Mattress Vancouver

Attention Foreign Students Studying in Vancouver.

Before you move into a furnished home there are three things you should consider about the mattress you will be sleeping on for the next three to twelve months:

1. Its Condition – What is the age of the mattress? Are the springs in good condition? Does the mattress have a disturbing odour? When you remove the sheets, are there stains covering the surface?

2. Mattress Size – When you lie down on the bed, are your feet sticking out over the end? Is there enough room to stretch out? Is the bed an appropriate size for the room it’s in?

3. Bed Bugs – Is the mattress currently in a building that is on record with the Vancouver Bed Bug Registry? Did the mattress come from another location that may have had a bed bug issue? Is their evidence of bed bugs along the seams of the mattress?

If any of these questions cause you concern, discuss them with your landlord, home-stay parent or placement supervisor. If you need to buy a new bed, a Simmons Mattress Gallery professional can help recommend the perfect mattress for your Canadian lodging.

Your time abroad should be spent in comfortable setting. Consider a new mattress.

Vancouver Language School

The recent discovery of bed bugs in a Vancouver library book has embarrassed the city’s lending service and reopened the inquiry into how prolific the bed bug problem is in our city.

The bugs were found in a book borrowed from the Mount Pleasant Library.

Since the incident, the library has done a thorough search of their stacks. Their work has turned up no evidence of further infestation. It may have only been the one book, stored near an infected mattress or couch that acted as a temporary home for the critters – unlucky for the library.

The fact that the bugs were found in an item other than furniture or clothing illustrates how prolific the problem is in our city. Bed bugs are everywhere, but those infected are keeping their mouths zipped.

Unlike a public library, homeowners can silently try to deal with bed bug issues without the prying eye of the public. Victims call a pest control service, they move to a hotel for a few days or go on a ‘vacation’, they buy all new mattresses and when they get back, the Taylors will ‘still’ be sending little Jenny over for play dates. A convenient solution with little-to-no public humiliation.

Until there is a strategy to wipeout the bugs for good, private pest control will be the public’s best option.

Bug Problems

Christmas crafts sales are a one-stop shopping centre for all those people on your list that need something simple but festive. From ornaments, to wreathes, to salt and sweet treats, you’ll find everything under the broad blanket of Christmas crafts.

This weekend hosts a number of Christmas craft fairs around the city. Simmons Mattress Gallery suggests the following sales:

Friday, November 25th

-9th Annual Chilliwack Christmas Craft Crawl

Various times and locations in Chilliwack

-North Delta Potter’s Guild Christmas Pottery Sale

Artspace Studio (11425 84th Avenue)

-Richmond Potter’s Club Christmas Sale

Richmond Cultural Centre (7700 Minoru Place)

Saturday, November 26th

-Dunbar Community Centre’s Annual Craft Fair

10am – 5pm (4747 Dunbar Street)

-Renfrew Community Centre’s Craft Fair

10am – 3pm (Eastt 22nd and Renfrew)

-Strathcona Community Centre’s Winter Craft Fair

601 Keefer Street, Vancouver

-Urban Artists’ Craft Fair

10am – 5pm Roundhouse Community Centre

-Woodside Gallery Christmas Arts and Craft Show

10am – 5pm (2226 Lougheed Highway)

Homemade Christmas Gifts

It helps to have connected friends, especially friends who speak your language. Anthea Poon, Vancouver’s Top Multi-Lingual Realtor, is a valued friend of Simmons Mattress Gallery. We recommend her work for any potential buyer or seller actively looking for a Vancouver realtor – especially if they speak Mandarin or Cantonese.

Anthea’s main focus of work is Vancouver’s West End, but she also services the Greater Vancouver area. She has built her own West End database for potential buyers. This is a invaluable resource for potential condo owners.

You may recognize her face from her prominent bus advertisements that have been circling the city. With a B.A. in marketing, Anthea knows how to get your listing in front of the eyes of potential buyers.

Selling or buying a home can be the most important decision you make. Let Anthea aid the process.

To enlist the service of her real estate team, call or email her company. She will gladly reply in English, Mandarin, Cantonese or French. That’s the benefit of talented friends.

Warning: A deadly virus is finding its way into homes across Vancouver. Families are being warned to educate their loved ones before the viral outbreak reaches epidemic levels.

The symptoms are tired springs, midnight sag and motion distrubance. These three manifestations have caused many citizens to lose a full night’s rest. Sufferers may appear bag-eyed, lethargic and irritable. Any person displaying these signs should not be approached.

The outbreak is thought to be contagious, with many homes having two or more affected beds.

Luckily, Simmons Mattress Gallery has found a cure.

The Beautyrest mattress line can rejuvenate the energy depleted by the infected beds. With the purchase of a Beautyrest mattress, sufferers can return to their regular sleeping schedules overnight.  Patented non-flip pocket coils will support the weight of the inflicted patient, offering a comfortable layer of cushion. The coils’ individual nature limits motion transfer between sleeping partners. Beautyrest’s quality design will prevent sagging over time, keeping the virus at pay.

Prescriptions can be filled at the Simmons Mattress Gallery on Broadway in Vancouver and on Schoolhouse Road in Coquitlam.

The Virus Is Not Yet Airborne. No Need For Radiation Suits.

Old beds should be discarded immediatley. Simmons Mattress Gallery suggests using one of Vancouver’s four mattress-recycling companies. 

Simmons Mattress Gallery is not usually a forum for gossip speculation, but the recent split of newlyweds Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries has us a little concerned.

The marriage lasted a total of 72 days. They didn’t even complete a financial quarter. Imagine what all the guests who attended that wedding are feeling. I bet a few of them are wishing they didn’t spend so much on their gift.

But the real question is: Why are so many celebrity couples calling it quits?

Is it the pressures of being in the spotlight? The legions of fans who bolster their egos? Is it that they were never in love to begin with? Are all these marriages simply grandiose publicity stunts?

No. Most probably started with love, but somewhere along the way, the fire died.

Sleeping apart from your partner can have that effect. We firmly believe the couple that sleeps together, stays together. Often celebrity couples are forced apart by the demands of their jobs. Without a permanent mattress to share, the individuals start to feel less like a union and more like two private enterprises.

Thankfully, most couples that buy our mattresses are able to enjoy the comfort they offer together. With non-flip pocket coils, designed to eliminate motion transfer, both partners can rise in the morning refreshed from an undisturbed sleep. When both parties in a relationship are rested, there is less chance of minor issues blowing up into major ones. There is also more energy for the other endeavors that mattresses provide.

Don’t model your life on the fleeting bond of two distant stars. Stay grounded on a mattress that supports the weight of a committed relationship.

Kim Kardashian

Let’s take a look back at the beds that defined you:

The Wooden Prison – Your crib provided you with a confined space to for those short periods of sleep between epic crying bouts. The upside: you never had to get up to go to the washroom in the middle of the night. The downside: lack of freedom.

The Layer Cake – All of your friends were envious of your bunk bed, but sharing a bedroom with your older brother quickly lost its novelty. You dreamed of the top bunk, but sadly were forced to settle for the lower class bottom bunk for eight long years.

Puberty Plank – Pimples, emerging hair and voice crackles were manageable, but your Grade Ten growth spurt put your feet off the end of your twin mattress; it left you with 3/4’s of a comfortable night’s rest.

College Daze – If your dorm room mattresses could speak, we’re sure it would utter something along the lines of Kurtz’s final words; “The horror….the horror.”

Young Professional - Independent enough to buy your first bed – too poor to shop anywhere but IKEA.

Marriage Bed – She insisted on going to a proper mattress store. Together, you picked out a Beautyrest. Everything up to that point was…history.

Bunk Beds: Family Caste System

Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is an area of the city that many of us choose to avoid. The poverty level scares us, the open drug market makes us nervous and the prostitution reminds us of the dangerous hold of addiction. So we divert our travel routes, choose alternative venues and leave the issues for the community to deal with on their own. It’s a coping mechanism that most of us subscribe to.

One thing we can’t forget, even if we choose to turn our backs, is that the DES is full of people. People who have a past, present and future. People who value the community they live in. People who are artistic, creative and passionate.

As a part of Vancouver’s 125th Anniversary Celebration, the DES community will be celebrating the ‘Heart of the City Festival.’ The festival will showcase the talents of many of the area’s current citizens, as well as document some of the rich stories from the neighbourhood’s past.

