Welcome to the Mabelhood

  While those of you without kids may roll your eyes at labels, those with kids understand how much easier (and cost-effective) labels really are. It makes keeping track of your kids stuff SO much easier. Today, instead of those cheesy self-made, never-stick labels, we have Mabel's Labels to make sure you come home with everything you let leave your front door.

Mabel’s Labels began 2003 when 4 very innovative moms got frustrated enough with their children’s belongings leaving the house only to never return home, that they started to create personalized ID labels.

With Mabel's Labels you can label any and everything from water-bottles, shoes, back packs and clothing. They have thin labels, thick labels, sticky labels, iron on labels and even allergy alert and 411 wristband tags for kids you can personalize with vital information and contact details. The labels are colorful, durable, waterproof and come in sizes and shapes that can fit on virtually anything your kid needs labeled.

For me, as I start to get my girls ready for sleep-over camp, I have to say the Tag Mates have become my new best friends.  You simply apply the tag mate to the tag on your child’s clothing.  There is no ironing or sewing which is a huge time saver!  They wash up fantastic as well.

If you're looking for a way to make it a little easier to keep track of your kids belongings, you should give Mabel's Labels a try. You won't be disappointed.

You can connect with Mabel’s Labels through their website, Twitter, or Facebook. Have you tried them? What do you think?

I received samples from Mabel’s Labels to facilitate this review and Kids in the Capital is now an affiliate with Mabel’s Labels.  All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.

Question of the Month: Money Sense

  My daughter turns thirteen this week and for me, it's pretty scary to think I'm the mom of a teenager. She's generally a pretty good kid and has a good head on her shoulders but it seems that with a growing sense of self, my daughter also has a growing sense of the "gimmies."

At the beginning of the school year, I decided that we would start an allowance. Instead of a weekly allowance, however, we went for a lump sum at the beginning of each month. That way, I figured, she'd be able to budget her money throughout the month and start to learn a sense of money management. It's been working pretty well so far and when we're out, and those gimmies strike, I get to tell her that she can absolutely buy that brand new X, Y, or Z. It is, after all, her money (of course that does, at times, stop the gimmies in their tracks).

The question for this month is at what age did you (or will you) start to give your child an allowance and how much do you feel is appropriate for each age? Inquiring minds want to know.

Review: Lola's Math Train

By Rebecca For his 5^th birthday, my son received a new 3DS.  It’s a Nintendo hand held game system that reminds me of when I had a Game Boy. Clearly, the new system has better graphics, more games, more tools like a camera, but the fun is still the same.

It was a great fit to have a chance to review the new math game for the 3DS called ‘Lola’s Math Train’.  Any time there’s an opportunity for my kids to learn while having fun, it’s a bonus. He was happy to have a new game to check out.

The one area that my son needs a little extra push in is math. He can do it, but often he doesn’t want to.  Subtraction seems to be trickier for him at this stage and while he’s great with patterns, he’s far more interested in language than numbers.

The game is leveled into easy, medium and hard. Easy identifies numbers, medium has more counting and hard has patterns, addition and subtraction.

The game is recommended for ages 3-8.  My kids are 4 and 6 and it was great for them, but likely even more so for my 4 year old.  The math problems in the easy and medium levels aren’t super challenging for my son, but they are really good for him to practice simple equations and build confidence (something that is half the battle for him).  Since he’s still needing help in some subtraction and problem solving areas (such as ‘which two numbers add up to 6), the hard level was a really good push for him. The beginning levels (easy and medium) were perfect for my 4-year-old who is just learning math concepts and loves to count.

I asked my six-year-old what he thought of the game and with beaming eyes he answered ‘really good!’.

His favourite part of the game is getting to the end of the level and selecting an animal friend to hop on the train with him.

His least favourite part of the game is subtraction (no surprises here!)

The game is a really fun, cute way of learning numbers and doing simple math.  It will soon become less challenging for my 6-year-old who continues to learn math and improve at school, however, for my 4-year-old the timing is perfect and the game will grow with her for some time.

Rebecca writes about parenting, food and family fun on her blog A Little Bit of Momsense.  She was compensated for her review but the views are her own.

Play Time Cafe in Manotick

By Kamerine Play Time Cafe is a kid-friendly coffee shop that recently opened in Manotick. I was so excited because even though there are other similar establishments in town, this is by far the closest one for me. I took the kids there one snowy morning a couple of weeks ago.

The first thing I noticed were the super bright green walls and then my eyes wandered around to the toys and puzzles and comfy chairs and couches and the high chairs everywhere. This was obviously a clean, kid-friendly, cozy place. The play area is gated off but surrounded with half walls so you could see the kids from almost everywhere in the place. There were also toys and stations (for lack of a better word) set up here and there like a princess table the kids loved with a hidden cubby full of blocks.

