My First Tim Horton's Camp Day!

Not my best hair (or face) day... 

Today I experienced my very first Tim Hortons Camp Day as an on-air personality. I had so much fun in Trail early this morning at 8am for the morning rush of drivers b-lining for caffeine to get them to the end of Humpday. I was absolutely astounded by the number of generous cash donations that were given to Tim Hortons Children Foundation just in my two hours at Tim Hortons. It was mind-blowing. 

On top of the staggering number of people supporting sending children in need to camp I witnessed lots of goodwill between strangers; chains of people paying-it-forward by paying for the order that was coming up behind them! I have heard of this happening at Tim Hortons before but I have never been the beneficiary of it. I think it is important to note that I have never started a kindness chain in a drive-thru either (karma, eh?). Now, I really want to do it... I may even add that experience to my summer of firsts on my way home today. I'll keep you updated.

I like to think I was a little better at my job in the drive-thru window than some of the RCMP officers pouring coffee and mixing up iced caps! There were some spills and lots of sass from Trail’s finest who broke Tim Hortons protocol multiple times and held the coffee cups as they poured the coffee. In all seriousness, the firefighters and police officers who were part of my Camp Day experience were so much fun! I don’t think there was a better time to be at Tim Hortons today in Trail than while we were holding down the fort! Although, the staff was pretty excited for the Trail Smoke Eaters to come in a little later in the day so I think we were most likely their second favourite crew of the day. 

So many people bought tents and cabins to line the walls of Trail's Tim Horton's, I have a very good feeling that we helped raise more than the $11.8 raised last year on Camp Day! 

If you would like to donate to Camp Day it is so easy, you do not need to even go to a Tim Hortons. You can give online by visiting sendakidtocamp.com or by texting CAMP to 45678 in Canada or CAMP to 41518 in the States. 

Help celebrate Tim Horton Children's Foundations 40th birthday by grabbing a coffee today and 100% of the proceeds will go to THCF!

This year alone more than 200,000 kids will be impacted by the Tim Horton Children's Foundation and more than 17,000 kids will attend at THCF camp! 

I have made up my mind. On the way home someone better be behind me in the drive-thru at Tim's because I am starting a chain of awesomeness. 

*Side-note, one of my biggest pet peeves is people who call Tim Hortons "Timmy's". You will NEVER heart me reference Tim's in such an informal way. I don't know why it grinds my gear but it really, really does. 

Calgary Hosts Canada's Only Lego Kidsfest 2014

Over the weekend I got to take part in an amazing event in Calgary. It was Canada’s first Lego Kidsfest at the BMO Centre. On the one and only stop in Canada (ever), the Lego Kidsfest sold-out every session over the weekend of brick-filled fun.

The model museum is one of the highlights of the stop on Lego Kidsfest. It is an incredible display of what Lego can build. Darth Vader, Batman, Lightning McQueen, Gandalf, R2DC, C3P0 and Boba Fett are just a few of the full-size models on display in this part of the festival. Throughout the over three acres of Lego related fun there are many full-size models.

As you can see, I managed to find Lego Cinderella in the Disney Princess display.

I spent my days hanging out in the Brick Battle Zone with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I think this is the most fun of all the Lego zones. The Brick Battle Zone is an area where kids take part in Lego related activities for prizes. Lego pizza relay races, Duplo bridge building contests and tower races were my jam for the weekend. It was a lot of fun, but Lego sure is hard on the hands. If you are taking in Lego Kidsfest on one of its tour stops make sure you keep an eye on this section of the festival so that your kids get to take part and take home some great prizes.

Other really cool parts of the festivals are the Lego Super Heros and Lego Disney Princesses areas; both of these zones have free photo booths!

Creation Nation is an interactive section of the festival where kids build inside a template of the Canadian flag to make a pretty cool version of Canada in Lego inside the flag.

Another thing you need to check out while at Lego Master Builder Academy. Sign up as soon as you arrive to insure you get a session with a Lego Master Builder. These sessions run about 40 minutes and teach you skills that the people who create the most impressive Lego works have developed. On top of learning the art of crafting the most magnificent Lego works you can enter a raffle for Lego MBA prizes. There are limited spots in this zone so make sure you get in on it quickly!

If you have not watched the Lego Movie yet I strongly recommend it, even if you are not a huge Lego fan. I watched it with a bunch of twenty-something guys stone sober and absolutely loved it. It is hilarious and features some of the funniest actors in Hollywood right now. My favourties Chris Pratt and Will Ferrell start in the movie along with the amazing Elizabeth Banks and Alison Brie. Also, Liam Neeson and Will Arnett are hilarious as Good Cop/Bad Cop and Batman/Bruce Wayne. The star-studded cast really delivers for adults and kids, see this movie now!

Another cool thing about the Lego Movie and the Calgary connection is that Canadian songstresses Tegan & Sara sing the theme song for the Lego Movie, “Everything Is Awesome” with the Lonely Island. I don’t think I have ever heard the word awesome used more over the span of a weekend than at Lego Kidsfest. It was a very appropriate descriptor for the weekend.

