Not like they used to be, board games have changed a lot over the years. With the number of great party games on the market these days, a games night in is the perfect combination of casual dinner party interaction, laughter and a little dose of healthy competition. Not only are game nights significantly less expensive than going out, they can also be as simple or as extravagantly planned as you’d like them to be. From last minute plans to planning weeks in advance (complete with invitations!), the choice is up to you.  To help you get started, Fraser Valley Pulse has put together a list of tips to show you just how fun and simple of an event it can be!

by mtsofan

#1 Utilize your home. Contrary to what you may think, your home, and the homes of most of your friends can have the potential to be great visiting spots, regardless of their sizes. Sure, you probably shouldn’t try to fit 100 people into your 900 square foot apartment, but a coffee & monopoly date with your girlfriends would work quite nicely!

#2 Worried about what to feed your guests? Organize a pot-luck! Not only are they easy-peasy to plan, they are an affordable option for everyone involved and often yield a very interesting selection of dishes. Mix things up by giving it a theme like finger foods, favorite dishes of the guest of honor, all desserts, or types of ethnic foods (you can even give each guest a different country ahead of time).

by MikeOliveri

#3 Consider affordable decoration options. Sometimes, all you need is a little pizzazz – and sometimes, you can find it at the dollar store! To jazz up you home for a games night, fill a vase with dollar store dice, or borrowed poker chips for an interesting centerpiece. A twister mat makes a great table cloth for the pot-luck table, and neglected gameboards can be re-used as placemats!

#4 Get Out the games!  From board games (Monopoly & Sorry), to DVD trivia games (like the various types of Scene It games), to group interactive video games (Super Mario Bros. & Rock Band), to creative DIY games – the different types of possible game nights are absolutely endless. To stay frugal, ask guests to bring their favorite board game along with them when they come. Not only is it a great conversation topic for any new comers to the group, it also leaves you with a great game selection for the evening!

by Aquistbe

Need a few game ideas to get you started? These proven party games are guaranteed to provide lighthearted entertainment (and plenty of laughter) for all ages:

• Scattergories
• Catch Phrase
• Cranium
• Charades
• Taboo
• Balderdash
• Pictionary
• Scribblish

Always remember to take stock on any game notepads that might be running low, and make photocopies so you won’t have to purchase official notebooks later on.  Also, make sure to check all games beforehand to ensure there are no missing pieces necessary for game play.  You don’t want any game-day disappointment!

Have fun!

1.Go Ice Skating

With the number of ice skating rinks located throughout the Fraser Valley, you’re bound to be close to one, no matter where you are! Grab your skates, or a few dollars to rent a pair (don’t forget a clean pair of socks), pair of mittens and a hat, and you’re set for a wonderful winter-themed outing. A few local indoor skating rinks worth visiting before the end of winter: Twin Rinks & Prospera Center in Chilliwack, Matsqui Recreation Center & Centre Ice in Abbotsford, Twin Rinks & Sportsplex In Langley, or any of 5 public arenas throughout Surrey.

by Alex Ristea

2. Go Skiing or Snowboarding

Truly a winter activity, the Fraser Valley is lucky to have not only one, but two great ski and snowboard resorts nearby. With 3 lifts and 36 runs, Hemlock Valley Resort has started off fabulously this season, with a base of over 200cm at alpine level. A mere 45 minute drive from Chilliwack, or 60 from Langley, makes this mountain accessible even during the work week (3 of their runs are open, and well lit, until 8pm). To sweeten the deal even more, starting January 1^st ladies ski and snowboard free all day every Thursday for Ladies Nights!

Looking for more of an overnight ski/snowboard get-away? Head up to Manning Park Resort for a mini winter vacation! With great chalets and accommodations available, it makes the 1.5 hour drive seem like worlds away from your everyday life in the valley.

