Buying a lunch box: it's a hard choice

by Lana After leaving Alden's very plain and boring, yet irritatingly perfect-sized Joe Fresh lunchbox behind somewhere in Ottawa, I've been hunting for a replacement lunchbox. I figured that with Joe Fresh selling peacoats in July they would also have some back-to-school lunch boxes by August. Not so. (Or at least, not at the Baseline/Woodroffe Loblaws.) The other grocery stores options included a $15 super fugly cooler bag or girly Elle lunch sac. No no no. No.

I started searching around online for some stylish lunch boxes. And wow - there some kyuuuute lunch boxes out there. Ultimately, I let my wallet decide and chose the very cute owl Zoo Lunchie by Skip Hop ($16).

The boy flipping adores it. He carried it around the house all evening, waved and yelled "bye bye." He was ready to hit the road and leave mom and dad at home in the dust. It was a major toddler win. He clutched it in his stroller all the way to daycare today too. It would be the perfect lunchbox except... it's about an inch and a half too small. Duh duh.

You see, I need to pack a main dish for lunch, drink and two snacks each day and it's a pretty tight squeeze once you add in a drink container and a main dish container.

Maybe I'm meant to have a separate thermos for the drink or perhaps use baggies instead of containers. I'm not sure. All I know is that that it's just slightly too small for my toddler's daily food rations. Sigh. Boys. At this point, I'm not sure what to do. Order another lunch bag or keep trying to cram everything into Mr. Owl.

Here is a list of the lunch boxes that I had on my shortlist:

• Beatrix Lunch Box (available at Raspberry Kids): $37. Yes, $37 for a lunch box. Outstandingly cute. Expensive.
• Goodbyn (available from many different online shops in Canada) : $35. I like this a lot, but I needed something that could accomodate small containers.
• BuiltNY Munchler $14 - Major cute points, but decidedly petite. I could see using this for short outings. And I ADORE the built-in placemat.
• Lunch Boxes for Kids - Cute, understated and great for my lunch. But linen + toddler = nightmare. Also, it looks small.
• Neoprene lunch bag $36 - I still love this one. I regret not buying it. I think the size is probably perfect for my needs. Washable and non toxic. Darn. Next stop: Regret City.

Lana is a knitter, veggie gardener, wife and toddler wrangler.  She can be found blogging about cooking, baking, gardening and more on her blog, Apron Strings.

Ottawa Lumière Festival this Saturday

We wrote about the  Ottawa Lumière Festival awhile back, and all of the fun activities they had leading up to it.  But because there was a pretty long lead time we wanted to remind everyone it's happening this Saturday. Will you be there? I plan to be!

Alcatel – Lucent Sunday Bikedays

by Jay I love living in Ottawa. I love that this city provides so many opportunities for us to get out and enjoy our city and the great outdoors.

I know there’s only 1 more Sunday left of the family bike days but if you can make it I highly recommend it.

What are Sunday Bike Days? Every Sunday from the end of May until the Sunday before Labour Day the City of Ottawa shuts down our parkways to motor vehicles. People can go on the roads without worrying about cars and trucks.

Today we took out our bikes. We have Trail-A-Bikes for the kids that easily attach to our normal bikes. It allows the kids to ride safely behind us yet we all still get the benefits of pedaling at a decent speed.

We’ve also taken our inline skates while the kids have ridden their own bikes.  You don’t need a bike or inline skates to enjoy Sunday bike days though. There are tons of people out walking, running, pushing a stroller, even on scooters (feet powered scooters).

Today we went on Colonel By Drive and biked all the way from Hogs Back to Downtown and back again. In all it was likely about an hour, biking at a decent pace. You can turn around whenever you want and the adventure can be what you make of it. We parked our car at Hogs Back Falls and were easily able to access Colonel By Drive from there crossing 1 road at the lights.

Volunteers are at many of the blocked off streets if you have questions. Today we biked by 2 entrepreneur spirits selling Lemonade, but I highly recommend bringing a lot of water and a snack to have ½ way. There are loads of places to stop along the way and rest in the shade if you start at Hogs Back.  Shaded resting spots Do become few and far between once you’ve passed Bronson all the way to just before the University of Ottawa Campus.

If you do decide to park at Hogs Back Falls, once you have your bikes packed away there are some great trees for the kids to climb in the shade before climbing in the car again.

It’s not just Colonel By Drive but also the Ottawa River Parkway, Rockliffe Parkway  (all closed to traffic between 9am – 1pm) and Gatineau Park Pathways (closed to traffic between 6am – 1pm).

If you can’t make it out next Sunday, be sure to mark your calendars for Sundays next year. Or take advantage of all the wonderful bike paths in the city and go on a family bike ride anyways. My kids each gave this adventure 2 thumbs up and so did the parents!

Jay is the Mom to 6.5yr old Sydney and 4.5yr old Carter and has a blog for her business, Loopy 4 Ewe.

Summer of Awesome - Karters' Korner

by Lynn A lot of the places we've been this summer have been geared towards younger kids. Karters' Korner is more for your older preteen or teenager. My kids had a good time, but there are so many things for them to see and do; if you're sitting around at home with a 10 and 12 year old, wondering what the heck to do as a family, Karters' Korner is the place for you.

