I am Amber.
I am Amber, crunchy granola mama and suburban superstar. I am an engineer-turned-at home mom to 5-year-old Hannah and 2-year-old Jacob. I live in the Vancouver area with my husband Jon, the kids and our crazy cat Dorothy.
I am trying to figure out what I really want to be when I grow up. I call the journey Crafting my Life. Along the way I am re-discovering my dreams and finding my passions. One of those passions is maternity leave. I even wrote the super-cool Quick Guide to Canadian Maternity Leave. It’s fabulous, if I do say so myself.
As I re-invent myself I’m simplifying and living a more sustainable lifestyle. I’m looking for personal balance, or something that roughly approximates balance. I do yoga. I make stuff and work in my garden. I dance with my kids in the kitchen. I breastfeed and wear my babies. And I frequently sometimes sneak chocolate when no one’s looking.
If you want more of me (and really, who wouldn’t?) you can check out my amazingly good guest posts:
- Yummy Mummy Club: Starting Kindergarten
- Miss 604: Bakerview EcoDairy in Abbotsford
- …infinitely learning…: Embracing an Unconventional Life
- Miss 604: Golden Spike Days in Port Moody
- Code Name: Mama: Gardening with Little Helpers
- PhD in Parenting: Why I Don’t Spank
- Yummy Mummy Club: Battling the Toy Catalogues
- YoYo Diaries: Kellie Haines, Ventriloquist
- Hobo Mama: Flexibility and finding sleep
- Yummy Mummy Club: Battling the Toy Catalogues
- yoyobelly: By Your Leave
- Miss 604: The Streets of Port Moody
- Raising My Boychick: Talking to Strangers
- Fake Plastic Fish: My Kids — The Joy and the Plastic
I write.
Writing is my passion. It is at the core of who I am, and it feeds my soul. I love using written language to share information, spread ideas and convey emotion. One day I am going to write a book, just wait and see.
Books aside, as an engineer I did a lot of technical writing. I can’t share it because my former employer is big on confidentiality. But trust me, it was awesome. I used lots of fancy-pants words like empirical and Gaussian.
These days I mostly write about parenting and life. This blog showcases that best. But I’ve written some other cool things, too:
- I have an E-book, the Quick Guide to Canadian Maternity Leave.
- I write web copy, blog posts and a monthly newsletter for the local arts society ArtsConnect.
- I write web copy, blog posts and newsletters for the Western Station Committee.
- I write for The V3H, covering news and events in and around Port Moody, BC.
- I contribute to the parenting blog API Speaks.
- I contribute to the parenting blog 5 Minutes for Mom.
- I contribute to the sustainable living blog 5 Minutes for Going Green.
I speak.
I love speaking. I’m in my element when I have a captive audience. I would speak even without people listening, if I weren’t afraid that someone would overhear me.
I’ve spoken to many groups of all sizes about breastfeeding. If you’ve never breastfed you might be surprised that there’s much to talk about, so you’ll have to take my word for it. I also speak on maternity leave and blogging, which are particular passions of mine. A few of my speaking engagements:
- June 2010: I was on the panel at Harnessing the Power of Digital Mums in Vancouver, BC
- May 2010: I spoke on the mommyblogging panel at Northern Voice in Vancouver, BC
- April 2010: I spoke about maternity leave at the Bellies to Babies Celebration in Vancouver, BC.
- March 2010: I led a workshop on maternity leave at local maternity boutique Tiny Fingers Tiny Toes.
- May 2009: I spoke about breastfeeding at a large mom and baby group in Port Moody, BC.
I network.
I use Twitter and Facebook in addition to blogging. I believe in the power of the internet to bring people together and build communities, erasing barriers of geography and culture.
In order to build real community we must use social media well. Follower counts and blog subscribers don’t mean anything if we don’t really engage. I work to make honest connections, because that’s how everyone wins.
If you like what I’m doing, and believe we are a good fit, I would love to talk about how we can work together. Drop me a line and we’ll chat.
I have buzz.
I love giving interviews and being referenced. I know a lot about blogging, social media, maternity leave, breastfeeding and parenting. Some of my media coverage:
- Wet Coast Women: Women of the Wet Coast Up Close and Personal #5
- Cascadia Kids: Families Travel! Amber goes to Parksville BC
- Enterprise Magazine: Parental Leave 101 (May 2010, page 36)
- The Globe and Mail: Photo filchers fuel Facebook fears
- The Globe and Mail: Parent PTSD: When Junior’s OK, but mom and dad are hurting
- Canwest News Service: Health Canada slow to act on lead-filled children’s jewelry
- No Time for Flash Cards: Sunday Spotlight
- Urban Baby and Toddler: When new moms return to work sooner than expected (Winter 2009/2010, page 19)
- The Vancouver Sun: Reduce the risks of putting kids’ photos online (November 13, 2009, page A6)
- The Tyee: Mat Leave for the Self-Employed
- yoyobelly: By Your Leave
- The Mother of all Parenting Blogs: The Quick Guide to Canadian Maternity Leave — and the Mom Who Wrote It
I wrestle with technology.
I have been designing and maintaining websites since 2003. Plus I’m an engineer. I’m good with computers. Highlights of my technical-type experience:
- I write and manage Strocel.com, which is a self-hosted WordPress site. I’ve used CSS and HTML to customize formatting and add site content and features.
- I write and manage a Joomla-based website for ArtsConnect.
- I create formatted email newsletters for multiple sites, using Constant Contact, AWeber and Mad Mimi.
- I created the PoCo Murals WordPress website.
- I created the WesternS tation Committee WordPress website.
- I have ten years experience programming in C as an engineer. I know my way around a while loop, yo.































