go ahead, be bad.....

It's always a bit of a whirlwind when Erica Ehm rolls into town and last week it was no different. Erica was here to promote the Mischievious Mom at the Art Gallery, a delightful book about a naughty Mother and her spirited adventures with her kids (co-written with her friend Rebecca Eckler).  I love the book because it not only gives us Mom's permission to be bad, it celebrates us for it~

Erica's visit to Van was also another perfect opportunity to tweet up with her west coast friends and fans so we made a plan or two and what follows is a photo blog of the adventures of a village of  dynamic west coast Mom's  which  has grown under the umbrella of Erica Ehm and her Yummy Mummy Club.

 
First stop for Vancouver was at Kidsbooks in Kits where Erica did a book signing. A bunch of us girls showed up and we all wound up having a good old fashioned gab fest about parenting, Mommyhood and blogging. In the photo above was Danielle @justdworld meeting Erica for the first time, it was emotional meeting to say the least, she was excited, we were excited for her and there were a few itty bitty tears of joy shed. Erica as always, was gracious and welcoming and herself as she quickly put everyone at ease.

We found it funny how when we all met up we called each other by our twitter names (which is most often how we commmunicate to each other)!  So in order of appearance by our twitter names.......

@rachaelpachel  @yoyomamadotca @yummymummyclub @Savvymomvan  @ymc_bc

(thank you for the photo goes to Eileen, @ymc_bc)

Next on the progam a scrumptious dinner at the Sandbar. It started out with a couple of notably non-Mummy types joining us for a bevvie.  Raul @hummingbird604 and Jason @jasonsanders who are social media kings in their own right  really wanted to meet up with Erica to say hi in person after months of tweeting cross country so they were allowed a first hand peek into our world,  for a short while at least!   

You might notice a fair amount of handheld devices in this post,  I'm confessing on behalf of each and every one of us right now, Total Twitterholics..... and when a brand new iPad made an appearance, it held our attention for quite some time....

Yes, that's me singing with the piano player.... if there is a musician around, I will usually find a way to get in there and jam a tune or two. :)











Twitter handles from our cast of Mischevious Moms   @YummyMummyClub, @alexishinde, @crunchycarpets, @raspberrykids, @YMC_BC, @tjrossiGnol (thank you for the photos),  @justdworld, @mummyjanie, @theTsunamiMommy

So my gosh what a night, we just had a blast talking everything woman with no apologies and more importantly in the absence of kids, with no interruptions.... 

Of course we couldn't just leave it at that, we can't forget the way this started on the west coast, with a
full-on social media, networking/gathering coffee tweet up. And it also had to be complete with kids, because really, any day that includes a few moments of  awwwwwwww how cute factor  is a good day indeed.  This time our tweetup was at Cafe Artigiano on Broadway and we virtually took over the back half of the cafe because there were so many of  us.......I don't even have all the twitter handles of everyone so I invite you to help me along by reminding me and leaving your  name in the comments section so I can link you up! :)  

Saffron and Camille Henderson authors of the Motherboard as well as Sarah Bancroft (who runs Vitamin Daily, an online lifestyle mag that should be part of your daily reading if you are devoted to finding the best of the best in fashion, art and culture in your city ) all arrived a little early to chat with  Erica pre-tweet and it was nice to finally meet Sarah in person. I've enjoyed watching her fantastic career and business take flight ever since I was first aware of her as an editor at Fashion magazine. I admire how she has built a presence that embodies class and good taste and exactly the right amount of zest.


                                      Saffron and Camille with Erica (and with me in pic below)

Artigiano's was nice and calm and peaceful as we chatted and talked shop and slowly but surely Mom's and babies wandered in and introduced themselves to each other (often by twitter handle such as @earnestgirl @kstennant @TheraWise  all pictured).  And more Mom's and babies showed up, and more, and more, and more....... until there was noise, commotion, squeals of laughter and excitement flying throughout the room and as I looked around I thought once again, this is the perfect  village because kids are watching their Mom's socializing, getting along, sharing, doing and connecting........and  how better to teach your children how to socialize than to teach them by example. 

Catherine, me, Erica

This is what is missing from many families today, the community.

Some people complain that the internet isolates people. I don't buy it. This story is proof that it doesn't have to. I know all of these people through the internet alone. Some people like Erica have the ability to pull a group together and facilitate a community.  Other people, know how to find that community.  Erica seems to attract busy and dynamic women so she has all around her a powerful community who support one another and it reaches across the country. It is the village time a thousand.

I love that  about the internet, that I can sit here and do PR in my pyjamas yet still find different collectives to gain something from or give something to out there in the real and concrete world.  The internet can be a tool of inclusion, it all depends on the way you use it.

If you are a Mom who tweets or who has an online business and would love to connect and network with this amazing group of ladies, do make sure to join the Yummy Mummy Club and watch for updates, this is your village, it is a place where we as women and Mother's don['t apologize for being bright, creative go-getters and most of all, are not at all afraid to be mischevious!


