March 2012: What you might have missed

Activities for Kids It's that time of year and many of us are thinking about going to the sugar bush. Or staying a little closer to home for a treat at Sippy Cup Cafe. We also got to hear about the Whales Tohorā exhibit that's open until September at the Museum of Nature. (Don't miss out on it - it sounds fabulous!) Finally, we got to hear about going to see The Lorax at the movies.

If you're looking for some fun things to do at home, you could do some bean bag games at home. A great way to introduce your children to environmental consciousness is to choose eco-friendly activities to do. Here are a few fun ideas inspired by Pinterest.

Cooking and Crafts

This month Alicia's green crafts in honour of St. Patrick's day were a real hit! We also talked a bit about beading with kids.

It's always wonderful to make things with children - particularly food. Slow cooker chili is a simple one to get the kids in on - "dump and stir"!

Parenting Tips

Have you ever gone on a long drive and wondered how you'd stay sane? We got some good tips for keeping kids happy this month. We also heard from a veteran mom and organizer about how to keep your children's toys organized and manageable - for them and for you.

Karyn from Tail Wags gave us some incredibly valuable advice about helmet safety. If you read nothing else - don't miss this post. Finally, our question of the month was all about potty training and finding out all the methods that have worked for different families and children.

Social Media Mondays

We talked about how parents can manage raising children in this age of digital sharing and almost-constant connectedness. Related, we shared a few fun videos we've been watching with our families recently.

KIC Community

We've received a number of pictures already and there's still time if you want to contribute to our Call for Pictures. We'll have a new banner up next week showcasing a few kids from the capital!

What have YOU been up to this past month!? :)

Helmet safety

by Lara As we got ready to go for a bike ride earlier this week and I fastened helmets onto all three of kids' heads I thought to myself "these helmets don't seem to fit quite right".  I also thought, I bet I'm supposed to get the kids to wear helmets even when they're riding trikes in the driveaway aren't I?  (something I honestly have never really bothered with even on a walk around the block on a push trike.)

So I asked Karyn from Tail Wags if she might have some information to share on helmet safety.

Here's what she sent me:

Kids should take advantage of the warmer months to be active outdoors. Riding tricycles and bikes is as much a part of summer as ice cream and running through the sprinkler. It’s our responsibility as parents to protect our children from unnecessary injury.

Biking is a fun sport and family activity but it can be risky without a safety helmet, particularly for children under three years of age. Babies are born with soft skulls to facilitate the birth process and allow their brains to grow, but this means their heads are especially susceptible to harm. The “soft spot” usually disappears around 2 years of age but children can still sustain a head injury even from a relatively minor fall if they are not wearing a proper safety helmet. I encourage parents to keep this in mind: if you dropped a ripe melon on concrete from 2 feet off the ground, what would happen? Of course, the melon would break open. The risk to children is equally great if they are not wearing a helmet. In Canada, children 16 years of age and under are required by law to wear safety helmets while riding tricycles and bicycles. Helmet use is also mandatory for children riding in a bike carrier on an adult bike, as well as riding in a “Chariot” pulled by a bike.

Please make sure your child's bike and safety helmet are the right size. A child must be able to straddle the bike with both feet on the ground. The fit of the safety helmet is incredibly important. When choosing a helmet, your child should try on several helmets carefully. Level the helmet over your child's forehead and adjust the chinstrap to fit snugly and comfortably. It should protect the forehead without slipping forward or backward and it should not move unless the scalp moves. A trained salesperson will help you ensure the fit is right. Today, there are several manufacturers producing helmets that are adjustable in size, enabling it to grow with your child and still provide a comfortable and proper fit.

Insist your child always wears a helmet when riding and that he or she buckles it up. It goes without saying that parents must set an example by always wearing their helmets when cycling as well. Remember, a helmet only works when you wear it!

Do you have helmets for all your kids?

Karyn Climans is the owner of Tail Wags Helmet Covers, a company devoted to encouraging more children and adults to wear their safety helmets. One of her goals is to prevent unnecessary head injuries and it is her passion for safety awareness.

Reel Babies - A Real Nice Time & A Giveaway!

by Carly

When the Little Man (now 5.5 years old) was well, little, I desperately wanted to do all the typical mommy things with him.  Playgroups, meeting friends for tea, visits to the park, and trips to the movies for those specific parent and baby screening things.  In the end, he had some health issues that directly impacted his sleep (and mine!) so I ended up giving most of those things a pass because we needed to nap . . . a lot.

Fast forward five years and I still love the movies, but knew the husband and I wouldn't be spending many weekends at the flicks - at least not at first - now that we had two children, one of them being an infant.

This time around, with the Baby Man (now 4 months old), I'd really hoped to be able to get to at least a few of the parent and baby showings.  There's a new theatre just up the road from us here in Orleans, with just such a program.  The Baby Man contracted a nasty case of pneumonia in early February, but I did make it out to Empire Theatre's REEL BABIES program to see "The Vow" toward the end of the month.  I was very pleasantly surprised with what I found when I arrived at the theatre.

The service was great, right from the start.  The staff were super helpful, offering to carry snacks and drinks for moms with babies in car seats and strollers.  The theatre was pleasantly dimmed, but not completely dark and the set up was fantastic.  Play mats, exersaucers, swings and bouncy chairs were readily available, right inside the theatre itself.  They were impeccably clean, even up to my high standards.  Parents were able to bring their strollers right into the theatre, something which wasn't an option when I went to check out a similar program at another theatre chain.

