Summer of Awesome - RCMP Stables

Recently my two daughters have become obsessed with horses. They both claim that they want to learn to ride - no doubt they have images in their heads of their hair flowing in the wind as they race towards the sunset, bow and arrow in hand just like Merida in the film Brave. I have to admit, I am pretty skeptical that their reaction to riding a real-life horse will be quite so dreamy.

So I thought I'd ease them into it by visiting the RCMP Stables. It's where they train the horses for the Musical Ride, and I was hoping an up-close-and-personal encounter with an enormous, black horse would knock the request for riding lessons right out of 'em.

The stables are in Rockcliffe and are open every day in the summer from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is where they train and house the horses for the famous Musical Ride. During the summer, the 36 horses that are part of the Musical Ride are on tour, but there are still about 60 other horses in the stables - these are horses that have been retired from the ride, or young new horses who are just starting their training.

So the first thing you need to do when you get there is find the entrance, which (memo to the RCMP) is not very clearly marked. Here's the building:

The entrance is the one on the far left hand end, behind the giant tree, that has a sign that says, "Lost and Found." OF COURSE.

The door leads you straight into the gift shop (OF COURSE), and you have to go through the gift shop to get to the museum part. The museum is a few small rooms that talk about the history and function of the RCMP, and the details of the Musical Ride.

We learned about the RMCP's bomb disposal unit:

The kind of horses that are picked for the ride (must be almost all-black, 16 hands high):

And we saw the carriage that is used for visiting heads of state, including Will and Kate last year on Canada Day:

There's also a video playing with footage of the actual Musical Ride, if you've never had a chance to see it.

A tour leaves about once every half hour from the museum section and lasts about 20 minutes. You'll get a chance to see the Musical Ride practice area:

(This area is also open to the general public, you can come and watch them practicing which takes place most weekday mornings in the winter - call them for the schedule.)

You'll see the tack room and the ferrier's workshop:

You'll see horses (yay!):

You'll learn about how they name the horses (did you know there's a naming contest every year, in the spring?), how they choose the horses, and how the selected officers learn to ride.

After the tour, you're welcome to walk behind the stables where they have a training area. When we were there, two riders were working with a new young horse and we were allowed to watch if we were VERY quiet.

Out front, two RCMP officers in full uniform allowed us to get up close and personal with the horses:

That was probably the best part. We were able to pet the horses, chat with the officers (SO NICE), and we learned a few extra details, like how they brush-in a maple leaf pattern on the the horses' backsides before taking them out on rides. Cool.

I liked this visit because it felt like we were really learning something about Canada. We have, unfortunately, never actually seen the Musical Ride itself, so this was a great introduction. However, it was a pretty small place - we were able to cover the whole museum, the tour, and the visit with the officers in about an hour and a half. So it fits nicely in between naptimes, but if your kids are older, you can probably combine this visit with another event.

Also, word of warning: your secret plan to avoid riding lessons may backfire, and the budding love of horses may turn into full blown adoration.

Lynn is mom to three tombliboos and blogs over at Turtlehead.

ABC Challenge: Jumping and Laughing

by Lara My camera is not dead!  It was the battery that died and a new battery has saved the day just in time -- for a week at the cottage!

J is for Jumping

Jumping was the theme at the cottage this year. All three of my guys spent hours jumping off this dock over and over and OVER. Picking just one jumping photo was torture :)

L is for laughing

My girl is a charmer.  A happy go lucky charmer.

 Reader photos

The list

It's never too late to join in.  Send me the links if you blog about your images - I'd love to include some of your photos too!

Art Books Climbing Discovery Eating Friends Green Hugging Inside Jumping Kisses Laughing Mealtime Night Outside Playing Quiet Riding Swinging Trees Umbrella Vehicles Wet Xcited (OH! Cheater!) Yellow Zoom

Every time I sit down to write one of these posts and look at all the photos I've taken this summer I smile. I spent so many months forgetting to take photos over the winter and seeing these regular images of my kids again makes me happy and reminds me why photography was such a hobby of mine for awhile.

Have you been taking photos?  Link to some in the comments!

