What did we do without it? October 30, 2009

When packing for a trip, there are a few items that are a must on any trip: change of underwear, toothbrush and paste, clean socks, NDS portable gaming system and the video iPod.

Yes you read that correctly, an NDS and iPod are on my list of essential items. I think if I was enroute to my destination and realized I had left either of these behind I wouldn’t think twice about turning around to pick them up.

We have one iPod that contains all our kids movies and shows.  This saves countless hours of whining and fighting and the dreaded ‘are we there yet?’ And some hotels have inputs that enable us to plug the iPod directly into the TV. Now there’s no need to worry if there are any kid friendly programs on.

The NDS game system occupies my kids in the car, on the airplane, in the airport; basically anywhere the kids need to sit quietly for thirty-minutes or more.

Enjoying a quiet gaming moment

Even airport waiting is enjoyable with a NDS

Basking in the NDS glow

It does make me wonder how my parents survived when we travelled. I’m sure my sister and I weren’t the most patient and understanding tots.  I guess there were books to look at and songs to sing and games to play. I don’t know what we did because I don’t remember. But then again, maybe I don’t remember because we didn’t do a lot of travelling.

Write a Review Wednesday: The Scariest Monster in the World October 27, 2009

Welcome to another Write a Review Wednesday, a meme started by Tara Lazar as a way to show support to authors of kids literature. Last week I wrote a review on the wonderful Halloween rhyming story Over in the Hollow, written by Rebecca Dickson and illustrated by S.britt (published by Chronicle Books). With this being the last Wednesday before Halloween, I’m still thinking about great monster stories. This week have the cute story The Scariest Monster in the World (age 3-6) by Lee Weatherly and Algy Craig Hall (published by Boxer Books, an imprint of Sterling Kids Publishing). I have to thank my friend Derry at Sterling Kids Publishing for my review copy.

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Once there was a very scary monster. All the animals in the world ran whenever they saw him coming. That is until the monster was hit with something terrible: hiccups! Now he needed the animals to help him. The very scary monster tried everything the animals suggested, but nothing worked. The only thing the animals thought would cure the monster’s hiccups was to scare them out. But what could scare the scariest monster in the world?

The Scariest Monster in the World is a not-so-scary monster story. The image of him on the front cover sort of gives that away. The tricks the monster goes through to try and rid himself of the dreaded hiccups made the kids giggle. What ended up curing the monster’s hiccups was a great surprise.

I loved how some words were given emphasis by showing the text large like an image. When reading I couldn’t help but make the sounds associated with these words; the large type invited me to create the sound effects. After the monster cures his hiccups, you would expect the story to end, you would expect the monster to go back to being the scariest monster in the world, but he doesn’t want to scare his new friends anymore. Not only do the animals help the monster with his hiccups, they help him to be a friend.

My kids love monster stories. This is a wonderful monster story that even my two-year old can enjoy without any scary thoughts. This is a wonderful tale of discovering friendship. I love that it shows someone who spends their life being mean can change and be accepted by others, by new friends. This is a great lesson of acceptance that all kids will enjoy.

The scariest monster in the world isn't so scary with hiccups

If you want to add The Scariest Monster in the World to your personal library, visit Amazon.ca. You can discover other great books by reading past Write a Review Wednesday posts.

Making a park takes work October 26, 2009

Tuesday is upon us again, which means another adventure with my two youngest over at the Nature Centre. Last time I talked about what the kids learned about Blue Jays. Our next visit was about seeds. The Nature Centre works with High Park, a large city park, to help protect and promote the growth of natural plants and animals. When we first arrived the kids created seed balls, which are seeds embedded in the centre of clay. The loved ‘hidding’ the seeds inside the clay (which would later harden, protecting the seeds inside from animals).

Hiding the seeds inside clay balls

Washing off the extra clay

After our snack and story it was time for the hike. We were going to hike to a field in the park to drop our seed balls. On the way the kids hunted for different types of seeds. They were each given a piece of felt to collect the seeds on and compare them. The councillors also pointed out the different delivery method of some seeds: sticky ones attach to animals and get deposited, some have ‘wings’ that enable them to float in the wind, some are eaten by animals and deposited in other locations (of course this last method was a favourite with the kids).

On a seed hunt in the woods

Collecting pine cones for the birds

One of the brave few to taste seeds (fuzzy lemon flavour)

Finally at the hill all the kids received their seed balls and tossed them into the field. And next Spring when we’re walking through the park, the kids will know they’ve played a part in keeping the park growing and looking beautiful. How many kids programs can you say give kids that type of ownership. I wonder what we’ll be talking about this week?

