a peek inside the fishbowl

There can’t possibly be a father who is more loved, or more fun to be around:

We love you! xoxox

Can I take a minute to tell you what I love about places like the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Canadian Children’s Museum? They go to great lengths to encourage the youngest of visitors to LOVE going there, and they are serious about helping parents make great family memories. And that’s why I’m so pleased that (a) they’re a Fishbowl patron and (b) they’re hosting a giveaway that’s related to a very fun new exhibition called The Adventures of Mr. Potato Head.

This temporary exhibition is full of opportunities for imaginative play and problem-solving and is intended for children ages 3 to 8. It’s the perfect thing to do over the summer. It’s designed to develop school readiness and academic skills for young children by focusing on literacy, problem solving, mathematics, science and social studies… and having lots of fun at the same time!

How does this sound:

In the Spud Safari zone, kids build fantastic jungle bugs, hop aboard a model jungle-rover vehicle, and identify the animal sounds in a make-believe rain-forest. In the Spud Overboard zone, the Captain Jacques Coustato character leads young oceanographers on an imaginary journey in the spud sub, a vessel equipped with watery sound effects and a disco-ball. In the Spud Quest zone, the MR. POTATO HEAD PhD character encourages budding archaeologists to solve mazes, decipher tatoglyphs, and sift through the rubble in a simulated dig site to unearth the secrets of King Tato’s lost empire. Finally, in the Space Spud zone, junior cosmonauts join the Commander POTATO HEAD character aboard the S.P.U.D. space station, conducting repair missions and searching for life on planet Neptato.

Sounds pretty fun, doesn’t it? You can read more about the exhibition here. This is also where you can buy advance tickets and look ahead to any special activities that are planned.

Now for the giveaway part.

I have a SPUD-tacular package to give away to one lucky family. It includes a family pass as well as TWO Mr. Potato Head toys. Interested? Please read the nitty gritty:

• The prize will be awarded to one family, and contains one family admission pass (which is good for five people, max two adults) and two toys: one MR. POTATO HEAD and one MRS. POTATO HEAD. Isn’t that nice? They can live in holy matrimony at your house!
• This giveaway is open to anyone residing in the Ottawa area but is void where prohibited by law.
• In order for your entry to qualify you must answer the following question in the comments below: tell us about one of the things you like to see or do at the Canadian Museum of Civilization or the Children’s Museum with your family. That’s it!
• One entry per family please.
• If you can’t post your comment here for whatever reason, you can email it to me for posting. Send it to andrea at quietfish dot com … however I cannot be responsible if your entry is misdirected or gets stuck in my Spam folder.
• Good karma goes to those who tweet or share this giveaway on Facebook. Do you know someone who would appreciate the chance to win? I bet you do. So please forward this info to them!
• The winner will be mailed their prize by the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation.
• I will choose the winner using Random.org at noon EST on Friday June 21, 2013.

That’s it! Over to you. And good luck!

I wanted to share some Father’s Day ideas with you in case you’re doing some last-minute shopping. These are gadgets we actually own, that I think the dad in your life might like too!

I would be remiss if I didn’t give top spot to his favourite toy: the Xbox 360.

I don’t want to get into the whole Xbox One vs. 360 at this point, but I will say that some of his favourite games have included the Lego series of games (Indiana Jones, Harry Potter are great games to play as a family – even I played them!), LA Noir, Bioshock Infinite, and Alan Wake.

I do like to give the gift of books, don’t you? Mark is enjoying David Sedaris right now (You can look him up right here). Paper books are wonderful (I’ll never be able to fully give up paper!) but our little black KOBO has been pretty sweet too. We have a Kobo Touch, which has been great. It is comfortable to hold and has a very clear display and is perfect for reading whether dad is on holidays or at home in bed. I have been eyeballing the Kobo Arc lately. It looks pretty cool. HELLO BOOKS ON STEROIDS.

The device has all kinds of features built-in. It’s a multimedia unit that enables you to read AND surf the web… which comes in handy if you need to look something up. (Which I do. Frequently.) But hey, everyone is a different kind of reader with different needs, right? There’s more info about the Kobo Arc right here.

This next item is available from Fishbowl patron, terra20. I had the opportunity to meet with House of Marley representatives at the store awhile back and Mark absconded with a pair headphones that was gifted to me. And I can understand why. The Stir It Up headphones have great sound quality and are really comfortable to wear. (So important when choosing headphones, right?)

One of the reasons these headphones are head and shoulders above the rest is their eco-friendly factor. Not only do they sound great, but it is the kind of purchase that feels great too. These headphones are designed and built with recyclable aluminum, FSC certified beech wood, and responsibly tanned leather and canvas. I love the idea of giving dad something that is a little kinder to the environment, don’t you?

Anyway, there you have it! Dad’s three favourite gadgets! I hope it helps out with your shopping… that is, if you have shopping left to do. :)