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Interview: Summer to Fall Transition

Monday, August 30th, 2010

For most people, the end of summer brings an end to lazy days and the return of a more scheduled existence. To help you with the transition we asked personal coach, Jennifer Priest, for some tips on adjusting.

Q. How should people prepare themselves for the summer to fall transition? Should they ease into the fall or go full force?

A. It really depends of the type of person you are. As a coach, the approach I use is tailored to the individual. Sometimes the end of summer is a time of preparation and then almost hibernating for winter.

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Back to School Tips with Abby Tutors

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

This summer has gone by so fast and in just 2-3 weeks school starts again. Whether your kids are in high school or just starting preschool, it is important to help them transition from the lazy days of summer to the busy fall filled with school, homework and extracurricular activities. We asked teachers, parents and owners of Abby Tutors, Ron & Marilyn Peters for some back to school tips.

Q: How you can you prepare kids for the transition from summer to back to school?

A: Before school begins, get your kids started on a schedule of sorts, if you don’t already have them on one. For instance, get them ready for early morning academics by having them do some type of school work right after breakfast.  A good reminder for parents is that during the school year, have your kids do homework right after they’ve eaten and are ready for an activity while their minds are fresh and they aren’t hungry or tired.

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Interview: Summer Cycling with Fort Langley Cyclery

Monday, June 21st, 2010

Now that Summer has officially arrived in the Fraser Valley, we can break out the bikes and get some vigorous exercise or go for a leisurely stroll with the family.  Do you own a bike?  If you do, should you bring your bike in for maintenance before heading out? For some tips on biking we turned to Tim Vanpopta. Tim and his brother Jon own Fort Langley Cyclery: a bike store, rental and bike repair service shop.

There are so many different types of bikes, how do I know which one is best for me?

The biggest issue to decide on before purchasing a bike is what you will use it for.

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Interview: Summer BBQ Tips With Brian Misko

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

It’s just not summer without a BBQ. Whether you’ve been BBQing for years or have just bought your first BBQ we can all learn something from the pros. We asked Brian Misko from House of Q to share some of the secrets he uses while competing in BBQ cooking competitions. Brian and his partner Glenn Erho compete together, teach BBQ classes and have even created their own line of sauces and rubs.  Talk about a local expert!  Here are some great tips from Brian.

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Outdoor Living Tips With Heather Stewart

Monday, May 24th, 2010

With the beautiful weather lately we want to spend as much time outdoors as possible. FVP asked local home stager, Heather Stewart for tips on creating beautiful outdoor living spaces.

Q. When should you start planning and setting up your outdoor living space?

A. You can set up your outdoor living space as soon as it’s warm enough that you want to spend time there.

You can plan your outdoor space all year long. Pay attention to colours, textures and shapes that you like and think about how you might incorporate them into your outdoor space.

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Professional Photo Tips For Everyday Folks

Monday, May 10th, 2010

The summer is filled with photo opportunities from weddings and days at the beach to summer barbeques and family fun outdoors. We asked local photographer, Audra Colpitts, to share some of her professional tips that we can use to take great photographs ourselves.

Thanks for the great tips, Audra!

Q. Do you need an expensive camera to get great shots like professional photographers?

A. In a word, no. :) If you combine an interesting subject with good lighting and a nice composition, I believe you can get great shots from just about any camera.

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6 Etiquette Tips For Wedding Guests

Monday, April 26th, 2010

Chances are you will be attending at least one wedding this summer as May through September are the most popular months for weddings. It seems many of the traditional etiquette ‘rules’ have changed in the past few years, so we turned to local wedding planner, Kyla Charney, for some etiquette tips. Kyla is a certified wedding planner who runs a Fraser Valley wedding planning business, Happily Wedded After.

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Interview: Winter Weight Loss Tips With Kathie Marshall

Monday, April 12th, 2010

With only six weeks until June we’re starting to think about bathing suit season. The good news is that six weeks is enough time to make a significant difference in your body shape if you are committed. We asked a Langley-based Personal Trainer, Kathie Marshall, for guidelines on how often to exercise and how to stay motivated.  Kathie and her business partner Juan Lombana run Equilibria,a pilates studio and gym in Langley. Kathie has been a Personal Trainer for over six years and holds one of the highest certifications in pilates training in Canada.

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Interview: Workplace Stretches from Gaylene Thoeny

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

In office jobs, we are often in positions that are unnatural to our bodies – most often we’re hunched forward sitting at a desk. Even just everyday bad posture can add up to put stress and strain on our bodies. Compounded over time this can eventually cause injury and damage. By stretching on a regular basis we can avoid injuries. We interviewed Yoga Teacher and Personal Trainer, Gaylene Thoeny, to learn about stretches we can do in the workplace.

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Interview: Gardening Tips With Arnold Falk

Monday, March 15th, 2010

One of the best things about Spring is the beautiful flowers and vegetation. While there are plenty of pretty plants throughout the Fraser Valley, if you want them in your own backyard it will take a bit of work. With all the plant varieties, weather variables and technical knowledge needed, gardening can be overwhelming.  We asked local nursery owner, Arnold Falk, for advice on gardening in the Fraser Valley climate.

Arnold, his wife, Brenda, and daughter Lauren run a boutique nursery, Tanglebank, located in Abbotsford.

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