a peek inside the fishbowl

05 Mar, 2010

March Break ideas for those of us who hate crowds

Posted by andrea tomkins in: - Ottawa for kids|Easy ways to make kids happy|parenting

Crowds make me grumpy and disoriented. Is it claustrophobia? A general sense of impatience? Lack of caffeine? I don’t know, but March Break crowds can be a rather hellish experience for people like me. I want to do stuff with the kids but I don’t want to do what every other parent in Ottawa is doing with their kids.

I wish we were jetting away somewhere awesome, but that’s not happening.

This year I have decided that my sanity comes first. We’re going to stay off the beaten track for the duration of March Break.

We will not:

  • be going to any of the major museums
  • be going to the movies, the pool, or Ikea.

This is what I’m thinking of doing instead:

  • inviting a few little friends over for a late afternoon playdate which will morph into dinner and a movie and a sleepover
  • taking daddy out to lunch
  • get our arty fix here at home with some preplanned crafts
  • hosting a tea party for neighbor friends and their teddy bears. We’ll make invites the day before and bake something for the occasion. (God I love cucumber sandwiches on white bread.) 
  • visiting the library EARLY and borrowing a stack of books
  • pumping some air in our tires and getting our bikes ready for Spring
  • buying a puppy (I’m only half kidding. I miiiiight have to think about that some more, what do you think)
  • ?

What else? What do you have planned over March Break?


20 Responses to "March Break ideas for those of us who hate crowds"

1 | coffeewithjulie

March 5th, 2010 at 9:45 am

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What time should I send my kids over? ;)

2 | TreenaG

March 5th, 2010 at 10:24 am

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There are some lovely hiking trails around the city- like Stoney Swamp that have lots of wild bird feeders – see if the kids can spot a woodpecker or two…
Might be a little muddy – but that’s half the fun isn’t it?

3 | bushidoka

March 5th, 2010 at 10:54 am

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Sugar Bushing! Actually I’m picking up the boys at school today and heading out to my farmer’s place to learn how to tap maples! So march break may be a bit too late for tapping, but might be just right for enjoying :-) Mmmmm, pancakes.

Stay tuned to my site for a video :-)

4 | spydergrrl

March 5th, 2010 at 12:31 pm

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Great ideas!

With a 6yr old boy, we’re thinking of getting active: probably bowling or hiking/bird feeding, followed by a visit to Starbucks and a very hands-on dinner (something like tacos, pizza, grilled flatbreads with toppings, tapas, etc).

I do love Bushidoka’s idea of heading off to a sugar bush. Wish there was still snow for some snowshoeing…

5 | Jennifer

March 5th, 2010 at 2:07 pm

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Are you really thinking of getting a dog????? DO IT!!!! (not that I have a dog bias or anything….) it would definetly keep you busy for the march break.

6 | andrea

March 5th, 2010 at 2:14 pm

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Julie: You and your kids are welcome to come over for a tea party. Let me know ! :)

TreenG: Stony Swamp is a regular haunt of ours. It seems we’re there every month or so. I do love it.

Bushidoka: sugar bush is a possibility for sure. (Spring is so great for outdoor stuff!)

spydergrrl: I like the idea of wearing them out everyday. It drastically reduces the bickering and whining!

Jennifer: you definitely do have a dog bias! I’ve been looking at the Ottawa Humane Society website almost every day. We’ll see!

7 | Stefania (Ingredients for Life)

March 5th, 2010 at 3:04 pm

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Love all your ideas. We plan to leave the kids with the grandparents and go to a sunny destination for the week. :-)

Regarding the dog, if you’re serious think hard about this one. I think dogs are great company but a lot of responsibility. It would be nice for the dog b/c you work from home but if you tend to leave for extended hours at a time or go away (even for a weekend) then you’ll need a dog sitter. Unless you have someone lined up then the pros and cons need to weighed. Dogs are like kids but they NEVER grow up and take care of themselves.

8 | Jemrah

March 5th, 2010 at 4:47 pm

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Also watch for a puppy at the website for the SPCA of Western Quebec (in Aylmer) – they often have puppies – we got our puppy there, and love her to pieces.

