Vancouver Island Baby Fair producer Shirley Broback will be the featured speaker at the launch event for the new Victoria chapter of the Enterprising Moms Network taking place at the Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour this Wednesday, October 21 from 7-9pm. The network offers an informative and supportive place that women looking to build a business while raising a family can come and connect with each other. The evening promises to deliver with keynote speaker Shirley Broback, the woman behind the Vancouver Island Baby Fair and voted “2009 Mom Entrepreneur of the Year” by SavvyMom.ca. For more information about the launch, visit www.enterprisingmomsnetwork.com.

WHO: Enterprising Moms Network presents keynote speaker Shirley Broback
WHEN: Wednesday October 21, 2009
TIME: 7:00PM to 9:00PM
LOCATION: Marriott Victoria Inner Harbour, Victoria, BC (728 Humboldt Street)
REGISTER: Online Registration – Admission is free, but please register as space will fill up fast.

About Enterprising Moms Network
Enterprising Moms Network (EMN) is an ever expanding network of mom entrepreneurs who are dedicated to helping one another succeed in the always tricky balancing act of being a mother and an entrepreneur. As a diverse group of women with different talents, skills, and ideas, EMN is a great place for women to connect with one another who, although like-minded, have a wide breadth of experience, education and skills.
For more information about the Enterprising Moms Network (EMN) visit: www.enterprisingmomsnetwork.com
or contact Tara-Lee Gibson, Director of the Victoria EMN Chapter.

We beat our record this year with 235 babies, toddlers, and preschoolers entering into the Vancouver Island Baby Fair Photo Contest on Sept. 26 & 27. Our photographer, Rebecca Joy Studios, has posted the proofs on a special Baby Fair gallery page. Take a look at all the cuties!

For those who entered the contest, your prints will be available for pick up later this month. You will receive an email when they are ready.
Winners of the 0-24 months and 2-6 year age categories will be posted by November 1st!

100% of the proceeds from the photo contest are going to support the Foster Parent Support Services Society this year. The FPSSS is a grassroots, CARF Accredited, non-profit organization that is committed to providing meaningful and accessible support, education, and networking services for the foster parents of the Vancouver Island Region, which will continually enhance their skills and abilities to deliver the best care possible to the children in their homes.

Ready, set, Latch!
This Saturday, Oct. 3, mothers and babies will gather at SilverCity Victoria at Tillicum Centre to take part in a global breastfeeding event. The goal is to set the world record for most babies breastfeeding at one time. The purpose of the event is to raise awareness for the importance of breastfeeding.

9th Annual Quintessence Breastfeeding Challenge
SilverCity Victoria at Tillicum Centre
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Doors Open 10 am

Hosted by ‘A’ News’ Maggie Cox, special guests include Chief Medical Health Officer Richard Stanwick, Eva Bild of the Mothering Touch Centre and Layla Cochrane of Baby Signs. Admission is free. There will be a toddler play area and special “Mompreneur and Savvy Mamas” displays of local products and services in the lobby.

New for 2009: online registration – skip the line, save time and register online today! For more Victoria specific details, visit www.breastfeedingmatters.ca

The Vancouver Island Baby Fair is a proud sponsor of the Breastfeeding Challenge. We will be doing a prize giveaway at our table at the event. Stop by for your chance to win:

• CD from Bobs and Lolo
• Glamourmom nursing tank and a pair of Posh Pads organic cotton/bamboo nursing pads from Bellies In Bloom Maternity
• Infant bib & burp cloth from Creedation Wear
• Rocking horse from JamTots Baby & More Store

Thank you to the thousands of attendees who visited the Vancouver Island Baby Fair this past weekend in Victoria! We had a blast, and once again it was a big success! We are excited to announce the two Grand Prize winners:

New Parent Grand Prize ($1387 value) winner – Tyler Hall of Victoria
Parent & Tot Grand Prize ($1376 value) winner – Desiree Shearer of Victoria
Have a look at the list of amazing prizes they won.

Congratulations Tyler and Desiree!

To be the first to know who won our photo contest, be sure to sign up for our e-Newsletter. In the meantime, have a look at the preview of some of our cute contestants on Rebecca Joy Studios’ blog.

We had an amazing day on Saturday at the Vancouver Island Baby Fair! Thousands of moms, dads, grandparents, kids, and of course, babies! We’re open from 10am-4pm again today at Pearkes Rec Centre. We’ve been photo blogging from the event this year – take a look at some of the pictures we posted, and check back to the page today for more.

