a peek inside the fishbowl

This giveaway is over. Thanks to everyone who entered!

Sometimes it feels awfully hard to find something to do together with kids in Ottawa, and other times someone does all of the work for you. (I am hoping this is one of those times.) Have you heard of Kidsfest? It’s a consumer event that takes place at the EY Centre. Super stroller-friendly, it is full of kid-friendly entertainment (HELLO Splash n’ Boots and Peppa Pig!) and information that is useful to parents with kids under the age of 12. For example, representatives of various schools, summer camps, and other kid-related business and organizations are there, ready to chat! It’s a great opportunity to meet the people, ask questions, and get the scoop on the issues that are important to you.

You can read more about who’ll be at Kidsfest on the official website.

I have four passes to give away to one family. Interested? Read on!

• In order for your entry to qualify, please leave a comment below. That’s it! One entry per person please.
• This giveaway is void where prohibited by law.
• If you can’t post your comment for whatever reason you can email it to me for posting at andrea at quietfish dot com. Please note, I cannot be responsible if your entry is misdirected or gets stuck in my Spam folder.
• I will draw one name using Random.org at noon EST on April 9, 2015. I’ll contact the winner via email, who will have to pick up their prize at the “will call” booth at Kidsfest. I’ll also post the name here, so please check back!

If you didn’t win, you can buy your tickets online with the promo code ‘quietfish’ … this is absolute rock-bottom pricing and you won’t snag a cheaper ticket price online or at the door. The promo code shaves $8.00 off the price of a family pass and $3 off adult tickets purchased separately.

Good luck!

p.s. I have one other giveaway going on this week. Ottawa board gamers – young and old – will definitely want to enter!

If you’re like me, you’re probably feeling squirrely and eagerly anticipating the annual Opening Of the Garden Centre. To combat this rather grey state of mind I started some chive seeds in egg shells awhile back (in fact, the project was in the April edition of Capital Parent Newspaper) and I’ve been happily tending them ever since. Watching things grow is very satisfying, isn’t it?

This project is perfect for those of us who don’t have a lot of space to start seeds indoors. Egg cups don’t take up a lot of real estate on a window sill, and all you need is egg shells, a bit of dirt, and some seeds. That’s it! Here’s what our eggshell planters look like now. They provide some pretty spots of green and I am already looking forward to our first harvest. :)

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I suppose this segues nicely into a bit of Capital Parent news. The publication has been sold and I’m no longer editor. I was looking over two years of covers (they’re all listed here) today and feeling a tiny bit wistful. Contracts come and go, and as a contractor I totally accept that, but this was a very fun run. I was writing about topics I am passionate about (Ottawa! Kids! Crafts! Food! Parenting!) and working with some really great people. One of my favourite things about this job was the opportunity to bring new talent into the fray, and I think I did that at Capital Parent, not only with new writers and photographers but also with a regular feature that shone a spotlight on Ottawa bloggers.

There are few dream jobs that come along in life and this was definitely one of those. It was fun, and challenging, and it gave me exactly what I needed at the right point in time. If anything, I’ve very glad it lasted as long as it did. I am thrilled and honoured that I was trusted to give this publication a fresh voice. And with the help of a great team of people, I think we definitely created something special.

All that being said, I’m not feeling too shattered about this new development. I think this is largely because I’ve been working freelance for so long that I am better equipped to accept the highs and lows, the feasts and famines, that goes hand in hand with this line of work. ANYWAY. I don’t know how much I’m allowed to reveal publicly and I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen with the publication in the future. In my own head I’ve probably assumed too much already. I am however, still gainfully employed with the parent company, and my other gig with our local paper is still intact.

It is exciting to wonder what the future will bring. I also would like to thank all the Fishies who supported me during this part of my journey, whether it was with a retweet, a recommendation, or a listening ear. THANK YOU! xo

“Fights over ill-advised tweets aren’t distractions—they’re how we revise social norms” http://t.co/saoy45eN1k pic.twitter.com/8Pp3yz2dzC

— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) April 2, 2015

• A beautiful mess: when your insides and outsides don’t match, extraordinarymommy.com
• Dream job alert: Get paid $20,000 to travel, camp across Canada, msn.com
• I Followed My Stolen iPhone Across The World, Became A Celebrity In China, And Found A Friend For Life, buzzfeed.com
• The cure for childhood obesity parents will hate, cbc.ca

p.s. Take your family board games up a level and enter this giveaway from Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s!