Calypso Waterpark

by Jayda

We recently moved to Ottawa. As a parting gift from colleagues at his previous job we received two generous gift cards to Calypso Waterpark. As two-time water park season pass holders at  Sandcastles in Pittsburgh, it was a guaranteed hit. Thank you! DH took the day off work so we could go as a family on a weekday, hoping the crowds would be a little more tame. Today was the day. It was perfect. Crowds were manageable, wait times were bearable and the temperature was a tolerable at 27 degrees celsius. Swim suits, towels, sunscreen, snacks and water, check, check, check check, and check. We are off! The excitement was high.

For just less than the average car payment a family of four can enter the water park. $136 for our family, plus $5 for parking and $5 for a locker. A little steep, but you soon forget how much it hurt at the ticket booth once you are racing down the Jungle Run, riding the waves in the Calypso Palace or playing chicken with your life on the Aqualoop.

Colassal is the only way to describe Calypso. It boasts more than 35 waterslides, 100 water games, Canada's largest wave pool, the highest free-standing waterslide tower in North America and a 750 meter jungle themed  river adventure, complete with sound effects.

Co·los·sal [kuh-los-uhl] extraordinarily great in size, extent, or degree; gigantic; huge

Recently, MSN Travel, branded Calypso the best waterpark in the world! MSN Travel published its top ten list of the best waterparks and put Calypso in the top spot, above Disneyworld's Typhoon Lagoon and the World Waterpark at the West Edmonton Mall. For us, the best waterpark in the world is only 40 minutes away. I suspect an annual trip.

First up, the wave pool, at the request/demand of JWS, age 5. To say that JWS loves water is an understatement. Right from the first bath he had as an infant, when he kicked and squealed in delight in the freedom of the bath water. Our little amphibious creature. The harsher the assault of the wave, the bigger the smile on his face. He couldn't get enough. On the other hand, LWS, age 3, enjoyed the waves from the safe, secure arms of Dad. He is our cautious one, when it comes to water. As I tried to keep up to JWS in the wave pool, a workout in itself, I tasted salt! All the water at Calypso is salt water. I have officially forgotten about the cost of admission.

Next the Jungle Run. This was the family favourite; the attraction we all could enjoy, equally. We relaxed as the current pushed us along, raced as the jets propelled us and anticipated the next water feature. Participants under 1.52 meters must wear a personal floatation device. No problem, Calypso offers life jackets free of charge.

On to the Zoo Lagoon. I highly recommend a one adult to one child ratio for constant surveillance. If you can recruit a second adult for an extra set of eyes, I would do it! It was a little nerve-racking keeping track of our guys. LWS had a blast at the Zoo Lagoon. This area of the park is reserved the smallest swimmers. There are levers to pull that make the giraffes, hippos and elephants spit water on the innocence bystanders. Hilarious, when you are three. The slides are slow and short, preventing terrifying our youngest sliders and allowing the older siblings to be creative on how to go down (ie. head first).

Adjacent to the Zoo Lagoon, is the Pirate's Aquaplay.  Stairs, slides, ropes, cannons, walkways, Arr Matey. Once your child is swallowed by the ship, don't be surprised if it is hours before the next sighting. And then just when you think you might have spotted your child in the depths of the ship, the giant bucket of water dumps, washing out any hope. Fingers crossed, rumbling tummies will draw them out to refuel.

Calypso is educational too. DH and JWS set there sites on the Zoomerang. A fabulously terrifying ride that takes two riders sitting in a tube, and zips them down a slide towards a horrifying drop-off and then immediately up a wall, designed much like a skateboard ramp. This ride is sure to make even the bravest souls quiver. JWS was insistent on trying it, so DH and JWS jumped into line. As the two climb the stairs, DH educates JWS with his first little physics lesson. "You see JWS, it is all about the weight/momentum relationship. So, don't worry we won't go that high because you are not heavy enough." As the slide whips them up the ramp and they approach the upper limit of the Zoomerang (higher than anybody else), DH remembers he failed physics! Friction, he forgot to factor in friction! From a bench below, LLS and I hear a high-pitched scream (from DH) then sighed a big breath of relief as gravity forces them back down to a reasonable altitude. Phew! JWS was laughing and squealing as DH tried to salvage some shred of dignity as they exited the ride.

Other noteworthy features.

1. There was plenty of parking. Parking attendants guided vehicles into nice, neat, efficient rows.
2. There was ample space to set up a family headquarters. Or the option to rent a private Cabana.
3. The food options were decent. I even found a good salad.
4. Cash free, card free transactions. We didn't use this feature but it is genius. Money at My Fingertip.

