Creating unique connections – a touching moment!

There is still a lingering assumption within the media and among some that most families fall under the “classic” family – 4 kids, dad works, mum drives the minivan, and everyone is home for dinner by 5pm. While there are certainly families like that, every family is unique and with unique situations – and at myBestHelper we get to help them find unique solutions!

One of my favourite examples happened recently. A single mom signed up looking for a sitter to stay overnight with her kids twice a week while she works the night shift. She posted her job and I expected a few students without early morning classes to apply – they would certainly be a good fit for the schedule. Later in the day, a helper reached out to me to share her excitement about this job — she was raised by a single mom who often worked night shifts, so she could really relate to the kids’ situation. She also offered a lower rate than the mom had advertised because “every little bit counts!”.

This example really touched my heart and reminded me that there are so many unique family situations, and there are just as many unique helpers who fit so well to these situations. You can find that extra piece that fits into your family puzzle, and I love helping our families find them!

Stephanie Phillips, User Experience Lead, myBestHelper

 

A Sneak Peek at Our New Look

Our developers and software engineers have been hard at work to create a completely new look and feel at myBestHelper — clean, modern and elegant. We’re excited to make it even easier to see and share important information, send messages and find that great fit for your needs– whether you’re looking for help or offering it.

We’ve added a few new features too and can’t wait to introduce them to you!

Here’s a sneak peek at the new helper profiles. We’d love to hear your thoughts! You can leave a comment or send us a message at support@mybesthelper.com

Like the new helper profiles? Let us know!

P.S. Thanks Denise for putting together an example profile for us!

– Team at myBestHelper

 

 

 

 

Kids and Planes in Vancouver – 5 Summer Activities for Aviators at Heart

Boundary Airport Airshow – FREE family fun

Pilots are basically little kids, just instead of their stories staring with ‘One upon a time . . .’, they start with ‘There I was flying . . . ‘. For young aviators there are many great places to find story material. So here are a few of the high experiences that will create life ling memories for kids and grown ups who like planes: 

1. Summer Fun for All – YVR Friday Fun Days: In the summer for eight weeks, Fridays at the Vancouver Airport welcome travelers and locals who love flying. Activities, games and live performances transform the airport and make it fun for kids. There are contests and interactive events – a different theme every Friday in July and August. 
2. For those seeking the thrills and sounds of demonstration and aerobatic aircraft it is airshow season with the Boundary Bay Airshow on July 19^th (free admission) and Abbotsford Airport Airshow on August 8, 9 and 10 (paid admission with a mix of military and civilian aircraft).
3. At the Langley airport is the Canadian Museum of Flight with some classic aircraft including a WW I Sopwith Camel replica, Douglas DC3, CF-100 Cancuck jet fighter and CF-104 high speed interceptor. Many of the aircraft can be touched adding to the fun of visit.
4. If you just want to do some kid friendly ‘plane spotting’, there is the Larry Berg Flight Path Park located to the east of YVR airport. Just park and watch everything from twin engine commuters to the ‘heavy metal’ large airliners take off and land. There is a huge climbable sculpture that is a 3D map of the earth showing destinations in reach of YVR. Continuing around on the south side of the airport you can go to the Flying Beaver Bar and Grill for great hamburgers (yum!) and a super view of watching float planes operating on the water next to the restaurant, or crossing the road near by as they are towed into hangars.
5. “Future of Flight” – a tour of the Boeing plant in Everett, Washington is a unique experience worth the trip – just 1 hour south of Vancouver. Go see where half of the world’s airliners are born! In the main plant where your could play 300 simultaneous hockey games your mind become overawed by the sheer size. Explore the dynamics of flight and experience new aviation innovations. The tour is better geared for older kids and they must be at least over 4 feet due to safety issues, but don’t think of old, dirty, dangerous – the plant is pristine and immaculate.

Alexandra T. Greenhill, MOM CEO myBestHelper

Read them Fairy Tales!

Fairy tales have certainly found a new life in modern days between the successes of Shrek and Frozen, transforming but certainly not departing from how the power of imagination and magic can fire up children.

7 resources to help kids Learn to Code this summer

The case for why kids need to understand tech as an important 21st century skill has been made (see awesome code.org video on this here), but it’s not yet a core concept taught as part of the basic school curriculum.

So here are few options for parents interested in helping their kids develop tech skills this summer:

1. FREE – Virtual Google “Maker” camps – “Building, Tinkering and Exploring” 6 weeks starting July 7th 11 a.m. PST 

Google is offering six weeks of fun things to make and do for kids – all they need is a Google+ account and access to a PC, smartphone or tablet (if they are younger than 13, they will need to use the account of a parent).  The Maker Camps will have a weekly structure. In the morning, kids will complete a creative DIY project (for example a toy rocket) and in the afternoon they will also use Google Hangouts to talk to expert artists, makers and inventors as well as do virtual field trips to locations including Legoland in Denmark and Jim Henson’s Creature Workshop. See more here.

