Surviving the cottage with kids

by Vicky On a bit of a whim, I booked a week’s holiday at a cottage with a friend and her family. I found it on www.cottagelink.com, and it looked beautiful. One of the features that sold me instantly was that it was owned by a family with young children, so everything we needed was already provided: highchair, crib, change table, toys, toys and more toys, picnic table, wagon, playstructure etc. Also the water was only a foot deep off the dock, so despite not having a beach, it was shallow enough to enjoy with my 1 year old.

This was my first experience renting a cottage with kids. I’ve been lucky to have friends with cottages and have enjoyed many summer holidays by the lake since I was a teenager. But this time was different. It was great to see the kids enjoying the water and playing outside, but it wasn’t what I would call a relaxation vacation. Someone still has to cook, clean and get the kids in bed so it’s not exactly a break for the parents.

That being said, I definitely think I’ll try it again next summer, and I’ll be better prepared for it with this list of tips on how to survive a week at the cottage with kids.

1. Portable DVD player – your best friend. If you don’t have a built in DVD player in your car, this is the next best thing. Throw a movie on, with headphones, and you’re guaranteed a quiet trip. Also this is great for a bit of quiet time in the afternoon if the cottage has no TV or cable.
2. Plan your meals ahead of time. Make a quick menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and pack food items you already have at home. Make a grocery list and pick up what you need before you go or in the closest town if that’s possible (or if space in your car is limited). You don’t need to stick to the menu per say, but when kids are hungry you won’t be running around trying to figure out what to cook for lunch.
3. Do not over pack clothes. I brought WAY too much for the kids – a different outfit for every day, plus extras. What happened was that my son stayed in his bathing suit all day long with a pair of crocs. Shirts can be rung out and hung to dry, and most cottage towns have a Laundromat for emergencies (like being thrown up on, twice!)
4. Bring long-legged PJs for evenings. Cottages can be sweltering during the day, but get cool at night.
5. Swimming tires kids out! If you are trying to get a nap out of your kids, get them into the lake just before nap or bed time. If you can also give them a bath in the lake, you’ll speed up the bedtime process (speaking of which can anyone recommend a good biodegradable baby shampoo or soap?)
6. Bring a box of activities to keep them busy. I brought colouring books, activity books and paints which were all used. Why not try making a nature scavenger hunt that you can work on during the week?
7. If you are cottaging with friends, it helps to have similar aged kids so they can play together. My 3 year old got bored quickly with the 3 babies he had as playmates.
8. Explore the nature! There are so many learning opportunities around that will keep kids busy - go for nature walks, look for frogs, or feed the fish bread off the dock.
9. Expect that normal routines may not be easy to follow when you're away. Bed times may be later in a new environment, middle of the night wake ups will happen, and all this can make for cranky kids during the day. I would say try to go with the flow, and once the kids are in bed crack open a beer or a cooler and relax.
10. One more thing, if you are going to a cottage this summer with your kids, or thinking about it, please be water wise!

What are your tips for an enjoyable cottage vacation?

Vicky is the mom to 3.5 year old son named Joel and 1 year old daughter named Mieka. You can read her blog at blog Some Kind of Wondermom.

Review - Peg Perego Pliko3 stroller

Since having kids, I find myself checking out other strollers whenever I am at the mall or the park. I liken it to some men scoping out other cars, sizing them up, you know. And the funny thing is, I notice other moms checking out my stroller too! There are so many strollers on the market, I often can't help but stare when I see one with a neat feature, or one that I have never seen before. Regardless of all the bells and whistles I happen to notice on other people's strollers, I am quite content with my Peg Perego Pliko3.

It's a higher end stroller, retailing for around $300, but in my opinion worth every penny. It has all the features of a great stroller with the ease of transportation of an umbrella stroller.

What I love most about this stroller, which we bought in 2006, is the way it folds up to the size of a golf bag.

When the front wheels are locked in place, it stands up on it's own, which makes storing it in the garage very easy. It's lightweight, weighing only 17lbs. The seat reclines completely, another feature I appreciate whenever my child falls asleep. The snack tray is completely detachable (great for taking it off to wash out sticky snack residue!) It has a cup holder for mom, and a generous sized basket underneath. It is compatible with most infant buckets, as they can rest on top of the snack tray.

When my daughter is sitting upright, my 3 year old son can stand on the back ledge and hold on to the handle bars. (Unfortunately this only works if the back of stroller is up, so I couldn't have him ride on the back when my daughter was in her infant carrier).

The downside? The smaller wheels cannot handle an Ottawa winter, and the sun shade doesn't close entirely. But that's it. I would definitely give this stroller a 9/10!

Be Water Wise

by Amanda This week is National Drowning Prevention week and as an Instructor Trainer with the Lifesaving Society of Canada and former trainer with the Canadian Red Cross I cannot stress enough that EVERY SINGLE DAY you should be water wise and aware!

Drownings happen, they happen more often than we would like and it's generally when we least expect them to happen.  Did you know, according to the Lifesaving Society’s Drowning  Fact Sheet, that drowning is the second leading cause of preventable death for children under 10 years of age.