Events are running all week. For more details check the festival website:

http://www.heartofthecityfestival.com/

Looking for a family scare this weekend? Check out the Dunbar Haunted House, which ironically, is no longer located in Dunbar.

The annual scare factory has moved locations, due to the increased volume of visitors that the house has received over the past seven years. The new location is 8934 Shaughnessy St., near the Marine and Cambie Canada Line station.

The house has now become a community project, taking almost four months to create.

With props, live actors, dramatic settings and an animated soundtrack, the walking tour is a theatrical buffet of scaredom.

This year’s theme is “Barbaric British Columbia.” The word from the crypt is the house will showcase a number of iconic images from BC history and culture – possible frights include the undead crew of the S.S. Beaver, the resurrection of Bill Vander Zalm’s Fantasy Garden and the impenetrable Tim Thomas.

The haunted house opened for business on Oct 14th and will close its doors at midnight on Halloween.

Entry costs $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12. All proceeds are distributed between the B.C. Fire Fighter’s Burn Fund, the Christmas Bureau and the Vancouver Police Union Charity Foundation.

For younger visitors, the house offers a reduced rate, performerless walk through on Saturdays and Sundays, between 11am and 7pm. At 7pm, the actors take their place to offer the true, spine-tingling spectacle.

We’ll see you there… if you dare.

Spooky Family Fun

In the spirit of the Writers and Readers Festival, here is a short ode on a subject dear to the heart of Simmons Mattress Gallery:

Ode to a mattress

Where would we be, without our coiled invention,

Damp on a straw mat, constricted with tension?

Some might give credit, to the mighty steam engine,

But the steam locomotive, is a hot-aired distraction.

Some might say soap, brought us new sanitation,

But it also helped Tyler, fund the club we won’t mention.

Some might praise books, and the print of a German,

But one needs a bed, to relax and read fiction.

No, praise the mattress, don’t fall for deception,

You deserve the best, a Simmons sensation.

Our rhyme scheme might stray, but our love for the mattress is unwavering. Come visit one of our two locations in the Lower Mainland to sample the large selection of Simmons mattresses on hand.

Language is a toolbox from which we borrow implements to cut, shape and model our thoughts. From Facebook posts, to journal entries, to private poems, our soul is portrayed through the words we connect together.

This month, writers and readers from around the province will have a chance to celebrate the expressive power of writing. The 24th Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival will be held on Granville Island from Tuesday, October 18th to Sunday, October 23rd. It begins with an interactive session with the children’s author, Paulette Bourgeois. Bourgeois is the creator of the ‘Franklin’ series that adults and their children have enjoyed since 1986. The discussion is aimed at young readers. Primary teachers and encouraged to bring their classes down for this midmorning discussion.

The final event of the festival is the Governor General’s Award Party, where four previous recipients of Canada’s highest literary achievement will discuss the award and it’s social merit.  The four writers, Nino Ricci, John Pass, Joan MacLeod and John Vaillant, will each read a short passage from their decorated work.

In between these bookends, will be a number of author seminars, publishing and writing workshops, poetry slams and literary debates.

The Vancouver festival will also host a short story and poetry contest for emerging writers. Deadline for submissions is October 23rd.

For more details on the contest and the festival events, visit http://www.writersfest.bc.ca.

Share Your Words

But words are things, and a small drop of ink, falling like dew upon a thought, produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think. -Lord Byron

The new moon has a special significance in October (and no, it has nothing to do with Vampires). It marks the date of the cultural festival known as Diwali. Observed by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, Diwali is a fall festival that celebrates ‘good over evil.’

In traditional celebrations, the triumph of good is portrayed through the lightening of lamps and candles.

The new moon is the darkest day of the month. In a natural setting, void of electrical lights, the candles represent a defeat of the darkness that exists during the absence of the moon.

Like Thanksgiving, Diwali is traditionally a family occasion, with activities organized around the family unit.  But it is also celebrated with community events and decorations.

The slogan for Vancouver’s publicly organized Diwali celebrations is “Light your Spirit.” There are five major events put on by Vancouver Celebrates Diwali. They run from October 15th to the 23rd. Here is a brief summary of the planned festivities:

October 16

“Dance All Sorts Diwali Style” (2:00 pm)

-The festival will begin with a performance by Bageshree Vaze, a contemporary kathak dancer, who will preform at the Roundhouse Theatre in Yaletown. Tickets at the door.

October 18

“Diwali Bright Lights” (4:30 pm)

-This night is dedicated to emerging South Asian artists in the Vancouver community. It will include classical Indian music and a variety of dance groups, including the ever-popular Bollywood style. The event will take place at the Heritage Hall on Main Street. This is a free event.

“Chai House on Main Street”

-This is an upscaled version of the earlier event. The headline performer will be Grammy winner Chin Injeti. Tickets are $10.

October 23

“Diwali Downtown” (12:00 pm)

This is a family event to close out the public festival. It runs from noon till 6:00 pm at the Roundhouse in Yaletown. There will be a variety of musical acts, dance teams, craft workshops and traditional Indian food. Tickets for this final event are by donation.

Festival of Lights

How often do you wake up minutes before your alarm goes off?

With the right sleep conditions, our bodies naturally wake up at a similar hour each day. If you are sleeping on a Simmons Beautyrest, this event is probably a common occurrence.

Until recently, scientists had trouble determining the cause of this natural phenomenon. The scientific community was roughly aware of the mechanism that prepared us for sleep, but little was known about the way we wake-up.

Now researchers at the Salt Lake Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla California have located the gene that triggers our body to wake-up at a given time.

Researcher, Satchidananda Panda, claims, “the body is essentially a collection of clocks.” These clocks subconsciously trigger our brain and other organs to carry out involuntary actions. Our body’s natural drop in temperature before we fall asleep is one example.

With the ‘wake-up’ gene located, sleep scientists can now expand their study of sleep disorders. There is also hope that the discovery can aid research into chronic illness and aging.

Summer is winding to a close and fall is starting to show on the leaves. This is great news for corn lovers in B.C. as the fields are filled with this year’s crop. It’s also the time of year when farmers with an entrepreneurial artistic side, can turn their land from simple fields of corn into complex harvest labyrinths.

One of the largest mazes in the Pacific Northwest is located in Pitt Meadows. Appropriately titled the ‘Meadow Maze,’ this year’s design boasts 6.3 kms of pathways. The theme is the Vancouver Zoo. Previous themes include: the PNE, the Golden Ears Bridge and ‘eat local.’

The corn maze design begins on a computer, where a designer creates an image and then maps out the pathways. The maze is then cut when the corn is a foot high using a tractor with GPS compatibility. Before the cut, there are nearly 1 million plants in the field.

Visitors to the maze are encouraged to bring water and a hat. The Pitt Meadows location occasionally closes when the temperature is too high. The average walker takes about 1 1/2 hours to complete the maze. The fastest time for this years design is 35 minutes.

The Meadow Maze also boasts a full concession and market area, plus a petting zoo and hay rides.

Pitt Meadows Maze

*From Experience: Do not watch “Children of the Corn” before a trip to the Pitt Meadows maze.

Vancouver is blessed to have so many diverse ethnicities infused into its kaleidoscope culture. Celebrating specific regions of origin helps Vancouverites appreciate the richness of our multicultural society.

This weekend, the city is proud to host Taiwanfest. With a variety of events planned around the city, Taiwanfest hopes to offer a sampling of the entertainment, food and art from the island of Taiwan and Mainland China.

Free musical performances will be held all weekend around the Vancouver Art Gallery. One of the anticipated highlights of the Labour Day weekend will be the Musou Girls. Starting at 8pm on Saturday, the Musou girls will play a mix of modern and traditional Chinese instruments. The music is composed by the founder of the group, Mr. Xue Xuan Liu.

For a deeper look into the Taiwanese culture, checkout the four documentaries that will be showing around town. Simmons Mattress Gallery suggests “Faces of Taiwan.” This film is made up of five mini docs that focus on overcoming adversity.

On the edible menu will be Vancouver’s first street banquet. This event is being sponsored by the city as part of Vancouver’s 125th celebrations.

Taiwanese ceramics will be on display at the Roundhouse theatre from September 3rd to the 10th.

Enjoy the festivities!

For a more detailed schedule of events click here.

Vancouver is a haven for public art. From “The Birds” at the Olympic Plaza in the Athletes Village complex, to the “A-maze-ing Laughter” men at English Bay, to the “Equestrian Monument” at the Yaletown Roundhouse Skytrain Station, art surrounds us.