There are only two things negative things I can say about Calypso.

1. The lack of recycling. Only recycling bins for cans were provided. What about paper and plastic?
2. It was too much fun! Good luck convincing your children it is time to go home.

We logged six exhilarating hours at Calypso. In all fairness the admission fees are comparable to all other top ranked waterparks in the world, making the Best Waterpark in the World, Calypso, a bargain!

Jayda Siggers, PhD is a nutritionist, a coach at Clean Plate Cleanse, a master mediator living under a co-dictatorship, whole food advocate, living a little greener everyday.

A Toddler paradise - Constance Bay Beach

by Pam Wheeeee - summer is here (has been for a while, it seems, but, you know...officially)!!!

As a mom of toddler twins (one of which isn't even walking yet), I am always on the lookout for great fun options for outdoor play, especially ones that are safe (well, as safe as possible) for them.

Enter an outdoor oasis a mere 15-20 minute drive from our front door in Kanata - Constance Bay. I mean, I KNEW there was a beach there, and I also recalled that it was shallow, but it wasn't until a veteran mommy friend of mine invited us to join them so that we got to experience it.

How much fun did we have? No crying. At all. All morning long right up until after their normal naptime. Sitting and splashing. Walking and splashing. Eating and splashing. Splashing and splashing. With lots of sand everywhere, and water that as far as I could tell was under my knee height. It was fantastic, and there was no need to strap the girls into bulky life jackets. They were happy little clams.o go that it occurred to me...this might be a fabulous place for an unpredictable, non-swimming, fickle toddler...or two.

A couple other notes:

• There is no one in the parking lot at 9:30 am on a Friday (we parked by Point Lounge at 346 Bayview Drive - easy to Google and get to).
• Meeting up with other veteran Mommies means you learn tips and tricks.
• For instance, take one of those portable umbrellas and set it up right in the water - shade for the mini-splash contingent!
• Eat your snack or lunch right in the water - chances are that what you brought your toddler are things that can be eaten by hand, so why struggle with sandy hands, feet, and ultimately food?
• And finally, when leaving, take your messy sandy toddler deeper into the water, undress them in the water, rinse off completely and walk them straight to the car to put on the fresh diaper and clothes. Worked brilliantly. Also meant that it was straight into bed for naptime when we got home.

What fabulous local 'getaways' do you know? What ages are they perfect for? Share!!!

Pam (@paminottawa)/http://paminottawa.wordpress.com/) is mom to twin toddlers Alexandra and Hailey, trying to rid herself of her mommy tummy, and is also a strategic social media communicator with the government on the side.  She is also newly able to change poopy diapers again after 6 months in cast with a broken arm. All things important in perspective.

Ottawa attractions: Cumberland Heritage Museum

by Becky

It's no secret I love the country and farms. And history. Having these combined into a local place we can visit at a family is just another wonderful reason why Ottawa is such an amazing place to live.

The Cumberland Heritage Museum is a city-run museum in Cumberland, about 10 minutes East of Orleans.

It's set on a large piece of land that has some farm animals, barns, old farm equipment, lumber yard, gardens and houses from the 1920s and 1930s. It's a peak into our past and a wonderful opportunity to talk about these places with our children.

But most importantly the kids love it. They like running in the open space, and seeing the horses. They like the wagon ride and farm equipment and fire house. The like hearing about ghosts that may or may not be living in one of the old houses.

Membership for the family for the year is $35.75 and for us it's well worth it to be able to drop in any time we want (although this summer has been so busy we haven't gone nearly as often as we would like!)

Prices for day passes are:

Adult: $7.15 Student: $5.10 Senior: $5.10 Family: $18.40

And some special events that they do have additional admissions.

It's worth checking out - and be sure to bring your kids into the school house to see how it could have been for them ;)

Have you been to the Cumberland Heritage Museum before?

Rebecca blogs at A Little Bit of Momsense

Birthday parties: Bowling Bash

by AmandaY A few weeks before his birthday J and I were discussing what kind of party he would like to have.  He started by saying he wanted his grandparents and aunt and uncle to come over for supper.  I told him we would do that too, but I was really asking what kind of kids party he would like to have.  His eyes nearly popped out of his head, such was his surprise.

"A kids party?  I can have my friends at a party?"  He was so happy about that simple fact that he really had no clue what kind of party he should have.  So I gave him a few choices (based on my cost analysis research) and he ended up picking a Bowling Party at Merivale Bowling Lanes.

