a peek inside the fishbowl

My latest piece at the UsedEverywhere blog yesterday was about buying stuff… and needing translation help. So far no one has been able to help me out. :)

All kidding aside, this purchase was made over March Break at T&T Supermarket. I’ve written about them before. I figured I had grocery shopping to do anyway, and the girls like going there, so why not make a field trip out of it? Have you been? It’s fun. It’s the only time we stroll up and down EVERY aisle in the store. (This takes awhile.)

We bought So Much Stuff. This isn’t even half of it. (Note I didn’t bother taking photos of the fruit and veggies. Nothing exciting about those.)

We had no shopping plan whatsoever.

Sometimes all it took was a fun picture on the front:

The items we looked at almost always resulted in questions, for example, what does meowing have to do with shrimp chips?

This, by the way, is the Best Pocky Ever. Double chocolate:

And these are good with beer:

And this was an impulse buy. I thought I was buying small pieces of rock sugar (to use instead of sugar cubes) but the box was full of very large hunks that needed to be smashed with a hammer. Which was fun.

Drink boxes made a rare appearance in our grocery cart. Melon-flavoured soy milk is yummy:

… and we also bought some bubble tea. This was honeydew flavoured. Also yummy:

And we made square toast when we came home (which got slightly squashed en route):

If you go to T&T, don’t miss the live fish and crabs. It is totally worth it.

Who knew grocery shopping could be this interesting?

In my post the other day I mentioned the idea of date night.

I used to pooh pooh the idea of planning a date night with my husband, the way that is perpetually recommended in magazines. Alas, I was a naive newlywed at the time, one who had no idea how much children, sleeplessness, stress, and General Lack of Energy would kill her lifestyle. 

Friends, I’m here to tell you that date night is important. I get it now. If we don’t make time for ourselves, we will never find the time. Yes, date night costs money. And sometimes it requires finding, keeping, and trusting a babysitter with our wee children. BUT IT NEED NOT BE SO.

Here’s the solution: Friday night kids cooking classes at the Real Canadian Superstore. (My friend Leah turned me on to this idea, so I can’t take all the credit.) And I know a few other sneaky parents who have caught on to this too.

Shall I give you three reasons why this is a good idea?

Exhibit a) the classes are two hours, just long enough to reconnect over dinner and a glass of wine.

Exhibit b) they are reasonably priced. It’s only $12.00 per kid. This covers childcare (for children age 6-11) AND they make their own dinners. And hopefully they learn something and have a bit of fun along the way.

Exhibit c) you can FINALLY book the classes online. (!)

Methinks this is an awesome deal.

Last time the girls went to one of these cooking classes it was “Canadian Diner-Style Gourmet,” in which they made homemade burgers (they even got to make the patties – BONUS), poutine, and lemon poppy-seed cake.

There are other classes that are a little more diverse. :)

Mark and I dropped the kids off went across the street for a double date at Juniper. Dinner was deeeevine – unforgettably delicious – and only a wee bit rushed. (Sadly for me, this kind of dining experience costs more than we can reasonably afford. Therefore, we will be having future dinners at other nearby and cheaper restaurants. Boo.)

What’s important here is we had a great time, and the girls did too.

Anyway, what do you think? Is this a great idea for date night or what??

Fishbowl patron 4Cats Arts Studio is behind this amazing giveaway. I’ve written about 4Cats before. 4Cats is a very fun art studio for kids, and host really interesting and creative art camps and workshops for kids. We’ve been twice, AND have a birthday party booked there. So you KNOW they are GREAT.

This giveaway is really cool. They have prepared an exclusive-special-for-the-Fishbowl art workshop. And TEN randomly-selected kids will have the opportunity to attend. But there’s more.

The theme of this workshop is “Clay Lily with Bug.” Kids will be constructing and painting the pieces using traditional mud clay.

The workshop is going to take place on Thursday March 31, 2011 from 6:00 – 7:30pm. FYI, this class is appropriate for children between the ages of 3-15.

Bonus: you don’t need to stay behind with your children. Hence, it could be DAAAAATE NIIIIIGHT! :)

Double bonus: the lovely and talented Sara will be taking photos of the kids and their art for possible publication in 4Cats Magazine (you can check out past issues online). Isn’t that amazing? Can you imagine what it feels like to see YOUR art in a magazine? It is pretty awesome. In fact, this could be the thing that launches the career and lifelong passion for your mini Michelangelo. (!)

Please note:

• The ten winning names will be randomly selected using random.org at noon on Monday March 28. If you have more than one child you’d like to enter, you must post a separate entry for each. Fair warning: if you have siblings, it is entirely possible that only one might win. You will have to deal with the fallout if this happens. Sorry. :) ETA: Please only enter as many times as you have children. So if you have two kids who’d like to attend the workshop, please only enter twice. Thank you!
• Please make sure your child is available to attend this workshop before you enter.
• In order for your entry to qualify, you must go to the 4Cats Hintonburg website with your child and check out the list of upcoming workshops. Tell us, which one tweaks his or her interest?
• As I mentioned, your child will be photographed during the class and his or her photo might be published in a magazine and/or on the 4Cats Facebook page. By entering this giveaway you are giving your permission for your child’s photo to be taken and published in this manner.
• All pieces will be available for pickup two weeks after the date of the workshop. You are responsible for picking up your child’s artwork.

That’s it! Over to you. Good luck! And thank you 4Cats for hosting this awesome giveaway!