Going to the dogs

by Julie Our family's weekend morning routine is to go to our local dog park.  Any time of year, and in almost any type of weather.  It's a great way to meet some people in your neighborhood, get some exercise (if you walk there), and a real fun way to get some fresh air and let the kid(s) run around.  And yes, everyone knows the dogs names more than their people's names.

There are tonnes of great dog parks all through the city of Ottawa.  And the Ottawa Dog Blog has created an awesome dog park finder, which makes it all the easier.  While we love our local dog park, and have met some really great people (we even know their names!) we sometimes venture out to some of the larger dog parks for some adventure.  Two of our favorites are: Bruce Pit - Ottawa's most popular and largest dog park; and Conroy Pit.  Both are very large wooden areas which have dozens paths that weave through them.

While Chili (the dog) can roam freely, sniffing from tree to tree, the jellybean can also roam freely (sometimes sniffing trees - hey, he's three!).  The paths range from dense forest, to thick shrub, to large fields.  Everyone is very friendly and the dogs are well behaved.  We have yet to come upon a dog that is aggressive or misbehaved.  And considering the amount of dogs you see there on any given day, that's pretty impressive.  While the dogs are well behaved, there is the occasional knocking over of small children, or adult, by rambunctious dogs at play.

The parks are clean and most of the dog poop is picked up.  I say most for those that might not venture into the woods to find where Rover might have squatted, and the few people who don't stoop and scoop.  I say there are few of those people because more often than not people let the owner know, offer a bag if they happen to be out, and basically stare them down until they clean up after their dog.  Yes, that would be me.

Do you have to have a dog to visit dog parks?  Of course not.  It's actually a great place to visit if you have been toying with the idea of adding a new member to your family.  Especially if you have a little one who hasn't been around a lot of dogs.  While I wouldn't bring a child who is nervous to a large place like Bruce Pit on their first outing, your local dog park is a great place for first introductions.  And if you are seriously considering adding that extra member, dog parks are actually a great way to "shop" for a dog.  You will see every type of breed and mutt there is, and everyone is friendly and often very willing to discuss the pros and cons of their dogs.

So instead of quickly walking the pooch around the block before you head out to the hills to go for a great outdoor adventure with the kids, take the pooch with you and have an adventure together.

Julie (a.k.a. smothermother) is mom to 3 yr old Jellybean and married to the hubby.  You can read her blog at www.smothermother.blogspot.com.

An afternoon at the Pinto Valley Ranch

by Brie The girl was invited to a birthday party for a new school friend. She was very excited. I was less excited about the thought of a 45 minute car ride from downtown Ottawa with a kid that has developed car sickness recently. Still, I would have to say that the trip to Pinto Valley Ranch would be worth cleaning some throw up off of her and the car seat. That much fun was had.

(Thankfully she wasn't sick this car trip. I credit a combination of 1/4 tablet of kids Gravol, open back seat windows, great advice from Twitter freinds and being prepared. The fact that she drove with a towel draped over her and clutching a bowl meant that of coarse she wasn't going to throw up. It also meant that in my attempts to be prepared for everything, I forgot my camera. Sorry, no pictures. )

We were there for the birthday party package. We arrived late, but the girl still have a chance to take a pony ride. Or four. I think this was her very favorite party of the whole party. All the kids took turns riding five ponies around a track for more then half an hour. The ponies were lovely and the staff, many of them teenagers, were kind and patient with all the kids.

After the pony rides, and you know the kids didn't want them to end, we were loaded up onto a wagon for a tractor ride through a big field. The driver did all the things kids like, like going over big hills and making the kids yell yeehaw. He had a clear understanding of the interests of 4-6 year olds. We also got to get out and run around a bit. The favorite stop was by the fence where the horses were grazing in the next field. Some of the horses even came over and gave us all a sniff!

The birthday party had use of a large room and it was there that lunch and cake was served. The birthday party package includes a lunch of hot dogs and drinks, which would be my only complaint about the whole experience. Thankfully the birthday hosts brough along some veggie dogs for the girl and any other vegetarians to eat.  Which as good because I had left all of my snacks at home with the camera.

Pinto Valley Ranch would be a great place for any animal lovers. There were tons of animals all over, including dogs, cats and pigs wandering through the yard. During our barn tour we got to see piglets and the kids got to take turns holding little grey kittens. The party finished up in the large pen with the lamas, sheep and donkeys. The girl loved chasing any animal that moved, mostly the sheep, and I kept busy watching where I stepped. (Note to self, next time bring rubber boots for both of us).

I would definitely make another visit to Pinto Valley Ranch. In fact, the visit has made me interested in trying out other opportunities for the girl to go pony/horseback riding. Do you ride? Do your kids? Do you have any recommendations on horebacking riding in or around Ottawa?

Brie is the mom of a 4 year old daughter “the girl” and 2 old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.

Mer Bleue Boardwalk

by Sara

I have been visiting the Mer Bleue Boardwalk since I was the same age that the firefighter is now.  I have a lot of wonderful memories of wandering the boardwalk with my family.

