In Focus | Bailey Bouwman

Meet Bailey Bouwman! This blogger has lived in PG for seven years!

Who is your favourite person to spend time with and why?
My group of Mom friends in Prince George.

What is your favourite local store in Prince George and why?
CozyBums Cloth Diaper - Kerri & Suzi are absolutely wonderful. These ladies hooked me into cloth diapering, and continue to be my own champions for my blog, and cloth diapering journey. I love stopping in to check out the latest great prints and products.

Describe yourself in one word.
Anxious.

What is your favourite activity in Prince George?

Hike it Baby Prince George.

Where do you volunteer or give back to in the community?
I'm active branch ambassador for Hike it Baby Prince George. Hike it Baby is an international organisation aimed at encouraging parents with young children to just get outside in a safe and inclusive environment. I'm also working on my leader accreditation for La Leche League Prince George to support breastfeeding in our community. And I am a member of PEO in Prince George, supporting women's education opportunities both locally and abroad.

If you could change one thing in the world what would it be?
I wish I could change attitudes around the consumption of things. We are a society too quick to consume for the sake of having it all or for convenience. I wish people (including myself) would be okay with having less and being inconvenienced by life. Motherhood introduced me to a very consumeristic world aimed at making life easy, but easy isn't always whats best for baby, mom, our communities, or the environment.

Where would you sneak away to in Prince George to spend some time alone?
Eskers.

Where would you like to see positive change in Prince George and why?
I would love more accessible spaces for community groups including those with rowdy preschoolers.

What do you think makes Prince George great?
Community.

Tell us something that not everyone may know about you.
I attended a women's college in Nevada, Missouri.

How do people connect with you, personally, through social media?
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

What is the name of your business/organization?
SimplyMomBailey (Blog).

Why did you get into/start this business?

Blogging has just always been part of my life and it was a natural shift with motherhood.

What is the goal of your business?
Share the everyday struggles of motherhood with a side of supporting an eco-friendly lifestyle including cloth diapering.

What has been your biggest struggle either in work or life?
Finding "balance".

If you could start all over again would you do things the same or would things be different?
Different. I should have considered the professional and business orientated nature of blogging sooner.

Tell us your best piece of life advice

Some days motherhood is just about survival. That's okay.

Why do you think it is important to shop locally?
Shopping local is tremendously important to me because there's nothing more satisfying than supporting someone's passion and purpose in life.

What has been your proudest accomplishment?
Surviving two under two.

Give someone you think that deserves it a shout out and explain why!
I think every mom in Prince George deserves a shout out because I know they are all doing something amazing. I can't pick just one.

My choice for the PrinceGeorgeNow In Focus spotlight is:
Kerri Warner, Cozy Bums Diapers

Some general comments I would like to share are:
I'm also working on a great new project with a few other local moms in the Prince George area called NorthernBCMoms (www.northernbcmoms.ca). Northern BC Moms is dedicated to sharing motherhood in Northern BC and being an online resource.

We encourage you to leave your comments and words of support below and submit your own nomination by clicking HERE. You are also welcome to submit a form of your own by clicking HERE.

In Focus is our gift to the community. A way for us to help show our recognition of the people, businesses, and organizations that help make our city great. Thank you, Prince George!