1, 2, 3, toss...making the park a more beautiful place

TSO: For the young and young at heart October 24, 2009

When the weekend arrives, school and work is put to the side and it’s time to have some fun. So last weekend my husband and I took our three young kids (age 2, 5 and 7) to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Yup, you read that right, the Symphony. 

When I was in school, actually, even when I was out of school, I perceived the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) as a form of entertainment only snooty, rich folk attended. It certainly wasn’t something I could see myself attending, no matter how much I enjoyed live music. And I do enjoy live music, jazz, world, blues, folk and yes, even classical. Music is big in our house and we like to expose our kids to various types.

I had heard about the TSO’s Young People’s Concert series, a program to introduce symphonic music to young people, age 5 to 12 specifically. But I still couldn’t shake my own TSO stereotypes. I just couldn’t imagine my three kids dressed in their finest, sitting quietly for an hour. I dreaded the thought of those stares from other parents, the ones with the super well-behaved kids. Or worse, being asked to leave because we were being too disruptive to other patrons.

So when we were invited to attend the TSO’s first concert in the Young People’s Concert series, I left my stereotypes at home and packed the kids to head downtown for some musical fun. Before each concert, the TSO puts on a 20-minute pre-concert performance in the North Lobby of the Roy Thomson Hall. It’s been awhile since I’ve driven downtown so we arrived late and missed the pre-concert show. My oldest daughter and I were really disappointed since we were both looking forward to the harp performance.

We made it to our seat just before the show started and I have to tell you I was impressed with the seats. I’ve gone to live theatre and one of my biggest complaints has been the seats being very narrow and not well padded making for an uncomfortable evening. The seats in the Roy Thomson Hall were just the opposite and I noticed that right away. But what really impressed me, what I really noticed was how family friendly the TSO Young People’s Concerts are. The lights were turned down when the show started but to a low light versus plunging us in the dark. The conductor talked to the kids; she involved them versus just performed for them. I think that made a big difference in keeping the kids focused. The music was broken out in chunks and the selections were varied and fun. It was amazing watching the kids throughout the hall conducting and focusing their attention on the stage. Even my own kids, right down to my two-year-old, was transported on a musical journey; you could see it on their faces.

Each of the TSOs Young People’s Concerts has a different focus. The concert we attended, the first in the series, was The Listener, featuring the Magic Circle Mime Company. The kids loved their antics. I thought the experience was amazing and very different from what I expected. I think my kids enjoyed it very much too:

(Note: I must apologize for the dark, shaky, video. My youngest was running around in the background, trying to peek into the camera.)

The TSO Young People’s Concert series has four more shows scheduled: Jack and the Beanstalk (Nov 14/09 at 1:30 and 3:30), Paddywak! (Feb 6/10 at 1:30 and 3:30), Spanish Fire! (Mar 27/10 at 1:30 and 3:30), and A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (Apr 24/10 1:30 and 3:30). Tickets can cost as little as $15.00 per child/adult when you buy three or more. You might also enjoy listening to the TSO podcasts too (including the Young People Concert series).

Separate from the concert, we were invited backstage to meet the mime’s and some of the musicians as well as play with some of the instruments. The kids thought this was great fun. My oldest daughter loved the exercise with the mimes. They picked an emotion (excitement) and tried to convey the various stages of excitement, from one being the least to ten being the most, all without making a sound. My son loved the percussionist and creating a rain storm by using parts of his body. It was an amazing time.

Listening to the musicians after the concert

Magic Circle Mime Company

Doing an exercise in mime: showing excitment

making music together

percussionist from orchestra demonstrating (loud) drumming

creating a rain storm just by using your body

some more music making

shake shake shake

So next time you’re looking for a new experience with your kids, why not checkout the TSO Young People’s Concert series.

Mommy: Scary or Practical? October 22, 2009

I’m excited about the new Motherhood movie coming out. I was fortunate enough to participate in a conference call with Uma Thurman about the film. I love that the movie plans to show realistic take on a typical day of a mom, Eliza (have you read her blog).

I think that’s why I love blogs and blogging. On the playground we’ll hear about how great our child’s playmates are, but the blogs tell the real truth, the hidden truth (at least the ones I read). And to honour this scary truth, Jill at Scary Mommy is running a little competition to see who among us is the scariest mommy. And if you read some of the submissions, there are some pretty scary mommys out there. I love it!