Puppets Puppets Everywhere

by Amy

After hearing good things about the Puppets Up festival in Almonte last weekend,  my husband and I decided to take the kid up on Sunday. Almonte is one of our favourite day trips anyway, so the festival seemed like a bonus.

It was expensive to get in, but there are shows all day and attractions up and down the street so you can make the most of it. Unfortunately we got there at an awkward time, missing the start times of shows that were age appropriate for our daughter, but reviews coming out of the shows were excellent (particularly for Cinderella and The Puppet Tamer).

There were puppeteers roaming up and down the streets and interacting with passers-by, usually asking for hugs and high fives. And one show took place across two balconies.

At one end of the street there were musicians playing, and my kid loves to dance so we sat there for a while and took advantage of some of the food being sold along the street.

We did take advantage of the face painting (which was really great compared to some others we've seen), and we got a great spot for the parade.

The kid was shy of the puppets at first, backing off a bit, but eventually she got into the fun of it. I think she'll enjoy it more next year when she's a bit older. We'll also plan better and look up the schedule before we head out.

It was a good day, could have been a great day and fun for all ages.

Summer of Awesome - National Gallery of Canada

by Lynn Last week I took the kids to the National Gallery to see the Van Gogh exhibit, which is in town only until September. The kids complained LOUDLY and FREQUENTLY about being made to visit the art gallery. I suspect that they saw it as more of a homework/school type outing than something really fun. It probably didn't help that my daughter did a unit on Van Gogh in art class this year so I kept saying how wonderful it was that she could see some of his work in person, how enriching and what a great opportunity.

No wonder they think my husband is the fun one.

Anyway, we went. And we did have a pretty good time overall.

Here are some things you will NOT be doing at the National Gallery, if you attend with your young children:

• sitting and gazing quietly before a favourite work of art, as you contemplate its deeper meaning
• wandering joyfully through back galleries as you discover new artists to love
• sharing teachable moments with your children as you open their eyes to the wonderful process that is man's artistic growth

No, you will not.

However! Fun can still be had, if you keep a few things in mind.

Arrive Late. The museum opens at 10 a.m., but there's no point in getting there before 11. That's when the Artissimo program opens. Artissimo is the gallery's program for kids and it is excellent and fun and awesome, and SO much better than just wandering through the galleries aimlessly with children who would rather be jumping on stuff. It runs only on the weekends during the year but in the summer, the program is open every day.

What makes Artissimo so great? It's a wide variety of activities meant to engage the younger crowd. First of all, kids aged 3 and up can make their own work of art, using real art paper and a stellar selection of tools. Gal Smiley created this lion picture using watercolour pencils - pencil crayons that create a paint effect when water is added.

To help kids explore the gallery, there's also two self-guided tours you can take - one about animals in art, one about cool architecture. There's an audio tour, where you are led to certain artworks and then you play a sound, and try to connect the two. There are costumes where you can dress up and pretend to be people from various pictures.

And best of all, there's the dolls.

This is William. He's one of five different gorgeous, painstakingly detailed dolls that are part of the Artissimo program. You can sign out a doll, then search the gallery (with some hints and clues) to find the painting featuring the character. My girls loved this activity, we did every single doll and learned a lot about art in the process. It was the clear highlight.

Visit the Van Gogh exhibit, but have low expectations. The Van Gogh exibit is really, really good. It does not feature his most famous works - no Starry Nights or Sunflowers or self-portraits with missing ears. However, it does include dozens of his other paintings and the way they are laid out clearly traces the paths of his various influences.

I learned a lot about his style, his use of colour, and his favourite themes, and all that despite racing through the exhibit at top speed. My kids complained a LOT during the exhibit - shuffling through rooms of art, surrounded by crowds, was SO BORING they could just DIIIIIIIIE. So we hurried through, but even then they couldn't avoid picking out a favourite painting or two, and learning a little bit along the way.

Plus, there's an interactive room near the end where you can create your own work of art on an iPad; do a large magnetic wall puzzle; listen to Van Gogh-era music; and write a letter to Van Gogh and receive an email reply in his own words. The lady running this room (Maddie, I think) was super welcoming to the kids and they really had fun here.

