Worth a visit: Skyzone

Ever since I heard this was opening I wanted to go.  An entire facility full of trampolines?  If I hadn't had three babies I'd be ready to jump myself! ;)  I finally made it there over winter break with the kids.

What is it?

Skyzone is wall to wall trampolines!

There are different sections of trampolines. Ones where you can run/jump to a basketball hoop, ones where where you can bounce into a foam pit, dodgeball courts and a sea of trampolines in the main area.  I love that the trampolines even go up the walls! 

How it works

You buy a block of time when you go (we got 60 minutes).  You then wear a sticker showing what times you're allowed to be jumping.  I hear that on busy days they're pretty strict with this, but it wasn't that busy the day we were there so I didn't see any heavy monitoring.

Will your kids like it?

My kids are 5 and 8 and they did enjoy themselves, though an hour was a long time for them.  They got tired before the hour was up, but 30 minutes felt too short a time to buy given the drive out there. It would have been nice to be able to break it up into two 30 minutes sessions with time in between.

What else do you need to know?

You need to wear their special no-slip socks when you go.  They cost $2 each so you'll want to remember them next time you go because that quickly adds to the cost. 

They also have special fitness classes and birthday parties.  

Overall, definitely worth a visit! :)

Celebrating Awesome Partners

Valentine's Day is coming up, and kids are busy doing cute crafts at school or daycare, while parents plan for a night out (or in!) to celebrate their love for each other.

This past weekend my husband spent 2 hours sitting with our 5 year-old to work on handmade Valentine's Day cards for her classmates. He painstakingly cut out every shape, and she helped him to glue the tiny pieces onto the cards. Here's the result:

So I wanted to take a moment to recognize my husband's amazing efforts, and the fact that he is definitely a parenting superstar! Since becoming a stay-at-home Dad, my hubby has single-handedly:

• Gotten the kids dressed and out the door in -35 weather
• cleaned the house from top to bottom in preparation for guests arriving
• washed the toilet bowl!!
• washed, sorted and put away mountains of laundry
• made dinner almost every night of the week
• snuggled sick kiddos...

...and so much more! All the while working in other people's homes as a handyman. I get tired just watching him!

So in the spirit of Valentine's Day, THANK YOU dear husband. You mean the world to me!

Do you have an amazing partner? Share one reason why you're grateful for your partner in crime!

Hosting an Art Party with Tracy's Art Studio

By Amy

I have always made a point to host my daughter's birthday outside of our home. Partly because we keep the mess out that way, but also because I'm not very creative when it comes to dreaming up activities for my own kid, let alone a small group of them. 

Hosting a birthday at another location also limits the number of guests she can invite, which makes things manageable. 

For her fifth birthday she originally wanted a skating party, but I pointed out that some of her friends might not be able to skate, and suggested maybe we find something else. While we brainstormed I remembered there was a new place that just opened not too far from where we live: Tracy's Art Studio. 

My kid loves arts and crafts.

I did a quick check of Tracy's website and found out that she does host birthday parties, talked to the kid and decided to book it. 

On the day of the party all we had to do was show up, bring some munchies and the cake. Tracy's Art Studio has a large, nicely decorated activity room in the back with a large table for all the kids to sit around.

And the floor is perfect for jumping up and down waiting for your guests to arrive too...

When all the guests had arrived Tracy's handed out clay for the project they were going to do – making clay dogs. The kid got to pick this as her birthday activity out of a list, they also could have painted, done drawings, or worked with mixed media.

When the dogs were all done Tracy's took them off to put them in her oven and the kids got to eat and chat and play a bit. All the plates, utensils and cups were provided, and for an extra cost they will put together loot bags for you with some more great art supplies for the kids to take home.

After the party we decided that the kid could also attend the March Break camp at Tracy's. Now I'm considering booking one of her art parties for MY birthday. 

Tracy's Art Studio is on Iber Rd. in Stittsville. She offers classes as well as parties and camps. 

Reinventing Goldfish Crackers

Who here has a kid that does NOT like Pepperidge Farms goldfish crackers? Anyone? Bueller? That's what I thought...