3. Go on a Snowshoeing Trek

When was the last time you strapped on a pair of snowshoes for a hike on fresh white powder? For most of us, it’s never! Why not try something new this year, and head up to Hemlock Valley Resort for one of their guided Fraser Valley snowshoeing treks? Perfect for the snowshoeing novice, treks are offered in 2 and 3 hour journeys on two different terrains (one at the lodge level of the mountain and one at alpine level). If you are feeling a little more confident, visitors are also able to embark on their own unguided tour on one of the many trails around the nordic activity section of the mountain. Not only is it a neat experience, snowshoeing is a great way to burn off those extra Christmas calories!

by Duncan Creamer

4. Set Out on a Winter Walk

Team FVP realizes not everyone would enjoy strapping on strange apparatuses to their feet and attempting to walk in fresh snow. If this sounds like you, why not set out a winter walk in your own neighborhood instead? With significantly less insects out there than any other season, winter is a great time to bundle up and take an early evening stroll under the (usually) clear skies. If you’re lucky, you might be pleasantly surprised with a light snowfall, or even still see a few fabulous Christmas light displays. If anything, the cool crisp air will leave you craving a hot chocolate, a blanket and perhaps a great book when you arrive back indoors! It’s surprising how a winter walk can leave you feeling so energenized, relaxed and focused.

5. Tubing, Sledding & Crazy Carpeting!

Although we haven’t received that big snowfall we’ve been promised…yet, you can bet that when we do, the local hills and tiny slopes will be filled with tubes and sliding devices. Most neighborhoods have plenty of little hills that are popular with local kids. Try taking a family drive around your own neighborhood in search one close by – then you’ll be all set when the snow arrives!

In the meantime, be sure to try Hemlock’s tubing park (they even pull you back up the hill!) or take a Sunday mountain drive to search out your own snow if you are the adventurous type.

*****

We LOVE hearing what our readers are up to in the Fraser Valley. What are your favorite things to do or places to visit during the winter months? Please leave your ideas below, thanks

We asked around and here are a few ways to create meaningful traditions for your family this holiday season – without spending a ton of money.

by jonny2love

• Fill your Christmas tree with homemade decorations. You can start simple by stringing popcorn or cranberries. But there is a world of baked homemade play doh ornaments that can be painted and coated with glitter to tracing your Christmas cookie cutters onto cardstock and colouring them as a family. One family we spoke to goes for a long hike to find pinecones and then uses everything from pompoms to pipe cleaners to see who can create the best animals to hang from the tree. You can be as elaborate or as simple as your family needs but it makes your tree decorations personal.
• Bake cookies for your neighbours or a retirement home nearby. Bundle them up and ask your kids to make the tags with your name and phone number or email address along with holidays greetings. Then bundle up and visit your neighbours to drop them off.
• Go through your home and put together a few boxes of toys or clothing to give to the Salvation Army before any new items arrive on Christmas morning.
• Have a Christmas baking party. Invite your best friend over and kick everyone else out of the house, turn on the music you love best and bake your way through your Christmas dainties together, dividing everything equally at the end of the day. You’ll have a great day together, laughing and working and you walk away with most of your Christmas baking done.
• Make homemade gifts. It’s not just for the knitters or sewers or woodworkers among us. One idea is a Gratitude Jar or Memory Jar. Decorate a jar with ribbon or fabric and fill it with slips of paper recording all of the things you love about that person or your favourite memorise together.
• Instead of buying gifts for the adults in your life this year, take the money you’ve budgeted for it and buy gifts for those in need. Whether you want to stay local by purchasing a supper or Christmas gifts for a family in need or purchase items for children worldwide such as through an organization like World Vision Canada, purchasing items like needed vaccines or mosquito nets, goats or seeds.
• While on that topic of giving back, gather your family and friends to serve at a Christmas dinner for those in need, teaching your family the importance of giving back to the community.
• Go to community events as a family. Whether it’s one of the local churches offering a night of Christmas carols or a local concert or even the big Christmas tree lighting that most towns offer, make time to go as a family or a group every year.
• But try to cut your schedule down as much as possible. Instead of saying yes to every invitation, make space in your calendar for evenings and weekends at home together for walks, skating, gift planning, crafting and time outside.  The best Christmas memories are borne of ritual and togetherness, no matter how small or simple.

What are some of the ways that your family makes the holidays meaningful?