2. FREE – Sign up for a class at an Apple store – Various locations – local schedule 

At the Apple Store, you will find a variety of programs tailored just for kids, no purchase required. Youth Workshops, Field Trips, and Apple Camp are great ways to get kids thinking, learning, and creating — all while having fun. See more here.

3. $45: Learn to Code for Girls in Vancouver – Be like Ada – Sat, July 19th

Ada Lovelace, the beautiful black and white movie star and also a prolific tech inventor is the inspiration behind this one day bootcamp is for high-school girls only. They can learn to code and meet other girls just like them and hear from superhero women who have cool jobs because they code. To register, go to:www.belikeada.com

4. Code Kids Canada

See this CBC documentary for how and why kids are learning to code in the Maritimes. Inspirational videos galore you can show your kids to get them motivated. Motivation is then often enough to get them interested in using the many online and apps available to learn tech (see esp choice 1 above and 8 below).

5. Coder Dojo – Weekend Learn to Code for kids

CoderDojo is a global movement about providing free and open learning to youth, with an emphasis on computer programming. There are Coder Dojos in Toronto and Calgary, and one is being set up here in Vancouver.

6. Digital Media Academy – Summer Camps – $900+

This amazing opportunity to get top notch exposure to all aspects related to technology creation and use does not come cheap – but is now an option available across Canada. Week long summer camp classes for kids aged 8 to 12 and 13 and older covering a multitude of topics (film creating, game design, iPhone programming, robotics, app development etc) can cost around $900 each – sign up here for the few spots left. They have been doign in since 2002 and apparently, it is a life changing experience.

7. Apps and Games – Learn as You Play (ok for kids 8+)

 My Robot Friend allows kids to program the path of a funny robot and follow it’s adventures – hilarious and educational. Download here.

 The concept is simple — direct a robotic arm to move crates to a designated spot — but Cargo-Bot creates young programmers as it encourages the kind of innovative thinking necessary to learn programming skills. Download it here.

Hopscotch, is a simpler version of MIT’s scratch, and is AWESOME. It allows kids to quickly create games and animations by simple drag and drop of different commands. Kids can modify everything from size to speed to color – and see the results fast which is something that gets them hooked. Download it here.

Alexandra T. Greenhill, MD, mom, geek, CEO co-founder myBestHelper

10 Awesome Canadian Inventions – Happy Canada Day 2014!

Did you know all 10 of these are Canadian? Literally from coast to coast – from New Brunswick to Toronto, Manitoba, Alberta and BC – awesome Canadians have invented some things we literally can’t live without!

The 3 ways to stay safe and sound this #CanadaDay

1. Make sure you are ready for an emergency: A year ago, we wrote this post – and it’s incredible to see that so many of the families from Calgary are still displaced and homeless. So – as we get ready to celebrate, do spend a little of bit of time to plan out how your family would handle an emergency (hint: see our blog post for the four things you need to do, courtesy of ePact Network, emergency preparedness tool). 

2. Teach kids to respect the dangers of being near water: Too many accidents happen on the first long weekend of the summer. To have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend, also review water safety with your kids – they forget things you assume they remember from last summer, so here are the 10 must know rules for kids near water.

3. Be wary of people who Drink & Drive:  Canada Day weekend has been historically in the top list for accidents, not only because more families are on the road but also because sadly too many people still get behind the wheel when they shouldn’t. So – be vigilant, make sure car seats are well installed and seat belts are properly applied.

Happy long weekend to all!

Alexandra T. Greenhill, MD, CEO cofounder myBestHelper

 

 

 

 

Neil Squire Society: Award-winning not-for-profit celebrates 30 years

The Neil Squire Society is a Canadian not-for-profit organisation that helps people with significant physical disabilities achieve greater independence through the development, adaptation, and use of innovative services and technology for the home and workplace.

Neil Squire Society celebrates today 30 years of service. Go see the infographic on what has happened in those 3 decades, not the least of which is 30,000 people helped. You can also see the historical timeline and the fascinating photos of how technology was put to good use.

It’s fantastic to be able to focus on celebrations, as I am convinced that the news today would have been all about shortages of funding, had it not been for the extraordinary efforts of Rob Attwell, my business partner and myBestHelper co-founder COO.

Rob has been served for years on the Board of the Neil Squire Society, first as a member then as Chair of the Board. Along with many able volunteers and team members at the Neil Squire Society, the funding cuts over the last few years were dealt with and more resources were deployed to help so many Canadians whose quality of life truly depends on the work Neil Squire Society does.

