Magenta Studio Photo - An Intro and a Giveaway!

In the week before school started, my girls and I were asked by Magenta Studio Photo to come in for a complimentary photo session. Magenta Studio Photos has just opened in St. Laurent Shopping Centre and they are trying to spread the word. Founded in 2002 to address the lack of artistic photography on the market, Magenta wanted to offer an alternative to the fixed poses of conventional studios. From the moment we walked into the studio, Ashley and Beatrice were very warm and welcoming. They showed us around the studio and it really was unlike any other photography studio I had ever been in. In addition to their front showroom which displayed they different customized photographic pieces that you could purchase, their backroom included a full range of props, costumes, and even black and white t-shirts that you could wear for your photo shoot. They had dressing rooms to beautify yourself, iPad stations for little ones who needed to wait and a comfortable spot for adults sit and waited. Beatrice explained how everything worked and then my girls and I went in for the photo shoot.

Ashley, our photographer, was amazing. From the moment we walked into the studio, She made us all feel very at ease. She knew how to make my girls laugh and look serious and was able to pose all of us to get the best shots. And she really did get some great pictures out of all of us. My girls had a blast acting like models and loved the props and the "wind."

We had a 45 minute photo shoot, complete with different backgrounds, props and poses. When it was done, it was time to wait to see our shots. It was actually a bit of a wait but my girls were able to occupy themselves at the iPad station while I looked at the different pricing and packages available. When it was time to view the photos, I must say they really were - and no I’m not biased at all. Ashley was really able to capture each of us at our best in both conventional and candid photos.

The downside of this whole experience was that the cost of the actual pictures was more than I thought it would be. We had to purchase each image (which comes on a CD) separately at $50 a pop and there was no way to buy the whole session on one CD without purchasing each image - which in a 45 minute session was about 75-100 pictures. The upside is that they often have promotions and discounts available on their products so before you book a shoot, make sure you are going at the right time to get a good deal.

In order to get their name out, Magenta is offering one lucky Kids in the Capital readers a $75 gift certificate for a free sitting for your photo session. Leave your name in the comments below and tell us why you want this photo session. One lucky person will be chosen at random on September 20th.

While we were given a free photo sitting, a free 8x10 image and a discount on some photo products, all views in this post are my own.

Where There's a Will, There's a Way

By Brittany Fish, Barrister, Solicitor & Notary Public As a new lawyer, I decided what a better way to begin my career then to open my own practice in the community of Orleans. A beautiful area to live and a lot of young families. A great place for a young professional to launch a new career.

When deciding what area of law to offer my clients, it was surprisingly an easy decision. From the moment I became a lawyer I had emails and phone calls from friends and family asking to prepare their Wills.  I knew from there, Wills it is.

I am amazed by the amount of parents who feel they do not need a Will because they believe they have very little or no assets. Others put getting a Will off for another day, they seem to think I can get it done tomorrow.

You may not have an abundance of assets or own property, but if you have children they are one of the biggest reasons not to wait to get a Will done. If anything were to happen to you and/or your partner, you need to have a plan for your children, since you likely consider them your most important asset to protect.

Information regarding parents and the necessity of Wills is not discussed enough. Unfortunately, because of this parents are unaware of the consequences of not having a properly drafted Will to no fault of their own.

In short, here are the top three reasons to prepare a Will as a parent.

No Will equals no guardian

A guardian is someone you appoint in your Will to look after your children should something happen to you.  When a lawyer drafts your Will we assure the individual you want to look after your children is properly identified.  Your wishes in regard to how your children are raised can also be included.  If you do not have a Will the courts decide who becomes the guardian of your kids.  Unfortunately, it may not be the person you would have chosen.  Having a Will grants you this decision.

Happy 18th Birthday!

