a peek inside the fishbowl

Dear Fishies,
I have so much to write about but I need to attend to a few pressing deadlines at the moment. In the meantime, let us take a moment to reflect upon the wonderful weekend we just had, and what a gift it was.

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Even 60% of families with 3+ kids would trade off a large home for a smaller 1 if it came with walkability & transit. pic.twitter.com/vOHZoGcl61

— Brent Toderian (@BrentToderian) September 26, 2014

• Facebook Is About to Lose 80% of Its Users, Study Says, time.com
• Artificial sweeteners linked to obesity epidemic, scientists say, cbc.ca
• When Blogging Becomes a Slog, nytimes.com
• Obituary: Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, bbc.com

On the nightstand: Defending Jacob: A Novel

We have a winner! Thank you for your entries and interest everyone! FYI, there are still some seats available for the Thanksgiving brunch at the Museum. You can find more information about that right here. 

I have two words for you: buffet brunch.

I really enjoying taking my family out to a good buffet brunch, don’t you? Sadly, we don’t seem to do it very often as I would like. I do love it though. It gives us a chance to reconnect over a good meal, AND it means that I’m not the one doing the cooking. Also, the buffet setting guarantees that everyone will find something they like to eat, and dare I say, even TRY NEW FOODS.

The Canadian Museum of Nature (a Fishbowl patron FYI), recently launched a series of special seasonal Sunday brunches that I’m really looking forward to checking out with the kids. And here’s something that’s good to know: brunch includes admission to the Museum, which means we can happily burn off our meal afterwards and learn cool stuff about the world around us. (Do check out Creatures of Light if you haven’t already seen it. It ends November 9!)

The 2014-2015 brunches are all linked to special occasions, with specific dates/themes as follows:

• October 12 (Thanksgiving)
• December 14 (Multicultural holiday)
• February 15 (Valentine’s)
• March 22 (Canadian “sugarbush”)
• April 26 (Arctic country foods)
• May 10 (Mother’s Day)
• June 21 (Father’s Day)

The menus are being developed by Executive Chef William Carter of Gourmet Cuisine and include assorted meats, salads, cheeses, pastries, desserts, local harvests and, during the holidays, specialties from different cultures.

And here’s the good news, I have two adult brunch packages (a value of $80) to give to one lucky winner.

Interested? Please read the nitty gritty:

• This giveaway is for two (2) adult brunch packages to the Thanksgiving edition on October 12. (Anticipate a cornucopia of foodstuffs, much of it seasonal and harvest-themed!)*
• Please make sure you can attend before entering. It’s up to you if you want to bring the kids or leave them at home. :)
• In order for your entry to qualify, please leave a comment below. That’s it! If you feeling keen, I’d love it if you told me what you and your family enjoy the most when you visit the Museum of Nature.
• This giveaway is void where prohibited by law.
• If you can’t post your comment for whatever reason, you can email it to andrea at quietfish dot com. Please note, I cannot be responsible if your entry is lost or gets stuck in my Spam folder.

That’s it! (I like easy giveaways, don’t you?)

I will draw the winning name using Random.org at noon EST on October 3, 2014. I’ll contact the winner via email at that time and post the name here as well.

For more information about the Canadian Museum of Nature Sunday brunch series check out the website right here.

* Edited to add: Some of the highlights of the brunch buffet will be a Gourmet egg and crepe station, turkey carvery and all the fixings; not to mention a dessert station with the specialty being pumpkin cheesecake! A complimentary jar of seasonal jam will be given with each reservation. Kids can enjoy gourd decorating, too.