I have seen him first hand spend hours of his time, demonstrate resourcefulness, creativity and sheer will power to keep the organisation on the right track in today’s difficult funding climate. Jim Collins of “Good to Great” fame describes the key success factor of organisations that show sustained superlative success is the presence of “a Level 5 leader, a paradoxical and rare blend of genuine personal humility and intense professional will”.

Rob is definitely a level 5 leader, usually happy to do the heavy lifting behind the scenes – and although he might not like me writing about his contribution to the success of Neil Squire Society – someone just HAS to publicly recognize his hard work and incredible abilities. At myBestHelper, we all know how lucky we are to have someone of his capabilities – and are thrilled to support and encourage his commitment to community causes he is passionate about.

Incidentally the Neil Squire Society annual report has on its cover page that they use “technology, knowledge and passion” to accomplish their mission – and technology, knowledge and passion are also core to how we approach our company too.

Rob Attwell standing far right – here in 2012 at the City of Vancouver ceremony recognizing Neil Squire Society with the city’s Access and Inclusion Award (Gary Birch, Executive Director of the Neil Squire Society is in front holding the plaque with Mayor Gregor Robertson)

On behalf of us all, we are so proud of your accomplishments, Rob – and of course, live long and prosper to Neil Squire Society!

Alexandra T. Greenhill, CEO cofounder myBestHelper

PS. Of course, ongoing funding and success totally depends on people like us – so donate, contribute, advocate and vote in support of worthy causes like this one!

Matthew Clarke (Dad, Superhero and Youtube Star) Answers our Father’s Day Questions!

Matthew Clarke, Coco & family with Kraig Docherty from Invoke Labs.

I hope everyone had an amazing Father’s Day! I was lucky enough to catch up with Matthew Clarke, creator of one of our favourite webinar series here at myBestHelper called convos with my 2-year old, to ask him a few questions about what it’s like to be a Dad. I’ll let his answers speak for themselves…

Q: What is a change you’ve noticed in yourself after becoming a Dad, something you didn’t expect?

Matt: I’m not really sure to tell you the truth. I feel in a way like I’m so in the midst of it all still, I haven’t the perspective yet to sit back and pin point such things. And yet, ironically, I think my answer is probably that I’m more self aware. It’s so glaringly obvious to me how much an effect I have on my kids. My emotional state, my outlook, my patience level, how I handle all sorts of different things. I clearly see a correlation between my mental state/behaviour and my kid’s mental state/behaviour. So I’m constantly trying to check in with myself and see where I’m at. What am I feeling? What am I really feeling beneath that feeling? And so on and so forth until I reach some sort of existential crisis and bounce back up to the surface just in time to clean tomato sauce off the roof, or stop an entire shelf of groceries from falling. Now that I say that, maybe I’ve actually become a super hero of sorts. Yes, let’s go with that. I am now a superhero. Didn’t expect that.

Q: What’s a new “family tradition” in your household? Anything for Father’s Day?

Matt: I’ve been trying to start a Father’s Day tradition where I get waited on hand and foot all day while I sip a beer on the couch, watching golf in complete serenity. I’ve got a long way to go on that one.
I feel like our most consistent family tradition is being late.

Q: Do you have a “parenting hack” or shortcut to share? A favourite app? A ridiculous strategy?

Matt: I’m always asking this question, never answering it. I don’t know. One thing I’ve been consciously trying lately and seems to be making my life easier is trying not to micromanage so much. Let them go a bit more and just guide vs control. It’s amazing how letting her find her own longer, more complicated way to put on her shoes as opposed to me just grabbing them and putting them on saves me what feels like hours in argument time. If only we could put that into an App. We’d be rich!!

A big thank you to Matt – I sincerely hope you got your Father’s Day wish.

Are you a Dad? What did you wish for on Father’s day? Did you get it? And are you a super hero too?

 

Stephanie Phillips, User Experience Lead at myBestHelper, maker of many Father’s Day Breakfasts-in-bed that went a little awry….

 

 

 

 

Does Happiness Matter?

 

Love this poster by Lykki.com – an amazing (and happy) company

A fascinating overview in the last Atlantic Monthly seems to say – not so much… After over a thousand books (yes 1,000 books) on the topic of how being happy is what matters the most, there is new and unsettling evidence that this may not be true. A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that people who say they are happy, but don’t have much of a sense of meaning in their lives have the same gene expression patterns as people who are enduring chronic adversity.

The key is of course in how we define happiness. Is it momentary joy or is it satisfaction from one’s accomplishments and successes? Do you need both?

While the experts debate the fine points, I just recommend a “daily dose of happiness” which may be as simple as listening to Pharrell’s “Happy” at least once a day! And if it does NOT make you happy – email me asap!!!

Alexandra T. Greenhill, MD, CEO founder of myBestHelper (who is generally happy even when the skies are gray)