9 | lacoop

March 5th, 2010 at 5:23 pm

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March Break = Road trips to visit relatives.

As for a dog: they are great! The kids will love you for this. Go to one of the dog pounds…so many good dogs looking for a home. And, yes, they are just like kids…but they don’t ask for money or talk back!

10 | Jennifer

March 5th, 2010 at 5:49 pm

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And I’ll volunteer to be your dog sitter!

11 | Nadine C.

March 5th, 2010 at 6:45 pm

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Oops…hadn’t thought about the “crowd factor” at the museums, how silly of me ! Thanks for all the great alternatives , I am already re-planning that week.

12 | bushidoka

March 5th, 2010 at 10:42 pm

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I started posting my sugar bushing photos on Ottawa Foodies and someone posted this link that people here may be interested in

http://www.ecowellness.com/

My sugarbushing video is uploading to Youtube right now. Was a great day! The boys even got to meet some of their future food … mmmoooooooo! :-)

13 | bushidoka

March 5th, 2010 at 10:52 pm

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Erm, sorry, looking more closely at that link I just posted it is not what I thought it was – did not mean it to be spammy. Does not seem as directly related to my sugarbushing as I’d initially thought. At first I thought maybe they offer day trips there or something I dunno – but does not seem so from their website. Could always email and ask I guess

14 | bushidoka

March 5th, 2010 at 11:03 pm

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Here is my first sugarbushing video, and here is the 2nd one

15 | Julie

March 6th, 2010 at 9:33 am

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We are in Quebec and are almost finished our march break. We went downhill skiing two or three times, went on some hikes, went to Gotta Paint (early in the day), and took a little trip to Montreal for an overnight stay at a hotel with a pool. We visited the Science Centre de Montreal and had a blast. There are many fabulous art galleries there too, and it’s only a two hour drive!

Just wanted to mention the local dog rescue Hopeful Hearts (www.hopefulhearts.ca). They are a fabulous organization that we support, and have a clear, detailed web site showcasing all the dogs they have available. Puppies are sometimes available, but mostly the dogs just need good, solid homes.

Good luck…
Julie

16 | Rebecca

March 6th, 2010 at 9:46 am

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I. hate. crowds. lol

I too, will likely avoid ‘traditional’ outings during March Break. To be honest, one of the reasons I will is because we do the museums and stuff in off times anyway (yes, I’m very lucky that way!) during the weeks so I try to avoid it on the break.

Like you, I am lining up some play dates, will plan for some crafts and of course outside if all goes well. DH is going to take a day or 2 off so we can spend it together and maybe go see family.

hope you have a great break!

17 | andrea

March 6th, 2010 at 10:47 am

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Thanks for your suggestions everyone! I would like to point out that the dog idea has been perculating in our heads for some time. I wrote it in an offhanded kind of way but didn’t mean for it to sound like it was a whim!

18 | Miss Vicky

March 6th, 2010 at 11:11 am

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Maybe not right for you if you have your hearts set on a puppy, but I find this site difficult to resist, although we won’t be getting a dog for a couple of years. http://www.underdogclub.org

We’re off to Vancouver for our March break. Hopefully we’ll be able to participate in some paralympic hoopla

19 | Littlehouse

March 7th, 2010 at 7:11 pm

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This is SO useful Andrea, thanks:) Its our first March Break in Ottawa (and Canada, for that matter) and we are suddenly without beach to veg on…

I share your loathing of crowds, so all these suggestions are really helpful. Planning is key I think!

20 | Heather

February 27th, 2012 at 12:07 pm

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Hey everyone…shameless self promo here…but Ikea Ottawa has booked me to offer free face painting for the first 2 days of Que march break and the first 2 days of Ontario March Break. Instead of making everyone crowd in a line for 2 hrs…they have decided to offer it all day both days, 11am to 7pm on the 5th and 12th and then noon to 8pm on the 6th and 13th. I will be offering free glitter tattoos on the 7th from noon to 6 as well. I think that kids eat free if I am not misataken as well. Just another inexpensive idea for march Break fun!

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