Those tasty little buggers (ahem, crackers) are totally addictive. Even I've had trouble stopping myself from eating the whole bag. Kids love them because they're small, they're shaped like fish AND they're super salty (about 10% of your child's daily intake of salt).

What you'll need: The Supplies

Old cheddar cheese

Butter

Rice flour

Xanthan gum or guar gum

baking powder

baking soda 

milk

Parchment paper

Cookie sheet

Goldfish cracker cutter

Many years ago I had a friend with a severe allergy to MSG (monosodium glutamate) - the stuff they add to Chinese food, which makes the flavour slightly addictive. She told me that any ingredient labeled "autolyzed" or "hydrolyzed" contained naturally-occurring form of MSG. And lo and behold, our tasty little fishy friends contain this flavour enhancer.

Although the dangers of MSG have been debunked, there's still some stigma attached to the "crack of the food world," isn't there? Since then, I've made sure to read labels - it's not so much that I think this tiny amount is going to harm my kids in some way....but why does it need to be there in the first place? Why can't we just bake with flour and cheese? 

This information, coupled with the fact that my daughter is now eating mainly gluten-free, I decided to look around for a healthier version of these crackers. This recipe is perfect! The crackers turned out tangy, salty (but not too salty!) and crispy. My girls actually declared that they were better than the store-bought version, which makes me happy :)

If you're hoping to try these yourself, here are a few tips:

Goldfish cracker cutter

1) You'll need a goldfish cracker cutting shape. You can find one on Amazon and a couple on Etsy, but my handy husband made me one with a little bit of sheet metal.

2) Even with a cutter, you will slowly die of boredom cutting one million tiny fish out of this dough. I eventually gave up and just used a pizza cutter to make square cheese crackers. I've decided that the little fish will be a special treat :)

3) If you're doing gluten free, follow the recipe exactly. Beware that the dough is extremely crumbly, and you have to be careful how you transfer the fish onto your baking sheet. If gluten's not an issue for you, there are other recipes on our Pinterest board (I haven't tested any of these, so can't vouch for them!)

4) Stand guard of the oven - seriously! These little guys cook in about 5-6 minutes. 10 seconds too much and you'll end up with burnt fish.

5) Use a good quality cheese. I used an old cheddar with no added "modified milk ingredients." The flavour and texture will be so much better!

Happy Fishing!

Disclaimer: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links

Listen to Your Heart

THIS....this video. I love it so, so much!! I shared it weeks ago, and I'm still so happy to see it making the rounds on Facebook and Twitter, with Elizabeth Gilbert posting about it just yesterday.

Gilbert tells us to "dance, run, swim, box, chase, fight...just get your heart working somehow. And definitely get your freak on while you're doing it."

I love that she's focusing on heart health. The message of the video is about loving our bodies at any size, but also about working it.

It's Women's Heart Week this week, which is fitting given that it's February - hearts abound! Did you know that 1 in 3 women die from heart disease or stroke? We're always talking cancer - breast, cervical, ovarian, but heart disease is the biggest killer of women. An article in the Citizen last November introduced us to Canada's first centre for women's heart health here in Ottawa.

Women often have the same signs and symptoms of a heart attack as men, but either ignore the signs or don't believe they're having a heart attack. Furthermore, as moms, we all know how busy we are thinking about other people - it's hard to focus on ourselves sometimes.

Signs of a Heart Attack

• Chest discomfort
• Discomfort in other parts of the upper body
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea
• Sweating
• Light-headedness 

Check out The Heart Truth for more information, recipes, and a tool to assess your risk.

But as Elizabeth Gilbert said in her post, what's the one way you can ensure to prolong your life? By working your heart - engaging in something that makes it go boom, boom, boom!

So let's get out there ladies - into the pool, into the gym or whatever makes you happy. Check back on the blog soon, as I'm excited to introduce a woman who will tell us all about her own journey to health lifting weights. She'll give us tips on how to start weight lifting, which is definitely NOT just for men!

In the words of a great song by Cuff the Duke, "listen to your heart, baby, it'll be OK."