Birthday Parties at Cineplex Odeon Theatres

A couple of weeks ago, my son celebrated his 6th birthday. We had decided weeks before to seek out a relatively simple option for celebrating his birthday. When we saw The Lego Movie trailer, the idea light bulb clicked on. My son was thrilled when I suggested we watch it for his birthday. We called up Cineplex Odeon and booked the party that week. The standard party package includes admission to the movie (birthday child is free), a kid’s tray combo per child, a party host, reserved theatre seating, and one hour in the party room. The premium party package includes all of the above plus additional food from the concession stand.

Overall, it was an awesome party! A good option if you’re looking for a simple birthday party with only a few details that require your attention.

Positives:

• Ready-made invitations that can be picked up at the theatre.
• Since no outside food was aloud, the only thing I needed to bring was birthday cake. They provided all cutlery, napkins, plates, etc. 
• I could have brought in some of my own decorations if I wanted to but they assured me it wasn’t really necessary as the party room was already pretty festive. I opted not to and, in the end, was content with that decision.
• The staff noticed us as soon as we came in, took the cake into their fridge, and gave us a bin for our coats and another for the gifts. They were exceptionally friendly with us and the kids.
• When everyone had arrived, our party host led us to our reserved seats and once everyone was settled, handed out the popcorn and juice to each child (and even asked us adults if we’d like some complimentary coffee). 
• The party leader checked on us several times throughout the movie, asking us if there was anything we needed.
• After the movie, she was there to lead the group to the party room. There was an activity booklet and crayons waiting on the table for the kids. The food arrived soon after and they brought the cake when we requested. The gift and coat bins were also there waiting for us. We really had very little to do!

Negatives:

• The only real negative I can think of is that no outside food is permitted except birthday cake and their food options aren’t too healthy (fries, chicken nuggets, pizza, hot dogs).

Some other considerations:

• A good movie is key: I think this worked out so well in part because The Lego Movie was a hit with all the kids; they were all really into it. No one stirred throughout the entire movie.
• Number of kids – we had 7 kids at the party (including our own 3) and I’m glad we didn’t invite more. It was a bit stressful making sure we didn’t lose any on our way to the party room (even with the party leader’s assistance). Also, the party room is big enough, but not huge. We had just enough room to move around comfortably. I would say the ideal number would be 5 kids.
• I didn’t think an hour in the party room was very long but it turned out that we had some spare time after eating, birthday cake, and gift opening. I wished I had planned a simple party game or 2 to keep them entertained and active at the end.

My son really enjoyed himself. It was nice that he got to share the experience of watching The Lego Movie with a few of his friends. They enjoyed reliving some of the movie’s funnier moments in the party room afterwards. Now if I could only get that song out of my head!

Delta Jones is owner of Just Play Toy Rental, a local online toy rental service that delivers toys within the greater Ottawa area. Check out the website, and you can find Delta on Facebook and Twitter.

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.

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?

The Annual Biology Butterfly Show

It's that time of year again! I'm not talking about the start of football season, or Thanksgiving, or even Fall. I'm talking about the butterfly show! The Annual Biology Butterfly Show at Carleton University is here and is open until October 14th. This is a free event open to the public and is pretty amazing. You get to walk around a greenhouse and admire all the colourful butterflies flitting about. Pick up a piece of fruit and hold it up and you just may have a little guy land on it.

The colours are just incredible.. from dull grey to bright blue and red and green, but the most impressive, in my opinion, is the Owl Butterfly from Costa Rica. When it closes its wings it looks like there's a big eye peering at you.

So grab the kids and your camera and head over to Carleton to catch the show before it's gone. And don't forget to take your picture in front of the huge picture of a Canadian Tiger Swallowtail butterfly. It's a tradition!

Tips:

• Don't bring a stroller. It's pretty cramped in the greenhouse.
• Don't wear a sweater because it's muggy and, if your kids are anything like mine, you might end up carrying one.
• Wear bright colours to increases your chances of having a butterfly land on you.

By the numbers:

• 10 - Days the butterfly show is open (October 5th - October 14)
• 9am - 4pm - Time you can go
• 1300 - Number of butterflies
• 41 - Species from around the world
• $0 - Cost of admission!

Have you been to check out the butterflies? What was your favourite?

Welcoming the NAC French Youth Theatre

Giveaway Closed It’s pretty cool that we live in the Ottawa Capital area, home to the National Arts Centre and some amazing children’s theatre. As Ottawa is a fully bilingual city and many of our Kids in the Capital readers are French or have kids in French immersion or French language school, we are particularly pleased to be able to introduce our new sponsor - the NAC French Youth Theatre. What a great way to get your kids to fall in love with both the theatre experience and to be able to practice using their French in an everyday situation. And since it’s French theatre, this post will be in both French and English - a first for Kids in the Capital.

The French Youth Theatre season has a pretty awesome lineup this season. The first French theatre event this month is Pomme, a delectable tale brilliantly told solely in French by Isabelle Payant in a performance that brings to mind the popular children’s television character Fanfreluche, who liked to retell stories and legends—in her own unique way!

In rhymes and images, through the interplay of shapes and objects in an ingenious set made of giant boxes that captivates young audiences ages 3 and up, the show unfolds an evocative fable about the great adventure of life. Through the magic of puppetry, Isabelle skillfully guides her engaging protagonist through a host of exciting adventures.

Un délice de spectacle à savourer en famille

Une délicieuse épopée menée brillamment par Isabelle Payant. L’interprète a un petit quelque chose de Fanfreluche : À l’aide de poèmes et d’images, de jeux d’objets et de formes, surgissant au milieu d’une ingénieuse architecture de cubes qui émerveille les enfants, le spectacle compose une fable évocatrice sur la grande aventure de la vie. Pomme a de beaux et grands rêves. Elle voudrait bien défier les lois de la nature et devenir un homme… À travers mille et une péripéties, l’épopée de ce sympathique personnage compose une fable évocatrice sur la grande aventure de la vie. À croquer!

As a kid, I loved the idea of getting dressed up and going to the NAC and I’m so excited to be able to share it with my children as they get older. Each month, the NAC French Theatre will host a spectacular presentation of poems, puppetry and fun for kids of all ages. The lineup includes Cendrillion, Le Grand Mechant Loup and Gretel et Hansel and your kids will have a blast and get to hear French at it’s finest. Take a look at the full lineup here.

And to get our readers involved, we’re giving away tickets for one play in the lineup. To win, just tell us in the comments why you’d like to see Pomme, or any other of the the awesome plays in the Youth French Theatre Lineup. We will pick one winner at random on October 15th.