A Toddler paradise - Constance Bay Beach

by Pam Wheeeee - summer is here (has been for a while, it seems, but, you know...officially)!!!

As a mom of toddler twins (one of which isn't even walking yet), I am always on the lookout for great fun options for outdoor play, especially ones that are safe (well, as safe as possible) for them.

Enter an outdoor oasis a mere 15-20 minute drive from our front door in Kanata - Constance Bay. I mean, I KNEW there was a beach there, and I also recalled that it was shallow, but it wasn't until a veteran mommy friend of mine invited us to join them so that we got to experience it.

How much fun did we have? No crying. At all. All morning long right up until after their normal naptime. Sitting and splashing. Walking and splashing. Eating and splashing. Splashing and splashing. With lots of sand everywhere, and water that as far as I could tell was under my knee height. It was fantastic, and there was no need to strap the girls into bulky life jackets. They were happy little clams.o go that it occurred to me...this might be a fabulous place for an unpredictable, non-swimming, fickle toddler...or two.

A couple other notes:

• There is no one in the parking lot at 9:30 am on a Friday (we parked by Point Lounge at 346 Bayview Drive - easy to Google and get to).
• Meeting up with other veteran Mommies means you learn tips and tricks.
• For instance, take one of those portable umbrellas and set it up right in the water - shade for the mini-splash contingent!
• Eat your snack or lunch right in the water - chances are that what you brought your toddler are things that can be eaten by hand, so why struggle with sandy hands, feet, and ultimately food?
• And finally, when leaving, take your messy sandy toddler deeper into the water, undress them in the water, rinse off completely and walk them straight to the car to put on the fresh diaper and clothes. Worked brilliantly. Also meant that it was straight into bed for naptime when we got home.

What fabulous local 'getaways' do you know? What ages are they perfect for? Share!!!

Pam (@paminottawa)/http://paminottawa.wordpress.com/) is mom to twin toddlers Alexandra and Hailey, trying to rid herself of her mommy tummy, and is also a strategic social media communicator with the government on the side.  She is also newly able to change poopy diapers again after 6 months in cast with a broken arm. All things important in perspective.

Kid in the Kitchen

by Amy When I was a kid, my sister and I used to go over to a friend's house and her dad would gather us in the kitchen and we would make bread. I don't remember exactly how involved we were in the pre-dough stage, but we got to make our bread into shapes and then he would bake them and we would eat them. I knew when my kid started being able to help out in the kitchen – and being very excited to help out – that bread was going to be one of our projects.

Today she was looking for something to do and I decided it might be the right day. I found a recipe online (from Jamie Oliver) and we went out to get our ingredients.

When we got back into the kitchen she was a little impatient as I read through the recipe and figured things out, but once we got started she got her hands right in.

It was a little messy:

...But once it was time to knead the dough, she knew exactly what to do.

The problem with making bread is that you have to let it rise twice, so instead of just mixing, baking and then eating, there is a bit more of a wait, but we got through that extra time with a bit of a dance party.

Eventually the bread came out of the oven.

It smelled like bread and it looked like bread, but we had to taste:

I think she approved.

(And while we had all the ingredients out, and since we had bought yeast, we made some baked doughnuts too...

Amy is mom to two year old Maggie and a 6 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. She also shares a blog with her husband at boughner.ca where they talk together about parenting a daughter.

Healthy Chocolate Ice Pop Recipe

The best thing about these easy to make ice pops is that when you and your kids are enjoying them, you will think you are eating a sinful treat when really, they contain protein, healthy fats, and antioxidants. The sweeteners are the banana and the maple syrup, so they contain no refined sugars. Enjoy!

Thanks to Kim Corrigan-Oliver for sharing this recipe.

***

Summer weather is coming and that means popsicle season, but not just any popsicles, homemade, delicious, healthy popsicles. Both Justin and Reece love popsicles, I could take them or leave them. I often make them up for the two of them to enjoy as they play in the yard on a hot summer afternoon.