First of all, bowling is a great activity for kids.  It is active, fun, and really not all that hard to do.  They put bumpers on the lanes for kids so there are no gutter balls to discourage them.  This way, they hit the pins a lot more making it more fun for everyone.

The bowling balls are smaller, not as heavy so the kids can handle them fairly easily.  I don't recommend it for kids under 3-4.  There is music blasting, lights are low and the shoes glow in the dark!  Such simple things to enhance the experience. (Young or very sensitive children may be a bit scared or overwhelmed by the music, lights and noise of the bowling alley.)

My son invited six of his friends, 3 boys from school and 3 kids he's known since he was very little through my friends and daycare.  The kids dove into bowling with lots of enthusiasm, they picked up quickly when it was their turn and how to keep track of their scores, and at one point we had a mini mosh pit of little boys rolling around on top of each other.  Birthday boy was at the bottom, of course.  His friends were all so excited that they just piled on top of him to wish him happy birthday!

Merivale Bowling lanes did a really great job with my son's birthday party.  They were well organized, had a hostess assigned specifically to our party to facilitate our experience there.  We had one hour to bowl and one hour in the restaurant for lunch and cake.  Our hostess organized all the kids with their shoes, programmed all the lanes with names and such and checked in with us regularly to make sure things were going smoothly.  When we were done with bowling we went to the restaurant and the table was set with all the gifts at one end, and the food was ready so the kids didn't have to wait for anything.  They could dive into their pizza, bash open their bags of chips (yes, there were chips everywhere!), and they were all thirsty and so there was apple juice for all sitting at their places.  Presents were opened and cake was served.  Overall, the food was really good and they did a great job on the cake.

We would definitely go back again, both for just family bowling and likely for another birthday.  The cost was really very reasonable, it saved me a whole lot of work, all we had to do was bring the loot bags for our guests.  We bought gift bags in bright colours and filled them with fun items from our local Dollarama.  At the end of the party everyone seemed happy and the birthday boy was thrilled with it, which was, above all, the whole point.

Have you taken your kids bowling?

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.

Mother’s day in and around the Capital

by Jenny After spending a lovely morning at the Billings Estate museum Easter weekend, we knew, as a family, that it was a place we wanted to visit again. Centrally located on a gorgeous property, the museum was a perfect venue for my kids, 3 and 5. The staff was welcoming, friendly and had really thought of everything. There was a chocolate Easter egg hunt (complete with a nut-free option for my eldest), face painting, a giant hopscotch board, an egg basket sewing session and all-natural egg dyeing. We went around from station to station, my kids keeping track to make sure we didn’t miss a one. The Easter Bunny was also on hand for pictures and encouragement on the egg hunt.

While this Sunday is my day (to sleep in a bit, I hope), I can’t wait to get out and explore another one of the great museums in Ottawa. Here are some of the special Mother’s day events they have going on this Sunday, May 13. Take note of the mini-manis & chocolate offerings at the Deifenbunker! Mother’s Day Tea at Billings Estate What better place to celebrate Mother’s Day than on the idyllic lawns of Billings Estate National Historic Site? Enjoy a Victorian tea service in the garden, stroll through the grounds, and explore the new Victorian medicine exhibit in Ottawa’s oldest wood-framed building. Tours, crafts and live music will take place from 10a.m to 4p.m. There will also be a flower and plant exchange from 11a.m. to 1p.m. Mother’s Day at the Diefenbunker :  A celebration of the women who served in the Diefenbunker.  A special women's history tour will be given every hour in English, featuring clips from the Diefenbunker's oral history project. Mothers can relax at the mini-manicure station as children craft. Mini-manicures will be offered to mothers and children from 12-3. A colourful display by Ottawa’s own Cold War artist, Marcia Lea, will surely be a thing to see! And what’s a women’s day out without chocolate? Of course, the Diefenbunker will be partnering up with local and surrounding chocolatiers and bakers to offer fabulously themed desserts. Program runs from 11am-2pm.

Cumberland Heritage Village Museum - Famous Funnies-Family Cartooning Workshop It’s the good guys versus the bad guys as the super heroes take over a family cartooning lesson led by our professional artist! Families can discover early cartoon super heroes like Superman and characters like Little Orphan Annie. Young visitors can dress in their favourite character costumes. Program runs from 1pm to 3pm. Cost: Regular admission applies plus $10 workshop fee.

What are your plans this Mother’s day? Any special requests or are you just looking forward to a day with your family?

Jenny is mom to 5 (and ¾) year old Ryan and 3 year old Jaime. A communications specialist with a love for food, wine and outdoor fun, you can find Jenny on twitter @jblatts or in the Kids in the Capital Facebook group.