Rach xo

swearing and naughty and out there, oh my!!

I was reading Jen's awesome blog,  which directed me to another blog that I had not been to before and ....well..... I have visited this new blog a few times now because this girls writing makes me laugh out loud.  Its just hilarious and brave, which I enjoy and admire, because I am not the same kind of brave. I just can't seem to swear or dirty joke very well at all.


Yeah I do live in cartoon land, flowers grow everywhere and birds chirp as they fly by carrying dew drops on rainbows.  That is what I choose to put out there, it's what I choose to see, how I reflect.  If  I am going to leave a footprint or a feeling lying around the place,  then (for me) it just feels right for it to be glowing. 
I actually blush and cover my mouth and apologize if I swear by accident, and yes I feel a little silly about doing that. Swearing and off colour jokes just don't  feel right on me so I choose not to say them out loud, it looks pretty ridiculous when I try........I'm  like the nerd trying to be cool. Which isn't so cool.  Having said that,  while I can't deliver certain brands of humour.......  I can absolutely appreciate it.

 Some of my favorite bloggers for instance seem to be girls with attitude, women  who write really well but often swear like truckers and say things that make me gasp a little..... the point of view they offer is often so funny and ironic and I LOVE reading them.  I sit and laugh out loud at the computer wishing I had the guts and ability to write like that myself, but I can't, I can't even think that funny.  At least I can be grateful there are people in this world to entertain me so, and I would be remiss if I didn't pass the share on that Jen started. 

And this is your fair swear warning for all you Mommy types with kids hanging around..... there are dashes colour in the very relateable writing.....and it's  awesome funny.



So.....did you read it?  She had me wishing again that I could be that cool actually, but then I started thinking about something,  I do have music to pull into and I am grateful for that .  I am  learning to be more comfortable all the time, it really does hit something for me. Esp with the help of this internet world where I can peek into the thoughts of others and be inspired by those who are willing to put themselves out there.

 
 The below video is a rough draft I wrote a year ago last Jan  at a turning point which set me on a journey of pushing myself musically and letting crap out creatively. I  love looking at this video  and seeing this girl, knowing  how cheeky she was, how far she has come, how many times she has fallen, where she led herself, what she gained, what she lost, what she saw, what she knew, what she hid, what she revealed, where she was brave, and where she got stuck.  I just look back at it all and see all of this and I love that girl, she hit it head on. Sometimes we don't even see ourselves until we can look backwards.






So anyway, I was reading Raeleigh Jane's blog being all inspired to reach even further inward and it got me thinking that's all..........and...that's all I got for you, except perhaps this.......

You know what  touches me deeply?  When I open an email and see someone has taken the time to share their story and tell me that they felt something because of something that I wrote or sang.  That's really a cool feeling, and I appreciate the window into another humans journey for it is an honour.  Today someone asked me where they could buy one of my songs and I responded as I usually do, I  emailed her the MP3 and said its a gift. Because it is a gift.



With Hearts....Rachael xo

Chilliwacks 40th anniversary concert, backstage with Saffron and Camille!

One of the first albums I ever bought with my own money was a K-Tel mix record I found at a swap meet. Chilliwack's 'Crazy Talk' was one of my favorite cuts on that record and I realize now that before I really even had a full concept of what a band was, I was already a Chilliwack fan.  Not only did my parents play their albums in regular rotation at home, but I also had found them in my own right. 

Additionaly I had the unique opportunity for a short while to know Bill Henderson's daughters Saffron and Camille as we all went to the same dance school together. Though we were not in the same classes, we were sometimes in the same performing troupe which was a select group of kids who were asked to perform at public events. 

Now here is a little-known scoop for you all, we used to do this 'Breakfast with Santa show' back in the day and Saffron and I both held the lofty honour of playing Rudolph's butt. And while I can't honestly say that I've thought an awful lot about my position as Rudy's rear-end over the years,  I was fondly reminded of it just a couple of summers ago  when I found myself once again sharing a stage with Saffron Henderson. Thankfully on that occassion our stage time found us up there with a rock band and people could actually see our faces. Suffice it to say we did have a good laugh over our shared memories.

Ah memories, it's amazing how music can bring them back so easily. Chilliwack celebrated 40 years of hits with an amazing concert at the River Rock Show Theatre  last weekend and it really was a journey through time. From the first incarnation of the band, the Collectors..... all the way to present day, the band knocked out hit after hit and told their story with  masterful renditions of the songs we've all grown to love.