So I’ve been going over it in my head, how am I a scary mommy. And you know what, I don’t think I am. I mean, yes I’ve used threats to motivate my kids:

me: What do you mean you’re not dressed yet? we have to leave in 5 minutes and you haven’t even had breakfast.
5yo son: I have my socks on.
me: If you’re not dressed by the time I count to five, I will go to your younger sister’s draw and pick out the pinkest shirt I can find and put it on you and drop you in the middle of the playground for the kids to taunt you.

Now that may sound scary, but it worked; he was dressed by the time I go to three. So he’ll be in therapy for years with an identity crisis. That’s okay, he’ll be a grown-up then and not my responsibility.

And sometimes, sometimes I’ve given my kids an after school snacks from the sugar food group. Now before you go and jump all over me with words like unhealthy and unfit mom let me explain (because you know there’s an explanation behind every mother’s action). We usually walk home and I’m tired of hearing things like: it’s too far, I’m too tired, but I broke my leg and the doctor said I shouldn’t walk on it. Bla bla bla. It’s amazing how far a piece of chocolate will get my kids.

We’re not any different from most families; we have house rules that everyone has to follow too. They’re usually there to keep the kids safe (and maintain my sanity), But sometimes a rule is broken and it’s so ridiculous and makes me laugh that I will over look it or maybe even get the kids to do it again in order to capture it on video. I mean they didn’t kill themselves the first time right? And I don’t want to stifle their creativity too much when they’re young. And yes that is a broken kids wheelbarrow they are using. Creative huh?

I’ve used some of those dreaded mom phrases. You know, the ones you mom use to say to you and you swore you’d never say things as ridiculous as that when you became a mom. Things like:

Because! Because I’m your mother and this is my house and you have to follow the rules until you are big enough to get a job and live in your own house. Then you can make your own rules.

I get a larger slice of cake because I’m larger.

If you don’t put your dirty clothes in the laundry basket then wild animals will sneak in at night and carry them away to their nests.

Eating vegetables improves your eye sight so you can see better at night. What? Can’t see in the dark? Then eat more carrots.

Okay, I’ll admit, some of these lines I’ve created myself but with inspiration from my own childhood. But sometimes you want your kids to just do what you ask and you don’t want to explain or rationalize why. You’re the mom and mom’s rule, right? I never realized how smart my mom is until I became a mom myself.

Let’s not even get into discussing practical uses for the dead space under the beds or behind the washer and dryer (where else would you store those toys, old magazines and occasional dishes when your mother-in-law arrives unexpectedly, for the third time this week) or that my kids spend more time having a Starbucks breakfast on the weekend than at home (have you tried those pumpkin scones with fruit?).

I’m sure you would agree, these things don’t make me a scary mommy but rather a smart, clever and practical mom. So while I may not win Scary Mommy’s competition, I love the idea of promoting our real mommy sides.

What have you done as a mom that people might misconstrue as being scary?

Write a Review Wednesday: Over in the Hollow October 21, 2009

Welcome to another Write a Review Wednesday, a meme started by Tara Lazar as a way to show support to authors of kids literature. Last week I wrote a review on Bobbi Katz and Adam McCauley’s fun and whimsical book Monsterologist (from Sterling Kids Publishing). This week I’m still thinking about ghosts and goulies as I review Over in the Hollow (age 4-8), written by Rebecca Dickson and illustrated by S.britt (published by Chronicle Books). Thanks to Crystal at Raincoast Books for my review copy.

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Take a visit to the hollow and you’ll find a spooky mama owl and her little owlets three, a pale grandpa vampire and his little vampires four and so on. This delightfully eerie counting book is inspired by Olive A. Wadsworth’s poem Over in the Meadow. Kids will enjoy the fun Halloween themed rhyme as they count the creepy critters and ghoulie ghosts on each page. The images are fun and not scary making it a great read-aloud book for all ages.

All three of my kids loved Over in the Hollow. It’s a great way to get into the Halloween spirit without scaring anyone. My son especially enjoyed reading the rhyming line and the line that each of the creatures’ kids said. The rhymes were easy cues to the kids as to what number came next (for early counting). Along with a fun rhyme, Rebecca Dickinson also included great dialog for fun out loud sound effects. My youngest enjoyed  howling and stomping along with the book. The words roll out of your mouth in a fun lyrical way, making it a joy to read over and over again. And S.britt’s illustrations of the different creatures were fun caricatures. My kids enjoyed picking out which cat or ghost or pumpkin they would be since each creature was different.