Now BC Hydro is adding its own touch to the public art scene in our city. Hydro boxes are now being decorated with vegetation scenes, children’s art work and graphic design pieces. ‘Function’ is giving ‘design’ an opportunity to paint on its metal canvas.

Instead of random tags and garish graffiti, the boxes now display images that are more reflective of the community they are located in.

Often commissioned, public art is a way for large corporations and city planners to probe the imagination of commuters, homeowners and travelers. The installations encourage an interaction between the observer and the artist. They make us value our streets.

So lift your head from your smart phone browsing and take in the installations that pepper our city streets. They may inspire a response that could change your day.

The Pacific National Exhibition is back to close out summer with a bang. The fun started Saturday and continues until Monday, September 5th.

Poke around the agricultural exhibits, take in the hilarious and amazing antics of the Superdogs and watch the night sky light up with Pop City’s nightly pyro celebration. With tons of activities for families during the day, including family theatre, the nights belong to the musicians. The Summer Night Concerts series will host a different performer every night until the final show on Labour Day. This year’s big draw is Kenny Rogers on Monday, August 29th, the Annual Evening with Elvis on the 31st, hosted by the immortal Red Robinson and the “Pretty Woman” soundtrack makers, Wilson Phillips, on September 1st.

General admission is $20, but all children under 13 are free. VanCity (the bank) is also offering $5 admission for there customers on Wednesday, August 24th. Another way to save on admission costs is to come on August 27th. If you are the holder of a Whitecaps ticket, you will receive free entry into the fairgrounds.

For more information on the Pacific National Exhibition, visit their website or check out their smart phone daily schedule.

SUPERDOGS!

You wouldn’t think the airport would be a weekend destination spot, but YVR has other plans. This summer, experience ‘Take-Off Fridays’ at the Vancouver International Airport for games, family events a live DJ and multicultural mingling.

The final Friday event is August 27th. The fun starts around eight in the morning and wraps up around four at night. The festivities are spread out over both the domestic and international terminals.

Activities include face painting, dancing, food specials and the ‘money machine.’ The latter offers each contestant a chance to grab as many YVR bucks as they can. The catch: you need to grab them while standing in a closed wind cylinder. Each ‘buck’ you grab can be used towards purchasing items at stores around the airport.

The backdrop to this event are the finely carved and crafted First Nation artifacts that routinely offer travelers a glimpse at the beautiful history of the first West Coast peoples.

Come and enjoy the richness of YVR with the whole family. Your kids will love it and you will be reminded of how lucky we are to have such an amazing airport to welcome and bid farewell to travelers from all over the world.

Zimbabwe is a country with deep political problems. It’s economy has been suffering for more than a decade and personal freedoms have been being steadily reduced as its president for the last twenty years, Robert Mugabe, struggles to retain control. It is far from a safe region to visit.

This is a tragedy for art lovers around the world, as Zimbabwe is home to Africa’s finest stone sculptors. The word Zimbabwe actually means, ‘Great House of Stone’ in the Shona language.

Fortunately, many of the stone pieces being produced in the country are now part of a traveling exhibition that will be visiting Vancouver for the next month. The works are being shown at the VanDusen gardens. It is the only Canadian stop on the world tour.

The pieces are strategically displayed around the gardens amongst the beautiful flora that Vancouverites have come to love.

Two of the artists behind the works, Passmore Mupindiko and Patrick Sephani, are giving daily lessons on stone art. The two artists are currently traveling with the stones and the exhibitions two curators, Vivienne and Joseph Croissette.

There is no extra cost to see the sculptures or to attend the daily stone workshops.

Zimsculpt

Acute illness is usually connected with the winter months, when our bodies react to the change in temperature. The common cold usually strikes us somewhere between the months of October and early December, when our immune system is weakened due to the seasonal climate change.

But the summer months can be just as deadly on our immune system. During summer, we often treat our bodies with less care. We indulge in greasy food, we neglect the gym and we also sleep less. Reducing our sleeping hours is the major cause of summer immune deficiency.

The temptation to sleep less is high in July and August because of our activity loaded days and nights. A fireworks show, two barbecues, a staff party and a wedding can run a hefty sleep debt. It is important to make time, even when the weather is nice, for a few early nights.

A consistent eight hours of sleep can keep our bodies running at maximum capacity. This may mean going home a little early from the party or declining the odd invitation for dinner, but it could also mean not getting sick.

Do your body a favour and make time for sleep this summer.

Summer Sickness? Get More Sleep!

A new baby can turn your sleeping schedule upside down. Finding ways to help your infant fall asleep at times that are suitable for you is a challenge. New research is showing that one of the best aids you can use is soothing noise. This calms the baby and encourages sleep.

The makers of baby related products have reacted to this research and have started producing high-end white noise machines. These little items might make great shower gifts, but for those mothers who don’t receive one, the cost can be a little excessive. Babies are an expensive enterprise and finding ways to cut down on costs is a necessity for new parents.

Good news! A new app for your android phone called Relax and Sleep Plus can play soothing sounds through the speaker in your phone for a fraction of what it would cost to buy a white noise machine. The app costs $2 and is available at the Android Marketplace.

The app lets you set how long you want the ambient noise to run. It also has a number of various sounds to choose from. You can mix them together, or have them play one after another. Examples of available sounds are: acoustic guitar, aquarium sounds, ocean and rainforest. There are also animal noises such as frogs and birds. The most bizarre option is the sound of wolves howling, for those Farley Mowat fans.

Consumer guides suggest setting the volume at a low level and keeping the phone well away from the sleeping infants head; the debate on cell phones and stimulating brain cancer is ongoing.

Another tip is to set your phone on airplane mode. You don’t want your infant interrupted by one of your friends calling or texting.

Unfortunately for iPhone users, this app is not currently available on Apple products. We’re sure they will make something similar in the coming months.

Down for at Least a Few Hours

British Columbia issued license plates for the Olympic year with the slogan, “Best Place on Earth.” Many Easterners saw this as another west coast hyperbole that proved the level of our conceitedness.

But for those of us who call BC home, the phrase holds more truth than the sharp-tongued retorts of the critics.

BC is one of the most diverse provinces in the country. It has the mildest winter weather and the least humid summers. It is is home to the country’s most beautiful city, Vancouver, and It is also the proud parent of the Vancouver Canucks, the only Canadian team to get past the opening round of the 2011 NHL playoffs.

Our province has some of the lushest parks in the country, the most epic skiing conditions and one of the only stretches of shoreline worth surfing in Canada.

We showed the world we could host a party in 1986 and we did it again in 2010.  The BC acronym is synonymous with a higher level of living that folks from all over the world recognize.

Part of that living experience is the proximity to the most elite mattress store in the country, Simmons Mattress Gallery. The BC mattress store, offers the top Simmons Beautyrest beds at prices that are worth the drive from St. Johns.

If you’ve never slept on a Simmons, you’ve never experienced the west coast. Come see why this truly is the best place on earth. We’ll be waiting with a mattress, two free pillows and some of the BC’s finest (mattress professionals).

After the initial party on April 6th, Vancouver is planning a summer festival in Stanley Park to continue our city’s 125th birthday celebration. ‘Summer Live’ will take place over three days – July 8, 9, 10.  The festival will showcase a number of artists, including an impressive line-up of local musicians.

The music will be the big draw of the weekend, with The New Pornographers, Said the Whale and Mother Mother sharing a stage. Local singer songwriter, Dan Mangan, will also play, along with the collective sound of Vancouver’s Symphony Orchestra.

Admission is free and the organizers promise that the event will be family friendly.

Party in the Park

The city chose Stanley Park as the site of the festival because of its beautiful setting, picnic capacity and its history with Vancouver’s city council.

Fact: The area of land now known as Stanley Park was delegated park space at the first Vancouver city council meeting in 1886.

There will also be a sports day like atmosphere, with hilarious relay races.

So don’t plan any getaways during the second weekend in July. You’ll want to stay home and enjoy this one with the rest of your fellow Vancouverites.

How much money do you spend at the pharmacy each month on products designed to improve your looks? Close to a hundred dollars probably. You need to buy shampoo, bodywash, facial scrubs, toothpaste and beauty products – it all adds up. What about for your interior organs? You probably buy at least one multi-vitamin and maybe one package of stomach relief.

Did you know that a good night’s rest could change your daily complexion and help you fight off illness?

