a peek inside the fishbowl

Many moons ago Ottawa Magazine asked me if I’d be interested in answering a few questions about my favourite neighborhood for a special “Neighborhoods” edition. There was a quick interview and a very fun photoshoot with the talented Jessica Deeks, and then I promptly forgot about it. Check out this wee write up on Jessica’s website. I’m there along with some other Ottawa folks. I look BEYOND THRILLED to be eating that gelato eh? You’d think I’d never had ice cream before. Cracks.Me.Up. (FYI, this edition will be on newsstands in the spring.)

Clean out their closets.

I’ve given this a lot of thought, and although there are many things we can do to raise charitable children (most notably, by demonstrating acts of charity) I think the simple act of cleaning out a closet is one of the easiest ways to show our kids what it means to be charitable. And as an added bonus, we get a cleaner closet out of the deal. It’s a win win!

If your closets are anything like ours they are probably overflowing with stuff. We really only insist upon a thorough closet cleaning twice a year; once in August before we go back to school, and once in the Spring as we move into the summer. During these closet-cleaning sessions I get the girls to try on clothes and put aside the ones that don’t fit for charity. (Pro tip: I use my extra reusable grocery bags for this purpose, which I seem to pick up every time I go to a conference or special event nowadays.)

Here’s my current pile:

While we’re standing in front of the closets amid piles of clothes I find myself wondering how many jeans/sweaters/t-shirts a kid really needs to get by. (Answer: not many.) And while we’re there I’ll see a toy that hasn’t been played with in a while and add it to the bag. (When the kids were small I used to do this while they weren’t looking, but now that they’re older I try to involve them in the process.)

And while we’re sorting, we’re talking about life, and money, and charity, and what it might be like not to own a fancy party dress…  and hopefully though these conversations they start to understand that their small actions can be immensely helpful, and even life changing for someone in need.

This is why I’m adding one more “closet clean up day” to the mix – now, in November – because that’s when people shop for Christmas gifts and things that can fill up the space under the tree. You may not think that people buy second-hand clothes for Christmas, but they do. Think about it. Where would you go to find fun Christmas sweaters, party dresses, dress pants, and winter gear if you couldn’t afford to buy them new?

I am issuing a challenge to all you Fishies. Will you (and your kids of course!) pledge to fill up a bag and donate it to a charity who could use it? 

1. 1) Pick a closet, and sort out the gently used items for charity.
2. 2) Do you have a scale handy? (Even a bathroom scale will do.) If so, weigh the bag.
3. 3) Come back and leave a comment telling me (a) how much it weighs and (b) where you’re going to donate it, but please make sure it happens before December 24.

I’ll keep a running total and we’ll see how much stuff we can clear out before Christmas. Who’d like to join me?

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HERE’S THE TALLY SO FAR:

– 10 lbs (and that’s just MY closet – we still have more closets to go!)
– 30 lbs (HollyStar)
– 70 (Jenn)
– 20 lbs (Sarah)
– 10 lbs (Ksey)
– 8 lbs (Julie Harrison)

We’ve become enthusiastic fans of fish here at Casa Fishbowl. I’ve been slowly trying new recipes to see which ones everyone will eat, mostly because fish is healthy and I would like to get away from eating so much meat.

I have a few recipes in rotation at this point. Here’s a really good one for Dijon Pan-Fried Tilapia. The family also liked these Thai Salmon Sliders (I need to make those again!). Our fishy default lately however has been (a) quickly breaded fish a.k.a. the homemade fish sticks** and (b)  fish cakes. I like making fish cakes because you can make with pretty much any white fish. I grab whatever is on sale and stick it in the freezer until I need it. I do need to be better at remembering to take it out of the freezer the night before. This recipe comes with a sauce that makes me salivate just thinking about it.

** The secret of great breaded fish is to use PANKO, a type of fluffy breadcrumb that will make your breaded fish taste lighter and crispier. Look for it in among Asian foods in your grocery store. Get some. Pronto. You won’t regret it.

Do you have any good fishy recipes to share? I’d love to hear ’em if you do!