If you want to add Over in the Hollow to your personal library, visit Amazon.ca. Looking for other great books? Checkout the previous Write a Review Wednesday posts.

Two year olds aren’t all bad October 19, 2009

Look at me...I'm helping.

There are many things about two year olds that drive me nuts. The need to do everything themselves, especially when you’re trying to get out the door. The mimicking of conversations that probably shouldn’t have been heard the first time. The happy/sad/angry/shy/who cares mood swings that happen within the span of two minutes. I’ve recently read Character is the Key and I understand that some of these traits are things I’ll appreciate when my daughter is an adult (I just don’t know if I can last that long).

That said, two year olds aren’t all bad. My daughter reminds me of that every day, okay, maybe every other day. One thing I like or have grown to like about my two year old is that she loves to help. Sometimes this help doesn’t come at the most convenient times: helping to sort socks..one…sock…at…a…time isn’t always helpful when I’m trying to get the laundry put away before my mother-in-law comes over and discovers you’re not that great of a house keeper after all. Sometimes the help is counterproductive: dumping all the garbage out of the bathroom trashcan to find the piece of paper at the bottom that should have been put into the recycling container instead.

But once I got past these issues and embraced the little helper I have, I find things much easier. By letting my daughter help rake leaves or set the table or put things in the garbage, she feels like she’s doing her part. And I know that if I need an extra roll of toilet paper in the bathroom or a garbage bag downstairs, my youngest will get it and without any huffing or sighing.

And secretly I hope by involving her now she’ll continue to love helping when she’s older. Okay, maybe that’s unrealistic, but we all need to dream.

Foto Friday: For the love of Princesses October 16, 2009

Happy Friday

It’s been some time since I’ve participated in Candid Carrie’s Friday Foto Finish Fiesta, but I’m back today. We’re heading to Disneyland soon for my birthday which means my youngest has started talking about princesses again:

My 2yo and her Disney World pal Cinderella

Then she met the real Cinderella

For the love of Princesses:My oldest daughter was never really into princesses. I mean she liked them, but she wasn’t nuts over them. Then comes child number three, the stereotypical fairytale, prince charming, castles in the sky, princess loving girl. It’s funny because we were never really big on pushing girly things.

One year my oldest daughter (now seven) received a Cinderella doll as a gift. She liked it but it sort of just sat on her bed. When my youngest found rescued Cinderella, she took possession, like it never belonged to her big sister. On our recent trip to Disney World the Cinderella doll came with us. She slept in the hotel, she ate dinner in the restaurants, she even went on a few rides. The Cinderella doll was the best friend a little princess loving girl could ask for.

Then we had dinner with ‘the real’ Cinderella and my daughter almost leapt across the table to give Cinderella a hug (according to my husband because, as life seems to work sometimes, I was away from the table and missed the whole event). Through the entire meal my daughter would wave at Cinderella, give her hugs, offer her food, even if Cinderella was across the room.

It was an amazing night for my youngest, which only makes it sad that the night should end with the Cinderella doll going missing. I don’t know if it was from the excitement of seeing Cinderella and therefore the doll was left behind. Or perhaps the doll now paled in comparison to the real princess. Whatever the reason, Cinderella doll will be missed, at least by me.

Review: PenPal Notes (and giveaway) October 15, 2009

The love of books and the love of reading is big in our house. I think that’s one reason I love doing my weekly Write a Review Wednesday post. I love discovering and sharing new books with my kids. And now that my oldest daughter has discovered the joy of reading on her own, I love to find ways to expand on her love. Books is a given but then I stumbled upon a new product called PenPal Notes.

You’re probably familiar with the idea of pen pals. I know when I was in school we had a pen pal program with kids from different countries. I still have some of those letters, including a letter from Iran which caused a big stir with CSIS (also know as the Canadian Security Intelligence Service), but that’s another post. The point is I loved having pen pals.

Lunchtime pen pals

The idea behind PenPal Notes is a combination of lunch time notes and letters from friends. Instead of writing notes in your child’s lunch why not include a postcard from Tej, a panda who goes on adventures. There are seven different series, from dinosaurs to proverbs to world food, and each series includes 20 or 40 illustrated postcards and sticker stamps. The front of the post card is a message to your child based on whatever series you have. On the back there’s space for you to write your own personal note to your child.

