Kids' Craft: Bowling at Home

My daughter's been bowling several times now, and loves it! Although she can barely manage to get the ball down the lane, she has a blast knocking over any pins she can. When I noticed empty toilet paper rolls piling up around our house, I questioned my hubby - why weren't they being put in the recycling? He told me he was saving them for a special craft/activity. This is why I love this man - he's the crafty genius in our family!

So yesterday evening, the toilet paper roles got decorated with stickers and markers, and were placed at the end  of our long hallway. We started by using one tennis ball as our bowling pin, but discovered that two tennis balls actually worked best :)

A great indoor activity for these cold and snowy days!

The Soother Fairy Came!

This is my daughter with her soother.....about 3 years ago. She is now 4.5, and yes, still has (had!) a soother. I know, I can hear the gasps now. Trust me when I say this - the timing has never been right. This is a kid who has no other comfort other than her pacifier. She can take or leave any of her stuffed animals, and there is no special "blankie" in the house that is reserved for her. Her only comforts in life have been nursing and "suckie." And since we stopped nursing a while back, suckie took its place. She has been using it only at nighttime for the past year (and very limited daytime use before that).

My husband and I have been talking about removing the pacifier for a couple of years now. It hasn't been done for several reasons:

1. It works! She sleeps well with her pacifier and it means minimal hand-holding at nighttime.

2. Our dentist approved. I know - many other dentists will tell you that it's a problem past the age of 2, but our dentist was ok with us restricting daytime use and trying to encourage her to use it less during sleep.

3. We're lazy tired. We have a 15 month old who has not been sleeping well for a long time, and the thought of losing more sleep scared us!

But alas, the day came. Our dentist told us it was time. Our daughter bites down on the soother throughout the night, which has resulted in a big gap in her bite. This needs to be rectified before adult teeth come in. Plus, she's much older now and able to understand reasoning as to why it needs to go.

So with poking and prodding gentle encouragement from my husband, we came up with a Soother Fairy plan. Just like the tooth fairy, the Soother Fairy comes and takes away the soothers, while leaving a special gift in their place. Hubby went clothes shopping at Carter's and found her some really nice outfits we knew she'd get excited about. He also wrote her a special card, congratulating her on becoming a big girl.

It's now Day 5, and things are going very well. The only problem we've encountered is early morning wake-ups - without the soother in her mouth, she's having a harder time sleeping in!

Did your child use a soother? At what age did you take it away?

Welcome to our new Community Manager - Misty

You may have noticed some changes around Kids in the Capital lately - we have a new Community Manager! Ali was such a wonderful asset to the Kids in the Capital community over the last year and we were sad to see her go (thanks for all your hard work Ali!!) but Misty has stepped into the position and we're excited to have her with us.

Misty has been a part of our community for quite a while now.  She is a mom of two girls, four and one and a half, and works in research at The Ottawa Hospital. In her spare time, she's a doula and childbirth educator. Misty moved to Ottawa 8 years ago, and loves raising her children in this city!

Misty will be your contact if you're interested in writing for the blog (we are always looking for more parents to share what they love to see and do with the kids in the Ottawa area!!) or in advertising on the blog (we have a lot of great opportunities for businesses to reach Ottawa families.)  You can always reach her at kidsinthecapital@gmail.com or fill out the form below!

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5 Ways to Celebrate Valentine's Day

When I think of Valentine's Day, I think of red roses and chocolate (actually, I associate chocolate with almost any word, but I'm a bit obsessed). I also associate this day with romantic love - a chance to escape the chaos of family life and celebrate with my husband. But my parents always celebrated The Day of Love with us as children, and I often woke up to a special gift on my chair at the kitchen table. Although I'll look forward to giving my hubby a special card or a homemade treat, I'm also excited to share the love with my children. And truthfully, there's no money (and a lack of babysitters) to give us a night of freedom :)

Here are 5 great ways to celebrate Valentine's Day with your family:

1.  Date Night (or afternoon) - Surprise your child by picking them up early from school, and taking them out for a treat. So what if it's -15 outside? Indulge in an ice cream cone together (if school is more important for your child than it is for my kindergartner, then schedule your date post-dinner)

2. Go outside for a hike in the woods, and leave random hearts in the snow (these snow markers are so much fun!)

3. Read a special book all about Valentine's Day - this is our favourite!

4. Help your child make a Valentine's mail box, where they can collect all their Valentine's from school (yes, I know how annoying it is to have to write 30 Valentine's to all the kids in your child's class, but remember how much fun it was to receive them?)

5. If you want to purchase something, consider a gift that can support a charity - have your child pick out something special!

How are you celebrating Valentine's Day?

Surviving Winter: February Fun

January felt like a looong month. It always does, but in particular, this winter has been brutally cold. Our dog is depressed, our girls have cabin fever, and we're drooling over vacation catalogues. Alas, no warm vacation for us this year, as we blew that budget in 2013. So 2014 will be a stay-cation kind of year, with a week of family camping thrown in for fun.

Camping in August is a long way off, though, so I'm trying to come up with ways to make February a Fantabulous Month! Here are some ideas we have for making it through until March:

1. Create an indoor "park" - we'll set up cushions to make slides, and our rocking chair will serve as a swing. We might get really brave and create an indoor sand box!

2. Make homemade pina coladas (virgin for the wee ones, but a splash of rum for the adults!), and decorate them with fun drink umbrellas. Play Bob Marley while drinking the coladas.

3. Build a quinzee! Find the courage to sleep in there overnight? (highly unlikely)

4. Take part in all things Winterlude, and eat a copious amount of Beaver Tails.

5. Indulge in a warm, comforting meal with my partner to celebrate Valentine's Day - we're thinking tacos at El Camino!

6. Pull out the seed catalogues, and make 2014 garden plans. Can't wait to try new vegetables we've never grown before, including potatoes, onions and strawberries.

7. Welcome family guests to come check out the Capital in full winter swing! Which means extra play partners for the girls, and a chance for hubby and I to  escape for #5.

8. Declare Family Day to be annual Stay-cation day. Acting like tourists in our own town, we will head out to see Parliament, take in one of our kid-friendly museums and catch a bite to eat.

9. Put some of my New Year's resolutions into effect, and participate in a Wellness Program. I'm excited to cut back on processed foods, and meet some of my fitness goals....which leads me to:

10. The Olympics! Not only will we take in some of the Olympics as couch potatoes, but I also plan to involve my girls in fitness goals, and create our own Family Olympics.

What are you going to do to make February a Fantabulous Month?