I am going to out on a limb here and say it outright, I am a day late on my post, but I am going to throw it out there anyway because I know I would be an awesome choice to Blog for the Banff World Media Festival.

For those of you who have never heard of the Banff World Media Festival, I am only going to excuse you because you knew it as two separate festivals for many years. It is formerly known as the Banff World Televsion Festival and the Banff Medial Festival, however, with the way that Television is moving into the digital age it made more sense to combine the two festivals together for one amazing Festival that showcases it all.

When doing research for a post, I like to go to all my sources. Knowing my own Sister attended the Banff World Television Festival for many years with her job at Heritage Canada, I decided I needed to interview her and get her thoughts on #Banff2012. The main question I wanted her to answer for me from an industry standpoint was, what makes this Festival so amazing compared to other festivals, what is it that brings people to Banff? Looking through the schedule, you see many spots where there are Face to Face sessions, these sessions are there for you to bring your ideas and screen plays in front of the decision makers, producers are there to hear all about the next generation of television. These pitch sessions happen, you get to meet the people who can do it for you and will tell you yes or no, right there on the spot. Bringing the decision makers to the Banff World Media Festival is what sets it apart from the others.

I am a little nervous to admit that I remember when television was a Saturday and Sunday affair, when you looked ahead to the TV guide to see what was on and you planned around it. You gathered around the one television (and quite possibly a Black and White one like we had) and watched the Saturday morning cartoons or Sunday Movie special. There was no going to another room to watch a different show, if the Hockey game was on you watched it because that was what Dad was watching. I have seen television grow and change, where households moved from one black and white to multiple colour televisions, from Beta and VHS to DVD and BluRay. We are now in an on demand world where we want our television when we want it and not when the schedule says. The world of television programming is changing rapidly and I would love nothing more than to attend Banff 2012 to see what is coming up next for us.

In addition to the amazing Keynote Speakers, Paul Chard of Mediacom and Paul Lee, President of ABC Television and the In Conversation sessions with Lifetime Achievement Winner Larry King and Nikesh Arora of Google who won the Award for Innovation there are so many more amazing sessions to attend. The biggest problem will be trying to decide which ones to go to with four days packed full of information, it will be hard to decide for sure.

It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t talk a little bit about how nextMedia . nextMedia is offering a whole program within the Festival, bringing many leading digital executives to Banff. Discussing branded content, media buying and new technology, organizing Face to Face sessions and showcasing new online media. nextMedia is bringing you together with the brands allowing you to network  with the key players in media and branding. Having attended many blogging and social media conferences in the last few years (BlogHer’10 & ’11, Blissdom Canada’10 & ’11, Blissdom ’12, She’s Connected ’10 & ’11), following the nextMedia track alone would fill my cup to overflowing with amazing information and content.

Add to all of the amazing information that will be there, the Rockies Awards that will be handed out, parties that will be attended is also the fact that it will be held in Banff, Alberta and as a photographer you couldn’t ask for a more amazing place to photograph. I would love the opportunity to blog for #Banff2012, experience the thrill of being a part of television and media for future generations

Thanks to the random number selection from J and the free WiFi at our restaurant I am pleased to announce that Valerie is the winner of the movie passes. Look forward to seeing you Valerie!

Happy Mother’s Day to all Mom’s out there. Hope you have a fabulous day!!

One of the first things that happens after the pregnancy test is the arrival of the book “What to Expect When you are Expecting” by Heidi Murkoff. I don’t think I know of one woman who didn’t have this book in their house during their pregnancies. Not that is the end all be all of all pregnancy books, but it is truly helpful for you to understand what is going on with your baby week by week and what you can expect to happen or not to happen. I cannot even imagine being pregnant 50 years ago (or more!) when all you had were stories passed down. As much as I love to hear everyone’s pregnancy stories and enjoy telling a few myself, there is something much more comforting about knowing what is going on day by day with your baby without the emotional or sometimes scary stories attached.

So now, imagine, this amazing book put together in movie format! Imagine some of Hollywood’s best acting out what we all have thought and read an put it into a movie.  If you go and watch the trailer  What to Expect Movie Trailer on YouTube you will be sure to have a good laugh while picturing your husband doing the same things as these guys, well maybe not quite as bad, but you can see how they can pull some of the wildest stories and bring them to you on the big screen.

What to Expect When you are Expecting is opening in Theatres on May 18th. And I have a double pass to give away to for the Ottawa Premier on Wednesday, May 16th at 7pm at the Empire 7 Theatres. If you would like to see Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Brooklyn Decker, Cameron Diaz, Joe Mangianello, Denis Quaid, Chris Rock and more in this sure to be hilarious movie and are available on Wednesday, May 16th to attend the Ottawa Premier leave a comment telling me, What was the most fun thing about being pregnant?  and if you haven’t been pregnant tell me what is your favorite restaurant in Ottawa (cause well, I want to find some new places for dinner).

