Kidpalooza at the Child and Family Expo

In a world gone mostly mad, seeing all the families that came out to the Child and Family Expo this past weekend was a dose of positivity. Watching all the kiddos walk around munching on cucumbers from our generous farmer friends - with brightly coloured faces - darting between the bouncy castles and slides to the dance parties on the main stage, to having pictures with super heroes, and braving the longlines for face painting and balloon animals - it was a kidpolooza that was an easy win for parents on a primarily rainy, cold weekend.

Dozens of vendors flooded the space, offering info on everything from life insurance to schools, birthday party options, soccer and judo lessons, book sellers, and more. It's a unique event in the capital that pulls together a wide range of different services and offerings under one roof, with a good mix of fun and play stations (not playstations) scattered throughout, all at a very reasonable price.

 At Books Dads Love, my mission is to offer books for your wild and wonderful dadlife. It was awesome to hear such positive feedback from so many of you who caught the vision; fathers excited to dive into dadhood and moms and grandmas equally happy to see books where their hubby heroes and sons are represented. It was my first real event as an author, and I loved every minute of it. I was proud to be able to share it with my kiddos, who were fighting over who got to stay behind to help me at the booth. Most of all, I was happy to meet families - though tired from fighting through the crowds and post-cotton candy meltdowns - happy to be just that - family. 

Hats off to Peter Ausland, the longtime organizer who is quick with responses, efficient and organized. I look forward to the next Expo in the fall; I'm dreaming up ways to bring Princess Azaelia Camelia Lynn to life in a play format on the main stage and can picture a Little Digger play station where a decent sized dumptruck can manoever foam blocks. 

More news and books for your wild and wonderful dadlife will be coming your way soon. Thanks for joining the party.