the thirties grind

The REAL Real Housewives of Vancouver: Bruna Myers

Bruna Myers was one of VancouverMom.ca’s Top 30 Bloggers from 2012.  She is a First Grade teacher and a mom to three beautiful girls, Teen B, Little B and Little .  She’s been married for 8 years to her best friend J.

Bruna has been teaching for 14 years at the primary level and can’t imagine doing any else. She loves kids (her own and other people’s) and learns so much from them every day. When not teaching, Bruna is also the CEO of the blog Bees with Honey and has been writing for it since October of 2010. Bruna also enjoys reading, spending time in the outdoors, shopping, nurturing her addiction of social media, taking photographs of her girls, tackling one-day projects and spending time with family. On Bees with Honey, Bruna shares her crazy journey through life. She writes about what inspires her, makes her happy or sad and what new things she’s up to or into as a teacher and mother of 3. She enjoys sharing the challenges she faces trying to balance a career and a family life.

If you’re not yet following Bruna, you should get on it!  You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram (@beeswithhoney)

What characteristics define the Vancouver Housewife?

A Vancouver housewife is born and raised in the beautiful city of Vancouver.  She loves or hates the rain, sports the lovely yoga pant attire, works in or out of the home, is raising a family and living in wedded or common-law bliss with her life partner. A VHW loves the ethnicity of the city and enjoys how the mountains and ocean are all within an hour drive of each other. Let’s not forget – what true Vancouver housewife doesn’t love to – shop!?!

Are you a good representation of a Vancouver Housewife? Why?

If you were to ask my husband, who moved from Seattle, USA to be with me after we were married, I fit the bill for a true Vancouver Mom.  I have a love/hate relationship with the rain, sport Lululemon yoga pants daily, know and speak a second language other than English, run into so-so who knows so-so every time I’m out and about AND think Vancouver is the most beautiful city in the world in which to live. End of story.

Do you feel that living in Vancouver in some way defines who you are? Please explain.

I wouldn’t say that the city defines who I am but I can definitely say that living in a multicultural city like Vancouver has had a tremendous impact on the person I am today.  I grew up making friends with girls and boys of varying cultural backgrounds and have learned so much from that experience. As a grown woman, I welcome any opportunity to try ethnic foods and I find myself very interested in learning about religions other than my own.  Vancouver is home to a melting pot of various ethnicities which bring nothing but richness to the culture and experience of the beautiful city. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Have you ever had cosmetic surgery, Botox, Restalyne injections, etc.? If so, please provide details. If you haven’t had any of the above procedures performed, would you consider it?

If cosmetic surgery wasn’t so invasive and I wasn’t such a chicken of hospitals, I would definitely consider it.  I have plenty of motherhood stretch marks I would like to be rid of.  No matter how much I dislike the aging process – the lines forming on my forehead or the crow’s feet I see sneaking up around my eyes, the thought of going under the knife for anything involving my face, is enough to shake off any thoughts of beautifying myself that way.  I’ll stick to using makeup! As for other body areas, I would consider cosmetic surgery if money wasn’t an issue. Sure, why not?

Other than your children (if applicable), what is the accomplishment of which you are most proud?

From a young age, (grade 1 to be exact) I decided that I was going to be a teacher. I never strayed from that goal and once I graduated high school, I went off and completed my Bachelors of Education with a focus in the primary grades.  I have been teaching for fourteen years and have loved every minute of it. I love kids, my own and other peoples and couldn’t imagine myself in any other profession.  Children are the best teachers and working with them has taught me more about life than anything else I’ve ever done. Teaching is definitely what I was called to do. Besides motherhood, it’s the most rewarding profession.

Has the desire for affluence/power/money been a motivator in the choices you’ve made for your life?

I have never, at all, been very driven by money.  I chose the teaching profession because of the opportunity to work with children.  Although making money is necessary, I choose to work part-time because I want to be home with my own children as well. I don’t want to miss out on any of their special moments. I want to be a mom who is there for them on some level even if it’s only on a part-time basis.  Before we had kids, hubby and I decided that, more important than money and acquiring stuff, we wanted to be involved with our kids as much as possible.  If that means cutting back on buying the frivolous things, putting home renovations on the backburner or living a much simpler life, we would do so.  I love my happy balance of teaching part-time and being home with my kids part of the time.  For me, it’s the best of both worlds.

Tell us about your stuff. What do you like to buy, collect, etc.?

I love to shop but I can’t think of anything in particular I like to collect. Shoes are awesome! I’m big into boots this year and have about 5 different pairs. For me, little things like Starbucks cards and gift cards for the spa or the bookstore get me excited. As a mama to three girls, 15, 7 and 5, I have very little time to spend on myself so when I get the opportunity to pamper myself or do something for just me, I love it.

Do you have “staff” in your home? (E.g. nanny, driver, chef, etc.)

Other than me, the only staff I have in my house is the husband. He loves to cook. The teenager is in training to do her own laundry but she pays us back in “eye rolling” on a regular basis.  I would love to have a housekeeper come in once a week to do all the jobs I dislike but right now, it’s just not in the cards for us.  Who knows what the future may hold?!

Do you belong to any clubs, teams, groups or social organizations?

If it counts, I just recently was invited into a Facebook group titled, Top 30 Vancouver Mom Bloggers. I’m delighted to be part of a local group of fabulous moms who share the love of writing with me.  I have met a handful of the moms in person and can say, with all honesty, that they each touched my heart in a special way.  To this day, I am taken away with how genuinely kind and supportive we all are of each other and I love it.

Finish this sentence: My life’s motto is ….

enjoy life, one day at a time, because you don’t want to ever miss a moment you can’t get back.   Life’s too short to dwell on the past or pout about what could have been.  We need to just live life to the fullest so that we never have regrets.

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As a thank you for participating, Bruna will receive a special gift from Pure Vibe – Vancouver’s premier whole body vibration fitness studio! Imagine a 10 minute work out that gives you the benefits of exercising for one hour!! Visit www.purevibe.ca for more information.