If you prepare a Will, you decide what age your children will receive their inheritance.   I am not sure about you, but I know when I was eighteen it is quite possible I would have fainted if someone handed me thousands of dollars. I would have proceeded to purchase a car that even now I couldn’t afford.  If you die without a Will the law states your child will receive his/her inheritance at eighteen.  You should decide what age is appropriate.

Where there’s a Will, there’s a way……...to distribute!

The law limits what a guardian can accept in terms of money when you die without a Will.  When you create a Will a lawyer sits with you and listens to your wishes and concerns.  We can draft a Will so that the distribution of your estate is done in a way you desire.  You can decide how much your child receives up until his/her age of inheritance.  This means, you can allocate money to the guardian for school and child rearing costs.  You may also decide on compensation for the guardian of your children.

There you have it, three of the most important reasons to prepare a Will if you are a parent.  Preparing for the unexpected is not exactly a topic of conversation parents or anyone in general want to discuss.  But the reality is, waiting until tomorrow may be too late. Every parent needs a Will.

If you have questions regarding the preparation of Wills, please email me at bfish@bflegalservices.com. If you would like to know more about Wills, please feel free to “LIKE” your lawyer at facebook.com/bfishlaw.

Back to School Traditions

I love the idea of establishing a few special back to school traditions to start things off on a positive note. No matter how old your kids are, going back (or starting) school can be a bit overwhelming. I’ve had the chance to look online and I found a couple of cute traditions that are pretty neat:

• Take the traditional "back to school" portrait up a notch by pairing it with a list of likes and favorites. How fun to compare from year to year! Here's a cute way to do it!
• Drawing a kiss or special note on your child’s hand so they can take a look at it throughout the day.
• Back to school breakfast in bed. Anything goes.
• Special notes in your child’s lunch box. This one can go past the first day.
• Make a yearly time capsule by getting a few favorite items, recent photos, current likes, etc. and put them in a container to hide away until the next year. Each night before the first day, pull it out to see how much everything's changed. Then make a new one.
• Hang a sheet in the back yard and have a night-before-school backyard movie night. Here’s how to turn your iPhone into a movie projector.
• First Day Back dinner extravaganza. At the meal, each kids gets to talk about their day then as a family setting some goals for the year, discussing things to look forward to and other things of that sort.

I love all these ideas and will likely pick a few to make this year’s back to school a memorable one for all.

What will you do to celebrate back-to-school?

The Colour Run: Adventures in Technicolor

By Andrea Lie

What's better than signing up for a race with your children to promote healthy living and spend quality time with them? Doing it with a splash of colour, a rocking dance party and some fantastic photo opportunities!

The Colour Run was in Ottawa for the first time this past Sunday at the Canadian Tire Centre. It's a 5K route with colour stations along the way. You start off wearing white and finish covered with colour from head to toe. It is billed as the “Happiest 5K on the planet”! My daughter (8) and I had the pleasure of participating together.

On the morning of the event, I will have to admit, I was nervous. I have never run in a race but my daughter has. I greatly admire runners who actively compete in races and train up to the big date. The website specifically said it was for runners of all abilities so we pushed forward. Besides, it looked like a lot of fun!

To my delight, parking was free! We headed to the check-in table and collected our packages which included white t-shirts, race bibs, white headbands and tattoos. We were ready to race and lined up with the masses.

My running anxiety eased when I noticed the runners were starting in waves. There really were no winners. While in line an emcee had us exercise, stretch, dance and cheer for prizes. I was standing beside an awesomely cool Dad in a tutu that matched his daughters, behind a little 3-year-old in a t-shirt that nearly touched her shoes and in front of two moms with children in jogging strollers.

We left in wave number 9 and headed for the first colour station about one kilometre away. When we arrived we ran through a cloud of pink and were squirted with the powder for extra measure. There were even runners rolling in the colour!

We continued on the rest of the 5K passing through a purple, yellow and orange station with a water station at the halfway mark. There were moms pulling wagons, kids on shoulders and those who chose to walk the entire way. This race really was for anyone and everyone.

