High Tea at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier

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I’ve been hearing a great deal about the Prince and Princess Tea at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier for a while but never really gave it much thought. As the mom of two pre-teens, I have quickly learned that anything with the word “Princess” in it is taboo. However, since a friend had recently brought her older daughter there (just calling it High Tea) and had rave reviews, I omitted the word princess and brought my two girls there for High Tea.

Every afternoon, High Tea is served in Zoe’s Lounge. The decor in both the Chateau Laurier and Zoe’s is beautiful and posh. Just walking into the lobby of the hotel made my girls stand up a bit straighter and carry themselves a bit more grown up. In Zoe’s Lounge, all the staff were extremely attentive, and everything they served was presented so elegantly. Both my girls were amazed.  There were three different High Tea menus to choose from both my girls actually stuck to the Princess Tea menu since if offered more of what they would actually eat.   The scones, sandwiches, fruit salad and desserts served to us were delicious. We watched as the “tea expert” made her way around the room pushing a cart filled with so many varieties to choose from. Both my girls chose hot chocolate instead of tea but they did get to drink it from fancy china. The treats were endless. When our plates or cups were empty, they were quickly refilled and both girls were amazed at each and every new pastry and cookie offered to us.

Although my daughters aren’t strangers to eating in fancy restaurants, this experience probably topped the list. They both sat so quietly and politely, just watching everything that was going on around them. It was a treat to just be able to sit with them and hear about their day, school, friends and to speak with them as young women instead of just rushing them around from activity to activity. It’s something that I hope to do again very soon.

How old do you think your children should be before bringing them to a fancy restaurant where manners and decorum are important?

Kids in the Capital Welcomes Our Newest Sponsor: terra20

“In this new millennium, as the world’s population soars, it’s up to us to explore a more sustainable, earth-friendly lifestyle. The year 20-something will be the year we get it right.”

Last fall, terra20 opened in Ottawa in the Pinecrest Mall, beside the giant IKEA. terra20, the largest eco-friendly store in Canada, focuses on providing a straightforward, easy-going and enjoyable shopping experience for those who want to both educate themselves about sustainable living and buy strictly eco-friendly products - everything from cosmetics, baby toys, clothing, cleaning products and food. Before writing this piece, I thought it best to visit terra20 and see what they had to offer. I’m definitely glad I did!

terra20 is a big, bright and well-organized space that displays their eco-friendly products clearly along with full explanations of what you are buying. In fact, one of the most helpful features of terra20 is their ethics logos, which tell you about the environmental features of any product on their shelves. The logos, which are on each pricing label, tell you what you get clearly and simply. They represent: high-efficiency (energy / water saving), contains no bunnies (no animal suffering or byproducts), organic, made in Canada, waste reducing (recyclable or biodegradable), free of harmful chemicals, sustainable (products that impact the planet in a positive way), fair trade and green certification (given to products that are certified by verifiable environmental organizations).

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There was plenty of staff on hand to answer my many questions. And as a newbie to eco buying and sustainable living, I did have quite a few questions while browsing through their 12,000+ products. Before my visit, I was under the impression that the products would be overpriced and not necessarily worth the specific trip to the store. I was wrong on both accounts.

At the Eco Bar, the largest refill station for household products in North America, the cleaning products were dispensed in 1L, 2L or 4L refillable containers that allowed for bulk shopping. When you bring in your old containers to refill, you receive an in-store discount that allows you to reduce both the cost and the waste. And the variety could not be compared. Even in the cosmetic section, the products were modern, relevant and in colors that I would definitely use.

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All in all, I think that terra20 is worth stopping by if you are in the Ottawa area. I like the idea that they have done all their research about green, eco-friendly, bunny-friendly and fair trade products so I don’t have to. terra20 has everything, as long as it’s green and it allows me to focus on what I’m there to do - shop worry free and without thinking in a pleasant and environmentally friendly space. And, of course, the workshops are a plus too!