Your gym membership costs more than half your pharmacy bill and you still have to put in the work.

An undisturbed rest is free on a Beautyrest.

Those Sudoku puzzles you do to keep your brain active are rather time consuming. The first four were fun, but numbers really aren’t that interesting.

Eight hours of sleep is the perfect amount of rest needed to maintain your mental potential throughout the working day.

Seems like you could save a lot of time, money and stress by upgrading your mattress set. A Simmons may not freshen your breath, but it will do wonders for your health. Try one today at Vancouver’s mattress store, Simmons Mattress Gallery.

Sleep First

This Wednesday, April 6th, marks the official start to Vancouver’s 125th Birthday celebration. There will be an all-day event at Jack Poole Plaza, the site of the Olympic Cauldron. The festivities will begin at 2pm and continue until 10pm.

The opening event will be a drop-in street hockey tournament. This will be followed by an organized youth tournament featuring teams from Thunderbird, Sunset, West End, Britannia, Riley Park and Killarney communities.

From 6:00 to 7:00 will be the Official Ceremonies, with a giant birthday cake and speeches by Mayor Gregor and other dignitaries.

The big draw will be a performance by Vancouver’s own classic rockers, 54-40. They will hit the stage around 8:45 and will play until 10:00. During the performance, the plaza will become the backdrop for a video and light installation titled Time Drifts, by Berlin-based artist Phillipp Geist.

In the spirit of our ever-loving cycling mayor, there will be a bicycle valet option for those of you choosing the two-wheeled commute.

Gregor has also promised to unveil other events as the year progresses.

The Olympics were just the beginning Vancouver! Let’s celebrate who we are and where we came from!

Blow Out The Candles

You grew up with little, but you dreamt of a better existence where money was not a concern, just a commodity that trickled in as a result of your hard work. You paid for school on your own, worked harder than your classmates and graduated at the top of your class. You spent years as an associate and finally earned a partnership.

The house you live in is bought and paid for, your children are almost through school and retirement is edging closer.

Question: Why are you still sleeping on a queen size mattress?

You have proved your royal worth over and over. You are the benevolent ruler who leads your household. You have an army of staff below you at work. You have succeeded in climbing to the very top of your profession.

It’s time to spread out and enjoy your nights on a king size bed. If anyone has earned the space and comfort that a king size mattress provides, it is you. Treat yourself at Simmons Mattress Gallery and buy a new bed for you and your Queen to spend your nights.

Congratulations. You deserve it.

Bedroom Royalty

What’s the hottest team in Vancouver right now? Ok, the Whitecaps have won one game and yes it was impressive, but the hottest team is definitely the Vancouver Canucks.

With a 105 points, our boys are leading the league in points. THE LEAGUE!!! And who’s guiding that ship? Our very own Swedish twins, Henrik and Daniel.

The twins are hotter than a Cajun cookout. Henrik, last years Hart and Art Ross trophy winner, is leading the league in assists by a hefty margin. Our captain is also third in the NHL in points. Daniel is the league’s top offensive producer with 95 points. He is also second in goals behind Steven Stamkos. Never have two brothers dominated the league in such a manner. Thank god they play for us.

But with all the talk centering on Henrik and Daniel, we here at Simmons think another set of twins should get their fair share of time in the spotlight. Can you guess what we’re going to say next? Yes, exactly, twin mattresses. Twins are perfect for small college dorm rooms, spare rooms and couples that may need separate beds to receive a full nights rest. Spatially, they are amazing. Comfort wise, they offer the patented Beautyrest, non-flip pocket coils, that make every Simmons mattress a dream to sleep on. They also come at a considerably lower price than a king or a queen size mattress.

They may not originate in Sweden, but a Simmons twin is just as remarkable. When the playoffs start in April, rest up for the big games on your own twin. Head into a Simmons Mattress Gallery location to pick up your twin today.

Tack Tack!

Twin Love

Dreams. They come to us at night while we sleep soundly. They float into our minds while we spend the day doing simple tasks. They infect our soul and force us to face the question: “What if?”

What if we went back to school for three years and improved our education?

What if we took a year off and moved our family to Chile for the experience?

What if we had only one day to live?

What if our family was increased by one?

What if we chased our artistic dream?

But for many, these questions, brought on by dreams, are stifled with the so-called ‘realistic advice’ of friends or family members. This is discouraging.

Dreams come to us because we know there is a better way to live, to enjoy each day, to find employment and to act on our passions. Don’t be discouraged by others. And never settle for average.

John Maxwell, a leadership author, claims, “being exceptional demands extra effort, sustained inspiration and uncommon discipline.” Fulfilling our dreams is never easy. So be prepared to fight for them. Your soul will thank you.

John Maxwell: Leadership Speaker

The Westender Magazine has just published its annual Best of the City reader’s choice awards. From dining, to shopping, to health and fitness, the results are in and some of them are a little surprising.

In the people section, Mayor Gregor Robertson seems to be in every category. He’s third in the Most Wonderful Vancouverite category behind David Suzuki and our timeless captain Trevor Linden. He’s first in the Most Trustworthy Politician, in front of Spencer Chandra Herbert and ‘None’. But Robertson is also second in Most Spectacular Failure and second again in Biggest Windbag. Conflicting messages from the voters…

The city’s new bike lanes also seemed to be a dividing issue, with people either loving or hating them. The bike lanes won Best Use of Taxpayer’s Money and also came first in Worst Use of Taxpayer’s Money. The lanes also won Most Spectacular Failure, ahead of the wonderful HST.

Clear favourites in the foody section were Tojos for Chef and Japanese and surprisingly, the White Spot, which showed up on a number of the categories for casual fare.

We were a little surprised that Mattress Store was left off the list. We know it’s not nice to brag, but we’re pretty sure Simmons Mattress Gallery would have received top honours. 

In keeping with the ‘Best in Vancouver’ theme, Simmons Mattress Gallery would like to mention a few categories that we thought were left off the list:

Best Summer Beach: Third Beach in Stanley Park

Best Winter Date: Robson Street Plaza Ice Rink (three dollars for skates and ice)

Best Late-Night Character on Granville Street: Spoonman

Best Late-Night Fast Food: Donair Dude on Davie

Best Balloon Tricks: Arty the Jester at Stanley Park

Best Outdoor Art Installment: The ‘White Man’ at Sunset Beach / East Van sign

Best Crosstown Bike Lane: Tenth Avenue (runs level from West to East Van)

Best Bike Rental: Spokes Bicycle Rentals / English Bay Bike Rentals

Best Summer Event: The Fireworks / Outdoor Cinema

English Bay Crowds

Best Local Band Done Good: The New Pornographers

Best Elevated View of the City: Puget Drive

Best Place to Spot a Hipster: Rickshaw Theatre / Foundation

Best Dog Friendly Beach: Spanish Banks, at the bottom of the Marine Drive hill

Best Place To Find A Good Night’s Rest: Simmons Mattress Gallery

If you have any comments for our list, or know of any categories we may have missed, please share your musings as a comment below.

Tossing and turning with a basketball glued to your stomach is a difficult task!

Simmons Mattress Gallery would like to make your pregnancy more comfortable. A quality spring mattress with a memory foam top is just the thing for finding the ideal sleeping conditions during your nine months of growth.

A Simmons non-flip pocket coil mattress will keep you properly supported through the entire night. With individual springs, your mattress will respond to your movements with soft fingers of compression. The coils will reduce motion transfer, so your partner can sleep through the night as well.

For an extra layer of comfort on top of your springs, take the memory foam option. Nothing moulds to your changing figure quite like memory foam.

You may find that you will require additional firmness at points during your pregnancy. Just remove the foam top and store it carefully in an elevated area of your closet.

One thing you definitely don’t want to invest in is a waterbed. Though the idea of floating while sleeping may seem intriguing, waterbeds do not supply nearly enough support for pregnant women. They can also be dangerously hard to get out or off of. Stay away from the 80’s fad and live in the present with the latest innovations from Simmons.

Sleep well ladies.

Sleep Through the Night

Get ready for round two.

The City of Vancouver has announced plans to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games this February.

The party will begin on the February 11th weekend. Free events are being planned that will take place at different locations around the city. Yaletown will have a nightly light display created by local artists, the Creekside Community Centre in the Athletes Village will be hosting a hockey sledge race and other Olympic activities for families, and Granville street will be closed between Smithe and Dunsmuir for the over 19 bar crowd.

The city will be announcing other events, closer to the date, at Vancouver.ca.