I picked up a snack for the kids and tried a Panini for me and veggie sliders for them. It was all delicious. The food is a focus for the owners and they boast wholesome and locally sourced ingredients. This isn't a necessity for me but it's definitely a nice touch.

It can be weird talking about bathrooms but I'm going to. Play Time Cafe has two bathrooms and a fully stocked change table for the little ones. This is such a big deal when you're out and about and the inevitable happens and you need to change a diaper. No problem at all here.

I had a chance to talk to two of the owners and I can say without a doubt that they are friendly and passionate about what they do. I'm glad to have Play Time Cafe so close by and I hope I've convinced you to go check it out. It's bright and cheerful and clean, with a friendly staff, and focused on healthy eating and community: a winning combination. We will definitely be back to Play Time Cafe.

Spring Into Spring with The Ottawa Public Library

By Tracy Facchin, Children's Public Programming Public Service Assistant

Spring is here and with it come a whole slew of new and exciting books to read. So snuggle up with your little ones and take a look at these great reads suggested by our friends at the Ottawa Public Library!

The Inside Tree by Linda Smith

Kind-hearted Mr. Potter allows his dog inside to share his comfortable, cozy house and as the title suggests, he decides to bring a lonely looking tree inside, as well. Brimming with vocabulary, this humourous story will have little ones guessing what will happen next. The illustrations capture the craziness of the situation, with Mr. Potter singled out in a bright orange and red striped pattern on every page.

The Cat Who Wouldn’t Come Inside by Cynthia von Buhler

This story is based on the authors experience as she patiently earned the trust and affection of a stray cat.  The captivating illustrations are my favourite feature of this unique book.  The characters, their clothing, the tiny house, and all of its’ adorable miniatures have been created by hand.  The scenes were photographed using a variety of coloured filters, giving an indoor or outdoor feeling to each page.  The cumulative text will encourage youngsters to help with the storytelling.

The Berenstain Bears Inside Outside Upside Down by Stan & Jan Berenstain

This book is a favourite from my own childhood! It is a wonderful early reader, with lots of repetition and images that support the text.  The idea of being taken on a little trip somewhere by accident sparks the imagination, and could lead to an interesting conversation with a child about where the box could’ve ended up!

Scooter in the Outside by Anne Bowen

This is a fantastic read-aloud book, as the text is full of super-fun things to say!  Scooter the dogs’ wet kiss is a ‘SLOPPITY-SLURP’ and his wagging tail goes ‘THWAPPA-THWAPPA-THUMP!’ Poor Scooter gets more than he bargained for when he escapes out an open door headed outside on his own. Children will like Scooters curious nature and will learn about making careful decisions.  The illustrations are bright and cheerful and the story has a happy ending to an outdoor adventure!

Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

The dedication in this book is ‘To children everywhere sitting in cardboard boxes’, and it is a sweet story about an imaginative little bunny that pretends a plain cardboard box is anything but!  The minimalism of the line drawn illustrations will appeal to even very young children, while the text will inspire readers to stretch their own imagination.  I love that the cover is brown and rough like a piece of cardboard!

Animals Home Alone by Loes Riphagen

Wordless books enhance creativity, vocabulary, and language development. In this book, the animals in the house go WILD when their owners leave! Their silly antics include a pig who hogs the T.V remote control, a cat who chats on the telephone and a goldfish that swims around in the dog’s water dish. There are so many things to look at and to talk about on each page and it is easy to use your imagination to create your own story.  At the end of the book, the author prompts the reader to recall what they have seen, with questions like ‘What is on Petey’s beak?’ and ‘Why is Katherine’s cage empty?’

A Dragon Moves In by Lisa Falkenstern

http://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/643864026_a_dragon_moves_in

Bringing home a newly-hatched stray dragon turns into a problem for Hedgehog and Rabbit, when their friend gets too big for their house!  Quirky characters and charming illustrations carry this story through to its happy ending.  Rabbit and Hedgehog problem solve and work together to build a castle big enough for all of them!  Their pet fire-breathing dragon thanks them with a fireworks display!

 

Building Our House by Jonathan Bean

This is a great book for inquisitive children who are interested in construction and about how a house is made from the ground up.  Based on the author’s own childhood experience with his parents and two sisters, the family gives up their city life to build a homestead in the country.  What I love most about the book is that everyone is involved in the building process; both the Dad and Mom (even with a round expectant belly!), all of the children, and even extended family and friends.  Teamwork, hard work and the importance of family are values that are ‘built-in’ to this story.