• I don’t know what it is about rainy days that create an insatiable need for me to bake but it must be genetic. Few activities are as heart warming as a cozy morning spent inside, baking cookies or banana bread. And it fills the whole house with the good smells of cinnamon.

by Shopping Diva

• Get creative with crafttime. It doesn’t have to be expensive to be fun. Using primarily recyclables (like your cardboard egg carton or the inside of a paper towel roll or empty cereal boxes) as a base, you and your tinies can create villages or dioramas or puppets. A great blog for creative crafts for the younger set is No Time for Flashcards.

• Try a kid friendly session at your local rec centre. Most community centres offer free play time in the gym as well as classes in everything from dance to hockey.

• Head to an indoor play centre. One of our favourites is The Great Escape in Langley. It’s appropriate for all ages with everything from laser tag to rock walls and even a jungle themed adventure playground. And for those of us with busy toddlers, there is a separate play area with age appropriate equipment.

• Have a family film festival. Make popcorn, curl under a blanket and enjoy a day of old Disney classics like Mary Poppins to bring some cheer.

• Go camping in the living room. My tinies can keep themselves busy for a good part of a day if I drape a bed sheet over four chairs in the living room. Pretty soon, they’ve hauled all of their toys in there and are begging for lunch on the floor and microwave s’mores.

• Set up a board games. My tinies are still in the Candyland stage but Monopoly marathons are the stuff of family legend.

by Rapid City Public Library

• Go to storytime at the library. Most local libraries have a storytime with songs and read-alongs for children. Even if storytime isn’t your thing, go to the library at a less busy time and collect books to read at home together. Check out the Fraser Valley Regional Library website for your nearest library location.

• Join forces with a friend. Take turns welcoming each other over to your homes to have play time with the kids together. Fresh friends, fresh toys and a new environment go a long way.  For me, I’ve found that it helps if you make a pact not to stress out about clean baseboards or serving fancy food or “entertaining.”  Just get together and hang out for a morning – it’s good for everyone.

• If you can’t beat the rain, just join it. We put on our rain gear and go out anyway to splash in puddles, swing umbrellas, stomp and try to catch rain in buckets or our mouths or (shudder) hunt for big worms. In the autumn, it’s rarely too cold to be outside, so it’s a refreshing way to get some fresh air and burn off some energy from the tinies.

What are your favourite things to do in the Fraser Valley when it’s raining?

The great news is that you don’t have to be a professional artist to pull off some of these simple face painting ideas.  You may want to purchase some non-toxic, water based body or face paints but can also use eye and lip pencils from yours (or your partner’s) makeup collection at home.  More and more stores, from thrift shops to department and drug stores carry products specifically for face painting and don’t cost very much at all.  You can also visit costume stores, dance supply stores and craft stores.

Before applying any face paint to the entire face, it’s a good idea to test it on a small patch of skin to determine if you, or your child, has an allergy or skin sensitivity to the product.   Water based paints are generally less irritating to the skin and are quite easy to wash off with soap and water.

Keep in mind that a little pre-planning is always a good idea.  Search for face painting pictures and face painting templates on the internet, try http://www.face-painting-fun.com/index.html ).  Once you’ve decided what design you will use, map out the colors you’ll need to create your face.  Determine whether you need an all-over color as your base or if you will simply be creating shapes and filling those in.  If you are not comfortable with drawing smooth or straight lines, dot out your desired shape and connect the dots into a line.

Quite often, the creams or liquids used for face painting tend to smudge quite easily.  You can help to remedy this by pressing a translucent face powder on top of the paint in order to help set it and also to reduce shine.  Q-tips and sponges will come in handy for blending, smudging and fixing minor boo-boo’s along the way.

You can easily add a little extra oomph to any face paint by using crafts like feathers, jewels, or glitter to add flight to a butterfly’s wings or to give your superhero some sparkle!

From animated movie characters to monsters and animals alike, the possibilities are endless!

A note to parents: Most of these attractions are not suitable for children under 8, however a number of them do have more family-friendly events that run throughout the day. Please contact the attraction directly if you have questions regarding the suitability for your kiddies.