Who is most at risk for drowning? Toddlers and young children are most at risk followed by men between the ages of 18 and 34.  Young children do not have the physical ability for swimming nor do they mental ability to understand the dangers of water.  They are curious, the water looks interesting or fun and before you know it an emergency has happened.  I call it an emergency and not an accident because accidents are something that cannot be prevented.  Drownings can be prevented.  In my opinion there is no reason for a drowning to ever occur. 

It comes down to the Lifesaving Society’s message “IF YOU ARE NOT WITHIN ARMS REACH YOU HAVE GONE TOO FAR”, it's a simple message that needs to be taken more seriously. I have seen many times parents who quickly leave their child by the pools edge to grab a lifejacket, favourite toy or a towel to wipe the chlorine away from their eyes. It takes a split second. I have jumped into a pool to quickly grab a curious toddler more times than I can count. If the child would have been within arms reach of an adult I would not of had to jump in for the rescue.

Teach your child a few simple rules when around the water, whether it's the local wading pool, the bathtub, cottage or community centre. Start from a young age, before they are even able to communicate with you so it becomes second nature to them. Repeat, repeat, repeat! Repetition is key to assisting your child to remember the rules of the water.  Then remember Monkey See, Monkey Do! Display water safe behaviour that you would like your child to mimic.

1. Stop! Look! Listen!  They STOP before entering the water. LOOK around to see if there are any hazards around the water and to make sure you, or another responsibility adult who they know, are right there within arms reach.   Then LISTEN for the adult to tell them they are able to enter the water.  Also make sure that the adult always enters the water first, protecting the child from any water drop offs or deep water levels.  You may also create actions of having your child STOP with their hand up making a stop sign. LOOK, make a motion of looking through binoculars or gazing around the water.  LISTEN, place your hands to your ears to show that you are listening for your name and to be told its safe to enter.

 2. Stop! Look! Go Slow!  With the same actions as above for the STOP and the LOOK, teach your child to always enter the water SLOWLY. Whether the water environment you are in is familiar or not conditions may have changed since the last time you entered.

 3. WITHIN ARMS REACH!  Your child should understand this concept so well that if you happen to forget they should remind you or follow you out of the water. 

The next time you go for a family swim and are splashing around with your loved ones please remember that even though its a fun activity its a dangerous place to be. Be safe and water wise!

Amanda is mom to Dominic, 2 months, and can be found blogging about life, product reviews & giveaways at Namaste Mommy, PTPA Panel of Moms & Tools for Schools.  When not feeding and changing diapers Amanda is busy with her company DeGrace Energetics & Little Lotus.

p.s. Amanda is having a great giveaway on her blog at http://namastemommy.wordpress.com for the PTPA Award Winning Cuddly Wrap It's a great way to keep your baby close while running after your other children around the water!

Do you hear what I hear?

by Vicky What's that? Do you hear it? Faintly in the distance, the tinkling sound of bells! Is it a siren? The knife sharpening truck? No! It's the ice cream truck!

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Have you had the pleasure of the ice cream truck coming down your street at just the right moment? You really do need to be in the right place at the right time to catch it.

Why did we not have these when I was a kid? All I remember is the Dickie Dee ice cream cart, pushed by a kid on a bike. Summer just wasn't summer until you'd had a treat from the Dickie Dee - pacman ghosts with the gumballs, spacecicles, or the strawberry shortcake pop which was always my favourite.

If you're lucky enough to hear the bells and catch the truck driving down your street, why not indulge in an ice cream treat for you and the kids! It'll be a summer-time memory in the making.

Vicky is the mom to 3.5 year old son named Joel and 9 month old daughter named Mieka. You can read her blog at blog Some Kind of Wondermom.

Breakfast-ing with kids

by Vicky Mmm breakfast. I love going out for breakfast. Bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, coffee... it's all so satisfying, especially when someone else makes it for you. Eating out for breakfast is something we used to do often, before we had kids. Now our breakfast outings are few and far between.

When we do head out, we often love to go to Gabriel's Restaurant on St. Joseph Blvd in Orleans. Did you know that this popular pizza place also serves breakfast? I love that it's cheap and fast, which means we're in and out in a half hour, (and also less chance of a meltdown!) Breakfast out is only fun if it doesn't last too long!

The menu is substantial with lots of variety - we always go for the Gabe's Original, two eggs, bacon, ham or sausage, toast, hashbrowns and coffee for around $6. You can also substitute fresh fruit for the potatoes for a couple of extra bucks. I've also tried the french toast, and it's delicious! The portions are generous, so we find we don't need to order a separate plate for our 3 year old.

Most of the time when we go, we get seated right away. The odd time we've had to wait a while, if we go after 10:00 am. If we do have to wait a bit, usually I ask the waitress to bring a side order of toast as soon as possible, which keeps the kids busy while we wait for our food. Another tip - ask for the bill as soon as your food comes, which means you won't be waiting around at the end of the meal.

Gabriel's is a great family restaurant. You know them for pizza, but if you haven't yet experienced their breakfast, why not give it a try - and bring the kids!

Vicky is the mom to 3.5 year old son named Joel and 1 year old daughter named Mieka. You can read her blog at blog Some Kind of Wondermom.