Bal de neige

I grew up in Ottawa, I have the requisite pictures of little kid me being pushed around the canal on a sled, I've eaten a fair number of Beavertails in my life and I have fond memories of being privileged enough to grow up walking distance from the canal. But the fact is that I haven't been to Winterlude in years, except for a very short journey with the stroller a few years ago – while putting on my new skates I realized that I had not in fact skated in over a decade. When the kid had a day off school and the weather was forecasted to be just about perfect, the kid and I made the trek to Jacques Cartier Park to see what Winterlude looks like these days.

How was it? In the words of the kid: "Awesome."

We walked through the gate and she saw the ice covered slides and immediately was ready to go. We had barely come to a stop in our inner-tube at the bottom of a hill when she asked to go again.

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(The guy they had at the top pulling those tubes down was awesome, truly, and really seemed to be enjoying himself).

A combination of fresh air, exercise, fun and tasty treats made it a great day.

Quick and easy Valentine's Day craft

Valentine's Day Craft

I asked the kids this morning if they wanted to do a Valentine's Day craft. This was before I had figured out what we could possibly do. I grabbed some construction paper and scissors and started cutting.

Valentine's Day is all about the hearts, so I cut out different sized hearts in red, pink and white, and handed them over to the kids who were eager to colour them. They went wild and when they were done we attached some white ribbon to the hearts using tape.

Ceiling Hearts

I used thumbtacks to pin them to the ceiling. The result? A very festive living room, decorated with hand-made hearts, making our Valentine's Day and the days leading up to it special. Try this for a quick and easy craft to do with your kids. They'll love seeing their handiwork.

Kids' Craft: Bowling at Home

My daughter's been bowling several times now, and loves it! Although she can barely manage to get the ball down the lane, she has a blast knocking over any pins she can. When I noticed empty toilet paper rolls piling up around our house, I questioned my hubby - why weren't they being put in the recycling? He told me he was saving them for a special craft/activity. This is why I love this man - he's the crafty genius in our family!

So yesterday evening, the toilet paper roles got decorated with stickers and markers, and were placed at the end  of our long hallway. We started by using one tennis ball as our bowling pin, but discovered that two tennis balls actually worked best :)

A great indoor activity for these cold and snowy days!

5 Ways to Celebrate Valentine's Day

When I think of Valentine's Day, I think of red roses and chocolate (actually, I associate chocolate with almost any word, but I'm a bit obsessed). I also associate this day with romantic love - a chance to escape the chaos of family life and celebrate with my husband. But my parents always celebrated The Day of Love with us as children, and I often woke up to a special gift on my chair at the kitchen table. Although I'll look forward to giving my hubby a special card or a homemade treat, I'm also excited to share the love with my children. And truthfully, there's no money (and a lack of babysitters) to give us a night of freedom :)

Here are 5 great ways to celebrate Valentine's Day with your family:

1.  Date Night (or afternoon) - Surprise your child by picking them up early from school, and taking them out for a treat. So what if it's -15 outside? Indulge in an ice cream cone together (if school is more important for your child than it is for my kindergartner, then schedule your date post-dinner)

2. Go outside for a hike in the woods, and leave random hearts in the snow (these snow markers are so much fun!)

3. Read a special book all about Valentine's Day - this is our favourite!

4. Help your child make a Valentine's mail box, where they can collect all their Valentine's from school (yes, I know how annoying it is to have to write 30 Valentine's to all the kids in your child's class, but remember how much fun it was to receive them?)

5. If you want to purchase something, consider a gift that can support a charity - have your child pick out something special!

How are you celebrating Valentine's Day?

Surviving Winter: February Fun

January felt like a looong month. It always does, but in particular, this winter has been brutally cold. Our dog is depressed, our girls have cabin fever, and we're drooling over vacation catalogues. Alas, no warm vacation for us this year, as we blew that budget in 2013. So 2014 will be a stay-cation kind of year, with a week of family camping thrown in for fun.

Camping in August is a long way off, though, so I'm trying to come up with ways to make February a Fantabulous Month! Here are some ideas we have for making it through until March:

1. Create an indoor "park" - we'll set up cushions to make slides, and our rocking chair will serve as a swing. We might get really brave and create an indoor sand box!

2. Make homemade pina coladas (virgin for the wee ones, but a splash of rum for the adults!), and decorate them with fun drink umbrellas. Play Bob Marley while drinking the coladas.

3. Build a quinzee! Find the courage to sleep in there overnight? (highly unlikely)

4. Take part in all things Winterlude, and eat a copious amount of Beaver Tails.

5. Indulge in a warm, comforting meal with my partner to celebrate Valentine's Day - we're thinking tacos at El Camino!

6. Pull out the seed catalogues, and make 2014 garden plans. Can't wait to try new vegetables we've never grown before, including potatoes, onions and strawberries.

7. Welcome family guests to come check out the Capital in full winter swing! Which means extra play partners for the girls, and a chance for hubby and I to  escape for #5.

8. Declare Family Day to be annual Stay-cation day. Acting like tourists in our own town, we will head out to see Parliament, take in one of our kid-friendly museums and catch a bite to eat.

9. Put some of my New Year's resolutions into effect, and participate in a Wellness Program. I'm excited to cut back on processed foods, and meet some of my fitness goals....which leads me to:

10. The Olympics! Not only will we take in some of the Olympics as couch potatoes, but I also plan to involve my girls in fitness goals, and create our own Family Olympics.

What are you going to do to make February a Fantabulous Month?