It wasn't just a concert, it was a bit of  a history lesson as there was a wonderful  audio/visual component where archives from interviews, music videos, and behind the scenes footage from over the years were shown and explained in great detail.  Props were also used to great effect, Brian (Too Loud) MacLeod's famed Fender Strat guitar which had been sold years ago was sought, found and brought onstage to represent the now deceased but one time integral band member and it was a moment that left countless people feeling very touched by the effort taken to represent him. Several  special guests were brought out onstage throughout the night as well and past members of previous band line-ups joined in to take part in the songs they helped bring to life. Even second generations were present to support, pay tribute and/or honor  past  and present members who could not be there as well as those who could. Every effort had been made to somehow represent everyone that had been a part of the landscape of the bands history. And I was deeply impressed.

Tyson Froese (son of Howard Froese) 73-78, performed his Dad's solo on Baby Blue

 

Brian (Too Loud) MacLeod's strat.  (thanks to Al Barret from Calgary for letting us all enjoy the guitar) 

Ab Bryant (bass) 1979-1984 line-up

Roy Forbes

Howie Vickers (Vickberg) 1966-70 Vocals the Collectors

                                               Claire Lawrence (keys/sax) Collectors line-up! 

Doug Edwards (bass) current line-up

                                                 Jerry Adolphe (drummer) current line-up                             

Ed Henderson (guitar vocals )  Current line-up

Bill Henderson (guitar lead vox) 

On a personal note, part of the reason I decided to do this blog is because of an event that happened the week before. You see it just so happens that our girlfriend Cathy St. Germain had a chick singer clothing swap a week or so before this concert and while I sat and chatted with Saff and Camille about their wicked new blog the Motherboard (based on two sisters navigating their way through parenthood)  I snapped on an idea and asked them  if Kelly and I could do an All Access Pass piece on them and maybe follow them around as they prepared for the concert.  I just think it is a really cool thing they have cooking,  this blog and parenting show, and I wanted to support it as well as take the opportunity to show what's behind the curtain when we get to perform in this kind of sparkly event.  It only took just a day or two to get permission from all the right places and before I knew it Kelly and I had a date to go hang out backstage during sound check with our girlfriends. I needn't say an awful lot more because the video hopefully speaks for itself as do the wonderful photographs so graciously donated by Dee Lippingwell (without a doubt, Vancouver's premier photographer to the stars). Thank you Dee~           

To close I offer  a very heartfelt Thank You to the whole cast and crew of the Chilliwack 40th anniversary concert,  for being so open and welcoming and allowing me to share a peek of life behind the scenes. Thanks to Paul Baker who did the sound, sound guys don't ever get enough credit. :)  I also want to send a shout out to Bill for not only for making sure I had an All Access Pass that allowed me to attend both shows but also for (along with his wife) nurturing some amazing daughters and for showing by example how to live, love and be a full time family man after he takes his rockstar hat off at the end of the day. I think that he raised a couple of women who are an excellent examples in their own right and they are totally on the right track to put themselves out there with their blog and upcoming parenting show. So do feel free to watch for them and share this  link with the Mother's that you love so that they too can connect with the girls and get in on the ground floor of this new parenting community as it grows and flourishes.



See you soon...
Rach xo

Walk for Kids Help Phone, 2010

           Kids Walk for Help Phone

On May 2nd I was privileged to sing for the Kids Walk for Help Phone. The Walk for Kids Help Phone takes place annually in more than 50 communities across Canada and is an essential service for children in need. Every day, Kids Help Phone counsellors answer calls and online questions from across Canada. No matter what the problem or concern our counsellors are there to provide immediate and caring support, information and referrals to the kids who reach out.

  

Together volunteers and participants across the country raised over 2.5 million dollars.
Thought I would post some pics and a video of Vancouver's event.

                            The Beat 94.5fm Street Team!







As the featured perfomer I thought it might be a great idea to ask some of the members of the League of Rock to be my band, so I put together a group made up of both present and past members and they did a tremendous job! We started playing at 9:30am while people milled about visiting the sponsor tents and filled out their registration forms.

So we played and we rocked and had a great deal of  fun and then CTV's Jason Pires got up to lead the announcements and kick off the walk.  He introduced speakers from Bell Canada and Ledcor who were there to give thanks and considerations to the many people and companies who helped put this all together. Boston Pizza came up to present a $250,000 check that was being donated nationwide. West Jet made a draw for free tickets, and then a group of energetic folks from the Steve Nash Sports club ran the crowd through a warm up before sending everyone off on their walk for good. 

As the crowd began their journey my friend the very talented Roger Schmidt  who has a newly released album you can check out by clicking on his name,  came up onstage and played his music for the VIPs, and crowd who were not walking in the event but were still there to support/donate and take part in the tent activities and BBQ.

There are plenty of people to thank for this day, all the sponsors and contributors can be seen here on the signboard below. I want to thank the L.O.R. members  for getting up early to come and shine for this event as well as Sharylin Boshaw for coming to take the wonderful photos and finally, I'll  send a shout out to Rocky Mountain sound for doing a great job at making us sound so great. The Vancouver event raised over $135,000 of the 2.5 million national total and we all have reason to be proud.

Rach xo