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Archive for the ‘those darn kids’ Category

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Stella and Sam on Playhouse Disney

Thursday, January 13th, 2011

If you have kids you’re probably familiar with the picture book author and illustrator Marie-Louise Gay.  stella_sam_playhouse_disneyHer book Caramba was chosen as the TD Grade One Giveaway book for 2010/11, in which 500,000 copies have been given away to grade one students across Canada. I also reviewed her newest book Roslyn Rutabaga and the Biggest Hole on Earth.

Both are great books but what you’re probably most familiar with is her Stella and Sam books, a series that focuses on the relationship between the inquisitive but shy four-year old Sam and his outgoing big sister, Stella. The books are great fun.

Now Stella and Sam come to life. If you subscribe to Playhouse Disney you can catch the new animated series Stella and Sam, premiering this month. You can visit the Playhouse Disney Stella and Sam site to learn more about the series, the characters, enjoy an online story or print out some great activities too.

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Posted in Children's book review, Groundwood Books, books, children, fun stuff, raising preschoolers, review, siblings, those darn kids | No Comments »

Christmas, Kids and the Arts in Toronto

Saturday, December 4th, 2010

I love Christmas. It’s my favourite time of year. As a family we’re so busy throughout the rest of the year but Christmas we make an extra effort to spend more time together. This year we’re even participating in the 25 Days of Christmas. Christmas is a time for crafts and watching Christmas specials but it’s also a great time to get out and enjoy the arts and by arts I mean music and theatre.

You may think that the arts are wasted on the young, that they can’t really appreciate it, but kids are growing, learning, experimenting beings. What better time to expose them to new things than when they’re young. The holidays are a perfect time especially with a number of family friendly holiday productions available, such as:

Toronto Symphonty Orchestra

toronto_symphony_kids_christmas_concertKids love music and they’re never too young to appreciate orchestral sounds, especially with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Young People’s Concert series. This series is aimed at kids 5 to 12, working to make the Toronto Symphony Orchestra more approachable. The concerts are fun and usually there’s an activity or small concert for the kids in the lobby before the show. This holiday season I’m looking forward to taking my kids to the Young People’s Concert series production, The Bear (December 12, 2010 at 3 p.m.), a presentation of the animated film from the creators of The Snowman brought to life by the music of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. The Bear tells the story of young Tilly, who accidentally drops her dearly-loved teddy into the polar bear pit at the zoo, thus beginning a magical friendship with a few surprises along the way. Joining the music will be narrator by Shannon Mercer, soprano Elisabeth Hetherington, bass-baritone Stephen Hegedus, and tenorAaron Ferguson. For added festive fun kids can join the folks from Avenue Road Arts School in the lobby during intermission for free holiday arts activities.

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra will also be offering more traditional holiday entertainment with the world première of Toronto’s biggest Messiah (December 16, 18, 20 & 21, 2010 at 8:00pm and December 19, 2010 at 3:00pm) and a joyous performance of your favourite holiday classics, Christmas with the TSO (December 22, 2010 at 8:00pm and December 23, 2010 at 2:00pm & 8:00pm)

Visit tso.ca for more information and tickets.

Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People

theatre_young_people_frog_toad_yearThe folks at Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People believe the theatre created for kids deserves every bit as much quality as that created for adults. This is obvious through the work they do. My 3-year old and I had the chance to see their current production, A Year with Frog and Toad (November 15 to December 30, 2010). This Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical follows the cheerful Frog and the rather grumpy Toad through four fun-filled seasons. Awaking from hibernation in the spring, the two great friends enjoy planting gardens, swimming in the pond, raking leaves and sledding down the hill. The production is recommended from pre-school to grade 5 and does a great job demonstrating the changes of seasons as well as showing character traits of kindness and co-operation. The best part about LKTYP’s production of A Year with Frog and Toad, and it’s probably the case with all their productions, is their ability to get a message and understanding across by demonstration versus telling. Kids walk away enjoying themselves AND learning something. My 3-year old sat mesmerized through the whole production. At the end the entire cast came on stage and had a discussion with the kids in the audience about the play which just brings the connection to the arts that much closer to them.

lkypt_frog_toad_theatre_kidsPhoto credit:Daniel Alexander, A Year w/ Frog and Toad (2010-11)

Visit lktyp.ca for more inforation and tickets.