Baby Races at 11am, Bobs & Lolo performances at 12pm and 2pm, the Photo Contest runs all day, and over 100 exhibitors with great shopping and resources for your growing family!

Rebecca Joy Studios, the fantastic studio running the Photo Contest, has posted some preview shots from Saturday. They’re really great!

Come join us down at Pearkes Rec Centre! The Vancouver Island Baby Fair is on this weekend only – Saturday from 10am-5pm and Sunday from 10am-4pm. Here’s some tips we sent out in our e-Newsletter the other day:

Main stage: There will be speakers and entertainment at the main stage throughout the weekend. Baby Races are at 11am each day (registration begins at 10:30am), kids music at 12pm and 2pm each day, and lots of great info from the experts the rest of the day. Get the full schedule here.

Diaper changing: We have a space for you to change your little one’s bum right in the middle of the fair. We even provide diapers and wipes!

Baby Feeding: The “Baby Bistro” will be open all weekend for moms who need to nurse or feed their little ones. Comfy couches, a water cooler, and some relax time with other moms. There’s a bottle warmer over in the cafe if you need it too. (By the way… at the cafe you can get sandwiches, muffins, juice and coffee on the go!)

Admission: $6/person. Add $1 to make it a weekend pass. Kids 12 and under are FREE. We accept CASH ONLY at the door. Inside the fair, many exhibitors will accept debit or credit cards at their booths, but many will also be cash only. There is a cash machine in the lobby of Pearkes Rec Centre, but the ATM company charges a fee to use it, so consider stopping at your own ATM on the way to the Fair.

Prizes: Oh, yes… there will be LOTS of prizes! We have a Grand Prize draw at the door for your choice of two gift baskets filled with more than $1300 in prizes from Baby Fair exhibitors. Plus the winner of the Baby Races will take home more than $300 in prizes. Check out the full list of prizes.

Photo Contest: A lot of people ask us what we look for when judging the photos that come out of the Photo Contest. Since all the babies and preschoolers are super cute, we find we are looking to capture a cute expression.

Some tips for the photo contest: Bring your child early and register. The entire $10 fee goes to charity (this year it’s the Foster Parent Support Services Society). You will receive a number and you can check the board to see what number is currently being photographed – plan for about 5 minutes per shoot – that will tell you how long the wait is until your turn. While you wait, you can enjoy all that the Baby Fair has to offer and return to the contest booth at least 5 minutes before your turn to get registered. After the fair, you will be able to pick up your free 5×7 at JamTots Baby & More Store. We’ll announce when they are ready for pickup in our e-Newsletter.

Some tips for dress from the photo contest photographer, Rebecca Joy Studios:
1. Colour is a good thing! Kids look great in fun vibrant colours. Avoid white.
2. Stay clear of logos, writing, or pictures on the clothing.
3. Layer! Mix it up and layer, such as skirts with fun tights or leggings. Shirts with cute jackets or sweaters with hoodies. Layer different textures such as chunky knits, corduroy and denim.
4. Most importantly, I suggest that you dress your child in clothes that they feel comfortable in. Have fun!

If you really want to do your homework and get to know what we’re looking for, browse through our gallery of past winners and other Baby Fair faces.

See you at the Fair!

We just got some AMAZING NEWS! Shirley Broback, producer of this weekend’s Vancouver Island Baby Fair, has just been named the SavvyMom Mom Entrepreneur of the Year! Here’s the press release going out to the local media today:

Vancouver Island Baby Fair Steals the Show – Named Canada’s Top Mom Entrepreneur in the SavvyMom Mom Entrepreneur of the Year Award

For Immediate Release
September 23, 2009

VICTORIA, BC – Shirley Broback, the producer of this weekend’s Vancouver Island Baby Fair, has just been honoured with the 2009 SavvyMom Mom Entrepreneur of the Year award. Broback was chosen out of 317 nominees from across Canada in the contest run by SavvyMom Media (www.savvymom.ca).

“Winning the SavvyMom Entrepreneur of the Year award is such a fantastic opportunity,” says Broback. “I’m looking forward to streamlining some of our processes, hiring some much needed help, and gearing up to expand our event even more.”