My daughter is a foodaholic. She loves food, from everywhere. The folks at PenPal Notes were kind enough to send the Traveling Taste Buds set for us to review. My daughter loves, loves, LOVES food so these cards were ideal for her. The Traveling Taste Buds series has Tej visiting seven different countries. The first postcard from each country gives a little information on the country and subsequent postcards talk about a specific food from the country.

My daughter loves these cards. She shows them to her friends and keeps all of them to reference later. She loves the idea of getting these notes and discovering new foods. Sometimes I’ve been able to tie food choices to the postcards too. When she was visiting France one card talked about croissants and I included one for her snack. She thought that was the best. One day I forgot to include a postcard (we agreed that Monday, Tuesday and Thursday would be postcard days) and I heard about it all that night. From that moment on my daughter reminds me the night before to include a postcard in her lunch.

I love the postcards. They’re easy to read. I have learned different types of food and I absolutely love food. I liked the messages that my mom wrote on the back too. I share the notes with my class. My teacher things they are neat. I still have all my postcards. I like to go back and read them again. I only get them on Monday, Tuesdays and Thursdays, but I’d love to get them every day. I get really excited on a postcard day. I usually remind my mom to put one in my lunch.

I love how the PenPal Notes get my daughter excited about reading and learning. It shows that reading is more than just for books. Plus she now has developed an interest in starting some real pen pals (she even created a mock postcard and sent it to me).

PenPal Notes for you

The amazing folks at PenPal Notes wants to get your child excited about reading too. They’re offering one set of postcards (winners choice) absolutely FREE. Isn’t that great! Checkout the sets they have available. So if you’re in Canada or the United States all you need to do is comment below and tell me if you have ever sent notes to your child or received lunch time notes as a child yourself. I’ll receive entries until midnight (EST), Sunday October 25, 2009 at which time I will randomly draw a name. Good luck!

Update: We have a winner. Random.org has selected and the winner has been emailed. Thanks for your interest.

Write a Review Wednesday: The Monsterologist October 13, 2009

Welcome to another Write a Review Wednesday, a meme started by Tara Lazar as a way to show support to authors of kids literature. Last week I wrote a review on Brothers, a book about the frustration and camaraderie of siblings written by Michael Maze and illustrated by Michael Soloviov and published by Tundra Books. With Halloween just around the corner, I'm thinking about monsters.And thanks to my friend Derry at Sterling Kids Publishing (@SterlingKids) I can share with you  The Monsterologist (age 4+), written by Bobbi Katz and illustrated by Adam McCauley.


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There are many topics that my kids continually enjoy and monsters is one of them. Although they can read about monsters anytime of the year, there’s something about October that makes them that much more appealing.

With countless degrees, thirteen languages under his belt and an interest in the paranormal, the monsterologist’s career choice was a given. The said monsterologist has compiled a collection of his favourite findings and included them in a journal which he’s fittingly called The Monsterologist. From the acient Count Dracula and King Kong to  more recent scary creatures like Compu-Monster and The Suds-Surfing Sock-Eater, The Monsterologist shares a personal side to those things to scary to think about.

I loved this book even before opening the pages. Designed to look like a leather bound journal, the cover draws you in. But the amazing illustrations don’t just stop there. Adam McCauley’s use of graphics and layout and type face makes this a wonderful book to just look at. My kids love looking through the little details, like an personal ad for Medusa that appears at the bottom of the page. Or Dr. Frankenstein’s door you have to open (a great use of gatefolds). Each page is a delightful surprise.

Bobbi Katz’s rhyme’s are equally enthralling. My kids love reading about monster’s they know and learning about new creatures. This isn’t a typical scare-your-pants-off monster story. Each page talks about a different monster and gives a more personal touch. My son loves Ping Pong with King Kong, where King Kong squashes the ball. My older daughter loves all the stories, but if forced to pick, she would say her favourite is The Worms In. She laughs as we read it, with the words missing from where the worms ate the paper. There is a great wit behind every rhyme too. I enjoy reading this book just as much as my kids enjoy listening. My favourite of course is a monsterized version of that Sound of Music song My Favorite Things. We must have sang that three times while reading the book and my kids want to learn all the words so they can teach their friends.

The Monsterologist is an amazing book to look at and a laugh and a delight to read. This will certainly become a new Halloween favourite, though I’m sure it will be read all year round. For added fun, be sure to visit The Monsterologist website for some interactive fun.

You can add this to your own personal library from Amazon.ca. If your interested in finding other books, check out the previous Write a Review Wednesday posts.