A night at the National Arts Centre

by Ali One of the most fascinating things for me as a mom is experiencing the world through my daughters’ eyes. I remember the first time they met princess “Belle” in Disney World. They were literally speechless. But that was quite a few years ago, so when I won tickets to see the Broadway touring company’s production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, I was a bit hesitant to suggest that we all go together.  But, since it was a Broadway musical, I did suggest it and despite a few eye rolls, I think both girls were pretty excited to go.

While both my daughters have been to the National Arts Centre before, it’s always quite an experience. From getting dressed-up, to taking the escalator up from the parking garage to the bustle of movement in the lobby pre-show, it always seems a bit like an otherworld occurrence. Walking through the lobby, watching all the different types of people coming together to see this show, I could sense the anticipation building as we entered the buzzing theatre to find our seats.

I love that moment when the lights dim and the curtains go up. No matter what show you’re seeing, the excitement of possibility is palpable in the air. From the moment the music started, I think I spent more time watching my girls faces than I did the stage. Based on the 1991 Disney animated film, Beauty and the Beast has been adapted from a movie fairy tale to stage production that is a mix of color, music and song. From the opening stanzas until the last strains of music ended, both my 10 and 12 year old were mesmerized by the whirl of color, the flurry of dancing and the captivating music.

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is the classic story of Belle, a young woman in a small town, and the Beast, who is really a prince spellbound by an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved by another, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity. The play is pretty much the same as the movie, which was a staple in our household about 6 years ago.

Despite the fact that we have all seen the movie over and over again, it was so different seeing on stage. One of the best parts for me was seeing my daughters’ astonishment at the confetti falling on the stage during the “Be Our Guest” scene. My eldest called it a “fireworks of confetti.”  My younger daughter’s face light up every time Lumiere’s hands did. We all loved watching the performers on stage in right front of us. They thought it was pretty cool that one of the performers was even a kid. Thanks so much to Kids in the Capital for giving me and my girls this incredible opportunity. It’s something that we will all cherish for a long time to come.

Have you taken your kids to see any full length shows at a theatre? 

Ali is a psychotherapist, blogger, social media enthusiast and chocoholic. She is also a Dance Mom to two awesome girls. She is the owner of Second Act Consignment Dancewear and creator  of Therapy Stew. She blogs at AliGoldfield.

My Little Pony at St Laurent Shopping Centre (giveaway CLOSED)

Last year we were lucky enough to get to partner with St Laurent and Kidomo when they brought My Little Pony to town and we're excited to be doing it again this year! Since my kids were all young, these mall appearances by their favourite tv celebrities (we've seen Toopie and Binou, Miss Spider and Cars) have been fun (and free!) activities for the kids.  You get excited along with all the kids as you're sitting on the floor watching these cartoons characters come to life to entertain you kids.

My Little Pony will be at St Laurent this coming weekend, at 11 am and 2pm on Saturday October 27 and Sunday October 28.  Stop by (get there early to get good seats) and enjoy the fun show and kids' activities.

GIVEAWAY

3 lucky Kids in the Capital readers will get a special VIP family pass to visit with the ponies!

Simply leave us a comment telling us if you've ever attended a show like this at one of our local malls or not and you're entered.

And watch our Facebook page because we'll be giving away another 3 passes there this week!

Contest closes October 24 at 11pm.

Good luck!

A trip to the pumpkin patch

by Kamerine A trip to the pumpkin patch is a great fall activity.  My family visits Miller's Farm and Market in Manotick every year.  Miller's is a family-run farm with a personal touch.

Miller's is smaller than some of the other pumpkin patches in the city but it has everything you need for a fantastic visit with great photo ops, hay rides, things for the kids, and, of course, perfect pumpkins.  It was really busy on a beautiful fall day recently when we took the fam.

There are signs for pictures and the challenge is getting one where everyone is looking at the camera.  A difficult task for sure.  My kids aren't the sitting type, but if they were, we'd take them on the popular hay ride.  The highlight, for my kids at least, is an area set up with bundles of hay in a semi circle.  The kids can jump from bale to bale or jump off a bale into the pile of lose hay in the middle.   This would be hours of entertainment if only we'd let them stay.

Miller's sells pumpkins and other squash and fall favourites like corn stalks, mums and cider.  We settled on a medium pumpkin and a little one for each kid.  We let the kids do the choosing and then they rode with the pumpkins to the cash in one of the many wagons available.

If you get a chance, head out to a local pumpkin patch for some fun this fall.  I recommend Miller's.

Kamerine is mom to 3 year old Little J and 1 year old Baby K.  She documents her life with two toddlers, a husband and a cat at followk.blogspot.ca.

Visiting the Agricultural Museum

by Kamerine

Fall, with its cooler weather and beautiful colours, is the perfect time to get out with the kids.  We love this time of year for visiting Ottawa's museums.  Recently we went to the Agriculture Museum. Have you been?