Sony Centre for the Performing Arts

sony_centre_grinch_musicalYou’re kids are probably familiar with the popular animated Christmas classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I know this is one of those must watch shows in our house; usually 4 or 5 times. This holiday season The Sony Centre brings the critically-acclaimed Broadway production of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical to Toronto (December 17, 2010 to January 2, 2011). Magnificent sets and costumes inspired by Dr. Seuss’ original illustrations transport audiences to the whimsical world of Whoville as Max the Dog narrates the Grinch’s attempts to to steal Christmas away from the Whos. The video of this production looks as fun as the original animation and will probably have you and your kids singing along. This looks like a production all 3 of my kids would enjoy.

Visit sonycentre.ca for more information and tickets.

So this holiday season, along with making Christmas crafts, baking cookies and watching movies, why not treat your kids to the experience of live theatre or music. Family friendly productions like these listed above make it easy to expose your children to the arts and it will be unlike any other experience they have had.

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Posted in 25 Days of Christmas, change of seasons, children, christmas, getting ready for Christmas, holidays, raising kids, review, those darn kids | No Comments »

TSO Gets Spooky for Halloween

Saturday, October 16th, 2010

I remember being in high school and heading out to a drive-in with some friends for a movie marathon night. This drive-in had 3 different screens and one of the screens was showing some Halloween horror movie like Friday the 13th or Halloween, not what we were there to watch. phantoms_of_the_orchestra-tsoI remember walking to the car and seeing this horror movie on screen and thinking to myself that it really wasn’t that scary (and it was one of those scary-guy-in-a-mask-sneaking-up-on-an-innocent-person type scenes, the ones that make you hide behind your fingers). It occurred to me why this scene wasn’t freaking me out, there was no music; I couldn’t hear the sound.

Music is a powerful tool for the imagination; it can make you cry during a farewell scene, have your heart swell with pride during a good guy versus bad guy battle, find you cowering behind a blanket tense with fear. Kids aren’t immune to music’s affect either though I think sometimes we feel because they are kids the best thing for them is children’s rhyming songs.

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra understands that children can also appreciate great music too, whether classical or jazz or organic. Their Young People’s Concerts series is a great way to introduce kids 5 to 12 to the symphony. We had the chance as a family to attend one of the TSO’s Young People’s Concerts last year and all three of my kids loved it; it was great seeing how absorbed they were in the music.

With Halloween right around the corner the TSO is getting into the spirit with the first concert in the TSO’s 2010.2011 Young People’s Concerts series, Phantoms of the Orchestra (October 23, 2010 at 1:30pm and 3:30pm). Hear the story of a maestro and his assistant who join together to tame a ghoulish orchestra. Conductor Stuart Chafetz leads the TSO in a performance based on the story ofThe Sorcerer’s Apprentice, accompanied by the Magic Circle Mime Company. Designed for children between the ages of 5 and 12, families are encouraged to come early for an intimate pre-concert performance in the Roy Thomson Hall lobby. For an extra fun and spooky family affair, dress-up in costume to excite the ghosts and goblins of the orchestra!

Although not part of the Young People’s Concerts series there is also the hair-raising Creepy Classics (October 30 & 31, 2010) both feature Halloween-themed music including The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Dukas), Danse macabre (Saint-Saëns), and “March to the Scaffold” from Symphonie fantastique (Berlioz). Join members of the TSO by dressing up in costume for these spooky concerts that deliver a few tricks and treats along the way.

Two great way to get the whole family into the spirit of Halloween.

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Posted in children, family, fun stuff, halloween, holidays, memories, raising kids, those darn kids | No Comments »

Niagara Falls: First the Honeymoon, Now the Baby

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

Niagara Falls is one of those popular Honeymoon destinations in Canada. There are hotels surrounding the falls that cater to that honeymoon couple with heart shaped beds, chocolate dipped strawberries and even some two-story champagne glass hot tubs (so I’ve heard). niagra-falls-fertitilty-statuesMy husband and I never honeymooned in Niagara Falls but it has such great kitch to us that we had to include Niagara Falls postcards in our wedding invitations as our attendance reply cards. But I digress.

A honeymoon for many couples is a time to get away and indulge; a time to celebrate the start of a new life together; a time to get on the baby track. Yup you read that right. Some couples use the honeymoon as the doorway to start working on that baby. And if the beauty of Niagara Falls isn’t enough to make that happen, you can always try the Ripley’s Fertility Statues.

