see all the fresh organic fruit and veg just sitting there, unsuspecting that in the next day or so they are going to be crushed into delicious juiciness! One of my other favourite things about juicing is that I have so much less waste of produce. If something is a little under- or over-ripe I just toss it in the juicer with a few apples and it is salvaged. 

One lesson I learned very quickly...make sure you go easy on the ginger. A little goes a VERY long way. The first time I used it I made some apple and pear juice and threw in a little knob of ginger. It was probably double what I needed, and I ended up with one very spicy glass of juice! Ack!! If you are interested in trying out juicing, SPUD.ca has extended their very popular juicing promotion until February 7th! You can either buy the juicer in one payment, or pay for it in small weekly installments. When you sign up for their juicing program, you get $140 worth of organic fruits and veg for your juicer delivered right to your door free! You can check it out here: SPUD.ca Juicing Program
*Please note that this series is sponsored by SPUD.ca, as they provided the juicer and the organic juicing produce in order to facilitate this series. But all content and opinions are completely my own (as usual!). 

Adventures in Juicing: Week 1

When you bring up the topic of juicing, my mind immediately turns to that old infomercial of the incredibly fit older man extolling it's virtues. He juices everything imaginable! So I suppose it has always had a sort of gimmicky and old-fashioned image to me. But recently I have seen many a pin on Pinterest, or heard of people who have embraced juice as a way of getting healthier, so it seems it's not just for the "as seen on TV" folks anymore. And when I look at my diet and lifestyle I can tell you 2 things with assurity: I don't get enough vegetables and fruits in my diet, and I can definitely stand to make healthier choices in my life. So, what do I know about juicing? I know that you put fruit or veggies in a machine and it makes juice. That is it. Oh, and I know you drink it. I don't even really know what fresh juice tastes like...isn't that sad? I have only really ever had purchased juice. Beyond freshly squeezed orange juice, I am completely in the dark. 
A few months ago I signed up with a local organic grocery delivery service, SPUD.ca. I was struggling with getting fresh produce in our diet without so much waste. My usual method of grocery shopping is plan for meals throughout the week by picking recipes that appeal to me and then buying the ingredients. Seems like a good plan, but I almost never take into consideration the ingredients I am using, so I usually end up with extra produce not being used in the other recipes. Which means I end up with a lot of waste. Or, I would only stick to the basics (carrots, potatoes, apples and sometimes bananas) and never venture out of the box. So when I heard about SPUD's produce boxes I was intrigued. They basically choose a fresh box of local (when possible) organic produce and deliver it to your door every week. Honestly I wish I would have started this earlier...it is the most convenient thing ever! Going to the grocery store is always an ordeal with a toddler, but since my belly is getting much, much bigger and I move at the pace of a slow waddle at best it's even more of a challenge. Now I only pop in to grab meat and staples (I still grab these from the grocery store for cost reasons...SPUD also has organic meats and grocery items you can get delivered as well. Which is going to come in VERY handy when the new baby arrives!). I have basically been spreading the word to all my mom friends about this service because I can't get over how great it is. Any time you can make something a little bit easier as a mom (not to mention healthier!) I am all over it! 

Our fancy new juicer! (pic taken on
our floor for lighting...and maybe
 so you don't see our messy counters.
Laziness at its finest!

When SPUD contacted me about their juicing program they just rolled out and asked if I was interested in trying it out, I was super eager. I have been a very happy customer of theirs, so I knew it was going to be great. It really can't be any easier: they deliver a juicer to your door (which you can buy outright, or pay for in small, weekly instalments), as well as a fresh box of juicing produce each week so you can have a glass of fresh juice each day. They have 6 different juicing boxes (detox, juicing for kids, etc) depending on what you like, or what your goals are. For someone who knows absolutely nothing, it is perfect. They have recipes online and they include a book on juicing basics with your juicer as well, so it has everything you need to get started.
Our new juicer arrived on Friday night and we immediately opened it up and gleefully made our first glass of juice. It is so much fun. I don't know why I find the act of throwing fruit in a machine and watching it get squashed and separated into juice and pulp so amusing, but it's not just me; Hubby thinks it's awesome too. The result was very tasty, and we are looking forward to experimenting with different fruits and veggies this week. One thing I can tell you I am a little wary of is the whole veggie thing. I like to eat vegetables. Not all of them, but some of them. And I like them prepared in different ways. But, the idea of drinking vegetable juice is a little off-putting for me. I suppose it's because I think that juice should be sweet. I have never had a V8 in my life. I don't like tomato juice. So I am very intrigued to see how it will taste! What I do love is the idea that I can get my daily intake of veggies and fruits much easier. I have a hard time trying to work a ton of veggies into my diet, but I have no problem drinking a ton of juice a day. 
If you are in the Calgary area and are interested in getting started with juicing, SPUD has an amazing promotion on right now, but only until the end of January. If you want to purchase a juicer through SPUD, they will give you 4 free weeks of juicing produce ($140 value!). Or, if you would rather sign up for their 6 month juicing program (weekly organic juicing boxes and you can pay for your juicer in weekly increments) you get a $140 SPUD credit. Pretty great deal! Check out all the details about juicing through SPUD here: Juicing Program This is the first in a series on juicing. Next week I will examine the basics of how to juice, and how we have fit it into our life.
*Please note that this series is sponsored by SPUD.ca, as they provided the juicer and the organic juicing produce in order to facilitate this series. But all content and opinions are completely my own (as usual!). 

