Let's get together

It's that time again. Time to come out from behind the computer screen and meet up in person! We hope you will join us. We want to invite all our readers and bloggers to a meetup on Wednesday, July 21st. This will be a chance to put some names to faces, but more importantly it will be a chance to hang out with some other cool Ottawa parents!

If you are free July 21st and would like to join us from 8pm-10 pm at the Clocktower Brew Pub at  575 Bank Street please RSVP in the comments.

We hope to see you next week!

Brie is the mom of a 3.5 year old daughter “the girl” and eighteen month old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.

Lara is mom to 3.5 year old Kiernan and 11 month old twins Quinn and Juliette. You can read her blog at Gliding Through Motherhood.

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.

Touch A Truck 2010 - July 18th

If there was ever an event that is just as amazing for kids as it is for parents, Touch A Truck is it! Touch A Truck is a once a year chance to interact with vehicles of all shapes and sizes. From Army vehicles to the remote control lawn mover the city uses.

From Garbage trucks to the Fire Engines. Last year my then 8 year old found the Rogers Mobile TV Studio amazing.

He loved the Army Jeep and even found the Book Mobile interesting. My 5 year old loved the Garbage truck and the construction equipment. He got a plastic fire hat from a fire fighter that we still have (we could use a replacement, hopefully they are there again this year). My husband found the Police bomb squad fascinating (many Dads were hovering around that one) and I enjoyed looking at the smiles on my boys faces. It was a wonderful way to spend a morning.

This year they expect to have over 50 cool vehicles to climb into and enjoy. I took the following out of the Mothercraft Ottawa press release about this years event:

Bring the whole family to a fun filled day where everyone is encouraged to explore the mighty machines, beep horns, pull sirens and explore the inside of their favourite rig or machine. We have some exciting new trucks and equipment in our line up this year. And even more fun including: • “Strongman” demonstration. • Maria Hawkins and band • Hintonburg Hip Hop dancers • Close up magic from Rising Star • Face painting, crafts, Magic and balloon making artist are just some of the activities that await you!

One thing to remember is that if you have a child who is sensitive to loud noises, this event may not be for you. There is a whole lot of horn honking going on. Last year my oldest child proclaimed that they should rename the event "Honk A Horn"! LOL

TOUCH A TRUCK will be located at Lincoln Fields Shopping Centre, 2525 Carling Avenue on JULY 18Th, 2010 from 9 AM to 2 PM. Admission is $5 per person with a $20 maximum per family.

Its all for a good cause as all funds raised from Touch A Truck directly support the prenatal and parenting programs of Mothercraft Ottawa.

Photo Credit to my sister Joanne

Chantal is a mom of 3 boys,  8yo D, 5yo M and 6mo D2. When she finds time she blogs at TwoHandsFull.

Joanne the proud mom of Amélie (8 years old) and Mathieu (4 years).  She is new at blogging and you can find her at Our Money Pit.

Playtime at the Park

by Brie Last summer we stumbled upon the Centretown Community Health Centre's (CCHC) free Summer Park program. I was very glad we did. And I am glad to say that they are back again this summer!

Mondays in the month of July and August will find the CCHC team out in force at two downtown Ottawa parks. With them comes craft supplies, sand toys, balls, bubbles and books. It is a great discovery if you are planning to be at the park anyway, but it is even worth going out of your way for. My one and a half-year old and three and a half-year old both had a great time exploring all the new treasures to play with, but I think this is particularly entertaining for older kids that are looking for something different to do.

The summer park programs rotates between St.Luke's Park (Elgin and Gladstone) and Dundonald Park (Somerset and Lyon). More information is available here.

Brie is the mom of a 3.5 year old daughter “the girl” and eighteen month old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.

Dragonboat Festival: Mooney's Bay Beach

by Sara

Neither my husband or I had ever attended the Tim Horton's Ottawa Dragon Boat festival (despite our best intentions) but we decided this was going to be the year.   The event starts on Friday evening and runs right through until Sunday night.  Over the course of 2 and a half days there are multi-cultural activities and events, live music, roving entertainment, and of course, dozens of teams competing in the races.  There's even a children's area, which this year included performances by an illusionist, Little Ray's Reptiles, Radical Science, and a visit from Spartacat. 

This year the festival raised over $320,000 for several local charities, including the Sens Foundation, CHEO foundation, Bruyere Foundation, ArtsSmarts, The Ottawa Humane Society, University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, and Debra Dynes Family House. 

We parked at Canada Post (for free) and then walked over to Mooney’s Bay (about 15 minutes).  There are several off-site parking locations that are connected to the festival by OC Transpo Shuttle bus.  

Clearly we missed out on a lot of the fun of the festival since we were there before noon and didn’t stick around for the beer tent or live music but we did partake in the family-friendly activities, which is what this blog is all about. 

We started our day at Mooney's Bay beach, which is right beside a giant shaded play ground.  The highlight for the boys was throwing sticks into the water and wading into the waves as they watched the boats race by.  It was a great place to watch the races from: we could see the boats heading out to the starting line and then watch them race to the finish line.  And because there are so many heats you don’t have to wait long for the action to start.

We strolled through the staging area where all the teams wait and line up for their turn in one of the massive boats.  We wanted a closer look at the dragons!  It was impressive to watch all the teams waiting in a huge line that snakes all through the staging area.  Even the boys were silenced by all the cheering and singing as people prepared for their races.

The Kid's Zone featured bouncy castles, soccer equipment, a stage for music and shows, face painting, and balloons.  Because the park turns into a veritable tent city for the weekend, it was nice to have a kid-friendly area that was fenced off and easily accessible to families. 

Although the 2010 Dragon Boat Festival is over, there are other events in the Ottawa region this summer.  The Rideau Canoe Club hosts a Dragon Boat Festival on Saturday August 21st and there is another festival on September 11th in Carleton Place

And don't forget, the next big event at Mooney's beach is coming up on July 11, 2010: The Hope Volleyball Summerfest!

Sara is mom to a 4-year-old firefighter and 2-year-old monkey.  You can find her at her blog, My Points of View