As an added bonus, kids under 12 are free - so it only cost me my own entry fee, $25, which also covered my museum admission.

Follow the rules, Oh my heavens, the National Gallery is a rules-y kind of place. They are BIG on the rules. And you will be warned, repeatedly, to FOLLOW THE RULES.

Sheesh.

No backpacks are allowed, no kinds of large bags or anything you would carry on your back or waist. Ladies can bring a handbag if it isn't too big, and I believe you can get an exception for diaper bags. My kids are big enough now that I don't need to carry diapers around, but I do like to bring our own snacks due to the food allergy thing, so I often use a backpack - at the gallery, you have to check it. Speaking of snacks, the cafeteria there is a little high class - soups and fancy salads type fare - so if your kids are more of a chicken nuggets and french fries crowd, you may wish to bring your own food (in a checked backpack, of course) or plan your visit between mealtimes.

No photos of any kind allowed anywhere, except in the open glassed-in tower where the Artissimo program runs. (I may have taken that photo of William the doll, above, in the bathroom. I admit nothing.) If they even see you thinking about taking out your camera, they're on you.

No getting too close to the art. No touching the art! No breathing on the art. That's too close. Maybe you shouldn't even LOOK AT THE ART.

SHEESH.

I swear every single security guard in the place came over to us and warned us, in every single room, about stepping back from the art. My kids aren't even that young - 9, 7, and 5. I can't imagine the headache involved in trying to explain to your two year old why that line of bricks on the floor is art, and we musn't touch it, or step on it, or come within three feet of it. GAH.

So be sure to travel light, leave your camera in your handbag, and stay back. FARTHER BACK.

Once we were done with the Van Gogh exhibit and settled into the Artissimo stuff, my kids relaxed and enjoyed themselves. Despite their best efforts, they even learned something, as demonstrated by the quiz I gave them on the ride home.

Told you I'm not the fun one.

Lynn is mom to three tombliboos and blogs over at Turtlehead.

Parenting tips: What to bring to the cottage

by Amanda I grew up in the country where dirt biking, wood piling and frequenting lakes where a regular part of my childhood. We lived extremely close to many lakes and most of our family members and friends either lived on a lake or had a cottage. We had access to many great spots for spending our days.

There is nothing like jumping off a dock into refreshing water, cutting in and out of the wake as you water ski and wearing a bathing suit all day long as you bbq and relax in the outdoors.

Whether you are visiting a local beach, heading to a friends cottage or renting this summer here are some of my favourite (and need items!) to bring along with you if you have children in tow.

• Bathing suits and towels (of course!), hats and sunscreen.
• Water shoes- even if there is a sandy beach and the water bottom is smooth you never know if you will discover a new area that is a bit rougher or be walking through the woods with uneven ground or rocks.  They are also nice for hot days when some surfaces get extremely hot where your little one may be walking. We put our son's water shoes on and he wears them to the cottage and we know we have them with us should he need them.
• Sand toys. No beach nearby, just water? No problem! Use buckets, shovels and beach toys in the water, use buckets to clean off feet after walking back up to the cottage, use them to collect rocks, leaves and other nature memorabilia!
• Sidewalk chalk- this can come in handy and keep children busy for hours as they colour rocks, trees, the deck and more! Super easy clean up the next time it rains or by using those sand buckets full of water to clean it up!
• Bubbles. Okay what kid doesn’t like bubbles? Seriously!
• Pool noodles, lifejacket and a ball! This can lead to hours of fun playing in and around the water.
• Heading out to a cottage for a few days? Head to the dollar store and stock up on a few colouring books, crayons, stickers and other things that can keep the kids occupied indoors if and when needed.
• Don’t bring too many pieces of clothing, towels, etc. It’s the cottage! Rinse it out in the lake and hang it over a chair to dry!
• Designate a large blanket or old sheet that you can keep in your car for beach days or sitting by the water to enjoy a picnic.

What are your must have items when heading to the beach or the lake for a day, two or even a week?!

Amanda is a mom to a 2 year old boy and 4 month old baby girl.  When she is not out having fun with the kids you can find her getting her yoga on at www.littlelotusyoga.ca