Behind-the-Scenes at We Day

Wow. I really don't even know how to begin this post. I suppose I should start by filling you in a little on what exactly We Day is, for those of you who aren't aware. 

The WeDay stage

We Day is an event that is aimed at engaging today's youth to be aware of and take action on social issues. It's put on by Free the Children. It's an event that brings celebrities, music artists, inspirational speakers and youth together. You can't purchase tickets; you have to earn your way to WeDay. Each school must commit to taking one local and one global action in order to be able to attend. Which means that the whole event is made possible by some amazing sponsors. How awesome is that? 
One of the main sponsors of We Day is TELUS, and they arranged for me and a few of my fellow local bloggers to attend a behind-the-scenes tour of the first We Day in Alberta. They also provided us with a Samsung Galaxy SIII to capture our experiences in video and photos. In addition to being a sponsor of We Day, TELUS is currently running the Phones for Good campaign. So if you purchase a TELUS Samsung Galaxy SIII (an amazing phone!) or an Ace Q, TELUS will donate $25 to Free the Children. 
Honestly, I am so lucky I was able to attend. We got to see how the whole production is put together, and meet a ton of inspirational and passionate people from Free the Children. There is nothing like meeting people who are so incredibly passionate about changing the world to inspire you. I just felt so uplifted and inspired the whole day. It really sticks with you and makes an incredible impression.
In today's society we are so socially plugged in. It's ironic that even though we are so globally connected through social media, we often use it for such personal trivia. We update our friends on what we did that day, we Instagram our dinners, we Tweet about the tough days we had. It's all about ME! I am definitely a culprit of this...she says while typing on her personal blog...sigh. I think it must be hard for the youth of today, who have been immersed in this technology from the get-go, to move beyond this culture of ME. So to find an event that really focuses on changing that ME to WE is amazing. Nothing in this world will change without our youth. That is the most exciting thing about Free the Children: it focuses on youth helping other youth. 
One of the speakers we met is Spencer West. He is truly an inspiration. Despite having no legs, he has accomplished amazing feats, such as climbing Mt Kilimanjaro, and has dedicated his life to Redefining Possible. 

L-R: Me, Spencer West, Heather from redwritinghood.ca, SamiJoe from peekthruourwindow.com

We also met Molly, who lost her vision at age 14. Her story of how she overcame bullying is one that I am sure will resonate with so many of today's youth. 

What an amazing young lady. 

Right now there is a lot of focus on bullying in the media with the recent tragic suicide of Amanda Todd. So it was particularly poignant to hear Spencer and Molly candidly speak of how growing up "different" affected them, and how they overcame it and how it shaped who they are today. 
As a parent, it's so valuable for me to see these sort of events being held. It really brings home the fact that I need to ensure that my children are aware of what is going on in the world around us, and to talk about it openly and discuss how lucky we are to have the life that we have. I am so lucky to have participated in this event. It's something that will stick with me for a long time. 
TELUS is also encouraging youth to upload a video describing how they would make a positive change in their own community by partnering with a local charity. TELUS and Free the Children will select the top idea and they will receive $20,000 to help bring their idea to life! Videos can be uploaded at TelusforWeDay.com 
*TELUS provided me with a Samsung phone to facilitate the writing of this post. However all views and opinions are my own (as always!). 

Our Mini Shoot with Blue Lemon Photography

As mentioned in my previous post about our DIY Mat Photos, we really wanted to have a nice big photoshoot for this pregnancy, as well as for newborn photos as well. Unfortunately, the reduced income that comes with having the baby has kept us from that. 


So, when a friend posted about Blue Lemon Photography's mini shoots, I was incredibly interested. Marie has this brilliant idea that many families want great photos, but it's just not in the budget for everyone. So she holds mini-shoots, where she sets up in an outdoor location and you can book a 30 minute mini-shoot with her, all for an incredibly low price. It was EXACTLY what we were looking for! I loved our DIY shots, but I also wanted some with Hubby in them (well, more than just his hand). This was such a great opportunity, and to top it all off, Marie was shooting in the same place where we got married. It was meant to be. 


Here are a few of my favourites from the shoot:

 

Marie was fantastic to work with, and we had a ton of fun. Head on over to Blue Lemon Photography's Facebook page to see more of Marie's work, and to give her some love. Calgary friends might want to be on the watch for another mini-shoot marathon...hopefully she has another!