Reapers Haunted Attraction
9423 Gibson Rd, Chilliwack

The ghouls at this haunted house are used to giving you the scare you deserve – they’ve been doing it since 1994! Keep an eye out for lost souls aimlessly wandering around the grounds – they’re looking to scare you from the moment you park. Once inside, be ready to scare yourself silly as you wonder through the myriad of hallways in small groups. By the time you realize the monster behind you doesn’t belong in your group – you’ll be sprinting for the exit! Not scary enough? Try yourself in the terror maze – but don’t blame us if you can’t find your way out!

Open nightly from 7pm – 9pm on weekdays, and until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays (until Oct. 31st). $10 house, $9 maze, $17 for both.

Potters House of Horrors
12530 72nd Ave, Surrey

The largest haunted house in the valley, Potters House of Horrors boasts 9000 square feet of dark twisty hallways, evil pumpkins and demon monsters. With a layout that changes every year, this haunted house keeps you on your toes, even if you are a regular. Known for their elaborate set-ups and special effects, this one will definitely make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Curious, but a bit nervous to give it a go? Glow sticks can be given out to the timid – the demons are afraid of them, and won’t come out as much!

Open nightly from 7pm – 10pm until Oct. 31st.  Admission is $15.

Haunted Forest Scream Train
13750 – 88th Ave, Surrey

Think you’d like to relax on a train rather than walk through a haunted house? After you’ve been on the Haunted Forest Scream Train, you might want to reconsider! Located in Bear Creek Park, this train takes riders through the haunted forest in rain or shine weather. Breaking some of the common rules of haunted adventures, these ghostly ghouls might actually jump out to grab you! Be on the look out for Chainsaw Charlie, he’s been rumoured to inhabit this particular forest when looking for his next victim.

Open nightly 6:30pm to 10pm until Oct. 31st. Ride is $8.50

Kilby Haunted Halloween
215 Kilby Rd, Harrison Mills

At 102 years old, the Kilby general store and hotel buildings are spooky enough as it is! Add in a Pirate theme, a few well dressed characters and strategically placed scares, and you’ll get a great fun-filled way to spend an evening this Halloween season/ With crafts, activities and treats to keep the little ones busy, this haunted house is a great family destination with something for everyone.

Open Oct 22nd, 23rd & 24th and 29th & 30th from 2pm – 8pm. Halloween movies are shown at 6:30pm.  Admission is $9 for adults, $7 for seniors & youth, or $24 for the whole family.

by Ode to the Ordinary

Ghost Ridge Haunted House
23500 105 Avenue, Maple Ridge

Only for the brave at heart, this 6300 square foot haunted house consistently exceeds its reputation of being the scariest haunted house in the valley. Located on the Albion fairgrounds, it is the only haunted Halloween attraction of its kind in the Maple Ridge area. With a theme like “The After Death,” visitors start off in funeral home, and weave their way through several interpretations of the afterlife and the seven deadly sins.  Be prepared for thrills and chills along the way!

Open Oct 22nd & 23rd, and 28th – 30th from 6pm – 9pm. Admission is $10. Special fireworks presentation on Saturday October 30th at 9pm.

Did we miss one of your favourite Halloween destinations? Let us know where you go to give yourself the heebie-jeebies (if anywhere) this time of year!

1. Visit the famous Corn Maze in Chilliwack. There is something for everyone on a pleasant fall day with the 20 acre farm, 10 acre maze, hay rides, an indoor hay bale maze and even a petting zoo.

2. This year, make it a Fraser Valley Thanksgiving. Everything from your turkey to your sides (Chilliwack corn, anyone?) to the fillings for your pumpkin and apple pies. Family excursions to local farms can be both fun and educational. Try JD Farms for turkey and just down the road you’ll find delectable pies at Krause Berry Farms.

3. Celebrate Applefest at the Applebarn in Abbotsford. Few people aren’t enchanted with the Apple n’ Corn Gun and the Pumpkin Cannon (yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like) but you can also pick your own apples and pumpkins, jump an enormous trampoline pillow, slide on the zip line, visit the petting barn and experience a hayride.

4. Swap out your clothes and household items at a local Swap Meet. It’s a great opportunity to sell the clothes your kids have outgrown, freshen up your closets and meet friendly people. Two of the biggest in the Fraser Valley are the North Langley Community Church on October 2 and the Cloverdale swap meet on October 23.