Also right inside the theatre was a proper change table, again scrupulously clean, and a microwave and bottle warmers.  Again, at another chain the change table option was found only in the lady's washroom and the microwave was outside the theatre doors.

Empire had some issues with the sound when the previews started rolling - it was on "full blast", but as soon as we let a staff member know, it was remedied right away.

My only complaint was that the sound was turned down a little too much, making the movie hard to hear over the noise of the wee babes from time to time.  And while I understand that the theatre wants to run their Reel Babies program when the theatre is already open for regular matinee showings, the timing can be a bit tricky if you've got to get home to meet an older child off the bus or at school.  The movies don't begin until 1 pm, which means having to make alternate arrangements for your other children if they get home anytime before 3/3:30 pm.  Fortunately that's not an issue for me, but I can see it being a stumbling block for other parents.

Overall, it was a really wonderful way to while away the afternoon, and I was very impressed with the set up at my local Empire Theatre.

If you go . . .

- Although there are a few Empire Theatres across Ottawa, the one in Orleans is the only one with the Reel Babies program.

- Matinees are just $8.99 per person and the baby is of course free.

- The Reel Babies program runs every two weeks, on Wednesday afternoons, at 1 pm.

- You can create an account on the Reel Babies website and then be eligible to vote for which movie they'll show at their next event!

The Giveaway We have two free passes for any Reel Babies showing across Canada, valid until December 31, 2012.  Along with that, two $3 off coupons that can be used for future ticket purchases to a Reel Babies showing.Please note that in order for the winner to claim their prize, they must be willing to either pick up the passes and coupons from my home in Orleans, or share their mailing address with me (Carly) so they can be mailed to you.

To enter, just leave a comment!  Although the Reel Babies showings are geared toward parents and their wee ones, you don't actually have to bring a child with you to the show - the matinees are open to anyone and the passes are good whether you come with child or without.

We'll do a random draw for one winner on Monday, April 2nd at noon!

Recipe: Slow cooker chili

by Becky (from Momstown Ottawa) On those busy days there isn't anything better than having supper taken care of. When it's 4 pm and I forgot to take something out of the freezer for supper, or simply don't have the energy to decide what to make, it can be a resentful and stressful time.

For me, my slow cooker is a supper saver some nights. I'm able to prepare it when the kids are happy (or at school) earlier in the day, and it's ready when we want to eat, or when my husband gets home from work. No matter how busy we've been in between.

Have a favourite slow cooker recipe? Share it in the comments! Below is my recipe for beef chili. It's a family crowd pleaser (also a go-to when we have a group of people over!)

______

This recipe isn’t a hot chili – so feel free to add more tobasco if you prefer extra heat. However, it is very garlicky which we love!

If you are a new cook, this is an easy, family pleasing meal. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

-Extra lean ground beef (or turkey) – about 1 package (2 pounds)

-4 cups crushed tomatoes (I use 2 large cans)

-2 cans red kidney beans, drained

-1-2 pepper(s) chopped

-2 cups mushrooms, sliced or chopped

-1 chopped onion

-6 cloves crushed, fresh garlic

-2-3 tablespoons chili powder

-3 dashes tobasco sauce

Directions:

1-In frying pan or wok, cook meat. When cooked, add garlic, onions, peppers and mushrooms. Let cook until onions start to get tender and translucent. (Note: In a pinch for time? Just cook the meat and add the raw veggies directly into the crock pot as in step 2. Cooking the veggies and garlic makes more of the yummy flavours come out, but isn’t a must.)

2-In the crockpot, add tomatoes, beans, chili powder and tobasco sauce.

3-Add meat mixture to the crock pot.

4-Simmer on low for 5-6 hours, or on high for 3-4.

5-Serve with your favourite fresh bread, garlic bread, or with nacho chips and sour cream (my favourite way! You don’t even need a spoon. And note: the 2 measly chips in the picture below are for show only. I eat half the bag with it…)

For leftovers (or for my son!) I make a plate of nachos, baked in the oven with melted cheese on top. My son gets his like this because, while he will eat a bowl of chili, if the nachos are available he’ll just eat those. This way, to get to the nachos, he has to also eat the chili.

originally posted on www.bitofmomsense.com

Still looking for more slow cooker recipes? Try these from momstown meals:

Slow Cooker Spiced Apple Chicken

Slow Cooker Indian Cauliflower

Slow Cooker Bean Soup

momstown is for neighbourhood moms wanting to connect for support, conversation and  fun.  We are currently looking to expand into Ottawa and are seeking an entrepreneurial mom who might be ready to start an exciting new career!  For updates and information visit our momstown Ottawa blog.

Kids in the Capital: Spring Call for Pictures

by Karen Have you been enjoying our winter collage at the top of our web site? We have. It's so fun to look at pictures of kids from the KIC community doing fun stuff in Ottawa when we come to the blog.

It's hard to believe that March isn't even over and the snow is practically all gone. But you know what the snow melting means? SPRING!

Last spring was a fun one for the Wilsons. Brandon turned 3 and we marked the day by visiting the Museum of Science and Tech. Not long after, we took him to the Agriculture Museum for the first time. We made a trip across the river on a ferry and drove to Manotick to see Watson's Mill, among other things.

One the the best parts of last spring was a little discovery we made in the top of the arbor over our gate. Three little robin eggs. We got to watch the eggs appear one by one, see the babies hatch and wave as they flew away.

What did you do last spring? Do you have memories you'd like us to consider including in the KIC banner? Email your photos (or links) to kidsinthecapital@gmail.com!

Thank you to everyone in advance for your help!