a peek inside the fishbowl

I found these photos on my camera. They capture Piper so perfectly, and crack me up to no end, so of course I had to share them here.

We have a winner! Scroll down to the bottom of the comments to see if it was you. 

Are you the kind of parent (er, like me) who wants to know what the top toys are as we move into the gift-giving season? (There’s no denying, Christmas is comiiiiing!) Since Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s is a Fishbowl patron, we got the inside scoop on the season’s most buzz-worthy toys. Woot!

Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s Toy and Gift Guide features their best picks for 2013. It’s a great selection for all ages (from infant to teen!) at all kinds of price points; quality toys that will spark young imaginations with various interests. If you’re shopping for a budding environmentalist or scientist, a creative dreamer, or someone who is active and outdoorsy, you will probably find something here:

Are you ready for this? Here’s sneak peek at Tiggy’s top 20 kid-approved toys. Click the links for pricing and for full descriptions:

1. Rainbow Loom
2. Dixit
3. Q-Ba Maze 2.0
4. LEGO Mindstorms EV3
5. Jumparoo Air Pogo Jumper
6. Hape Walk-A-Long Puppy
7. Playmobil Deep Sea Sub
8. Djeco Jewelry and Bead Sets
9. Lamaze Push Along Peanut
10. Ticket To Ride
11. Cobble Hill Family Puzzles
12. Corolle Mon Premier Bath Baby
13. Cool Circuits
14. Sock It To Me Socks
15. Alex Catch n’ Stick Monster Mitts
16. My Studio Girl Hang Abouts
17. Shelby’s Snack Shack
18. Schleich Dragon and Rider
19. Playmobil 1.2.3. Personal Jet
20. Calico Critters Adventure Tree House

All items are available at any of the five Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s locations in Ottawa and online. Pro tip: there’s free shipping to most locations across Canada on orders over $50. (!) Do note that the Gift Guide is being delivered to select households in Ottawa and will be also available in stores. (You might want to get your hands on a hard copy since it contains a chance to win a $250 shopping spree.)

Ok. Here’s the giveaway part! Yay!
Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s is giving away one of these toys to one lucky individual, and the winner gets to choose which one!

Please read the entry rules carefully.

• In order for your entry to qualify, please leave a comment below and tell me which toy would you pick for your child if you won. You can enter multiple times provided you have multiple children in your family… but let’s keep it to one entry per child ok? So for example, leave one comment if your daughter covets a Rainbow Loom, and a second separate comment if your son is hankering after for the Playmobil Deep Sea Sub. Aunts and uncles and grandparents are welcome to enter too, by the way, not just parents. :)
• And just so we’re clear… the winner wins the toy they mentioned in the comments.
• Please note, LEGO Mindstorms is not included in this giveaway.
• 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 November 4, 2013. I’ll contact the winner via email, who will have to pick up their chosen prize at the Tiggy’s location that’s closest to them.

This is not a requirement of the giveaway, but if you’re a fan of Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s you may want to follow them on Twitter and Facebook. That way you get advance warning of sales, contests, and other great insider scoop.

Sounds good? Over to you! Good luck!

We have a winner! Thanks everyone for your entries…. and a big thanks as well to the NAC for hosting this great giveaway.

Dear Fishies.

I can’t tell you how excited I was when I heard the National Arts Centre (a Fishbowl patron!) was launching this amazing new series called Casual Fridays. How can I describe Casual Fridays, other than to say that it promises to be a fabulous evening out? (In fact there’s a photo of me on the NAC Facebook page busily enjoying myself at the media preview for Casual Fridays. Ha.)

As someone who loves (a) going out somewhere lovely (b) food and wine (c) good conversations and (d) great entertainment… this kind of event has huge appeal.

This is how it works (provided you’ve bought your ticket or won it here of course):

Upon arrival you are presented with a glass of wine (it’s included in your ticket) and if you bought into the Culinary Overture (it’s $20 and SO WORTH IT) you’ll be able to nosh on some amazing tapas prepared by the NAC culinary team. The food I sampled at the media preview was amazing. You will die – DIE – with a mouthful of heaven. These are some of the items that knocked my socks off:

• caramelized cauliflower and cashew soup cocktail, bleu Bénédictin foam, bread stir stick
• pork shoulder tacos with charred pineapple, mole verde, Clarmell feta
• bbq duck lettuce wraps with pickled radish and roasted enoki mushrooms (also available in a vegetarian version with smoked tofu)
• tempura prawn po’ boy, butter leaf, smoked chili aioli (I think Mark ate SEVERAL of these)
• lump crab cake with roasted corn, ginger-tamarind chutney, cilantro sprouts
• grilled cheese “lambwich” – brioche, aged white cheddar

Are you drooling yet? (Because I am. Seriously.)

Then you are ushered to the musical portion of the evening; an early start/early finish sans intermission. The first one on November 1 is called Symphonie Fantastique and you can read more about it here.  After the musical part of the evening there is time to mingle and chat with NAC Orchestra musiciansat a post-concert reception.

Doesn’t this sound like a fantastic way to end a work week AND kickstart your weekend? It’s delicious, it’s sexy, it’s stylish, it’s a night out that includes the BEST parts of a night out.

So here’s the good news. I have one pair of tickets to give away to one lucky couple for the first Casual Fridays event on November 1 AND it includes the Culinary Overture!

Please promise to have a Po’ boy or four for Mark. ;)

Interested? Please read on:

• This giveaway is for two tickets to the November 1, 2013 edition of Casual Fridays at the National Arts Centre (NAC). Please make sure you are able to go (i.e. have a sitter on speed dial) before you enter!
• In order for your entry to qualify, please leave a comment below. Tell me: which one of the musical presentations appeal to you the post? (You can see them all right here.) I’d also love to hear which of the menu items in the list above would you make a beeline for first! ;)
• 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 October 30, 2013. The winners will be able to pick up their tickets at the box office on November 1.

Good luck!