On the left is the HUGE pile of free play Lego for kids to go wild in. Seriously, kids went CRAZY over this massive pile of bricks. It was like a day at a multi-color bricks. I saw kids building and burying themselves in this huge mound of Lego. It is crazy to see how much kids love and respect the patterns and models, but still want the freedom of free play.

Get your tickets early if Lego Kidsfest is coming to your area, it is well worth your time!

Thought of the Day... Board Games and Babies

I have an embarrassing love for board games.

Seriously, I will take you on--- any game, anytime, anyplace.

Today I came to the realization (after many hours at Walmart over the weekend trying to prepare for spring cleaning) that the only reason I am even remotely interested in having a child is to have an extra person to play board games with.

It is the one thing that having a child has over having a dog. If you have read some of my blog posts you know how badly I want a dog.

Kevin and I play games all the time. He’s the King of NHL; I'm the Queen of Madden. He usually wins at rummy; I win at Monopoly Deal and crib. Generally it is a toss up who will win at Yahtzee.

Board game nights are one of my favourite things about visiting my parents in Nova Scotia. Growing up we only had two channels until I was in sixth grade; daytime living was watching movies and farming. Nighttime was my time to shine, family game nights. I started so young when I started playing cards that I would cry whenever I had to pass up a king; it was a “K for Katie”… I was fifteen. Just kidding.

Anyways, my sister can’t take how competitive I get while Robert (my brother) and Kevin team up on me. She usually is the Banker.

Over the weekend we tried to find more games to play for two. It is ridiculously hard to find games that really are good for two. Some are okay, but games like Monopoly are horrible with two people.  

There is my thought of the day.  Sorry, mum.

And to think, as Kevin and I walked across the street to the grocery store tonight a man eyed us up and invited us to a rave. I was still fully decked out in workout gear and freshly home from work. I guess pink shorts mean you want to party on a Tuesday night in the Kootenays.

Check Out The New Simpsons Lego!

When I was a kid I totally took LEGO for granted. As an adult I have purchased many LEGO kits for my boyfriend and younger family members, with my first purchase I was totally baffled by the price of even a small set. When I was a kid we just had free form LEGO flowing around my grandparents living room, stray pieces were the cause of many curse word (LEGO is the most painful fun thing to step on) being said around their house. As kids, my family was not really into the kits; we just built houses over and over again.

When I met my boyfriend, I learned of the intricacy of LEGO ‘Star Wars’ kits; slowly but surely we are building the entire set. My youngest cousin Mitchell is on the same LEGO quest, he is six years old.

Those ‘Star Wars’ dreams may have to wait though, a new LEGO kit has just been unveiled and it is a one purchase wonder featuring Springfield’s finest. February 1^st you can have your own LEGO version of 742 Evergreen Terrace and the crew that resides there. Yes, ‘The Simpsons’ LEGO set has been unveiled and it is an intricate masterpiece that will make any brick buster excited.

Why? Well, the set will include an intricate doll-house style replica of the famed house and all the LEGO man pieces of family that resides there. There will even be a bonus character included; this first deployment of ‘The Simpsons’ set will have a Flanders’ to keep your LEGO Simpson family in check (if only it came with a fence too).

You can pick up the entire LEGO ‘The Simpsons’ set February 1^st for around $199. There will also be a corresponding episode of ‘The Simpsons’ that is done in the LEGO style and I have my fingers crossed for a ‘The Simpsons’ LEGO video game too.

Six character pieces not enough for you investment in a piece of Springfield in LEGO form? Well, rumors have been circulating that there will be a sixteen piece character pack released this spring as well!

Celebrating Children's Day - Michelle Pierce on Morning Rocks

It is Children’s Day, as you can see if you open up Google (it is featured on today’s doodle). If you are

looking to take part in a great event right here in the Kootenays for Children’s day you can check out the celebration going on at Kootenay Family Place Neighbourhood House. Michelle Pierce joined us on Morning Rocks this morning to give us all the details.

You can also visit Mountain FM’s event page to learn more.

Sear's Christmas Wish Books

Today I am dedicating a blog to the magic of the Sear’s Christmas Wish Book.

Why? Well, as a child of the 90s, it was a clear indication to me Christmas was truly on the way when a Wish Book arrived at the Bruce Household. We had to have multiple copies; we fought over getting to have a turn with the treasured item. And, you better believe you would need a Christmas miracle to save you if I did not get my filthy child hands on that book before the new smell wore off. In the country there is not much else to do when you don’t have cable television to tell you want you want for Christmas, that was the sole purpose of the Sear’s Wish Book, if they didn't carry it than it did not matter.

Yes, we needed multiple copies, not only because we would fight over the book itself, we also fought over the book’s pages and ideal Christmas presents. Before the internet the easiest way to get a photo of the items you wanted for your (oh-so-advanced) Christmas list in pictures was to take it from the Wish Book, this caused endless arguments when clippings stole the heart of a page with a gift someone else wanted. So getting the Wish Book first was key, no one wanted the Brunette Barbie… or even worse the Sporty Spice doll (yes, this was in the era of Spice Girl Dolls). Having all the details was key, from the item name and color (if applicable) to the exact page and reference number; these were the things Christmas was made of.

