Simply Bliss

After three days of Blissdom Canada excitement, I am eager to take my blogging to the next level, I want my blog to evolve and grow just as I have this past weekend in Toronto.  The number one take-home message I gleaned from Blissdom Canada is simply stay true to yourself; and this applies regardless whether talking about the posts you choose to write, the brands you choose to work with or the words you use to communicate.

My first task is finding a more effective system of turning the random thoughts and ideas rolling around in my mind into blog posts.  In a day I have tons of fleeting ideas triggered by anything from people I meet, phrases I hear or things I see.  Many would make great posts, but in my haste to create thoughtful, well-edited and usually photographed posts, many of these potential ideas fall to the wayside.

That's something I'll be working on, but for now I just want to revel in Blissdom.  I already wish I had taken more photos, but I was just too busy soaking it all in or taking care of the baby.

I absolutely loved 'Nostalgia Lane' (aka the CBC Radio Museum), where I had a chance to sit in Mr. Dressup's tree, touch the stool and easel that Mr. Dressup actually sat on and look at THE tickle trunk up close and personal.
   

The baby boy was pretty amazing; he attended just a few sessions since I was fortunate enough to have my sister along to help with the babysitting.  The little guy just loved the Fisher Price Jumperoo (its like an exersaucer and jolly jumper in one) and the girls at Mom Central Canada and the Fisher Price suite were great about letting him visit and play.

All of the sessions and the panelists were fabulous, here are some quotes I tweeted during Blissdom Canada. Seriously, brain food for bloggers.

• 'If you want to improve, be content to be though foolish and stupid' --Epictetus, who was not at all stupid. @herbadmother
• Be confident in who you are and what you do @alisonipr
• The 'employer' has to want you as much as you want them... @kathybuckworth
• There is power in saying no @barbarajones
• Your blog is your home and you make the rules @marrtinwaxman
• 'I live in the country of motherhood right now' @allanaharkin
• Take the time to invest in you...and have an engaged community...and you can make magic happen @jeffpulver
• write about something you really care about and when you hit publish be prepared to answer for it @nummiesbras  
• If you let people dictate to you who you are, you will very quickly lose yourself. @GailVazOxlade 
  

Except for the opening and closing parties I didn't manage to attend any of the evening activities; in truth I felt like it was more important to spend time with the baby boy.  Fortunately that left me with a little bit of a chance to explore Toronto, including a meal at the Kensington Cornerstone Restaurant'; a completely gluten-free dining experience where I had deep fried goodness in the form of kalamari and chicken strips.

Although it meant that the conference had come to an end, the much anticipated Costume and Karaoke party was tons of fun and I absolutely loved my costume.  I admit that I was nervous about going down to the party, but once I got there it was impossible not to smile seeing all of the innovative costumes, including fellow 80's cartoon, Rainbow Brite.

And of course there was the surprise visit by Jordan Knight formerly of the New Kids on the Block. It wasn't until the girls convinced him to Karaoke 'Step by Step' that I remembered how much I LOVED New Kids back in the day. All in all, Blissdom was amazing (and a little exhausting), I just hope that this will be the first of many blogging conferences in my lifetime.

Preparing for Bliss

I am the Light of my soul, I am beautiful, I am bountiful, I am bliss, I am, I am.

I absolutely love this little mantra; I learned it at a prenatal yoga class and have had the little slip of paper the teacher gave us on my dresser for months.  A little reminder of the wondrousness of motherhood, of pregnancy and the unique abilities that we as women possess.

These days however, the five simple letters, B-L-I-S-S have taken on a whole new meaning.  The baby boy, my sister and I will be leaving the house in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow to catch a flight to Toronto for my first blogging conference, Blissdom Canada and I can't wait.

My sister is on baby-duty (for the most part) so she picked out clothes for the wee one and even packed them in the suitcase, entertainment such as the jolly jumper, blankies and toys, however still need to be rounded up and jammed into the suitcase.

As for my clothes, well I'm still at a loss for what exactly I'm going to wear.  Between my post-baby figure and my closet purge, I don't have much in the way of clothes.  In truth I'm most concerned about figuring out what to wear to the CBC Kickoff Party on Thursday night.

I spent a considerable amount of time working on a costume for the costume and karaoke party and am actually eager to wear my costume.  This may not seem like a big deal, but costumes aren't my deal.  I'm the type of girl who wears only enough costume to avoid being dressed up by resident tickle trunks, but this time around I decided that perhaps if I put some effort into the costume, I might actually enjoy wearing it.

Hopefully my fervent sewing efforts will all be worthwhile.  I'm keeping my costume a secret for now, but there WILL be pictures, so stay tuned to see me in all my costume glory.

Finally, I am so thankful to everyone who voted for me to win my ticket to Blissdom Canada and the folks at Baby Ddrops who sponsored my ticket.  If you have a moment, check out my review of Ddrops for Adults, Children and Babies; ddrops truly are a great product.