Disney on Ice - Rockin' Ever After

For weeks the Little Man, now 6 and half years old (the "half" being very important to him) has been asking to go to Disney on Ice. We went last year and while he remembers having an amazing time, I remember trying to entertain a bored little boy and avoid spending a small fortune on merchandise. So while part of me wanted to take him, especially since he doesn't ask for much in the way of entertainment, I was a little worried about shelling out money for another boring show.

Thanks to Kids in the Capital we were able to review the show this year and so I brought along one of Jake's oldest friends and his Mom - the same folks we saw the show with last year.

And we were so pleasantly surprised by the changes Feld Entertainment and Disney made to the show. Even though princesses were predominately featured throughout the two-hour show, there was lots to keep our boys riveted. The skating was fantastic, the costumes and props elaborate and colourful and the music was fun and upbeat.

The show featured Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald Duck, along with scenes from Pinocchio, The Little Mermaid, Beauty & the Beast, Tangled and Brace. I especially loved the "Be Our Guest" and "Under the Sea" routines and our boys were both taken with Maximus from Tangled. We had such a great time!

If you go . . .

1. There are still tickets available for today's performances. They range in price from $15 - $67.50.
2. Parking is $8 - cash only.
3. Popcorn and drinks will set you back $12 apiece, but you do get to keep the bucket and fancy plastic cups.
4. Merchandise featuring the main characters is also up for grabs, but be prepared to spend a fair bit.

We saw lots of little girls dressed as their favourite princesses, mickey ears and light up toys galore. Still, the boys in our homes still had a great time, and chatted about the show all the way home.

Have you been to a Disney on Ice show? What did you think?

Carly has red hair and occasionally the temper to match.  She loves potatoes, rainy nights, photography, her husband, her 6 year old son, Jacob and her 10 month old son, Noah.  Probably in reverse order.   She also blogs.

Dino Idol at the Museum of Nature

By Kamerine I was lucky enough to attend the media preview of Dino Idol at the Museum of Nature last week. It's now open to the public so you should go!

Dino Idol is a fun initiative by the museum to stir up interest and intrigue. Like American Idol the public gets to vote on their favourite, but the contestants are dinosaurs!  The museum has more than 200 fossils in storage and a new palaentologist got to pick 5 to star in the show. The fossils are encased in rock and sealed in plaster, and are now on display at the museum. They've all been given catchy names and a description of what lies beneath the plaster. The almost 100-year-old field notes are sometimes vague so the descriptions could be right on or way off.

Kids and their parents will have fun looking at the pictures of the dinosaurs and reading the descriptions, and finally choosing a favourite. The five contestants are Mystery Jaw, Stumpy, Regal Ed, Headrosaur, and The Canadian Club. There is a ballot box set up beside each to cast your vote.

The winner will be announced March 19th and will be opened at the museum's research facility. The process of extracting bones and preparing them is tricky work and can take up to a year so the museum will be blogging with updates periodically. What a fun way to get involved in the next dinosaur bones to be displayed at the museum!

Dino Idol is open to the public and included with the price of admission to the museum. It runs until March 17th. This is your chance to have a say in what dinosaur is cracked open next so go vote!

Disclaimer: I was provided free admission to the Museum of Nature to attend the media preview of Dino Idol. I was not compensated for this review. All opinions are my own.

Green Eggs and Hamadeus: A Children's Theatre Review

Saturday February 9th was a very busy day in downtown Ottawa!  Winterlude was in full swing, the canal was hopping, and the sun was shining beautifully.  My son and I however were at the NAC for the performance of Green Eggs and Hamadeus, the second in a series of 3 performances that we purchased tickets for back in the fall.

This was a much more interactive performance (bilingual as well!) with audience participation!  The conductor of the orchestra broke down one of Mozart's pieces, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525, Allegro, Romanze: Andante, Menuetto: Alegretto, Rondo: Allegro for the audience to explain how a piece of music was put together, the difference between the melody and they accompaniment, and how it all fits together in the end.  He explained that even the instrument, in this case it was the viola, with the most basic notes to play, was very important to the entire piece because they might have one "surprise" that stands out when the orchestra plays together.  He invited two children up onto the stage to conduct the orchestra after giving a little lesson on how it was done.