Another reason, a little secret (that I am sure is not limited to my lovely mother, it is probably as Canadian a problem as dipping 75% of breakfast foods in maple syrup) is that my mother hoarded Wish Books when I was a kid. They were hidden amongst other normal household items like bedding etc. I think she started doing this when I was born so that someday my theoretical future children would be able to marvel in the embarrassing crap I wanted as a kid. Also, I think she may have thought a ‘Day After Tomorrow’ style weather event was on the way in the future and burning the Wish Books would help save some of our domestic library from the fire.

Anyways, the moral of this blog is:

1.       You know where to find Wish Books from the late 80s through to mid 2000s (I think she gave up on the collection).

2.       Digital editions of Wish Books may save trees but they break my heart. You can’t clip things from an iPad and if you are a child you shouldn't even have an iPad.

3.       No child will suffer from a Wish Book paper cut, which is the only positive to take from all of this.

I could rant further; I could go on about this topic for a long time and reference the many gifts that manifested from the Sears catalog pages into my parent’s living room Christmas morning… and even the horrific burning of the non-plastic parts of my Barbie dream house. But, that won’t bring the Sear’s Wish Book back its glory… the glory of the pre-internet era.

So do your kids a favour, order them a Wish Book today here:

https://secure.sears.ca/catalog-request

End rant, its quitting time. 

Kate's Reading Challenge Book 8: 'I Can Barely Take Care of Myself: Tales from a Happy Life Without Children' by Jen Kirkman

OOne of my goals I set for myself on my twenty-fourth birthday was reading a book a week.  I am a little behind, moving twice and finishing school put a damper on my plan. To help motivate myself to finish books on time every week my new plan is to share my latest read with you on my blog. I will read anything and everything and I would love your suggestions, feel free to email them to me at kate@mountainfm.net.

Book 8:  'I Can Barely Take Care of Myself: Tales from a Happy Life without Children" by Jen Kirkman 

I did not finish this week’s book review; I will not make this a habit. I was pretty bored with the book in general, which I guess I should have realized by the title. At a solid 400 page plus book on my e-reader all about not wanting to have kids and not wanting to be judged because of it. I am not huge on the idea of having kids, in fact right now at twenty-four I am pretty dead set on not having them; but I don’t feel the need to write an entire book about it.

I know this book is a bit of a bio of Jen Kirkman, but it really feels like it is loosely strung together by the fact that she does not want to have kids. I think with all the other books written by funny gals on the market these days this book just does not hold up. It does have its fun moments, moments that will make you laugh… but I am not sure they mesh well with the theme of the book and I really don’t think they are worth the pages it takes just for Kirkman to say that she does not want to have kids.

FYI, I still don't want kids. But, I'm not going to write a book about it. 

Music Experiences You’ll Never Have Again

Little Kate was born to rock.

When I was a kid I was obsessed with music. Seriously, I would wait by the radio for my favourite songs to come on to tape their grainy feed, I would stay overnight at my Grandparent’s house on Friday nights to record the freshest music videos on the Much Music countdown (only to be devastated when they skipped over the videos I wanted to see). I feel like people my age are the last generation of people to know the pains of pre-MP3 music.

           

All of this has been said before and people will complain about it into the future but it really struck me today as I read an article on Buzzfeed titled, ‘35 Music Experiences You’llNever Have Again’. It scared the crap out of me. Though I never want to have kids, I don’t want them to go through life without facing the true pain of being addicted to a song and not having it at your fingertips. I don’t want these conceptual children to be able to listen to a song 20 times a day, the day it is released and kill it for themselves. I want them to pull-up to Zeller’s run to the music section to find that the album they had saved $20 to buy on its release day has sold out and the teenager at the counter has no idea when it will be back in stock.

If you know these pains, you get how torturous these things really are. You know the amazing feeling you could get from a free compilation CD for buying a certain brand of clothing or a magazine during ‘Back to School’ shopping. You get me (at least right now). These lessons in patience don’t happen anymore unfortunately, not only because Zeller’s is no longer a thing, but because we have it all at our fingertips.

I have been musically obsessed since I really caught on to the world outside of country music, the Spice Girls and the Backstreet Boys introduced me to pop music and recording cassette tapes in the second grade. In forth grade it was music videos (thank you Britney Spears). Grade seven brought music downloads and burning CDs. Grade ten was the year of the MP3 player and in grade eleven I became the first person in my school to have an iPod. It really is not surprising that I ended up listening to music and talking about it professionally.

As much as I complain, I am part of the problem. I still buy music, in fact I have reverted to vinyl once again because I am trendy and it makes me feel classy. I love hunting for vinyl, I hope that feeling of finding the perfect album never goes away. If you could tell young 90s Kate Bruce that at her finger tips she would have a world of music at her disposal 24/7 I hope that you would have blown her mind. Okay, I know you would have blown her mind she lived in a cable/internet free bubble with three TV channels on a good night, she would have had to sit down for that news. I really hope any accidents in my future appreciate the art of music selection not music consumption.