5. This Saturday (September 25) check out Fresh! Fraser Valley at the Ramada Plaza in Abbotsford. A showcase of the incredible locally owned businesses from the FV, it’s an excellent spot to support old favourites or find new ones. Giveaways, music, workshops, contests, baby boutique, Halloween costumes, custom furniture, artisan jewellery, men’s and women’s clothing boutiques, talented photographers… even a pumpkin patch!

6. Have a canning party. With all of the fresh produce in the Fraser Valley, many hands make work light. Gather a few friends and can everything from tomatoes to peaches.  You’ll be feeling mighty smart in the winter months.

7. The campgrounds empty out in the fall since most of the kids are back to school. There are still a few bright days left and you may even find a few deals. Just make sure you bring along an umbrella.

8. If you’re looking forward to Halloween, bring your lantern and join the Fort Langley Grave Tales tour, the first four weekends in October (Fridays and Saturdays at 7PM and 9PM, Sundays at 7PM). Tales of love, mysterious burials and old school creepiness but it’s mainly for an older audience.

9. Fall is a good time to curl up with a cup of coffee but swap out the major chain for OneBean. Brew a cup and change the world because they are an ethical, fair trade and local company that also supports local non-profits. And they make a fine cuppa coffee.

10. Visit local favourite Aldor Acres. One of the best farms for kids, they feature hayrides, a fall pumpkin festival, apples and even Christmas trees.

11. One of our yearly favourites is the Fort Langley Cranberry Festival. Excellent marketplace with local vendors, a kidzone and a to-die-for pancake breakfast. Buy your fresh cranberries for Thanksgiving as well. October 9, 2010. FVP will be on site – come and say hello!

12. The Great Big Boo! is the ultimate family friendly Halloween event held in Fort Langley. Music, dancing and fun characters (instead of scary ones) pair with trick-or-treat fun. October 28-30 at 4:30, 6:00, 7:30PM.

13. If it’s pouring rain (and let’s be honest, it’s likely) and your kids need to run off some steam, try Go Bananas! Indoor Playcentre with locations in Langley, Surrey and Chilliwack.

14. Hike a kid-friendly trail and take photos of the changing foliage.

15. Gather the women in your life and head to the one of the largest women’s events around: the West Coast Women’s Show at the Abbotsford TradeEx.  Steven & Chris from CBC daytime as well as cast members of So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Tara-Jean and Vincent, are among many high profile guests. October 22-24, 2010. P.S. Mother Daughter Day is on the Sunday. FVP is proud to sponsor the 2010 WCWS and will be onsite.

16. Visit your local library for story time.

17. Take your family or some friends bowling at Galaxy Bowl in Abbotsford. We did, it was fun!

18. The Historic Stewart Farm in Surrey is hopping this fall with activities for everyone. Apple Day is on September 25 but there is a day to make your own kaleidoscope, a haunted farm, some witchy fun and even an agricultural bus tour. Don’t feel like it has to be a special day though – they’re open for tours of the farmhouse, the pole barn, heritage gardens and grounds that interpret 1890-1920 Canadian life.

19. Pick up your fall produce at the Surrey Urban Farmers Market on Wednesdays from 1-6PM at the North Surrey Rec Centre (near the Surrey Central Skytrain station) right through September.

20. Abbotsford Farm and Country Market takes place every Saturday from 9AM – 1PM in downtown Abbotsford next to the United Church on George Ferguson and Montrose right through October.

21. Watch the sunset on the ocean. Bring a warm blanket and have the whole family huddle underneath. Crescent Beach would be a perfect location.

22. Take a cooking class. There are several locations throughout the FV that offer all kinds of cooking and baking classes. Check out South Surrey’s Kitchen Therapy, Langley’s Well Seasoned and Lepp Farm Market in Abbotsford.

23. Visit Campbell’s Gold Honey and Meadery for Art in the Barn on November 6 and 7 to see pottery, jewellery, painting, photography, wood crafters and other artisans display their work.  Even if you can’t attend Art in the Barn, Campbell’s is an excellent spot for an interesting and education stop with very hospitable people. And if you haven’t ever tried Mead (honey wine), you are in for a treat!