The real appeal of the place is the goKarts. They have full sized carts on a fairly big track. You can drive alone if you are 54 inches or taller; otherwise, you can ride as a passenger if an adult (over 16) is driving beside you. My older two kids really, really wanted to go on the big karts, but since I was alone with them that day, I couldn't swing it. We'll have to go back with my husband so they can have a turn.

For the younger set, there are these little 4x4s on a smaller but still pretty big track that you can drive. You have to be 53 inches or shorter to ride. There's no minimum height, age, or weight, but you do have to be big enough to sit on them and press the accelerator. My youngest, at age 3, was just a smidge too short to push the gas, much to her disappointment. My five year old is very tiny for her age, and although she was tall enough to reach the pedal, she was a little too light (at 34 pounds) to get it going really fast, and she got tired of pushing down after 10 minutes or so (a ride is 15 minutes long).

So I'd recommend maybe, 3 feet tall and 35 pounds as a minimum? That should do most 4-5 year olds, I figure.

The 4x4s are the real appeal for my older two kids - they are the reason they ask to go here. But they also really like the mini-golf.

My oldest son, at age 7, is really into mini golf. He actually took his ball and club and went around the holes twice, while the girls and I sat on a bench (for the second round) and had a little snack. I saw parents with kids of all ages -- from toddlers up to older teens -- enjoying a round. So that's super nice.

If your kids are older, there's also a small driving range here. You can bring a basketball or volleyball and have full, free use of their courts. There's a snack bar too, but as usual, we brought all our own food.

For me and my youngsters, we do a 4x4 ride, a round of mini-golf, picnic lunch, and then we're ready to head home. It's more of a half-day place, but the kids like it and it's very close to our house so it's a fun mini-outing for a week when we're worn out from other activities. For older kids, you could spend more time here, hitting the range and the big karts. Still, considering it is way out in the west end - about 10 minutes west of Kanata - it's probably best for families who are already in the Kanata/Stittsville/Barrhaven area.

And now for the most important part - price. My absolute top advice for this place is: GO ON TUESDAY. Tuesdays are half price - or even less, for some things - and that is WELL worth it. On Tuesdays, the 4x4 rides are $4.50 for 15 minutes, and mini-golf is $2.25 per person. Go on the weekend and you're paying $9 for the 4x4, and anywhere from $6 to $8 per round of golf, depending on how old your kids are. YIKES.

The big karts will cost you anywhere from $3.50 to $4.50 per lap, depending on how many laps you buy - but on Tuesdays, you can get laps for just $1.25 each. Much better, no? Needless to say, we always make a point of going on Tuesdays.

If you'd like to check the place out and absolutely can't make a Tuesday, I still have a couple of money-saving tips for you. One, the laps are sold in bulk but not by person, so you can buy say, a 12-pack of goKart laps and then split that among three or four people. Second, don't bother trying to mini-putt if you are there with kids under 5 - you'll spend so much time helping them chase after their ball, it'll just be frustrating to try to golf yourself. Thirdly, they do have package deals for kids if you can drum up a group of 10 or more.

The park does close if there is thunder and lightening, or very heavy rain that will soak the fields. So be sure to check their website before heading out. They sometimes have specials on the weekends, too, and you can find out about any special deals by checking their home page.

Since my kids are small, Karters' Korner is more of a Summer of Awesome Could Do for us. But we do head out there at least once a summer, and the kids have fun. If you're in the west end, check it out.

Lynn is mom to three tombliboos aged 7, 5, and 3, and blogs over at Turtlehead.

August : what you might have missed

Activities for kids So many more great places to go with your kids were covered this month.  A ride on the Rideau Canal, a visit to the Governor General's, we visited the fair, went to Brewer park, discovered a great community playgroup, hunted bugs at the Billings Estate and even a trip to a fabulous Asian food store.

We also found out about fun things to do with your kids : use skype to keep in touch, throw a fairy party, make paper boats, and listen to audio books.

Bloghop

We had a bloghop and so many great Ottawa blogs linked up. Go and have a look and say hello while you're there!

Classes for kids

Have you thought about having your child learn a language? Brie tells us how her daughter learned Japanese this summer and about great language programs in the City.

Joanne tells us about the martial arts classes her son takes and the Ottawa Lions Sports program her daughter takes part in.

Let's get together

We've got a meetup up scheduled for the long weekend to go apple picking at Cannamore Orchards. We'd love to see you there!

Our Kids in the Capital Tuesday morning playdates are continuing! We'd love to see you there too! :)

Splish Splash

Calypso is great fun, but possibly not the best fit for your non-daredevil young ones. Mont Cascades was also a great bet for summer fun.

There are great splash pads all around the city - do you take your kids to any?

Sponsorship

We were thrilled to add Spoiled Sugar to our sponsors this month. She has some amazingly cute stuff in her shop - definitely worth checking out!

Nayla Natural Care did a giveaway for some Kinderville products. The contest is over, but the review is great and worth a read!

Summer of Awesome

Lynn has continued to have an amazing summer hitting the Carp Farmer's Market, Saunders Farm, the Changing of the guard, the Centennial branch of the Ottawa Public Library, and then also did some backyard camping!  Lynn, will you be following up this amazing summer with the Fall of Fabulous? ;)

Yummy deliciousness

We made muffins with Sara and Vicky told us about a great place to get fabulous cakes.

We can't wait to see what the next month brings.