The Rideau Hall Winter Celebration

By Stéphanie

It can be challenging sometimes to find interesting and entertaining activities to for both my kids, and not die of exhaustion in the process. While I have a very energetic young boy, I am lucky to have a really easy girl who's happy to be carried around almost everywhere.

On January 26th, I decided to participate in the Winter Celebration day hosted by the Governor General of Canada at Rideau Hall. It was the weekend after that crazy freezing -40 celsius week we had in January and while the temperature was a bit warmer, I found it was still a bit too cold to bring the baby. My friend was just as happy (happier) to stay at home babysitting, while my boy and I headed to Rideau Hall well dressed, with our skates on my shoulders.

We had a blast! Embassies of Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the National Capital Commission (NCC) had kiosks where they distributed taffy, cookies, candies, hot chocolate and other hot beverages. We did some crafts at the Netherlands kiosk, we participated in an obstacle course organized by young reservists, took a horse-drawn wagon ride, skated - for a good 2 minutes! (my son is learning to skate this winter...) - on the beautiful historic Rideau Hall skating rink, and enjoyed Inuit dancing and throat singing in their beautiful cultural costumes.

Inuit Throat Singing

There were a lot of other activities for all ages, including cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, dog sledding and a visit of the residence. The event was well attended but not crowded and the only activity with serious wait time was the dog sled rides (which we didn't do). Very well-organized day, all activities were bilingual, and there was something for all ages. And the Rideau Hall grounds are just beautiful!

The governer general often organizes days of activities like this one, so it is a good idea to monitor their website. Also, all winter weekends, and on family day, the outdoor skating rink is open to the public from noon to 5 and there is even a possibility for groups to reserve the rink during the week.

My son still carries around his little Norway flag that was given to him on that day! This annual event is definitely on my agenda.

Stéphanie moved to Ottawa about 10 years ago from the south shore of Montréal. She usually works as an analyst for the federal government but is currently on maternity leave to take care of a 3 1/2 boy (Paul) and 4 month baby girl (Emy).

Welcome to our New Sponsor: Ottawa’s Leaders in Science Summer Camps

  Does your child love animals? Do they want to be a pilot? How about a scientist? Well, then, our new sponsor will knock your kids' socks off!

The Ottawa museums are offering three awesome camps this summer for your budding adventurist.

Canada Agriculture Museum

Bringing the country to kids in the city!  A unique day camp adventure awaits you! Discover the fascinating world of farm animals with this fresh-air experience that will awaken your senses through nature studies, crafts, games and more.

Canada Aviation and Space Museum

Kids, clouds, and cosmos: Develop a passion for aviation, a love of history, and a sense of pride in this great country. Each camp features awesome games, historical tales of aviation adventures, fantastic crafts, amazing scientific experiments, and of course, a breathtaking flight over the Nation’s Capital!

Canada Science and Technology Museum

Sciensatinal Adventures: Kids who love adventure, discovery and hands-on experiments won’t want to be anywhere else this summer. The popular Canada Science and Technology Museum summer camps offer something for curious campers of all ages and interests.

Have you started thinking about summer camp yet?

Welcoming Our New Sponsor: The JCC of Ottawa Day Camps

Kids in the Capital is excited to welcome our new Sponsor: JCC of Ottawa Summer Camps.

The Jewish Community Centre (JCC), located in Nepean near Carling and Maitland Avenues, runs some pretty cool summer camps from July 2 – August 23. The JCC Camps include the Day Camp (age 2-15), the Traveling Sports Camp (age 7-15) and 16 amazing Specialty Camps (age 5-15). Instructional swimming lessons and a daily free swim in their huge outdoor pool are included in both the Traveling Sports Camp and Day Camp. The facilities, including their outdoor pool, grassy fields, full-sized gym and air-conditioned rooms are all kid-friendly, clean and pretty awesome.

Each week of Day Camp offers a fun and fabulous theme. This summer, the kids will Splash Into Summer, go on Captain Jack’s Pirate Adventure, have some Aloha Summer Fun with Silly, Slimy Silicon & Rocking Rhythms, find their Spirit, join the Circus discover Ottawa’s Next Top Chef.

In addition to the day camp, The JCC Traveling Sports Camp offers kids a truly unique summer experience. It’s the only camp in Ottawa that takes campers on a different action packed adventure trip every day. The campers spend each morning at the JCC where they learn about a variety of sports and have swim lessons. After lunch they travel by bus all around the Ottawa area going to water parks, going horseback riding, ice skating and more.

The JCC is also proud to offer a whole slew of specialty camps. Some new for this summer include Band Camp, You GLOW Girl, Boot Camp and The Directors Cut. Returning favourites include Radical Reactions-Chemistry and Crime, Girls on the Go, Powered Up LEGO Camp, Summertime Splash, Horseback Riding Camp, The Great Adventure, Tennis Camp, Soccer, You Go Girl, Basketball, Girl Power and Last Blast.