She found that participating in the SavvyMom Entrepreneur of the Year Award was a great reason to reach out to all of her contacts – suppliers, clients, friends and family alike – which helped grow awareness of her business in the critical time leading up to the 2009 show, which happens this weekend, September 26 & 27 at Pearkes Recreation Centre in Victoria. Since its inception in 2007, the Vancouver Island Baby Fair has grown to include an event in Nanaimo and Victoria each year, with the aim to “celebrate the growing family” by bringing together shopping, resources and entertainment for families ranging from pregnancy through preschool.

“Our event benefits not only women and their families who visit the fair gathering valuable resources and who are celebrating this fantastic transition in their lives, but it also provides a unique marketing opportunity to the businesses and organizations that participate, many run by other mom entrepreneurs,” Broback said.

Recognizing moms’ united desire to find balance in their hectic lives and provide what is best for their families, the SavvyMom Mom Entrepreneur of the Year Award celebrates moms’ ability to take matters into their own hands. “Each one of the nominees has successfully developed a product or service that fills a need in the marketplace – and despite the economic challenges of the past year, we didn’t see a drop in the number of nominees. The mom entrepreneur movement is still going strong,” says Sarah Morgenstern, co-founder of SavvyMom Media.

SavvyMom Media is the trusted resource for time-crunched moms across Canada, delivering tried and tested practical solutions to everyday dilemmas. SavvyMom’s bi-weekly email newsletter reaches 35,000 moms across Canada. More information on SavvyMom Media and its subsidiary programs can be found at www.savvymom.ca and www.momentrepreneuraward.com.

Media Contacts:
Shirley Broback, Baby Fair Producer: 250-686-5693 shirley@vancouverislandbabyfair.com
Minnow Hamilton, SavvyMom Media: 416-418-6261 minnow.hamilton@savvymom.ca

The Vancouver Island Baby Fair is coming up this weekend, and on top of more than 100 exhibitors, amazing children’s performers, an on-site photo contest, baby races, and so much more, we’ve got thousands of dollars worth of great prizes to give away! There are two door prizes worth more than $1000 each, a grand prize each day for the Baby Races worth more than $300 each, great prizes at the photo contest, plus many exhibitors have prize draws planned for their booths!
Check out these Grand Prizes we’ve got lined up:

NEW PARENT GRAND PRIZE – Value $1387

• Adventures in Mulberryland – “Baby Bump” original art by Naomi teWinkel $180
• Awesome Mommies – “My Mom’s an Awesome Mommy” onesie, 1 yr membership to Awesome Mommies, Gift Cert for Awesome Yoga, Gift Cert for Cafe $65
• Bellies In Bloom Maternity – Belly Casting Kit $50
• Cosy Baby Happy Mommy – Panel wrap $65
• Creative Exposure Photography – Maternity or Baby Portrait sitting $195
• Creative Memories – Gift Certificate for scrapbooking products & reusable grocery bag $100
• Dress Me Up Organic – Newest Born Gift Set & Organic Rabbit Rattle $62
• Elements of Health Centre – Acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment (60 min.) $95
• Elizabeth Belfry, RMT – Gift Certificate for 45 min massage OR $75 towards infant massage lessons $75
• Huckleberry Baby Shop – Gift Certificate $50
• JamTots Baby & More Store – Gift Certificate $50
• Li’l Sweet Nancy’s – Gift Certificate $100
• Mothering Touch Centre – Punch Card for Pre & Postnatal Classes $100
• Munchkin Molds – Gift Certificate for a pair of baby hand and/or foot stone castings $80
• Swift Kick Computers – Gift Certificate $50
• The Good Planet Baby Company – “Tree hugger in training” onesie, Good Planet Baby calming baby lotion, massage oil, baby wash, room spray, soap $70