A bog is is an ecosystem that is most commonly found in the Arctic rather than the Ottawa Valley.  My boys are fascinated by the deep dark water underneath the boardwalk and the spongy peat moss surrounding the trails.  If you want to learn more about bogs and the Mer Bleue Ecosystem, visit the NCC website dedicated to the bog.

There are several trails in the NCC conversation area where the Mer Bleue boardwalk is located.  We like the 1.2 km long boardwalk trail because it is short enough for the boys to walk on their own and there is a lot to see (it is also stroller-friendly).  My boys like all the flowers and plants that line the sides of the boardwalk and the 'funny' shaped trees.  There is a large beaver dam and you can walk through the forest where the beaver's gnaw down the trees.  Last year over the course of a month we visited once a week and watched the progressive destruction of several large trees. 

Each time they try to spot the trails the moose use in among the tall reeds. Our oldest also likes to find the trails the beaver's have left behind in the forest. There is a variety of birds and we once narrowly missed seeing one of the moose that lives in the surrounding forest. 

The boardwalk is beautiful at this time of year. Many of the leaves are starting to change colours and its a wonderful spot for photos. The walk usually takes us about an hour and there is a sheltered picnic area (and an outhouse) at the beginning of the trail (the same place it also ends).

There is free parking but the lot fills up quickly on the weekends. If you can, head our first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon. The boardwalk is less crowded and you can take your time wandering the trail.

Let's go to the movies

by Amy I have always been a big fan of going to the movie theatre. Whether with friends or by myself it has always been one of my favourite ways to relax and escape. I knew that becoming a parent would mean that Joe and I would not be able to just head out on a given day and see whatever we felt might be good.

I don't remember when I first heard about Stars and Strollers, a program run by Cineplex for parents with small babies, but it has become something I look forward to and I check the schedule every Friday to see what our options are for the next week.

Basically every week some of the theatres in Ottawa (Barrhaven, the Coliseum, Silvercity Gloucester, les Galeries Aylmer, StarCité Hull and Rainbow) pick a couple of current movies and play them on a weekday afternoon. They lower the volume and raise the lights a bit, they put out changing tables, and give parents with small babies the chance to feel a bit normal for a couple of hours.

I went to my first stars and strollers when the baby was about two weeks old. I was desperate to get out of the house and think about something other than the baby and the tired for a little while. I loved being in a room full of other moms and it was clear that a lot of women made this a date with their friends. You get to talk to people, commiserate or just nod knowingly, and no one blinks if your baby starts crying during the movie because yours won't be the only one.

Stars and Strollers makes me feel like I'm not missing out. I still get to enjoy one of my favourite activities, I get to see movies I would have wanted to see, and some weeks I go and see movies I wouldn't have seen otherwise, but that I actually enjoy.

I usually go to the Coliseum because it's closest and they have a pretty good set-up. I have been to Silvercity Gloucester as well, but I really enjoy Barrhaven, because they put the changing table right in the theatre instead of in the hallway. You don't have to worry about missing any of the movie while you do a quick diaper change. All the theatres that I've been to have wipes and disposable diapers on hand at the changing stations, and some have microwaves as well, though I've never made use of them.

Now that my daughter is crawling and standing, close to walking, she doesn't sleep through the movie like she did when we started going, and she's no longer in her bucket, which means I have to hold her on my lap during the movie - which means she keeps trying to steal my popcorn. I'm also close to having to choose movies that are more kid-friendly (today's choice, Easy A, would have been inappropriate for an older child), but I'll keep taking her to the movies because she seems to enjoy the moving pictures as much as I enjoy the stories.

I'll never forget that the first time I went to Stars and Strollers there was a mom who spent the entire movie following her son as her crawled up the theatre stairs, over and over. Today, I was that mom, but I still enjoyed the movie, and I talked to other moms, and I got a bit of a break from reality like we all need sometimes.

Amy is mom to 8-month-old Maggie and a 4 year old schnauzer named Henry. You can read her blog at amyboughner.ca where she writes about motherhood and anything else that’s on her mind.

Halloween meetup at Boston Pizza

It's almost Halloween! We want to see your wee goblins, ghosts and pumpkins all dressed up.  So on Halloween day, before the big trick or treating outing, come and join us for a meet up at Boston Pizza in Orleans.  We'll have lunch (please let us know if you're planning to attend so we can make sure to reserve a big enough space and get the tables into big groups) and 10% of all sales will be donated to the Snowsuit Fund!

When: October 31 Time: 11am - 1pm Where: Boston Pizza, Orleans,  3884 Innes Road

Julie from Inspired Photography will be there taking photos of all your kids in their costumes in front of a Fall/Halloween backdrop.  Prints will be available for sale for $5/each with $1/each going to the Snowsuit Fund.

We'll also be doing draws for prizes for all the kids who come dressed up, including a $25 gift certificate from Boston Pizza, snack bags from Spoiled Sugar, some Discovery Toys, and anything else we can wrangle up before then!

We hope to see you then!!