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My kids love seeing the animals and race around checking out all the stalls.  First we see the cows and horses, stopping to gawk at the size of Goody, the bull.  We then check out the outside animals and the chicken coop.  This leads to a stop at the playground which is always packed on a nice day.  I drag them away to go see the goats and sheep, the bunny and pigs.  Finally we get to the back building to see the cows and calves, but we always end our trip with another stop at the playground.  There is more to see and do but that's our usual circuit.

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We love going to the Agriculture Museum so much that we bought a two-year membership.  The thing with having a membership is if my kids throw a huge fit and we have to leave after only having seen the cows, so be it.  We can always come back.  If we spend our entire trip at the playground, that's fine too.

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Membership is great and gets you in to not only the Agriculture Museum, but the Science and Tech Museum and the Aviation Museum too.  These museums are all perfect for kids - lots to see and do and quite stroller-friendly.  We save the Science and Tech and Aviation museums for rainy days.

There are other benefits of being a member such as a discount in the gift shops and admission to museums elsewhere in Canada.  If you're still debating, let me tell you about the members Hallowe'en party coming up.  The Agriculture Museum is hosting a fun party for the kids the weekend before Halloween with crafts and treats and and costumes and more, but you need to be a member and you need to RSVP.

Hopefully I convinced you to get out to the Agriculture Museum.  You can check it out and if you love it put your admission towards a membership.  How nice is that?  Say hello to Goody for us.

Kamerine is mom to 3 year old Little J and 1 year old Baby K.  She documents her life with two toddlers, a husband and a cat at followk.blogspot.ca.

Exploring the Capital With Your Pre-Teen

by Ali As the mom of two pre-teen girls, my mom-status borders on the verge of semi-ok to lame. While I try and stay cool, my girls will tell you I’m fighting a losing battle.  That being said, I still love to spend time with them so I’m always on the lookout for things to do with them that will promote me to a semi-cool rank. This year, I’m happy to say that I actually came up with a few things to do that weren’t as boring and babyish as usual, and my girls were actually less embarrassed than usual to be seen with me.

The Byward Market

I love the market, especially in the fall. I love the smells and the colours and especially the maple sugar candies.  My girls do love to window shop and people watch so this fall we headed down to the Byward Market to do just that. One of our first stops was the Moulin de Provence bakery. The delicious smells will knock you over and the Obama cookies are always a hit.  On weekends at the market, there are buskers and musicians to watch and in the summer and fall, the fresh fruits and vegetables are incredible. And once there, you should definitely take a look at the street vendors for a pair of earrings or a new scarf.

Starbucks in Westboro

When my eldest turned twelve, she decided that it was much cooler to hang out, rather than spend time with me.  Since I wasn’t ready to just let her go off with her friends ALL of the time, I started taking her for coffee (read hot chocolate) at the Starbucks in Westboro.  While we sip our drinks and people watch, she really opens up and starts to talk about everything that’s going on for her – her life, her friends and pretty much anything else she can talk about while the hot chocolate lasts. She feels very grown up and I feel lucky that she’s still willing to sit and talk to me. Of course, window shopping through Westboro after our coffee is an added bonus.

The National Art Gallery

The National Gallery of Canada was definitely a plus. Both of my girls are budding artists and they do appreciate taking the time to explore the different exhibits.  There is plenty of Canadian art with exhibits by Emily Carr, Tom Thomson and the Group Of Seven, but it also has a really cool Modern Art Collection. We spent a fun afternoon doing a “Ferris Bueller” and just stared at the amazing paintings.

National Arts Center

With daughters who dance competitively and who love being on stage, one of the coolest things we did was the backstage tour at the National Arts Centre.  On October 2nd, (one of the Culture Days at the NAC), my girls got to experience many areas of the NAC that they had never seen before.  We got to saw the NAC stages, the dressing rooms, the backstage corridors and set-building shops on this self-guided tour. They also have tours on performance days for the first 12 visitors (first come, first serve).

The HI-Ottawa Jail

In this haunting season, the next adventure I have planned for us is a haunted tour of the Ottawa Jail Hostel. The jail served as Carleton County Goal from 1862 to 1972. After it closed, it was turned into a youth hostel.  Guests sleep in renovated prison cells or in the former offices of the prison staff.  Rumor has it that many a guest has told stories of ghostly apparitions appearing at the bottom of their beds, mysterious footsteps, and banging in the walls. It was even named one of the seven spookiest buildings in the world by Lonely Planet. Hopefully, this will be a hit.

So there are a few of the things I have found to do around Ottawa that allowed my girls to maintain their oh-so-cool and hip pre-teen status. I’m still on the look-out for more things to do that, when mentioned, won’t make them roll their eyes and groan “Aw, Mom!”  So please, help me keep my not-quite-cool-but-not-totally-lame mom status and share your favorite pre-teen haunts.

Ali is a psychotherapist, blogger, social media enthusiast and chocoholic. She is also a Dance Mom to two awesome girls. She is the owner of Second Act Consignment Dancewear and creator  of Therapy Stew. She blogs at AliGoldfield.