Here is 1 of their favourites:

Chocolate Ice Pops

1 avocado*, peeled and pit removed 1 banana 6 tbsp coconut milk 3 tbsp maple syrup 2 tbsp organic cocoa powder 1 tbsp almond butter

* Check out this great tip to ensure you are buying a good avocado.

1.  In a food processor, blend the avocado and banana until smooth. Add coconut milk, maple syrup, cocoa powder and almond butter, blend until well mixed. You can taste test now to see if you would like to increase the sweetness with a little more maple syrup. You may also wish to add a little more coconut milk if it seems a little thick.

2.  Once you have perfected it to pass your taste bud test, fill your ice pop molds and freeze for a couple of hours.

Kim is a holistic nutritionist and author, who has a passion for health, wellness, real food and cooking, and is dedicated to helping parents raise happy healthy babies. Kim is the founder of Your Green Baby and also blogs at Mothering with Mindfulness.

You may also like...

• Why We Love Kinderville Ice Pop Molds
• Homemade Strawberry Banana Ice Pop Recipe
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This post originally appeared on Nayla Natural Care's blog - thanks for sharing it with us!

Ottawa attractions: Cumberland Heritage Museum

by Becky

It's no secret I love the country and farms. And history. Having these combined into a local place we can visit at a family is just another wonderful reason why Ottawa is such an amazing place to live.

The Cumberland Heritage Museum is a city-run museum in Cumberland, about 10 minutes East of Orleans.

It's set on a large piece of land that has some farm animals, barns, old farm equipment, lumber yard, gardens and houses from the 1920s and 1930s. It's a peak into our past and a wonderful opportunity to talk about these places with our children.

But most importantly the kids love it. They like running in the open space, and seeing the horses. They like the wagon ride and farm equipment and fire house. The like hearing about ghosts that may or may not be living in one of the old houses.

Membership for the family for the year is $35.75 and for us it's well worth it to be able to drop in any time we want (although this summer has been so busy we haven't gone nearly as often as we would like!)

Prices for day passes are:

Adult: $7.15 Student: $5.10 Senior: $5.10 Family: $18.40

And some special events that they do have additional admissions.

It's worth checking out - and be sure to bring your kids into the school house to see how it could have been for them ;)

Have you been to the Cumberland Heritage Museum before?

Rebecca blogs at A Little Bit of Momsense

Let the children’s imagination soar with books this summer

Every month, we receive a selection of books recommended by the Ottawa Public Library for children. This month, they’ve provided us with audio book suggestions in the spirit of the coming summer months and inevitable travel. These are for the 8-12 year olds in your life. Enjoy! The TD Summer Reading Club is a free program for kids that is hosted at public libraries across Canada every year. Those who register for the club will receive a free poster, an activity book, and stickers with secret codes. These codes will unlock rewards online. This year’s theme is Imagine. And kids can sign up all summer long at 33 branches of Ottawa Public Library!

The children’s fun has just begun when they join the TD Summer Reading Club. There is also a ton of exciting library programs waiting for kids to practice their literacy imaginary power at Ottawa Public Libraries.

Let the children’s imagination soar with these exciting books throughout the summer!

Me and My Dragon

By: David Biedrzycki

Children will like this funny imaginative story of having a bright-red, not-too-scary dragon as a pet.  A boy shares ways to take proper care of it, such as going to the vet for a checkup, and what they’d do together to clear snow from neighbour’s driveway, or how to frighten away bullies. It also contains some comedy cautionary advice “But don’t give them broccoli. It gives them gas. And you don’t want a fire-breathing dragon with gas”.

Mr. Benn-Red Knight

By: David McKee

Mr. Benn searched the shops for something to wear for a fancy dress party. He found a tiny old shop which was packed with strange costumes.  After taking the red armour and going through the fitting room door, he found that he had travelled back in time to a medieval world. There he was as a real red knight, with a white horse, by a castle, along with and a poor dragon who had been banished from the castle by the King because of the matchmaker’s rumour. Mr. Benn soon finds himself on a quest-like endeavor and helps the dragon get back the kingdom to be King’s fire-lighter, and puts the evil matchmaker into the dungeon. When he walks through another door, he’s magically transported back to his real life again.

