Since Christmas 2006 our family has participated in a self-imposed annual “Shopping Embargo.” This basically meant that we stopped buying unnecessary stuff and paid greater attention to the things we did buy. There was a list of rules, but basically, from December 26 until February 28 we restricted our purchases to the basic necessities: groceries, fuel, […]
Author Archive
29 Dec, 2013
The family that skis together…
Posted by: andrea tomkins In: - Ottawa for kids|Easy ways to make kids happy|Ottawa
All four of us finally have skis. We have been renting skis for the girls for the past few years (you can read more about cross-country ski rental in this post) and it was fine, but I’m happy that we finally have our own skis and don’t have to worry about borrowing/returning/etc. We’ve decided that […]
Do you know what this is? Take a guess.
I write about...
- Challenge me, challenge you (76)
- dog stuff (59)
- Easy ways to make kids happy (648)
- File under crafty (192)
- – Mail art (43)
- Fishbowl patrons (159)
- Giveaways and product reviews (174)
- Guest postings (33)
- Home/reno (103)
- Links and other procrastination (20)
- Memes/blog awards etc (35)
- Misc. life (1,114)
- Moments of bliss (26)
- Multimedia experiments (56)
- My media (sideblog archive) (492)
- Oh! Things! (366)
- – Found objects (11)
- – Thrifty is nifty (9)
- Ottawa (648)
- – Ottawa for kids (182)
- – Westboro (120)
- parenting (108)
- Photography (340)
- Pinteresting challenges (3)
- Please finish this sentence (23)
- Publishing/writing/career stuff (137)
- Recipes and Food (398)
- – iKnead (10)
- – Meals under 400 calories (4)
- Shopping Embargo (12)
- Sponsored posts (8)
- Swaps (8)
- technical stuff (9)
- The business of blogging (36)
- The Trust Experiment (1)
- travel talk (193)
- Uncategorized (9)
- Weekend reading (320)
- Yaktivism (202)
- – Know More Do More (28)
Top recipes on the Fishbowl
Search
- Celebrating my 54th time around the sun
- Facing my fears with my first foray into solo camping
- My new life mantra
- Sharbot Lake Provincial Park dog beach
- Spring is a time of transition (and peonies)
- It’s in you to give
- Ottawa summer bucket list 2026
- Rum punch
- Archery in Ottawa: Try a beginner lesson at the RA Centre
- Winter ramble to the Mill of Kintail, Almonte
- firstup-Th: The firstup website is a service platform that supports game top-ups including purchasing top-up cards and mobile game top-ups. It is designed
- Jeanie Maennling: I spent many wonderful days visiting my cousins and Uncle Herb and aunt Eleanor at the Farm in the 1950's. Mycousin Skippy (Sharon) and I got into l
- alex: For a classic Canadian treat for valentine day , try a BeaverTail (a fried dough pastry) there its yummy
- Juliet Luiz: I was at this park today and saw the foundation and historical sign which got me curious and let me to your blog post! Great information:) too bad t
- Rowyn Tape: Hello, I was sitting at Easter dinner with my grandmother and she was telling me this story. She is Herbert Lytles daughter who eventually bought the
- Bernie: I freeze ball sizes of bread dough for beavertails each winter season.Easy to thaw, roll out and fry. Best winter treat!
- Jen_nifer: I feel very much the same about my SUP. Floating with snacks is fantastic! When I go on water with some current, I make sure that I paddle into the cu
The Obligatory Blurb
My name is Andrea and I live in Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Sunny who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. During the day I work as a freelance writer. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.
If you're so inclined, you can read more about me here.
I've deactivated the commenting function as well as my contact form so if you want to get in touch, please drop me a line at quietfish@gmail.com. Thank you!