24. Book a family photo session with a local photographer. Fall light is fantastic for outdoor photos.

25. Visit Kilby Historic Site to experience the early days of BC at the general store, hotel, post office and farm.

26. Check out the first Vintage Fall Fair at Bakerview EcoDairy in Abbotsford on October 16, 2010 from 1-4PM for food, music and games. The first demonstration farm of its kind, offering a unique, first-hand farm adventure, your family can also check out cows and other animals (goats on the roof!), learn about farming, and experience natural, healthy, sustainable farming.

27. Visit the Greater Vancouver Zoo.

28. Visit Langley Museum of Flight to check out over 25 aircraft both static and flying. The aircraft range from a WWII Handley Page Hampden to a T-33 Silverstar, and includes the only displayed Handley-Page Hampden in the world.

29. Go see a play. Abbotsford’s Gallery 7 Theatre has released their 2010/11 run and it includes Peter Pan, Tuesdays with Morrie and Panic Squad. Many other local theatres are also featuring local talent over the fall.

30. Take your family on a photo walk to take photos.

31. Start a nature table. Collect fallen items from outside like red and orange leaves, pine cones, dropped branches or interesting rocks to celebrate the change of seasons indoors.

32. Go on a geo-caching expedition. There are hundreds of exciting hides throughout the Fraser Valley.

33. Start a collection that is child friendly and economical like buttons or rocks. Kids love to collect.

34. Do a few family fall crafts together especially as decorations for Thanksgiving.

35. Do some fall baking using ingredients like apples, cinnamon, pumpkin or zucchini. There is something about the smell of warm baking on a cool evening, isn’t there?

36. Curl up under a quilt and have movie night with old Disney classics like Swiss Family Robinson.

37. Make a list of the books you want to read this fall and request them from your local library.

38. Take the kids or have a girl’s day out painting ceramics at Color Groove Ceramics in White Rock or Vikki’s Clay Art Studio in Langley.

39. Rock climbing is fun for people of all ages and fitness levels. They have family-friendly climb times, as well as ladies night out and advanced classes. Check out The Rock Wall in Maple Ridge or Project Climbing Centre in Abbotsford

40. The Great Escape in Langley is a sure-fire way to burn off some rainy day steam

41. Visit Petey’s Pumpkin Patch . If you are over 8 years of age and a brave soul, stay for the evening Reapers Haunted  Attraction. It’s one of the best haunted attractions you will come across.

But this couldn’t possibly encompass everything that there is to do in the FV this fall so please share your favourite spots or activities or events in the comment section. We will add to this list as new suggestions come in.

There are lots of things that people will tell you about back to school time. The newspapers, blogs, online lifestyle magazines cover Back to School lunches, best deals on school supplies and every other aspect of making sure your child succeeds in school. Your friends and family pitch in with ideas on before-and-after school care, extracurricular activities and tutoring. The malls trot out the styles in July (and somehow, we’re already seeing Halloween decorations now).

Everyone tells you what to buy, what to wear, what to learn, how to learn and what to do. But then there are those things you learn by living it out, just like every other aspect of parenthood.

Inside each of us there is the dad from the office supply store commercial, blithely skipping down the aisle, dragging reluctant children, singing “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” but there is also the weepy parent, standing on the edge of the playground, hardly able to believe that we’re here already because wasn’t it just yesterday that that smart little kid couldn’t even hold their head up straight? We can feel both simultaneously. It’s an emotional time for everyone in the family during back to school: new routines, new teachers, new challenges, new things to learn, new friends.

It doesn’t matter if it’s your first child heading off to kindergarten or your fourth headed into junior high, how did you get here already? How is it possible that your parents and grandparents were telling the truth – they do grow up so fast.

And you miss them. You miss being around them every day. Even after swearing to yourself that if someone asks you if they can have a popsicle or go to the pool one more time may result in tears (yours, not theirs), even when you are rushing to get everyone out the door, looking forward to the routine of school, the paradox is that as soon as they’re gone, as soon as you’re able to “get something done,” all you want is to go pick them up and be with them again.

In a way, it’s in the school-age version of a new mother counting down the minutes to bedtime for her infant and then sneaking in to watch them sleep, missing them during naptime.