Draw for the double pass (this means you and a guest will get to go see the movie together) will take place on Sunday, May 13th. Otherwise known as Mother’s Day. Hope to see you there!

*Passes were provided by Thomas Allen & Son and Alliance Films

Sorry to have left you all hanging there with my Night Out with Ford. Things have been crazy around here with lots of exciting things happening. The worst part is that I can’t talk about them yet! Oh but when I can, you will be the first to know.

For a wee bit of an update, I will say that we have been hanging in there with the not so stellar weather, our frequent trips to Maryland and Delaware are keeping us happy in all things Beachy. From only getting to the beach usually once, perhaps twice a year, this year has been a Blessing for sure. I have now seem my most loved Beach four times since January, not something I take lightly, I truly know that it is a gift to be able to travel there so much.

The desire to eat better was derailed by Easter chocolate and treats on the road, but I am happy to announce we are back on track and proudly have not eaten out at restaurants in two weeks. Hence, the lovely photo of a bowl of Edamame, something that has become a staple of enjoyment and much better for you than a bowl of chips. I have convinced the children to give it a try and so far we are two out of three in favor, now to win over Hubby and we will all be better off.

We celebrated A’s 20th Birthday this month, hard to believe the little guy I first met when he was three is now 20. I can no longer say he is a good ‘kid’ as now, I think it would be safe to say he is growing up to be a good ‘man’. He lovingly hangs out with his younger siblings on his days off and often asks if I need any help picking them up from school or watching them when I go out for work. I hate to ask him, but try to take him up on his offers when I can.

I can’t wait until I can share everything with you all, it is like a dream coming true.

My relationship with Ford truly started 25 years ago when my Dad brought home a 1978 Ford LTD II. It was, to put it mildly, a boat. And when you just get your license the last thing you want to do is steer a giant boat into the parking lot at school, but for the sake of laziness I did it. I could also pack it full with friends and head to the local burger joint for lunch. It had a great stereo and the back seat was huge! Not that I am implying anything, but when you are 5’10″ you need the leg room. It also took a lot of gas, and even back when gas was $0.40/L it was expensive.  As we said good-bye to the old LTD, I hadn’t really driven a Ford since.

Last summer, while at BlogHer ’11 in San Diego, there was a lot of talk about Ford. Ford seemed to be making a comeback and I was interested to hear about it. When I was asked if I would like to test drive the new Ford Explorer last Fall on our road trip to She’s Connected in Toronto, I said, ‘sure’. We were originally five women heading to Toronto, but with the extra seat in the Explorer we were able to bring our total up to six. Six women with luggage and goodies, packed into the Explorer and I am pleased to say, it was very roomy! We managed to fit everyone in with a bit of room to spare. The seats were comfortable that the ride was smooth. I found a lot of the new safety features like the back-up camera with voice assistance and the blind spot lights very helpful. I am an avid believer and supporter of shoulder checks and safety, but driving a different vehicle out on the highway always leaves room for adjustment. The added features helped assure me that I was in the clear. One thing that I cannot abide by is a car that has no passing power. I need to know that when I am passing an 18 wheeler, in the left lane that I have the guts in the car to get past without taking half an hour, nothing turns me off of a car more than no guts. The Explorer passed in that regard with flying colours. I knew when I was passing that I would get past without worry. Nothing I hate more than sitting beside a huge truck.

Our Explorer in the rain last Fall

When I was invited to a Ladies Night out with Ford Ottawa at the Ottawa Auto Show, I was excited to hear what new fun things they had in store. I was told we would get to see the All-New Ford Focus Electric, so I was excited to attend.  We were a room full of Bloggers, and Social Media personalities. We all love our cars and there was just the right mix of questions to keep Ford’s resident expert Steve Ross on his toes. He did a wonderful job telling us how Ford was doing in making changes to the way we drive, something I might have to consider in the future. Ford is now offering gasoline only vehicles, Hybrid vehicles and fully Electric Vehicles. A commitment to the future they are proud to withhold. In hearing about the new Ford Focus Electric, I have to admit that it will be a long time before I personally could commit to one. I drive way too much and at unplanned intervals, so I couldn’t be reliant solely on electric with a 160km range. However, Hubby could certainly make the switch for commuting to and from work. When the time comes to switch up his car, it is something we may consider for sure.  In the meantime, I would gladly drive one of the amazing Hybrids, like the Explorer Hybrid, which would give me the big car that I love and the added bonus of a better on the environment and gas usage.

