About Us
“Life changes when you have a child.”
I’d heard this so many times and knew in my heart that it would be true. But my husband? Well, he thought otherwise. Yet here he is creating this platform alongside me, because now he finally understands that the world revolves around our kids. Guess he’s a fast learner after all.
When our son was born, we wanted every minute to be filled with memories and fun activities for us both to hold in our hearts (and in the thousands of photos on my phone). Now he's almost 3, and one of the most important things in our lives is to make sure he doesn’t miss out on any exciting adventures.
Last year, we took our son to the CP Holiday Train during its stop in Montreal. It’s an annual event that tours North America filled with activities, hot chocolate, singing and dancing. My son absolutely loved it! We were lucky enough to find out about it by chance; someone happened to mention it in passing, so I searched for details myself and I realized that our family could experience it as it passed through Montreal. But so many friends and family weren’t even aware of it, and most of them missed their chance to take part in the magic.
It was then that I realized that there isn’t really a one stop shop for finding these kinds of events or any other local kids activities. So we decided to put together a site to fill that gap-- a site we named after our son. Yaya isn’t his real name, but that's what the kids at daycare call him because it’s easier to pronounce. As for the “utopia” part, well that came easy; after all, with him running the show, our world is as perfect as it gets.
In the midst of developing the website, the pandemic hit. As many of our fellow parents have been experiencing, being isolated with a toddler isn’t particularly easy. It requires energy and imagination-- lots of it! Wait, did I forget patience? Loads of that too! Our goal is the same as it’s always been: keep him busy, have fun, and make lasting memories-- except now we need to keep it up all day, every day.
So we decided to shift gears and focus on sharing virtual activities and live feeds, covering music lessons, yoga, cooking shows, and so much more! Now that parts of the world are beginning to reopen safely, we’re shining a light on some exciting in-person activities as well.
Yayatopia is still a growing world, and we’re hard at work expanding its functionalities and broadening its scope. But for now, let’s just have some fun.
Meet the Team
Ghassan the Spell Doctor Armed with the ancient knowledge of the Elders, Ghassan the Spell Doctor has long served as Yayatopia’s leading healer, potion-maker, and necromancer. A trusted advisor to Yaya the Wizard, he also handles Yayatopia’s daily governance under the title of Overseer.
Anny the Enchantress Anny the Enchantress is a mighty conjurer whose unmatched command of the mystic arts has proved instrumental in Yayatopia’s inception, purpose, and ongoing growth. Holding great sway over Yayatopia’s governance, Anny currently serves as Head Strategist & Schemer.
Dan the Word Warlock Born with a pen in his hand and a thorn in his side, Dan the Word Warlock was appointed to the position of Yayatopia’s Head Scribe & Keeper of the Scrolls many moons ago, scribbling all the rumblings, rumours, and events that transpire on his homeworld.
Count Ali the Convoluted Count Ali the Convoluted, so named for his mantra, “There must be a harder way,” is Yayatopia’s Head of Digital Sorcery and Development. He is responsible for making sure things run smoothly behind the scenes (and screens) of Yayatopia so that you may freely navigate this magical world to your heart’s content.