According to Ripley’s, ‘More than 2,000 women have reported that they became pregnant shortly after touching the wooden statues.’ The five-foot tall wooden statues were acquired from the Ivory Coast of West Africa in 1993 and have toured the globe three times. Women and couples trying to conceive would visit the statues just to touch it. The demand caused Ripley’s to pull the statues out of retirement from their warehouse in 2001. The Ripley’s Fertility Statues are returning to North America after a European tour and will be on display in the lobby of the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium in Niagara Falls, Canada.

From September 4 until September 26, would-be parents are invited to come in and touch them for FREE during regular business hours. The Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium is located at 4960 Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls, Ontario, (905) 356-2238.

So who’s up for a little baby making?

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Posted in fun stuff, those darn kids | 6 Comments »

Sing-A-Ma-Jig

Sunday, September 12th, 2010

With 3 kids in our home we see a lot of toys. Some we love. Some, not so much. But sometimes we come across a toy that we can’t keep our hands off.

sing-a-ma-jigsWhen I took my kids to the Fisher Price media event this summer, one such toy was included in our swag bag. I’m talking about the Sing-A-Ma Jig.

This colourful character loves to sing with you or on it’s own with the simple squeeze of it’s tummy. Each Sing-A-Ma-Jig, there are a few different colours and voices, has three different playful modes:  chatter (jibber jabber comes out of their mouth with each tummy press), sing in harmony (they cycle down the scale, singing one note each time you press their tummy), and they sing a song. Mine sings ‘On Top of Old Smokey’.

I’m not a fan of many musical kids toys since the music sounds so synthesized but the sound from the Sing-A-Ma-Jig doesn’t bother me at all. The cute part is watching their little round mouths move with sound. Love that. They even have little teeth peeking out. When you don’t play with one for a while they say ‘later’ which of course gets me picking them up again.

I have mine in the office and it’s a perfect distraction. Oh and my kids do play with it too, when I let them. According to Fisher Price you can find these at Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, Zellers, Sears and Loblaws for $14.99 Cdn. I think I might have to find some of the other coloured characters so I can have them sing a chorus.

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Playing with Fisher Price at Ontario Place

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Some days my kids love my job more than me. Case in point, last week we were invited by Fisher Price and GCI Canada to come down to Ontario Place to preview some of the latest and greatest that Fisher Price has to offer kids.

It was like Christmas as we entered the Kids Zone in Ontario Place. It was wall-to-wall fun.

Little People seem to be one of those staple toys if you have kids. The sets are fun and encourage imaginative play and the people can be used to play on their own, without the playsets (they fit nicely in your bag too for emergency entertainment in the car or grocery store). We recently sold off most of our Little People collection but that didn’t stop my 3-year old from playing with the house or fairy treehouse.

fisherprice3My kids are beyond the big building blocks but we all loved this Stack n Surprise Blocks Musical Croc. The blocks stack on it’s back and on the handle. The Stack n Surprise Blocks look like a normal block until you stack them and then, POP, a little character pops out of the top. My kids loved pulling this wagon but what the spent most of their time doing was feeding the croc the blocks (they go into the mouth and down into his stomach for storage). Great fun.
fisherprice1Now my son wished he had this, the Big Action Dig and Ride. He would probably live in the sandbox but since there was no sand he entertained himself by scooping up blocks. Problem was he kept trying to scoop up his sister’s blocks, while she was playing with them.
fisherprice2I’m not sure if it’s a boy thing or just my son, but if a toy involves cars he’s all over it, no matter what age the toy is designed for. Case in point, the Little People Wheelies Stand n Play Rampway. He spent most of his time with this toy. The best part was when he could race 2 cars from the top. Another fun car toy, aimed at an even younger age, The Little Zoomers Spinnin’ Sounds Speedway. I wish they had this when my son was younger.
fisherprice5

The event was great. On top of playing with the toys, the folks at Fisher Price and GCI Canada had a nice snack table set up with grown-up sandwiches as well as grilled cheese and goldfish crackers for the kids, plus lots of fruit. After spending a good part of the morning playing, we ventured off into Ontario Place as we were given a play pass for the rest of the day.

Fisher Price is actually bringing the fun across Ontario in the form of the form of the Playtime Tour. Checkout where the tour stops next and you and your little ones can experience some of the great toys Fisher Price has to offer. And while you’re out having fun, be sure to capture your little one’s laugh to enter the Fisher Price Best Little Laugh contest.

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Xbox Kinect Event

Friday, August 20th, 2010

Did someone say gaming? Video gaming?

Family game night is big in our house but our family game night usually consists of the high tech type. Video games. We have both the Wii and Playstation 3 gaming systems (though the Playstation 3 we originally  bought to replace our DVD player and play Blueray movies).