@SteveRoss – Ford Canada, @CapitalMom @MissFish @Ammar_Ammar, @JenButson @ErinBlaskie

A few iPhone shots of the event for Tweeting purposes

Ahhh, now we get to see the All-New Focus* Electric, and I have to say it is pretty sharp! Ford has been designing the new cars so that they are the same whether they are gasoline powered or electric powered. They are on the same platform and have the same touches that you love in both, one just has a battery instead of a gas tank. As you can see the Ford Focus* is very nice. Gone are the days that I can play around with the engine though. But, we did all have a collective sigh when Steve opened up the hood. I was proud to be with such an awesome group of women who know their way around cars and could appreciate the work and technology behind it. Some of us are after the rumbling sound of the engine, and other appreciate the quiet that comes with fusion and electric vehicles. Some of us love having power behind the wheel while others just want to get to where they need to go. But all of us appreciate the look of the cars as well as the storage for hockey bags, groceries or suitcases.

Of course for those of us that love a good muscle car there is the 2013 Ford Mustang. It has gorgeous new lines and looks just like you would want a Mustang to look, classy, but hot. I personally would take it in a Navy Blue, but I certainly wouldn’t mind going on my next road trip in this one, just saying.

A

We got to see the Explorer and the Edge and the new kick bumper that allows you to open the back hatch with a tap on the bumper if you have your key in your pocket. Awesome for those of us carrying packages after shopping, or camera gear after a shoot.

A huge thank you to Ford Canada for inviting me out to the Auto Show and get a sneak peek at all the new and wonderful things you are bringing out for 2013. It was a great Ladies Night and I look forward to doing it again with you. And a special thank you to Samantha Hartley of Thornley Fallis for putting it all together.

*Edited: Apologies, I had to edit this to correct that it was the Ford Focus Electric car, not the Fusion as I had previously accidentally typed.

My favorite photo of last summer.

Oh my another food post and it is so much the opposite of the last one!  This one is all about Doughnuts. Yummy, delicious doughnuts. It all started two weeks ago, actually I think we were at Blissdom when we saw the tweet with the Maple Bacon doughnut, then a few more people were talking about stopping at Suzy Q’s for doughnuts.  And then my friend Justin, who tweeted that first Maple Bacon, and I were going to meet for coffee, so I said, “Hey let’s grab some donuts first!” “Big mistake, big, huge” ~ Pretty Woman

I saved my calories all week, leading up to Thursday. Because Suzy Q’s is only open Thursday to Sunday, so I had to gear up for it.  Then, lovely person that I am, I waited until the whole family was here to share them.  I didn’t even cheat before they all got home for supper.  I even made them finish their lasagna first. Then we opened the box (well I had opened it earlier so I could snap these photos, but I put them all back and didn’t lick my fingers, knowing that would lead to an empty box).

Oh My!  It was a fight. We had two Froot Loop, Two Coconut (good thing Dad wasn’t here) one Sugar and one Maple Bacon. And four of us, forget the eldest he was at work, his loss (kidding we saved him some). So we did what any parent, who also wanted to taste all of them, would do we cut them in halves and shared. We all loved the Froot Loop and Coconut. We were a little iffy on the Maple Bacon, but I am thinking if we had had it fresh at breakfast with coffee, it would have been a whole different story.  And the sugar one, was divine. Just the right amount of sugar to coat a very simple doughnut.

I forgot what truly fresh baked doughnuts tasted like, not the ones you get at coffee shops but true honest to goodness doughnuts, ones I remember from when I was a kid. Delicious.  So if you are in town, be sure to make a date to stop in at Suzy Q’s and grab some doughnuts they are divine and I am just glad they are not within walking distance because I would be in big trouble.

Eggs!

Here is a little shout out to that wonderful white oval.

We love our eggs.

And since I seem to always have some boiled ones on hand to throw in a salad or just for a snack, the kids have taken to asking for one here an there as well. I am never going to say no to an egg for a snack!

Since I stopped eating cereal every day for breakfast and now only eat eggs, I feel so much better. I don’t feel the need to snack before lunch, where I was always hungry in a couple of hours with cereal. I don’t get that sugar crash or carb crash or whatever it is called, instead I just feel great.

Gone is the old myth that you could only eat eggs once or twice a week, there is no reason to not eat them once a day. Eggs are chalk full of vitamins and minerals and are quite low calorie (70cal per egg, I believe). So what are you waiting for? Sunday breakfast? Don’t you will be pleasantly surprised.

*This is not a sponsored post, I just love eggs, and wanted to photograph their beauty yesterday, thus you get to see the results

And the winner of the @ Necklace with your Twitter Handle from Blend Creations is……

Domestic Extrodinaire!!!  I will be sending you an email in just a few minutes. Congratulations and thank you all for stopping by to enter the giveaway and a special Thank you to Vivian at Blend Creations for generously giving one to one of my readers.  I hope to see a lot more of you wearing them at Blissdom next year!!

Thanks to @MilkMustache for the fun event and sending a little Harrison Ford home to me. And thanks to Got Milk? for sponsoring our fabulous breakfast at Blissdom with plenty of milk.