Artkiving your kids artwork

by Lara I don't know about you but the amount of artwork that goes through my house from all three of my kids - from school, from daycare, from home, from playdates....  it's overwhelming.

As much as I'd like to be the mom who carefully kept the most precious ones and then put them into a nice album, I'm not.  So I did what I usually do to solve my problems - I looked up a solution online!

What I found was a great app - Artkive.

It lets me take photos of my kids'  art, categorize it by kid, and add comments.

Then, I can share it with circles of people.  I have my husband and grandparents linked in to the app and they get an email of the artwork I think they'd like to see.

The best part is one I haven't tried yet but that I'm really excited about - you can have them print the artwork into a book for you!

Check it out!

How do you guys archive your kids art?

Green Eggs and Hamadeus: A Children's Theatre Review

Saturday February 9th was a very busy day in downtown Ottawa!  Winterlude was in full swing, the canal was hopping, and the sun was shining beautifully.  My son and I however were at the NAC for the performance of Green Eggs and Hamadeus, the second in a series of 3 performances that we purchased tickets for back in the fall.

This was a much more interactive performance (bilingual as well!) with audience participation!  The conductor of the orchestra broke down one of Mozart's pieces, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525, Allegro, Romanze: Andante, Menuetto: Alegretto, Rondo: Allegro for the audience to explain how a piece of music was put together, the difference between the melody and they accompaniment, and how it all fits together in the end.  He explained that even the instrument, in this case it was the viola, with the most basic notes to play, was very important to the entire piece because they might have one "surprise" that stands out when the orchestra plays together.  He invited two children up onto the stage to conduct the orchestra after giving a little lesson on how it was done.

Then it was onto the story of Green Eggs and Ham.  It wasn't a very long performance, but it was well done, funny, the actors were very expressive which the kids in the audience loved!  There were a few times when the operatic singing was a little bit too much for the little ears, I did notice my son and a few other children a few times covering their ears.

As usual there were activities preceding the event, they had a large train set up for the little ones to look at, they were very strict about their "no touching" policy, which I could understand since the pieces were very delicate, but not exactly conducive to a bunch of kids who naturally want to explore with both their eyes and hands.

It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon!

http://nac-cna.ca/en/orchestra/event/2397

Amanda was born and raised in Ottawa where she continues to live with her husband and son “J”. Amanda is bilingual and interests include reading, blogging, socializing, and advocacy on children and teen issues.

Family Day Fun at Old Navy

Monday, Feb 18th, is Family Day and many of you are looking for things to do with your family. For the second year in a row, Old Navy is hosting a free party for families in their Rideau Center store to celebrate family togetherness. This Family Day event, which offers kids a day of crazy, creative, fun where they can invent anything they can imagine.There is tons of stuff for kids of all ages:

• 3 Craft Stations
• Cookie and Juice Bar
• Twister-style Dance Floor where kids can show off their dance moves!
• One-on-one wardrobe consultation with a stylist
• A gift with purchase while supplies last

Victoria Kirk, an Old Navy Representative, said that “This Family Day, Old Navy wanted to create an over-the-top special and super fun event, where kids can use their imaginations and families can enjoy the holiday together.”

If you’re in the area, stop by Old Navy in the Rideau Center between 1 and 4 pm and have some good, old-fashioned family fun!

*This post was sponsored by Bunch Family and Old Navy.

Just Play Toy Rental Review

By Kamerine If your kids are anything like mine they love to run and play and  read.  They love toys of all shapes and sizes but often get bored with  their toys.  We like going to play dates and playgroups to mix it up,  but what if you could get new toys delivered right to your door every  month?  With Just Play Toy Rental that's exactly what you get.

I had the opportunity to review Just Play Toy Rental's subscription  service and let me tell you, it was like Christmas at my house every  month!  My kids, ages 1 and 3, were delighted with the toys and because  we had them for a month they didn't have time to get bored with them.   We tested blocks and puzzles and trucks and bigger toys like a tunnel  and a house.  It's hard to say what they liked best, everything got  played with.

 

I was very impressed with the quality of  the toys and the variation month to month, but I was also impressed with the company itself.  Just Play Toy Rental is an Ottawa business with a  great philosophy: stay home, relax and play!  The website is easy to  navigate and has all the toys available to rent, searchable by age group or type of toy.  They rent toys individually or by subscription and  will work with you to determine the best time for pick-up and delivery.  For us that was a weeknight after the kids had gone to bed so the toys  were waiting for them the next morning.

We enjoyed a  monthly subscription but I can see this being perfect for summer  birthdays if you wanted to rent bigger toys like tunnels, slides or  ride-on toys.  Or if you wanted to make sure your kid would like a type  of toy before buying it, just rent it for a month to check it out.   Either way, this is a great company and we're lucky to have them in  Ottawa.  So check out Just Play Toy Rental and stay home, relax and  play!

Disclosure: I was provided with a trial  subscription but was not compensated in any other way.  The  opinions are my own.

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.

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).