We don’t own an Xbox. I’ve always thought the Xbox games were geared to the older male game player, lots of shooting-type games, so we were never really hooked in to get one. It made more sense to support a gaming system geared at the younger gamer (our kids are 3, 6 & 8 ) and Xbox didn’t seem to be that system. Until now.

Recently when attending BlogHer in New York City I had the chance to see the new Kinect system in person. And this week I had the chance to try it out, as did my 3 and 6-year old.

The event took place at The Fifth Social and was hosted by Xbox Canada and High Road Communications. The upper floor of the club was set-up with mini gaming stations, giving attendees the chance to not only try out the new Kinect system but also a variety of games that will be made available.

The Kinect system is based on a sensor bar reading your body’s movements for the game play versus you controlling your movements through a game controller. In essence your body was the game controller. My two kids loved the system. Even my 3-year old was able to play, enjoying the cat game Kinectimals. She was able to play with a cat on screen, teaching it tricks and petting it. When the cat sneezed, she would wave her hands in front to wipe the screen off. And as the cat ran through an obsticle course, she would control it with her movements: she would run, the cat would run; she would jump, the cat would jump. She loved it.

xbox-kinectiblesMy son loved the Sonic FreeRiders skateboard game and the race car game Joy Ride. He was jumping and twisting and turning with each movement. The racing game took him some getting use to since he did NOT hold a steering wheel but just holding his arms out in front to steer the car.

xbox-racingI love that both my kids could play game together. The Adventures game included activities like rafting and dodge ball. In the rafting portion my kids had to work as a team to collect points. They had to lean together to go through the pylons and jump together to get the raft to go over ramps. They laughed the whole time.

xbox-funtogetherxbox-raftingThere were also demonstrations of the Sports games (I tried my hand at a little bowling) as well as Dance Central (a somewhat realistic dance game) and Your Shape: Fitness Evolved (which actually shows a scan of you on the screen). And I’ve heard there’s going to be a Zumba Fitness version too; that really interests me.

The kids and I were moving non-stop during the event; when not jumping or twisting or running during the different Kinect games, we were busy moving about the room to try out another demo. The kids only stopped once to have a brief snack (and there was a nice breakfast/lunch selection provided) but then it was onto more gaming.

xbox-snacks

It was a great morning. I was lucky to leave the event without carrying two screaming, game addicted kids (chocolate cookies to go helped). Kinect is expected to come out in early November. I’m looking forward to getting a chance to try it out when it does. Who knows, this might just convince me to add yet another gaming system to our home collection.

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The Toys R Us Trade-In Event

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

As a mother of three, most of our baby gear has been passed down from oldest to youngest. Baby gear can be expensive to buy for each child so why not continue to use it or maybe pass it on to a friend or even sell it online to other parents looking to cut down on costs.

It seems not all gear is should be passed down or sold off due to safety issues.

Toys R Us Canada launched their Great Trade-In event this past June as a way of encouraging parents to remove old or unsafe baby products from their homes. The program was so successful, generating over 3,600 returns of unwanted and used baby products across Canada, that Toys R Us has relaunched the program again.

From August 13 until August 29, qualified used and unwanted baby products can be brought to any Toys R Us or Babies R Us locations across Canada in exchange for 20% discount on a new item from the return list, excluding walkers, from participating manufacturers. The qualifying items that can be returned are playyards, high chairs, bassinets, excercisers, swings and walkers as well as cribs, car seats, strollers and travel systems. Participating manufacturers include Babi Italia, Baby Trend, Billy, Britax, Chanderic, Chicco, Combi, Cosco, Delta, Eddie Bauer, Evenflo, First Years, Fisher-Price, Graco, Kids II, Maxi-Cosi, Quinny, Safety 1st, Lux and Summer Infant.

Toys R Us will ensure that all turned in products are destroyed and disposed of responsibly.

For more information or to find a store location near you, visit The Great Trade In Event on ToysRUs.ca

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Camp Anxieties and the Bad Parent

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

You may remember my post about dealing with my three kids going to camp. I must admit I was a little bummed that the my youngest headed off for her first day of camp without even shedding a tear or a simple glance back to me, waiting…for the tears.

The kids are on their last camp rotation now and we’ve all become pretty accustomed to the routine (note, becoming accustomed and being ready and organized are two COMPLETELY different things). So I was a little surprised that my 3-year old daughter hesitated when going to camp yesterday. Today was the same thing. She was fine until the camp was right in front of her and then she dug her heels into the ground and refused to go. She was upset and clearly didn’t want to go to camp.