Some of the employees at Simmons Mattress Gallery are planning on reliving the magic of the Gold Medal Hockey Final by watching a taped copy of the game with a few friends. Remembering Crosby’s goal in overtime still brings shivers. The pride displayed that night by millions of Canadians was enough to warm the hearts of the most hardened separatists. That moment will never fade with time. It will always bind us as a nation; Canada’s Gold.

So pull out your red mittens, paint your face and share some memories of those two special weeks that we all shared together.

High Fives For Everyone!

Simmons Mattress Gallery has written more than one blog about the need to separate your working hours from your personal life. When there is no division between work and home, your working mind never gets a chance to rest. This affects your sleeping patterns, has the potential to damage family relations and needlessly increases your daily blood pressure.

We're sure his drool will do wonders for his keyboard.

You need a break. You need that separation.

Apparently, this message is lost on many of the political representatives from the country directly below us.

In a new study by the broadcast station CBS, a fifth of the newly elected members to the House of Representatives are spending their nights sleeping in their Washington D.C. offices. 19 of the 87 new Republicans and 2 of the 9 new Democrats have admitted to living in their place of work. Many of the representatives are from out of state and don’t see the need of spending an extra $20,000 renting an apartment in America’s capital. Instead, the politicians are choosing to spend their nights on cots, couches, air mattresses and rollaway beds.

Many of the polled representatives believe that by sleeping in their offices, they are showing their constituents that even though they are working in Washington, their home is in their elected State.

Seriously. Bite the bullet and rent a bachelor suite. These men and women are doing a disservice to the folk who elected them. By sacrificing a comfortable sleep on a proper bed set for a pullout couch, the Representatives are compromising their mental capabilities. Their symbolic stand comes at a cost far more valuable then the price of rent.

Don’t follow their lead. The office is for work hours only. If you work out of the home, make sure to make a physical separation between your work and sleeping space. Your body and your professional decision-making will be better off.

“Every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings.”

With holiday consumerism in full swing, it’s nice to have classic Christmas tales to remind us of what is truly important – family, friends and community spirit.

George Bailey may not have the perfect life, but what he does have is all the ingredients for a ‘Wonderful Life.’ With help from his guardian angel, Clarence, George realizes that even dashed dreams of travel and higher education are meaningless when compared with the shared experiences and support of the loved ones that populate our waking moments.

“It’s a Wonderful Life,” is all about love, loss, hope and the realization that everyone makes a difference.

This timeless holiday film is now being preformed as a theatrical production at the Arts Club Theatre. With snippets of Frank Capra’s original film seamlessly integrated, the production is not to be missed. Bob Frazer does an amazing job in the role of George, filling the boots of the immortal Jimmy Stewart.

Peter Birnie, of the Vancouver Sun gushes that the play “soars on angel wings of innovation.”

Don’t miss your chance to get tickets. The production ends on January 2nd.

So take the whole family down to Granville Island and enjoy a classic story that resonates with everyday emotional truths.

Now Playing At the Arts Club Theatre

The in-laws arrive on Thursday night.

They are flying in from across the country.

Simon and his fiancé are traveling from Calgary. Brenda, Scotty and the kids are coming in from Oshawa. Fran is making her way from Nova Scotia and Frank and Laura are flying out of Cranbrook.

It’ll be a packed house.

The turkey has been bought, you’ve planned dinners for both Christmas Eve and Boxing Day and the presents are wrapped. The only thing left to do is to figure out where everyone will sleep.

So in your usual fashion, you make a list.

Master Bedroom  – You and your husband.

2nd Bedroom (Jules’s) – Your two kids and Brenda and Scotty’s boys. They can squish. You have three extra foamies plus Jule’s bed.

3rd Bedroom (Mathew’s) – Simon and his finance. The bed’s small, but they’re in love. Well, newly in love, so you assume they still enjoy holding each other at night.

Office – Fran. It’s small as well, but there is a mattress in the garage that fits perfectly into the room. She’ll also be closer to the computer, which you’re sure she will appreciate.

Basement – Brenda and Scotty. They need a break from their little monsters and that’s the furthest spot away you could offer them.

Den – Laura and Frank, your husband’s parents.

But wait, you replaced the hide-a-bed last year with that new couch from the Brick. It doesn’t fold out! OMG! You can’t make them sleep on the floor…. Frank’s back is always bothering him. Plus, Laura would never forgive you. She’s still sour about the spaghetti incident from last summer.

What now?!??!

Don't Leave Your Loved Ones On The Floor

The quick solution: buy a spare mattress from Simmons Mattress Gallery. They’re open all week till six o’clock. You can make it to the Coquitlam location after work on Tuesday. You’ll have the mini-van and you can tie the mattress to the roof. Best of all, Laura can’t complain about the quality of a Simmons!

Excellent. Crisis averted. Stand down. Christmas is a go… for now.

Looking for holiday events for the whole family?

A great, relatively cheap, activity this holiday season is a Christmas light tour.

Once you finish dinner, pack the kids in the car, put on a CD of Christmas classics and drive through the city on a treasure hunt

Document your adventure with a digital camera.

Have a ballot sheet, where your kids can vote on the most creative, the most absurd, the most classic.

A great starting or ending point is the tree at English Bay. Park the car and take a walk underneath the strings of lights.

If you’re looking for a longer walk, take the family to the Vandusen Garden’s Festival of Lights. The light display will run from December 10th till January 2nd. The lights turn on at 4:30 and shut off at 9. The family rate, for two parents and their children is $29.75.

Time a factor?

Try going for a walk in your own neighbourhood. Check out all the displays and appreciate the effort that went into the many multicoloured mosaics of light.

Just remember to get home at reasonable time.

Wouldn’t want the young one’s to lose any sleep.

Happy hunting.

St. Paul's Hospital (Downtown Vancouver)

Christmas in the Interior

You left work at noon on the 24th. You arrived home to a house of screaming children and a half packed minivan. After three or four loads to the car you finally filled it – presents, coolers, snow gear, toboggan, booze: CHECK! Oh and the kids.

After more than six hours on the road, you arrived at Williams Lake. The kids sprinted into your parent’s house and your wife went to talk to your brother’s fiancé. That left you with the unpacking. Great.

Thirty minutes later, you walked into the living room and were ambushed by your sister’s twin girls. They had you on the floor in a matter of seconds and then all the other young ones piled on.

Around eleven you had your first taste of scotch. It numbed the pain, but instantly reminded your brain how tired you were.

That’s when you saw your father eying you from across the room.

He pointed outside and you knew you were in for another long talk about your underachieving brother.

An hour later with your ear still ringing, you were finally dismissed. You checked on the kids, set the presents out and then went back to the spare room that your parents had just redone.

After a quick clothes removal, you collapsed on the bed and were out in a matter of seconds.

Then you awoke. The clock said 2:30. You fell back asleep.

Then you woke again. The clock said 2:42. You struggled, but finally fell back asleep.

Then you woke again. The clock read 3:27.

You listened for a disturbance… Nothing.

“Why,” you asked yourself, “do I keep waking up when all I want to do is sleep?”

Just then your wife rolled over and the bed began to rock like a rowboat in two-foot swells.

“Is this for real?” you thought. Did the old man find this mattress in a dumpster.

An hour later, you contemplated the floor. Two hours later, when you heard the kids running for their stockings, you had hardly slept a wink.

Getting dressed, all you could think of was the gift you would be getting your parents next Christmas: a new mattress – a Beautyrest, like your one at home.

Fact: St. Nick enjoys his pancakes.

You always knew the ‘man in the red suit’ loved his cookies and milk and the odd sip of bourbon, but do you also know that Santa is a huge fan of the flapjack?

Breakfast with Santa, since its inception at the old Eatons building, has been a tradition in Vancouver for years. This year Santa will be making a pre-Christmas visit to sample breakfast wares at four different locations around the city:

1. The largest and most established event will be held at the Vancouver Convention Center. There will be a exquisite buffet offering, live entertainment and of course a visit from the jolly one himself. There are two dates planned for this event: December 18th and 19th.

2. For a more scenic meeting place, Grouse Mountain will be hosting a meet-and-greet in the Lupins Café at the top of the gondola. Buffet brunch will be provided, along with children’s entertainment. This event will run daily from December 15th to the 24th.

3. For a more community feel, both Douglas Park and West Point Grey Community Centre will be hosting Santa on the 11th of December. Crafts will be on display for purchase.

Have your child bring their wish list down and their appetite.

The Christmas Season is here; Starbucks is offering their eggnog Latte, the stores downtown are staying open longer and the Christmas train is set to leave the station this Friday in Stanley Park.

Always a Vancouver favourite, the annual train ride is a holiday classic.

Titled ‘Bright Lights in Stanley Park,’ the train runs through the Stanley Park forest, which is lit by thousands of coloured lights.

It passes through different theme areas that are synched to the music being played from small speakers on the train itself.

There are interactive elements for the kids as well, with a costumed Gingerbread Man and a petting zoo.

The park employs student volunteers to act as festival ambassadors for the event. They are aided by the regular park staff and the other volunteers who help make Bright Lights one of the most spectacular lightening displays in all of Canada.

Tickets are $9.00 for adults and $6.00 for youths. They can be purchased online through Ticketmaster for any night as long as it is one day prior to the date you wish to ride. For day of tickets, you will need to head down to the park as early as possible, as most rides sellout hours before.

Make sure to bring a non-perishable item for the food bank and a small monetary donation for the Vancouver Firefighters Burn Fund.

Bright Nights in Stanley Park

Simmons Mattress Gallery has been sharing blog entries with our readers for over a year now. We have written on a variety of topics ranging from our showroom mattresses, to events around town, to the local sport’s stories. We have given you useful information about sleeping disorders, bedbugs and relationship advice. We have had a lot of fun writing and researching our articles. I hope you have enjoyed reading them.

For a quick look back at some of our posts, here is a thematic listing:

Sleep Disorders:

Grinding in the Night - ‘Bruxism’ is a term used to describe the practice of grinding one’s teeth during sleep

The Phantom Leg – This article talks about the neurological disorder, restless leg syndrome.

Mattress Guilt - For older readers, this article concerns sleepers who unknowingly engage in sexual activity while asleep.

Breathless at Night – Sleep apnea causes some individuals to pause their breathing during sleep.

“You’re getting very sleepy…” - This article talks about hypnosis as a cure for sleep disorders.

Wide Awake and Writing – This is a review of Patricia Morrisroe’s book “Wide Awake: A Memoir of Insomnia.”

Mattress Buying 101:

A Lesson in Mattress Shopping – Six tips for mattress buying.

The Simmons Brand – The history of our brand and the innovative non-flip pocket coil mattress.

The Simmons Difference – Comfort, motion separation and professional advice.

There Are No Silly Questions; Well, Maybe a Few – Some questions that caught us off guard.

Kid Friendly – Simmons Mattress Gallery also sells classic wood cribs.

Humourous Tales:

WordPress Crashes on Mattress – A little April Fools humour.

Sleeping With a Legend – The Japanese think of everything.

The Sweet Sounds of “Mattress Music” - A fictitious soundtrack inspired by our favourite topic.

Tales of the Absurd – The bizarre world of competitive eating.

The Smell of Victory – A play-by-play description of ‘giving a dutch oven.’

Hold Back That Yawn… You Can’t! – Just try to. Once you start there is no stopping.

Life is Precious! - The story of a feline who got caught up in a move.

The Royal Mattress Stack - The retelling of an old fairy tale.

Family and Relationships:

Putting the Kids to Bed – Addressing the sleep issue with every member in the family.

Relationship Advice From the Mattress Professionals – Our number one piece of relationship advice: “Don’t go to bed in the middle of a fight.”

Mattress Romance – A little message from the baby with heart tipped arrows.

The Marriage Bed – Buying the right bed to start your new life together.

Sex Differential - Yes, we are different.

Missing the Moment - Be there for all your children’s firsts.

Canadians Need to Leave Work at Work and Enjoy Their Leisure Time - Title says it all.

Survey Says: Parents Need Help With Sleepless Infants - Finding solutions to sleepless nights.

Back-To-School Sleep Ideas – Plan for the transition between holidays and school.

Blowing Off The Dust

You decided to go big with your home renovations last spring. You chose granite over tile, upgraded all your fixtures to brass and added a jacuzzi in the en-suite of the master bedroom.

Now, six months after signing off on a private contractor, you are struggling to pay your bills. You already took a loan from the bank to pay for the initial reno payment and the bank has refused to lend you any more cash. So what are your options?

You could ask your family if you could borrow money.

You could apply for a second job.

You could look into prospecting as a fun new hobby.

But before you rush into any of these, Simmons Mattress Gallery would recommend you talk to Alpine Credits about receiving a home equity loan. This would let you borrow against the money you have already put towards paying off your house.

Your home is an investment. Let Alpine Credits supply you with the funds needed to finance your home renovations.

This is what ‘Yes’ feels like!

Just remember to put aside a small amount for that new mattress in your bedroom. It will complete the room and your reno project.

"This Is What Yes Feels Like!"

The Lions have little to roar about this season, but one positive mid-season acquisition is giving them reason to hope that brighter days are ahead.

David Hyland, the young rookie out of Morehead State University, is impressing the Lions coaching staff and fans with his raw ability and patient, but explosive, defensive play.

After dominating in the Arena Football League’s 2010 regular season, with eight interceptions and 61 tackles, Hyland posted a YouTube video of his own highlights. The video was a savvy marketing tool and caught the eye of the Lions’ scouts.

On September 7th, Hyland signed a practice roster contract. He played his first game with the Lions on October 2nd, where he recorded an interception that led to the Lions only touchdown.

This past week Hyland laid a devastating hit on Edmonton receiver, Kelly Campbell. The Lions went on to lose the game, but the hit provided energy to a desperate football club. After the play, Hyland, showed his spiritual side by praying for Campbell’s healthy return.

“You like delivering those big hits. But you never want to end somebody’s career,” said Hyland. “This is such a precious game. And we have such precious bodies. I never want to end it for anybody.”

Hopefully Hyland’s defensive play can help the Lions make a push in the post-season.

Lion Cub

Interesting Fact: David Hyland has never had a sip of Pepsi-Cola. Not a drop. Ever. His father was a marketing executive at Coca-Cola for 28 years.

Watch Hyland’s Highlight reel video from the AFL:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE7FdTn4BSs&feature=player_embeddedhttp://

Check out Korey Banks Rookie Initiation Video featuring Hyland:

www.bclions.com/video/index/id/13981

“I was the giant great and still

That sits upon the pillow-hill,

And sees before him, dale and plain,

The pleasant land of counterpane.”

-Robert Louis Stevenson, The Land of Counterpane

by Robert Louis Stevenson

The twenty minutes or so it takes to put your kids to bed each night, can contain some of the most important parent-child moments in the day.

Taking time to read and talk with your children in a setting void of distracting stimuli is paramount for making strong connections that last a lifetime.

Part of this process is providing calming entertainment that doesn’t involve an on-off switch; we’re talking about bedtime stories.

Some of our staff favourites are:

For the little ones: Goodnight Moon

For the more poetic: Robert Louis Stevenson’s collection of poems, A Child’s Garden of Verses (The Land of Counterpane)

For a humerous poetic spin: Anything by Shel Silverstein

For a simple read: Beatrix Potter’s Tales (The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher)

For a chapter book: Anything by Roald Dahl (make sure your children hear the words first and create their own visuals before seeing the movies)

For the older ones: Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling’s books are dipped in the magic she loves to write about it)

But if you have even an ounce of creative juice in your body, try, at times, to come up with an original work. You can personalize the story for your children and create characters that they will never forget. Try it.

Good luck and Goodnight.

October is breast cancer awareness month and Simmons Mattress Gallery would like to share some encouraging information on the ongoing fight against breast cancer.

-British Columbia is at the top of the world for breast cancer research innovation. Work that is being done in our province is being shared and used around the globe.

-New rapid access breast clinics are drastically reducing the amount of time it takes for doctors to diagnose new patients.

-B.C.’s Screening Mammography Program is the largest in North America and one of the best in the world

-The five-year survival rate after treatment for localized breast cancer is 93%.

-B.C. has the lowest death rate for breast cancer in Canada

-Last Sunday’s ‘Run for the Cure’ raised over 1.7 million for breast cancer research in B.C.

-What used to be a virtual death sentence is now a 75% survival rate.

-New alternative education programs are being established around the province. One Vancouver Company, InspireHealth, offers a variety of shared learning experiences, including yoga, meditation classes and non-traditional complementary medicine.

For more information, visit the BC Cancer Agency: http://www.bccancer.bc.ca/PPI/TypesofCancer/Breast/default.htm

The Simmons mattress brand has been making quality-sleeping products since 1891. Known worldwide for their mattresses, the Simmons Company is also keenly devoted to creating superior products for the young ones in your household.

Since 1969, when the Simmons Company purchased McGraw-Edison, Simmons has been operating a Juvenile Furniture line.

In 2006, the furniture division was renamed Simmons Kids Furniture.

Today, they offer a wide range of wooden cribs, chests and armoires for your toddler’s nursery.

Simmons Mattress Gallery in Coquitlam, is proud to sell the Simmons Kids crib line. We believe in selling only the finest sleeping products and Simmons Kids Furniture is no exception.

Sausalito Crib N More

All of the items in our showroom have received the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association certification. This means they have been thoroughly tested for safety and quality. To indicate our standards, each approved item bares a gold seal with the acronym JPMA. Viewing this seal, on any product in our store, communicates one thing: “Rest easy. It is a Simmons.”

So next time you’re in need of a new sleeping platform, shop for the whole family, at Simmons Mattress Gallery, where quality, craftsmanship and competitive pricing go hand-in-hand.

“It is wonderful to feel the grandness of Canada in the raw,

not because she is Canada

but because she’s something sublime that you were born into,

some great rugged power that you are a part of.”

-Emily Carr

Sometimes, in the bustle and hustle of our daily routines, we occasionally forget we live in one of the most environmentally charged countries on the planet. Just behind those coastal mountains, that we often take for granted, are a host of diverse habitats teeming with untamed wildlife and vibrant ecosystems. Supporting them are river systems that run into three separate oceans and carry, what is soon to be the worlds most sought after resource, across North America. The water from this network feeds life into our forests, provides us with drink and powers our cities. These rivers are the veins of life that carry our Canadian blood to every corner of our country.

"Mount Cheam and the Fraser River" by EJ Hughes

On September 26th, British Columbia will be celebrating BC Rivers Day, a day to acknowledge the mighty power, fluid beauty and environmentally vital traits of the river systems contained in British Columbia.

This is the 30th year BC will be celebrating this event. Activities have been planned across the province for this Sunday.

Here are a few of the events taking place around the Lower Mainland:

Langley

BC Rivers Day Festival – live music and interactive displays including salmon habitat demos, streamside tree-planting and  bird house building.

Location: Williams Park

Time: 11 am to 4 pm

North Vancouver

World Rivers Day – educational outing at the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve. Focus is on salmon in the Seymour Valley.

Location: Rice Lake Gate

Time: 10 am to 2 pm

Port Coquitlam

Rivers and Trails Festival – organized trail ride through Peace Park, community displays, local entertainment and boat building.

Location: Peace Park (1470 Kebet Way)

Time: 12 pm to 4 pm

If none of these activities attract you, grab a group of friends or some family and head up to the mountains on your own. Find a stream or major waterway and spend 15 minutes or more admiring its environmental impact. We guarantee the experience will renew your appreciation for Canada’s river systems.

When you think storage accessories, what is the first store that comes to mind: IKEA.

They seem to have a two-fisted lock on the cabinet, shelving and drawer industry. But then there are their other endeavors, like the Sultan mattress line.

The IKEA Mattress Showroom

Swede’s may know a thing or two about saving space and organizing the family home, but when it comes to mattresses, wouldn’t you rather shop at a store that deals specifically with securing you a restful night’s sleep each and every night.

Simmons Mattress Gallery is that store. We don’t spend our time worrying about all the other nooks and crannies in your house. We’re really not that interested in your bathroom set. And we don’t need to know any details about what you’re hiding in your closet. No, our only concern is your bed.

We want to improve your sleep. That’s all. And we can accomplish this task by outfitting your bedroom with the perfect mattress for your comfort rating, budget and aesthetic preference.

Our sales staff is all trained mattress professionals. This means that they can address all the questions you have with educated answers. They can listen to your needs and suggest beds that will fill them. They can explain the motion separation offered by our patented pocket coils, while you lounge on the actual item.

We may not serve a $1.99 breakfast and there is no ball room, but we can offer you the best mattresses in the industry.

So find your skubbs (that’s a fancy Swedish word for shoebox) at IKEA, but receive a peaceful nights sleep from Simmons Mattress Gallery.

We’re here to help you sleep better.

The summer renovations are all completed. You finally finished the kitchen, the deck has been re-stained and the children’s rooms have all been repainted. The house is finally ready.

But wait. You may have neglected one room that often gets overlooked: the spare room.

With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up faster than you would like to acknowledge, the time is coming for guests to enjoy all the hard work you put in improving your house.

But they will need a room to sleep in while they visit.

It may be too late to repaint and the carpet will have to wait till next year, but you could improve their sleeping surface with a brand new mattress from Simmons Mattress Gallery.

Let’s be honest, the mattress in there now is the saggy one you abandoned three years ago, when you upgraded your bedroom.

Why let Auntie Louise suffer? She doesn’t deserve it. And a rest-deprived houseguest is an irritable companion.

So throw out the droopy dud that’s currently in there and head to one of Simmons Mattress Gallery’s two convenient locations.

Louise will appreciate your purchase for years to come.

Louise's New Mattress

Beatirce had to think fast on her feet. The Gatekeeper was demanding a reason why he should let her enter, even though the torrential rain seemed to be the obvious answer.

“I’m a princess,” she said coldly, mustering a stare that demanded attention.

Half an hour later, her ruse had her inside the gates and heading to the castle. The king had apparently set aside a special room for her to sleep in.

Once inside, she was lead to a tower and asked politely to climb a long staircase. After five minutes of climbing, she reached a stone platform with a single door. A servant swung it open and motioned her in. The room was well lit with candles and from their glow Beatrice could see that the only piece of furniture was a towering four-post bed.

The canopy of the bed was close to the ceiling and stacked, almost to the same height, was a huge pile of mattresses and feather beds.

Staring aghast, she counted twenty of each.

“This, your lady, will be your sleeping quarters.”

“You mean I am supposed to sleep on that? I don’t think so. How would I even get up there?”

“There’s a ladder my lady,” the servant explained, ” on the far side of the bed.”

“Is this any way to treat a princess,” she said, remembering her character.

“It is by the Queen’s orders,” replied the servant, shutting the door.

Beatrice stared back at the mattress stack and whispered under her breath, “Are they serious?”

Mattress Stack

Early the next morning there was a loud banging at the door. Beatrice climbed down from the mountain of beds and opened it, still half asleep.

As she did, a small crowd of royal dignitaries burst into the room, staring intently at her.

The Queen pushed to the front of the pack and addressed Beatrice: “So young lady, how was your sleep?” The others in the room leaned closer, as if Beatrice’s answer would change their lives forever.

“Not so great, now that you ask,” replied Beatrice.

A cheer erupted from the crowd at the back of the room, but was quickly hushed by the Queen. “And why would that be.”

Beatrice stared at the tower she had slept on and thought for moment. “Well, you may have stacked twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds on top of one another, but I don’t see a single Simmons in the bunch.”

When mattresses stories surface, we are all ears, and this week we heard a doozie.

Our tale takes place in Edmonton, at the apartment of Timmy DeJordy.

DeJordy was sick of her old mattress and ordered a new one from a local mattress dealer. Being 69 years old, DeJordy arranged for the company to deliver her new mattress and kindly donate her old one to charity.

The movers arrived and went to work. They first removed DeJordy’s old twin and then setup the new bed. The process seemed to be painless and DeJordy felt the instant satisfaction of being a new mattress owner.

But things changed the next morning, when DeJordy’s cat, Precious, failed to show up for breakfast. Precious was a lover of the indoors and it was hard to believe she had fled the apartment. But there was no sign of her. DeJordy was crushed.

Later that day, while she was talking with her sister Gwen, DeJordy was reminded of the time Precious hid inside the boxspring. Instantly the thought occurred to her that maybe Precious was hiding in the mattress foundation when the movers came to take it away.

She called the distribution center immediately and told them the story.

The company sympathized with the woman and sent two supervisors to check on all the new donations. After a dozen mattresses they finally found the frightened feline.

In good health, Precious was returned to her owner the following Monday. The only visible symptom from the ordeal was an increase in shedding, due to the shock of being trapped for so long.

With her friend back at home, DeJordy could finally enjoy her purchase.

Always Check For Stowaways

As summer winds down and the days slowly become shorter, the family focus shifts from summer activities, to prepping for back-to-school. The kids maybe dreading it, but your countdown to Labour Day has probably already begun.

One important part of getting your children ready to start school is establishing formal sleep routines.

Back-To-School Sleep Patterns

Here are a few tips from Simmons Mattress Gallery:

1. Start putting the kids to bed at a set time each night. Try for 8:00. It will probably still be light out, but if you model the behaviour yourself, the kids will mimic your habits. Once they’ve fallen asleep, you can enjoy the last light of summer with a nice glass of wine on the patio.

2. Begin to limit television and video game use, at least before bed. Start a regular pattern of reading before bedtime. This will get them back into school mode and excited for new literature.

3. Remove distracting elements from their bedrooms. Slowly start moving their toys to another area of the house and away from their sleeping sanctuary.

4. Prepare dinner earlier so that their stomachs have more time to digest their food before the earlier bedtime. Also limit their junk food intake, especially the amount of pop and candy they are eating. It is suggested that children should not be given caffeine within six hours of their bedtime.

5. Establish weekday patterns. Let them stay up a few hours later on Friday and Saturday, but return to the scheduled bedtime on Sunday.

Good Luck and Goodnight!

The Pacific National Exhibition is celebrating a 100 years of West Coast fun and entertainment. The party begins this Friday with the PNE parade at English Bay. The fair will officially open the following day, Saturday, August 21st. It will run for two weeks, concluding on the Labour Day holiday.

This year’s concert series includes Bryan Adams, Spirit of the West, Cyndi Lauper, Trooper, Little River Band and a can’t miss performance by the punk priestess herself, Joan Jett. Admission to the evening’s musical performances is free with your PNE day ticket.

The classics will be back as well, including the 4-H agricultural festival, the West Coast Lumberjack Show and of course, the Superdogs!

Nightly fireworks will be supplied by KABOOM!: A Pyro Musical Spectacular. The music selected for the ariel bombardment includes a wide spectrum of artists from the last century. The sky will be set ablaze each night at 10:15.

The PNE gate pass will be sold for $20.00 on site or $16.80 online. For a combination Fair/Playland Ride Pass, the price is $42.75.

For more information check out the PNE website: http://www.pne.ca/index.html.

Stay For the Nightly Concerts

“We make sacred pact. I promise teach karate to you, you promise learn. I say, you do, no questions. “

-Mr. Miyagi

The Karate Kid

For all those children of the 80s who were brought up on adventure classics like the Goonies and Star Wars, rejoice. FreshAirCinema is bringing classic popcorn films back to the big screen; well, back to a big blow up screen.

FreshAirCinema is hosting free outdoor movie nights around the province for the next month and a half. Locations and times can be found on the company’s Facebook page titled: Free Outdoor Movie Events in BC.

This week’s can’t-miss-feature is the ‘original’ Karate Kid, starring a young Ralph Macchio as Daniel Larusso and Pat Morita as the zen master, Mr. Miyagi. The movie will be screened at Ceperley Field, the large grassy area just behind Second Beach, in Stanley Park. The start time will be 9:30.

Last year’s performance of The Princess Bride brought out huge crowds to the same setting. So get there early, bring a blanket and spread out.

Other outdoor free shows around the Lower Mainland this summer are:

August 7th: Wizard of Oz at Holland Park in Surrey (9:00)

August 8th: Back to the Future at David Lam Park in Yaletown (9:00)

August 9th: The Never Ending Story at McSpadden Park in East Van

August 13th: E.T. at Harbour Green Park in Coal Harbour

A new study is being put forward by the University of British Columbia to gather data on the patterns and solutions of living with a sleepless infant. The intent of the study is to help parents cope with babies who have trouble sleeping through the night.

Offering Canadians tips for keeping their youngsters asleep, can improve the sleep patterns of the entire family. This can eliminate large amounts of stress that accumulate when family members are unable to acquire eight hours of uninterrupted rest.

240 families are being recruited for the 2 1/2 year program titled, ‘Rocky Sleep Study.’

The lead researcher is Wendy Hall, a nursing professor at UBC. Hall has studied similar programs in Australia that attempted to educate parents on the 24-hour cycle of baby care. She also did a pilot study in 2004 with 40 families in Vancouver.

With her new plan, Hall will be able to accumulate much more data for finding similarities in the successful patterns of parents who are able to deal with restless infants.

Simmons Mattress Gallery is always in favour of improving sleep patterns. We wish Wendy all the best in her efforts.

For more information on this study visit their website:

http://www.rockysleepstudy.com/index.html

If you are interested in participating, open the involvement page to read up on what the study demands of each family.

Running out of activities for the kids on the weekends? Rejoice! The Vancouver International Children’s Festival is returning to Vanier Park from May 17th to the 24th.

The white and red tents will be flying high once again; filled with music, comedy and all the face paint you can fit on your little one’s canvas.

With a focus on the performing arts, the Children’s Festival is a wonderful arena to get your kids off their X-Boxes and into live theatre.

Operating since 1978, the festival also offers employment to dozens and dozens of local artists and performers like Aché Brasil, a martial arts, dance, music mash-up. Accompanying them are international artists such as the National Acrobats of Taiwan.

For a balloon blast of every colour, check out the Variety Show running on Saturday, May 22nd.

For a French immersion experience, look into purchasing tickets to Jamie Adkins Circus Incognitus.

Circus Incognitus

Tickets for individual shows can be purchased through Ticketmaster. Site admission on its own is $10.

And after, when the kids are worn out, you and your loved one can relax on your Simmons mattress in peace.

Still haven’t purchased your new Simmons? Make the next weekend yours, with a little shopping at Simmons Mattress Gallery.

Parents everywhere look forward to those many ‘firsts’ that all children experience as they grow from drooling infants to self-empowered teenagers.

One of the big ones, that shows up on most parent’s top ten, is the first time their child rides a two-wheeled bicycle.

Letting go of that back seat and watching your child balance their way down the alley is a moment of both exhilaration, at their step towards independence and sadness, at the thought of their diminishing need for support.

Lately, however, parents have been handing over that precious moment to young professionals, in the form of bike lessons.

Local companies like the upstart Pedalheads Bike Camp, are teaching children as young as three how to ride a bicycle in a safe and controlled manner.

The company offers lessons at eight different levels, so children can continue to improve their riding and build on their awareness of safety issues.

The Pedalheads camps have been so successful that founder, Claudia Sjöberg, has now opened camps in Victoria, Calgary and Edmonton.

Sadly, this success means that more and more parents will miss one of those important firsts.

The reasons for outsourcing this moment are probably time, or lack there of. With less leisure time to spend with their kids, parents are concerned that their children might miss important life skills. The Pedalheads camps provide a friendly, non-rushed atmosphere that a single parent might not have the time to afford.

With this and other firsts lost to third parties, parents should try and make the most of the precious small moments that they spend with their young ones.

Reading before bed is an excellent activity to reclaim some of that lost time.

Simmons Mattress Gallery would like to offer our support figuratively and literally to this nighttime activity.

All children love to be read to and we would like to make that experience as comfortable as possible.

Stop by a Simmons Mattress Gallery to view some of the finest beds available. We want you and your child to share some quality time on a bed that echoes the care and love you provide everyday for your children.

Do not miss out. Make time and enjoy these earlier years and all the firsts that come with it.

Getting a decent amount of rest each night is important for everyone.

In the professional world, an 8-hour, undisturbed sleep, allows us to work to our full potential. It keeps us alert and focused. It also increases our ability to work longer hours. For some of us, coffee might have the same affect, but the healthy choice is obvious: more sleep equals better productivity.

The same principal applies to our children.

As competition grows for Post-Secondary entrance, more and more young people are neglecting healthy sleep over hours spent studying. It is important to remind our children that sleep deprivation is much more detrimental to their learning potential then they realize.

On average, teenagers need approximately 10 hours of sleep each night. Younger children need even more.

One way to help your child receive the rest they need is to encourage a sleep schedule.

If, once they are in bed, they have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, the problem could be the mattress they are lying on.

Often children are given mattresses that are passed down and have worn out springs. These mattresses might look like an easy way to save money, but they may be hurting your child’s potential. The money you spent on a tutor could be going to waste if your child is not able to maintain concentration, due to a lack of rest.

A smart investment would be a new mattress from Simmons Mattress Gallery. Simmons has a huge selection of mattresses for every person in your household. Come browse our store with the whole family. Your children will thank you.