It felt great to cross the finish line with my girl. We were given water, an energy bar (with nuts) and colour packs for the dance party!

To the left of the finish line was a place to dance and throw your own colour. It was led by an energetic crew with dance music and a countdown to launch the colour packets.

The Colour Run website has a great FAQ section. I have a few tips of my own pertaining to bringing children to this event.

Tip #1 - The race can be left if need be.

I was considering bringing my 5-year-old but he is hot and cold with these kinds of things. I imagined myself 3 kilometres out only to have him put on the brakes. Because the route weaves in an around the parking lot, there were many places he could have been handed off to my husband on the sidelines.

Tip #2 - The facilities are portable toilets.

Not always an issue but it is for some little ones. Or maybe just mine. They were perfectly clean and acceptable, don't get me wrong! There may have been facilities open inside but I didn't try.

Tip #3 - Accessorize with bright colour!

My daughter wishes we had joined the ranks of tutus, rainbow stockings and coloured hair. We'll be prepared next year!

Tip #4 - Healthier options.

There is a food truck at the finish line that offers some healthier options. Nothing prevents you from packing your own goods too!

Tip #5 - Bring old towels.

While you can line up to have the colour blown off your clothes for the ride home, my daughter didn't want to. Instead, we brought old towels to cover the seats of the van.

Tip #6 - Save the colour.

The colour came out of my daughter's shirt much to her dismay. I should have done the ironing tip they suggested.

It's safe to say we'll be doing this running party again next year with the family. I think we'll even try to get a team together and make a morning of it. I'm personally using this event as a kick-start to running!

Back-To-School Lunch Ideas

If you’re anything like me, you’re just about ready to do the back-to-school happy dance. I love the structure and routine of back to school - and truthfully, so do my girls. The one thing I hate - I mean hate with a passion - is making lunches. I have two very picky eaters, both allergic to nuts. They hate sandwiches, don’t eat cheese and turn up their noses at most veggies. So needless to say that making lunches for me really sucks.

This year, though, I'm trying to be proactive. I've been scouring the Internet, searching on Pinterest and asking lots of readers about their favorite recipes. Here are a few I've come up with.

Nut Free Oat Bars

High Fiber Oat Bar

These nut free oat bars are packed with fibre (shh....) and lots of other good stuff. The seeds make them crunchy (throw some chia seeds in there too!) and the honey and cinnamon give them a sweet and spicy flavor.

Banana Crunch Wraps

Banana-Crunch-Wraps

I found this one on Pinterest and showed it to my youngest (the one who may eat a sandwich if the feeling hits her). She gave it the thumbs up. It’s made with Wow Butter for those with nut allergies or for nut-sensitive schools but you could really make it with any type of nut butter. When it’s all rolled up, it reminds me of sushi and it’s easy to eat with your hands. I’m keeping this recipe close.

Mini Taco Pockets

Mini-Taco Pockets

I saw this on a site called Recipe by Photo and thought it was a great idea. My kids don’t eat sandwiches but they would eat these (I think) if they were warm and in a thermos. They’re made with crescent roll dough but I bet they could be made with homemade whole wheat dough for those of us who have the inkling to do so. They could be filled with just about anything but this mini taco idea sounds yummy to me. And I may be able to hide a vegetable inside!

Bento Box

Veggie Bento options

The idea of a Bento Box may be just wild enough for my girls to try. Basically, a bento box is a lunch that is packed bento-box style containing a variety of different types of foods: carbs, protein, fruits, veggies and even a treat. Sort of like a lunchable - but healthy. The best part is that you can put bits and pieces of whatever your kids will eat in it. I think if I packed it with enough variety, in a really cool Bento box (and no cheese), we may be good to go. Here are some ideas of what to pack.

Well, that’s it. If you have any suggestion on lunch ideas, I’m all ears. Good luck to you as the kids head back to school.