It’s the push and pull of parenthood to let them go, to feel both things simultaneously. Overwhelmed, happy for them, happy for you and yet realising another milestone has been crossed. It’s normal to feel wistful.

Heading back to school not just a lot to process for the small ones in your home – it’s a new world for us as parents as well. Take the time to adjust, give yourself permission to have a cry (or not) without guilt. Make the most of the time that you do have together with your kids and embrace the adventure of a new season of life – for all of you.

How did you handle back to school for your kids? Thrilled? Missing them terribly? A bit of both? Share your stories in the comments.

Not just for booklovers anymore, our Fraser Valley libraries have changed greatly in the past few years. Between the 18 libraries from Hope to White Rock, you can be sure there is always something entertaining taking place at any one of the locations. From Jazz Sessions and Poetry Nights at the Clearbook Library in Abbotsford, to Conversationlist Spanish Lessons in Maple Ridge, libraries have become a great place to gather, meet new friends, and be entertained.

by Rapid City Public Library

It’s always nice to take classes and learn new things, and especially nice when doing so isn’t accompanied by a high price tag. Although almost all reoccuring programs and events at the library require registration, the majority of them are actually free (and some of them even come with a snack)!

A few highlighted events:

Enchanted Evening Storytimes
Clearbrook Library
Runs every Monday from September 13th – November 29th
7:00pm – 7:30pm

Evening Book Club
Murrayville Library
Last Wednesday of every month
7:00pm – 8:00pm

Family Games Nights
Pitt Meadows Library
Sept. 29th, Oct. 27th, Nov. 24th

Close Knit – Knitting Club
Langley Library
Tuesdays
3:30pm – 5:30pm

Check out the Fraser Valley Regional Library Events & Programs page for more details and other great programs for children, adults and the whole family to enjoy!

Missed all the events at your library for the day? Stop in anyways to browse the business section to learn a new skill, check out the craft section for home decor inspiration, or borrow a few gourmet recipe books for an adventure in the kitchen. Between the books regularly stocked in the library and the literally thousands of books available by request - the possibilities are endless.

Not sure where to start? With Hallowe’en and Christmas coming up around the corner, books like Matthew Mead’s Monster Book of Hallowe’en and Better Homes & Gardens Best of Christmas Ideas are filled with great frugal and fun ways to decorate for the holidays. With a little imagination, you’re bound to wind up with more than a few great ideas to keep busy on a Saturday afternoon!

Visit the Fraser Valley Regional Library website to locate the library nearest you!

Start the school routine a week early. Most of us get a bit laid back about bedtimes and mealtimes during the long summer days so a few days of going to bed on time and getting up at school time will hopefully reduce the wailing and gnashing of teeth when the alarm goes off.
by Claudia Snell

If you have other during-school rules – like no TV or video games after 8 o’clock, as one brave mother we know attempts – now is the time to start moving in that direction again.  Adapt your family ahead of time to the routines to make the transition a bit smoother.

Plan ahead now. Now is the time to be arranging carpool or mapping the bus route, figuring out who is doing drop-off-and-pick-up, figuring out lunches. Fill out the forms, book the after-school activities and other details to make sure you aren’t scrambling in the school hallway, searching madly for a copy of the immunization records.

Shop local for your school supplies. Instead of driving over the border or into Metro Vancouver, take advantage of the options here in the Fraser Valley to save yourself some time and gas money. Whether you hit the thrift stores, the big box giants or specialty boutiques, there are always options to keep it close to home for everything from paper to laptops, jeans to dress code uniforms.  (As a tip, start with the Fraser Valley Pulse Business Directory.)

Do your prep work ahead of time by scouring the school supply list and making a list of what clothing is actually needed before you head out to avoid giving your budget a big “F.”

Talk! It’s likely you’re not the only one feel a bit tired and overwhelmed, maybe even nervous.  Whether you’ve got your first headed into kindergarten or the youngest of a dozen into grade 12, for each child, it’s a new year. Talk about their goals for the year, about how they’re feeling, about their teacher and their friends.

It’s never too late to start the conversation so that when they really do need to talk, you’ve already established that you’re listening.