View this video on our YouTube channel.

You may have missed…

• A More Mindful Holiday Season
• Giveaway: Waiting for Godot
• Shopping Online this Holiday Season
• What to do in Vancouver: One of a Kind Show
• A Very Vancouver Holiday: December 12-18
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz at Carousel Theatre
• Six Tips for a Green Holiday Season
• Kids and Art: We Need Your Imagination!
• Healthy Eating for the Holiday Season

This Week’s Sponsor

Soma Studio

Come to Soma Studio for registered massage therapy and pregnancy massage, baby massage and yoga therapy.

We’re open on Christmas and New Years Eve. A gift certificate makes a great gift!

You may have missed…

• Holiday Style: Easy as 1-2-3
• Giveaway: Win Tickets to the Nutcracker.
• What to do in Vancouver: Downtown Christmas Traditions
• Book Review: Prepare for the Worst Case Scenario
• A Very Vancouver Holiday: December 5-11
• West Side Holiday Shopping Guide
• How Much Learning are our Digital Kids doing Online?
• Vancouver Restaurant Review: Fray on Fraser Street

View our video recap on our YouTube channel.

You may have missed…

• Best of Vancouver: Where to get your Santa Photo
• Giveaway: Win Tickets to see the Nutcracker!
• Vancouver Restaurant Picks: Eating Around the World on Kingsway
• Vancouver Mom Makeover: Announcing Winner Tina Bacon!
• A Very Vancouver Holiday: November 28-December 4
• Seven Kids Fashion Trends for Staying Chic and Cozy
• Swimming and More at Hillcrest Centre
• Redefining Mom: Valentyna Zolotarova on Martial Arts and Motherhood

VancouverMom.ca’s 2011 Holiday Guide is all about taking the stress out of the holidays – and using the fabulous people around you to make the season a bit easier.

Download our 2011 Holiday Guide

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Next to Apple and Starbucks, OXO ranks pretty high in terms of brand loyalty in my house. My can opener and potato peeler are kitchen essentials and when my husband returned from the store with a garlic press from another brand, I promptly asked him to go back and get a “real” one from OXO.

Made of bright simple colours with modern clean lines, the OXO Tot kids line offers the same ergonomic sensibility found in their regular kitchen lines.

I Love It – OXO Tot Review

My toddler is learning how to feed herself and the high lip of the OXO Tot plate ($8.49) lets her scoop up her meal with minimal spills. The rim clips off, making it more like a regular plate when your child has become a more proficient eater.

The OXO Tot Fork and Spoon Set ($8.49) is a real winner. The handles are easy for my one-year-old to grip and the set is designed for her to maneuver her food easily into her mouth. The extra wide bowl of the spoon really helps her to scoop up yogurt and rice.  I was especially impressed by the fork, which with its large tines allowed her to pierce her food without it slipping off the end. The curve in the utensils also help to prevent them from rolling off her table.

OXO really helps toddlers transition to “big” utensils, while minimizing the frustration and mess.

Available in multiple colours, the OXO Tot Fork and Spoon set and OXO Tot plate is available separately or in a set, which comes with a bowl, for $29.99 at Raspberry Kids.

This morning, I had a chance to talk about lunch box trends on Breakfast Television Vancouver. It’s always a treat to see the awesome crew there.

Watch the segment now.

Here’s a list of what we brought on the show:

• Lunch boxes and backpacks from Skip Hop, Beatrix New York, Fluf, So Young Mother and Dabbawalla.
• Snack packets from Lunchskins, Fluf and Itzy Ritzy.
• Bento boxes from Lunchbots and Black and Blum.
• Water bottles from Kor and Vapur.

It’s all available at Raspberry Kids. (Thanks, Sue and your team, for helping organize!)

Get other great ideas from VancouverMom.ca’s Back-to-School Guide.

Download Our Guide Now.

You’ll find out how to get your kids the necessary clothes and supplies without going broke, as well as ideas on how to transition your kids from the long days and late bedtimes and back into the daily school schedule. Since this is the first year that all of British Columbia will be moving to full-day kindergarten, we’ve also given you some thoughts on how to prepare your kids for their first year in school. Finally, if you find yourself on the fundraising committee, look no further than our top 20 list of fundraising programs.

Be sure to check our web site throughout the month of August! We’ll have tons more ideas on how to get your kids back to school.

Sponsors

VancouverMom.ca’s 2011 All About Mom Guide is supported by these and other sponsors:

• Active Baby 
• Discovery Toys
• Easy Daysies
• GoGo Bags
• HGTV’s Consumed
• Hop Frog Pond
• Kidoupons
• Lice 911
• Little Earth
• Lusso Baby
• Magical Me Paper Crafts
• Notch Hill
• Place des Arts
• Soup Tureen

• Choose from your heart.
• Find relief and joy.
• Express the real you.

Style Statement

www.stylestatement.com | Twitter: @Style_Statement | Facebook

Image courtesy of www.stylestatement.com

Taslie Skin Care Ltd.

www.taslie.com | Twitter: @taslieskincare | Facebook

Guest post by Desirée Dupuis.

Starting a business is extremely exciting. You are taking control of your career, your future, your life, and your income. In my opinion there is nothing better than knowing that I am completely responsible for my success, for the amount of money I make, and the freedom and flexibility I build into my life. However, all of these benefits are not a given for all business owners and they definitely do not come without an upfront cost.

The first thing you need to know as you consider how to finance a business is that it takes a lot of money and a lot of time. Before you even open your company’s doors, you will have to invest a significant amount of money in marketing activities, tools and supplies, market research, PR, inventory, office space, product development, etc. And once your doors are open for business, it does not mean that you will automatically have sales. It takes time to build brand awareness, get customers, and gain market share. This process usually takes a couple of years and I call it the snowball effect. The beginning stages move along quite slowly until you reach a certain point when your business (the snowball) is big enough that it has the momentum moving in its favour and it is growing at an exponential rate.

For the first couple of years, you will essentially be investing everything you make back into your company, leaving little money for actual profit. The big question is: will you be able to survive financially if you are making little to no money for the first two to four years while you build your business? You will need a partner that can support you through this process and/or a substantial business loan, line of credit, business credit card, or a business grant. In short, you need to consider how to finance a business and a life.

In order to get money from outside sources such as a loan, or a even better, a grant; you will need a solid and comprehensive business plan. It will be very difficult for you and your business to succeed without a strong business plan.

The main reason most new businesses fail is because they do not have the money or capital to get them through the first few years. I imagine most people do not realize how close they were when they ran out of options and had to shut down their business. I encourage you to do your due diligence and make sure you are fully prepared with a financial plan to get you through the first three to five years of your business. For most businesses, once you have made it past the five year point, your income should be stable and substantial enough to support you. The five year mark is usually when the rewards of being a business owner begin to outweigh the costs and all of the time and money that you have invested is really starting to pay off.

Editor’s Note: While you consider how to finance a business, you might also want to get some tips from people who have been there and done that. Guest poster Joanna Kwan offers tips on working from home, Lara Leontowich offers advice for moms starting a business and Felicia Lee is starting Mom CEO Academy.

Desirée Dupuis is a Licensed Financial Advisor and Partner of Three Sixty Financial Group. Desirée provides financial eduction to young families and empowers moms to make the best decision for their family’s financial future. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter.