If you haven’t heard of Bobs & LoLo, I suspect your little ones have! This dynamic duo – best friends since elementary school – are like the Beatles for the preschool set. They’re Juno nominated singer-songwriters and the creators and stars of the musical preschool series – Sing, Dance and Play with Bobs & LoLo and they focus on connecting children with music, movement and make-believe. All while (apparently effortlessly) parenting four kids of age five and under (and soon to be five kids!).
I love how they share real insights into their parenting life as part of their social streams, not glossing over the joys (and challenges) that momming brings. Their music has been the soundtrack of our household since our little guy was born.
Lorraine Pond
Mother of 2 (soon to be 3)
Lives in: Vancouver, BC
Robyn Hardy
Mother of 2
Lives in: North Vancouver, BC
What is your mothering story? When and how did you decide to start your family?
B: My own story began on Vancouver Island on the west coast of Canada where I was born and raised in the small seaside town of Lantzville, British Columbia. I actually met my future husband while attending the local elementary school although our love story was still more than a decade away as we wouldn’t start dating until I was in university. We have now been together for 17 years and are cherishing our new journey together with a growing family. My road to motherhood was long and emotional and these latest chapters as a family of four are by far the sweetest part!
L: My husband and I first met while studying at the University of British Columbia. Five years after we began dating, we got married and five years after that we welcomed our first baby – a beautiful and feisty wee girl. Fast-forward two more years and our hearts exploded again as we brought home an adorable and not-so- wee, baby boy. We are now waiting on the arrival of our third child - another baby boy - who is a rather unexpected but exciting gift from our 10th wedding anniversary trip!
What does your day-to- day routine look like?
B: I’m now well into my third year of parenting adventures, and I have to say I still haven’t found anything “routine” about my days. With the ever-changing stages of infant development, toddlerhood to preschool dramatics and the dynamics of my career, there is rarely a set routine. In my mommy world, most days still revolve around feedings, diaper changes, naps and play. On the work-side, I’m slowly getting my head back into a creative space while trying to remain actively involved with our business development. We regularly joke that if our singer-songwriter career fades away, we could easily take up juggling!
Photo: Felicia Chang Photography
L: Each of my days is a feat of multi-tasking craziness! A typical day for me starts with an ambitious list of what I want to get through, and this often includes a number of work-related things, occasional play dates and structured extracurricular kiddie activities, school drop-offs and pick-ups, meal planning and subsequent grocery runs, quick walks for the dog and park play. Usually, I can count on adding sibling mediation, preschooler negotiations and a ridiculous amount of potty time to the list too. While the combo of parenting and professional life has its share of challenges, I feel fortunate to be able to do both. Some days hold big wins for work and family and some days are better left in the fog of motherhood, but each one is still a gift!
Photo: Felicia Chang Photography
What is it like to raise children where you live?
B&L: We live in a corner of the world where motherhood and childhood are both celebrated. We live in a place where great value is given to raising intelligent, active and self-aware little humans. And as such, like many other places around the world, being a mama in Canada can be both empowering and overwhelming. Our society places pressure on moms to “do it all” and “be it all”. Provider, nurturer, protector, educator, teacher, chauffeur, housecleaner, counselor, stylist, nutritionist, chef…and the list goes on. We both love that our children have access to innumerable community resources for social, mental and physical development, but we also recognize that mothering in a world of increasingly unrealistic expectations from external influences is exhausting. We try to remind ourselves to strip down motherhood and childhood to simple (and important!) joys founded in our core personal values. For us, this means spending time with our families in nature, weaving music and laughter into our daily lives and celebrating both parenting wins and struggles with our close network of friends and family.
What is your mothering wish for other mamas? What do you like to impart or share with other mamas?
B: Believe in yourself. I’ve surrounded myself with a great community of moms in my personal and online worlds, and I never hesitate to throw questions around for ideas or general advice. But, I do of course take outside advice with some caution as I sincerely believe that all mamas should do what works best for you and your little one(s). It is amazing what we instinctively know will be the right decisions for the little humans under our care when we trust in ourselves. There is an overwhelming amount of information available to parents these days, and while it’s important to get medical advice from health professionals much of the day to day questions are child and parent specific. Trust your instincts - listen to your babe and yourself!
L: Breathe. We live in a society that thrives on an over-abundance of information, accessible 24/7 via web, mobile and socials. As a new parent, I think this can be overwhelming. Insanely overwhelming! Breathe. Take a step back. Connect with real people – your friends, your family, your partner, your children. The advice and support will be there when needed and the rest can usually be figured out with a little common sense and reflection. Enjoy the journey…it goes so fast!
***
Robyn Hardy (Bobs) is mom to a busy preschooler and new baby and currently lives with her family in North Vancouver, BC.
Lorraine Pond (LoLo) is mom to a new kindergarten student, active preschooler and a rapidly growing baby bump. She currently lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband, kids and dog.
Together, this dynamic mama duo are Bobs & LoLo, a four-time JUNO nominated singer-songwriter team and stars of the upbeat, musical preschool series Sing, Dance and Play with Bobs & LoLo (Treehouse TV/Nick Jr Canada) and Action Packed (Telus Optik TV). Recently named Canada’s Favourite Kids Entertainer in a nationwide poll by CBC Music, Bobs & LoLo are dedicated to connecting children to nature with music, movement and make-believe. Find them online at bobsandlolo.com and on Instagram @bobsandlolo.