The story is full of time travel, knights and dragons, with great plots, wonderful characters, and charming narration.

Mitchell’s License

By: Hallie Durand Illustrated by Tony Fucile When three-year-old Mitchell is reluctant to go to bed, his father issues him a driver’s license and he gets to drive his father to bed. He cleans the windshield (his dad's glasses), kicks the tires (his slippers), shifts into reverse by pulling on his father’s ear, and beeps the horn by bonking his nose. But when Mitchell insists the tank is empty and cookies are the fuel, his dad takes control to ensure the road to sleep is safe and smooth, and an incredibly entertaining ride.

The woods

By Hoppe, Paul When a boy can't find his stuffed bunny at bedtime, he heads to the woods which are conveniently right next door to his bedroom. Along his journey he meets a number of strange creatures, from a three-headed dragon to giants, and even a monster. It turns out that they are just as frightened as he is and need a little help of their own. In the end, the creatures are eventually revealed to be the boy’s own stuffed animals scattered on his bedroom floor.

Sharks vs. Train

By: Chris Barton Illustrated by: Tom Lichtenheld Two young boys go to the toy box to select toys for playtime. One chooses a train and the other a shark. So begins a series of hilarious and imaginative contests on a seesaw, in hot air balloons, bowling, shooting baskets, and more. Who will win - shark or train? Well, the answer depends on the contest.  If it’s underwater, the shark will surely triumph. But who will win roasting marshmallows? The train will be winner every time. Neither the shark nor the train are very good at playing hide and seek or playing video games. "Sure would help if we had thumbs" one of them says. Just when the competitors can't bear it any longer,  Mom calls out, “boys, lunch!” it’s time to for a little break… until next time.

Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit

By Chris  Van Dusen, Randy likes space, robots, and baseball. But he is not very good at baseball at all. One night he sees a fireball that is headed right for his town! No one believes his warnings, so he utilizes all his science and mathematical skills to build a giant robot to hit the fireball back into space and saved his own town and the world.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

By: William Steig

One rainy day, Sylvester the donkey finds a magic pebble that can make wishes come true. But in a moment of fright caused by a lion, he asks his magic pebble to turn him into a rock. The trouble is, now he can’t hold the pebble to wish himself back to normal again. This is a joyful story about a little monkey finally being reunited with his loving family and being changed back from rock to his own donkey self. The winner of the 1970 Caldecott Medal is a modern classic beloved by children everywhere.

Harold and the Purple Crayon

By: Crockett Johnson One night after thinking it over for some time, Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight. But there wasn’t any moon. So he uses his purple crayon to draw a moon. Then he draws a path, and then he sketches a boat, and then he finds himself in deep water! This story shows just how far your imagination can take you.

Oliver

By Rossell, Judith Oliver likes to ask many questions. So when his mother cannot explain the gurgling in the tub drain, he builds a cardboard box submarine, goes down the drain to investigate what’s going on there. He finds a cruise ship filled with vacationing penguins that can fly. Oliver’s imaginary adventures finally take him back home where he decides to build a jet pack.

 Winnie in Space

Thomas, Valerie Three, two, one ... whoosh! Winnie (The witch) and Wilbur (the cat) are on an amazing journey to zoom into outer space! Dodging satellites, shooting stars, and flying saucers, Winnie soon finds a lovely little planet for their picnic. But when some space rabbits nibble their magical rocket away, Winnie needs a wand-full of magic to save the day!

On My Way to the Bath

By Maizes, Sarah Baths are boring. Anything is more fun than a bath. That’s why on her way to the bath. Livi is a snake! Slinking and sliding. Or she’s a gymnast. See her perfect cartwheel? Now she’s a jungle cat, stalking her prey. The only thing Livi isn’t is in the bath … yet. Once Livi gets into the tub, she doesn’t want to get out. She suddenly sees that baths aren’t so boring after all: “I’m a shark …”