Speaking as a mom who sent my girls to the JCC Day Camps for many years, the JCC’s mature and highly qualified staff is chosen for their ability to work with children . I saw this every day as my girls ran to greet their counselors each morning and were hugged back in return. The songs, crafts, games and stories they came home with each day was proof to me that I made the right choice in sending my girls to the JCC Day Camps.

I know the snow is still on the ground but the fabulous camps at the JCC fill up early so if you haven’t started thinking about summer yet, you may want to start.

A big welcome to the Soloway JCC!

The Soloway JCC welcomes everyone, regardless of race, religion, or ability. Anyone can be a member and take advantage of our fantastic facilities and outstanding programs.

Super Bowl Sunday

I don’t know about you but I’m not really a football fan. In fact, watching football kind of makes me want to gag. So it really was a surprise to me when my girls decided they wanted to have a Superbowl party.  To me, it means that I’ll actually have to tune into the game - at least enough to know when it’s okay to serve food! It did take some convincing on their part but we decided to go ahead with it. We’ve invited a few family friends over to help us watch the Baltimore Ravens take on the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII Sunday night. While my girls think it may be just about watching the game, I thought that I’d plan a few activities to keep the younger kids entertained and some great food ideas to keep the adults happy and fed. We have some younger guests coming so I came up with two really easy crafts that will, hopefully, keep them occupied:

Pom Pom Craft:

Cut 24 pieces of party streamers (12 in each color) into 2-foot strips. Spread the strips out in a circle. Gather in the middle and twist to make a handle. Wrap tape around the handle to secure, then cheer for your team.

Pennant Craft:

Have some felt pieces in brown and the team colours. Cut one piece of felt into a large triangle. Cut brown felt into the shape of a football. Glue football to triangle and decorate with puffy paint.

For food, we decided on standard fare, like pizza, wings and munchies but my girls, for some reason, are in love with the idea of pigs in a blanket so pre-game we’ll be stuffing those piggies. There are likely a lot of ways to make them but this way has always worked for me:

Pigs in a Blanket

For the meat filling, you can use regular hotdogs, little cocktail wieners, all beef or veggie dogs. Really anything will work.  A can of crescent roll dough or biscuit dough will be the “blanket.” Preheat oven according to the dough directions. Separate the uncooked crescent rolls or biscuits. Roll the pieces of meat in the dough and bake according to the dough directions.

For the older kids (and adults who aren’t into football), we’ll put out some board games and set up the Wii or Playstation. With lots of food, drink and activities, hopefully this Super Bowl party will be a hit, even for people like me who didn’t  know who was playing until my girls told me.

What are you doing for Super Bowl Sunday?

Keeping Your Kids' Closets Organized

It always amazes parents that the littlest people in our lives can often take up the most space. Kids’ closets can be a challenge to organize, but some simple strategies can make it a little easier. Here are a few ideas to keep in mind as you set up and maintain your children’s closets.

1. Keep the organizing flexible

The demands on an infant’s bedroom closet are very different from those of a teenager’s, so make sure your set up is flexible. Some closet organizer systems cannot be rearranged once installed, but a product like Rubbermaid’s Configurations closet systems will allow you to add/move shelves, rods and drawers as your children's needs change. If you are looking for a more inexpensive option, free-standing bookcases or shelving units that you may already have in your home can provide extra shelving in a builders' basic rod-and-shelf closet.

2. Keep the organizing easy

Putting clothes away on hangers can be a challenge for full-grown adults – forget kids! Hooks are a great way to help young children take some ownership of their closet organization. Robes, belts, and other items can be quickly and easily hung on a hook. I like the 3M options because the hooks can be moved as time goes on, without a lot of damage to walls.

Open bins on shelves make it easy for children to pop items into their closets. Socks, underwear, small toys, etc., can all be tucked away but are still super-accessible. Part of keeping it easy is keeping it identifiable. Labelling bins and shelves (using photos for your little ones, words for older ones) will help keep like with like.

3. Keep the items within reach

One of the best ways to get your child to participate in organizing their own closet is to make sure they can access it. Keep the day-to-day items down low and the less frequently required items higher up.

A rod extension (the one pictured below is from Bed, Bath &Beyond) can double a closet’s hanging space in a kid’s closet AND make it more manageable for some children to reach their clothes.

4. Keep track of the inventory

Kids outgrow their clothes so fast, it’s important to keep track of what fits and what does not. If you have the space, keep a donation basket or box in their closet so any too-small clothes can be moved out of the regular line up. If the clothes are being kept for a younger sibling, use a plastic storage bin and pre-mark the bin with a label to designate the sex, size and season of the clothes to come. For example, you might write “Girls/Summer/18 months to 24 months” on the label before moving the box to your storage room. It will make is super easy later to pull out the correct clothes at the correct time.

Leave a comment and let us know what kind organizing challenges you face!

Heather Cameron is an Ottawa organizer with Edited Interiors. Contact her to learn more about how you can benefit from her real-life organizing solutions for your home.