A flash of  the  BAD PARENT: all I could think was the work I had to accomplish today and how having my daughter at home would complicate things. I knew from experience that 10 minutes of being home she would pine for being at camp with her friends and my day would be spent trying to find some sort of activity to placate her while I grabbed what few minutes were left of the day to get my projects done.

Then the GOOD PARENT. Obviously she was upset and work or not I couldn’t walk away, leaving her like that. I knew it would spin out of control into a full-on melt-down (years of experience with my 6-year old son have taught me that much), but I couldn’t take her home with me either.

So I tried to steer the conversation into areas not so much about going to camp but about playing in the playground: what’s your favourite piece of playground equipment to play on? The see-saw is great fun, great because you need to  use it with a friend. Which friend do you like to see-saw with? Do you think the pool will be cold today? How far do you think you’ll walk into the water before you turn around and come back out? Up to your ankles? Your knees? Hey those kids are colouring pictures of unicorns. You’ve never coloured a unicorn. Imagine how cool that will look on our art wall at home.

As I’m ’selling’ going to camp to my daughter, it occurs to me that we’ve fallen into a bit of role reversal. I feel like the child trying to convince my mom that I really need to have a hamster and explaining how I’ll take care of it and that my teacher thinks having added responsibility makes you a better person (and who doesn’t want to be in teacher’s good books) and petting animals has proven to have a positive affect on your own mood and personality. Yadda yadda yadda.

Funny thing, it worked. Not selling the hamster idea to my mom; I never did convince her on that. But talking to my daughter about the fun things she will do if she stays with her friends seemed to work. Eventually my daughter gave in and decided she would go to camp. She actually seemed happy. Thankfully kids are an easier sell than mothers.

Have you ever had to sell your child on doing something? If it worked, please share because I have years of selling ahead and I have a feeling as my kids get older and wiser, the sell job will get harder.

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Posted in just me, those darn kids | No Comments »

Beezus and Ramona, The Movie

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

My daughter received her first Ramona Quimby book on her eighth birthday earlier this year. She loved Ramona. And what’s not to love, she’s an eight-year-old girl full of energy, enthusiasm and personality who is trying to navigate through life as an eight-year-old girl.

ramonabeezusmovieSo when we were invited by the folks at Fox to get a sneak peek at the new Beezus and Ramona movie, my daughter was estatic. Neither of us have read the book, though it is on EverythingMom’s Elementary Summer Reading list, but we couldn’t resist seeing how Ramona translated on screen.

Synopsis (from the official movie website):

The adventures of young Ramona Quimby (played by newcomer Joey King) and her big sister Beezus (Selena Gomez) come to life in this all new film based on the best-selling books by Beverly Cleary. Ramona’s vivid imagination, boundless imagination and accident-prone antics keep everyone she meets on their toes. But her irrepressible sense of fun, adventure and mischief come in handy when she puts her mind to helping save her family’s home.

We don’t own cable, yet my daughter recognized Selena Gomez right away, from the Wizards of Waverly Place which we have sometimes caught when traveling to the US (where they do have cable). Joey King is new but she did an amazing job living up to Ramona’s personality.

Ramona has an amazing imagination that kids can relate to and adults wish they still retained. The movie does a great job transporting you into Ramona’s imaginative world by superimposing her 3-D self into a 2-D colourfully illustrated background. Joey King does a great job showing Ramona’s playful, ‘I-can-do-anything’ attitude right along side her concerns about her parent’s relationship and loosing the family’s home.

Beezus and Ramon opens as a very fun and humourous, not laugh-out-loud funny but more smile-on-your-face funny. However the second half of the film does take a sadder turn, with death, down-sizing and the threat of relocating and loosing the family home.

I thought there were some story lines in the film that we’re really resolved or felt forced but these were small and didn’t detract from the my overall enjoyment of the film. With three kids ourselves we could really relate to some of the themes explored in the film, like being the middle child and the older sister/younger sister dynamic. Beezus and Ramona had a real family life dynamic that made the characters and situations seem real (though maybe them all happening in such a short time span was a little much).

My 5-year-old son didn’t enjoy the film that much, not enough action for his taste, but my 8-year-old daughter loved it. Seeing the movie has now spurred her to start reading her Ramona Quimby books. Ramona and Beezus was a fun family film but bring tissues because you’re bound to shed a tear (and if you don’t your daughter will).

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Posted in just me, review, those darn kids | 2 Comments »

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