Disney on Ice - Rockin' Ever After

For weeks the Little Man, now 6 and half years old (the "half" being very important to him) has been asking to go to Disney on Ice. We went last year and while he remembers having an amazing time, I remember trying to entertain a bored little boy and avoid spending a small fortune on merchandise. So while part of me wanted to take him, especially since he doesn't ask for much in the way of entertainment, I was a little worried about shelling out money for another boring show.

Thanks to Kids in the Capital we were able to review the show this year and so I brought along one of Jake's oldest friends and his Mom - the same folks we saw the show with last year.

And we were so pleasantly surprised by the changes Feld Entertainment and Disney made to the show. Even though princesses were predominately featured throughout the two-hour show, there was lots to keep our boys riveted. The skating was fantastic, the costumes and props elaborate and colourful and the music was fun and upbeat.

The show featured Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald Duck, along with scenes from Pinocchio, The Little Mermaid, Beauty & the Beast, Tangled and Brace. I especially loved the "Be Our Guest" and "Under the Sea" routines and our boys were both taken with Maximus from Tangled. We had such a great time!

If you go . . .

1. There are still tickets available for today's performances. They range in price from $15 - $67.50.
2. Parking is $8 - cash only.
3. Popcorn and drinks will set you back $12 apiece, but you do get to keep the bucket and fancy plastic cups.
4. Merchandise featuring the main characters is also up for grabs, but be prepared to spend a fair bit.

We saw lots of little girls dressed as their favourite princesses, mickey ears and light up toys galore. Still, the boys in our homes still had a great time, and chatted about the show all the way home.

Have you been to a Disney on Ice show? What did you think?

Carly has red hair and occasionally the temper to match.  She loves potatoes, rainy nights, photography, her husband, her 6 year old son, Jacob and her 10 month old son, Noah.  Probably in reverse order.   She also blogs.

Question of the Month: Parenting in a Digital Age

Trying to raise kids in this digital age can be very nerve-racking. We are living in a time where things change so fast that we barely have time to grasp one innovation before another one comes along and renders it obsolete.

As a mom, I do believe that my kids need some exposure to the online world. I really think that there is a huge benefit in learning how to incorporate the many online tools into their lives and schoolwork while they’re still young. I hope that with my guidance, they will learn healthy habits about sharing, privacy and online safety.

As a parent, what do you struggle with when trying to raise responsible children in this age of connectedness, sharing and online dangers?

But Mom Loves You Best!

  If your kids are like mine, you’ve probably heard the words “that’s not fair” more times than you can count.  As a mom, I try really hard to make sure that things between my two girls are equal. This includes portion size, one-on-one time, and even the number of pieces of new clothing they get but throughout the course of a day, there are so many things shared, both emotionally and physically, it’s impossible to be fair all the time.

There are times when I find that trying to treat my kids equally is a little like trying to stay on top of the water: the harder I try, the deeper I sink. So one lesson that I try to teach my girls is that fairness doesn’t always mean equal or the same.  In reality, they are both so different that it really is impossible to treat them both exactly the same anyway. I mean, as adults, do we really treat everyone the same? We interact, communicate and react to individual personalities and temperaments. Everyone is different, including my children.

I promise I really try not to compare them to each other. I know that they both have different temperaments and they both respond to discipline differently.  I try hard to pay attention to each of my girls for all their accomplishments and console their feelings when they fall short. I’m their cheerleader (equally) and I’ve even come up with a solution for the “she got more than me” conundrum (basically, one girls pours or scoops and the other chooses first).

The hardest part for me is when they accuse me of favouritism. I’m sure you’ve all been in this bind before. As frustrating as it is, I try to take a deep breath and rather than getting into a debate over who is more loved, I remind them that they are each irreplaceable. And while they may think that I am not always be fair, the truth is that I really do love them equally. Really.

How do you respond when one child accuses you of loving their sibling more?