PARENT & TOT GRAND PRIZE – Value $1376

• Awesome Mommies – “My Mom’s an Awesome Mommy” onesie, 1 yr membership to Awesome Mommies, Gift Cert for Awesome Yoga, Gift Cert for Cafe $65
• Bealoo Kids – 16×20 Canvas Reproduction of “ABC’s” $75
• Booties In A Box – Monkey design leather baby shoes $25
• Bubba Loo Children’s Boutique – Gift Certificate $50
• Elements of Health Centre – 45 min RMT massage $60
• Heather Armstrong Photography – Portrait sitting in your home or on location, includes $200 print credit $350
• JamTots Baby & More Store – Gift Certificate $50
• Li’l Sweet Nancy’s – Gift Certificate $100
• Lovey’s Body Products – 2 bottles of Lovey’s Tushi Wash, 3 100% organic bamboo washcloths, 2 rolls bio-degradable disposable wipes $50
• Mommys Yelling Girl – One set of hair accessories per month for 1 yr $100
• Mothering Touch Centre – Punch Card for Pre & Postnatal Classes $100
• Norwex Enviro Products – Healthy Home Package: Enviro cloth, Window cloth, Dusting Mitt, Kitchen tea towels, Spirinetts, Ultra Plus Laundry Detergent $101
• O’Baby Organics – Happy Green Bee gift pack $100
• Swift Kick Computers – Gift Certificate $50
• Treasured Memories Scrapbooking – Gift Certificate $100

In the Baby Races, taking place at 11am both Saturday and Sunday, little crawlers will race in heats of up to 5 babies, and the winner of each heat will win a Bobs & Lolo CD, and advance to the final round, where the winner takes home one of these great prizes:

BABY RACES GRAND PRIZE (Saturday) Value $305

• Bealoo Kids – 3 matted prints: Jungle Animals $50
• Elizabeth Belfry RMT – Gift Certificate for 45 min massage OR $75 towards infant massage lessons $75
• Mothering Touch Centre – Little Toes Shoe, Tee Knees knee pads $50
• Norwex Enviro Products – Healthy Baby Bath Package: 3 face cloths, Microfibre Bath Matt/Change Pad, Bath Glove $60
• Tiny Giggles – Warm Buddy Sheep $30
• Toad In A Tree – Baby Sling $40

BABY RACES GRAND PRIZE (Sunday) Value $322

• Cosy Baby Happy Mommy – Panel wrap ‘flame’ print on black $65
• Lovey’s Body Products – 2 bottles of Lovey’s Tushi Wash, 3 100% organic bamboo washcloths, 2 rolls bio-degradable disposable wipes $50
• Norwex Enviro Products – Healthy Baby Bath Package: 3 face cloths, Microfibre Bath Matt/Change Pad, Bath Glove $60
• Tiny Giggles – Found in the Pumpkin Patch organic cotton onesie $20
• Toad In A Tree – Adjustable hat $27
• West Coast Baby Slings & Things – West Coast Sling System for colder weather $100

(Updated: Prize giveaways have been moved to Friday, Monday and Tuesday)
Hundreds of dollars worth of prizes from Vancouver Island Baby Fair exhibitors will be given away during ‘A’ News this week! Watch ‘A’ News at 5pm and 6pm on Friday (Sept. 18), Monday (Sept. 21), and Tuesday (Sept. 22) for your chance to win one of these prize packages worth $425 each:

> 4-pack of weekend passes to the Vancouver Island Baby Fair ($28 value)
> Nannies On Call – 3 hours nanny service ($54 value)
> Mommys-Yelling-Girl – 3 No Slip Clips ($25 value)
> Natures Grace Organics – Cuskiboo Bonding Comfort Aid ($39.99 value)
> Lovey’s Body Products – Lovey’s Tushi Wash & 100% bamboo organic washcloths ($25 value)
> Creative Memories – 2 mini-picfolio albums in gift box & demo CD of digital solutions programs ($35 value)
> Elements of Health Centre – Course in Acupressure for Labour for a couple ($40 value)
> Elizabeth Belfry, RMT – 30-min. massage or infant massage lessons ($60 value)
> Adventures in Mulberryland – 11×14 matted whimsical art print and 3 art cards ($29 value)
> Munchkin Molds – Single hand or foot casting ($50 value)
> Aniceto & Bigg – Identakey complete system ($39.99 value)

Vancouver Island Baby Fair producer Shirley Broback will be the guest on Real Parenting this Sunday! Be sure to listen to host Amy Bronee from 3-4pm on CFAX 1070. She’ll talk to Shirley about the upcoming Baby Fair, coming up Sept. 26 & 27 at Pearkes Rec Centre in Victoria, plus talk about being a Mom Entrepreneur.

Shirley is nominated for the SavvyMom Entrepreneur of the Year award, and online voting ends Sunday at 9pm PST. She’s in the lead right now, and needs your help. Please visit Shirley’s nomination page and vote, vote, vote!