Then it was onto the story of Green Eggs and Ham.  It wasn't a very long performance, but it was well done, funny, the actors were very expressive which the kids in the audience loved!  There were a few times when the operatic singing was a little bit too much for the little ears, I did notice my son and a few other children a few times covering their ears.

As usual there were activities preceding the event, they had a large train set up for the little ones to look at, they were very strict about their "no touching" policy, which I could understand since the pieces were very delicate, but not exactly conducive to a bunch of kids who naturally want to explore with both their eyes and hands.

It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon!

http://nac-cna.ca/en/orchestra/event/2397

Amanda was born and raised in Ottawa where she continues to live with her husband and son “J”. Amanda is bilingual and interests include reading, blogging, socializing, and advocacy on children and teen issues.

Family Day Fun at Old Navy

Monday, Feb 18th, is Family Day and many of you are looking for things to do with your family. For the second year in a row, Old Navy is hosting a free party for families in their Rideau Center store to celebrate family togetherness. This Family Day event, which offers kids a day of crazy, creative, fun where they can invent anything they can imagine.There is tons of stuff for kids of all ages:

• 3 Craft Stations
• Cookie and Juice Bar
• Twister-style Dance Floor where kids can show off their dance moves!
• One-on-one wardrobe consultation with a stylist
• A gift with purchase while supplies last

Victoria Kirk, an Old Navy Representative, said that “This Family Day, Old Navy wanted to create an over-the-top special and super fun event, where kids can use their imaginations and families can enjoy the holiday together.”

If you’re in the area, stop by Old Navy in the Rideau Center between 1 and 4 pm and have some good, old-fashioned family fun!

*This post was sponsored by Bunch Family and Old Navy.

The Rideau Hall Winter Celebration

By Stéphanie

It can be challenging sometimes to find interesting and entertaining activities to for both my kids, and not die of exhaustion in the process. While I have a very energetic young boy, I am lucky to have a really easy girl who's happy to be carried around almost everywhere.

On January 26th, I decided to participate in the Winter Celebration day hosted by the Governor General of Canada at Rideau Hall. It was the weekend after that crazy freezing -40 celsius week we had in January and while the temperature was a bit warmer, I found it was still a bit too cold to bring the baby. My friend was just as happy (happier) to stay at home babysitting, while my boy and I headed to Rideau Hall well dressed, with our skates on my shoulders.

We had a blast! Embassies of Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the National Capital Commission (NCC) had kiosks where they distributed taffy, cookies, candies, hot chocolate and other hot beverages. We did some crafts at the Netherlands kiosk, we participated in an obstacle course organized by young reservists, took a horse-drawn wagon ride, skated - for a good 2 minutes! (my son is learning to skate this winter...) - on the beautiful historic Rideau Hall skating rink, and enjoyed Inuit dancing and throat singing in their beautiful cultural costumes.

Inuit Throat Singing

There were a lot of other activities for all ages, including cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, dog sledding and a visit of the residence. The event was well attended but not crowded and the only activity with serious wait time was the dog sled rides (which we didn't do). Very well-organized day, all activities were bilingual, and there was something for all ages. And the Rideau Hall grounds are just beautiful!

The governer general often organizes days of activities like this one, so it is a good idea to monitor their website. Also, all winter weekends, and on family day, the outdoor skating rink is open to the public from noon to 5 and there is even a possibility for groups to reserve the rink during the week.

My son still carries around his little Norway flag that was given to him on that day! This annual event is definitely on my agenda.

Stéphanie moved to Ottawa about 10 years ago from the south shore of Montréal. She usually works as an analyst for the federal government but is currently on maternity leave to take care of a 3 1/2 boy (Paul) and 4 month baby girl (Emy).