a peek inside the fishbowl

Did you know… one of my most favourite things in the whole world is a vintage Valentine’s Day card. I pink puffy heart love them. Here’s one I bought on Ebay some time ago:

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I remember pouring over those big paper books full of perforated cards and lickable stamps. Each card was different. It was quite a conundrum. Who would I give the BEST cards to? Who could I foist the little boring ones upon? It was A Big Deal.

Today, I think homemade Valentine’s Day cards are truly nicer than many of the storebought varieties out there. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen cute storebought ones, but many grocery-store variety cards really have nothing to do with Valentine’s Day at all. The Power Rangers wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day? What’s the point of that? It makes me a little sad, actually. Kids LOVE to make stuff, and this is a perfect opportunity to crank out something special with them. Consider it a family art project!

Here’s one we made in 2009:

Sidebar: I beg you, from one parent to another, don’t waste your money on dollar store pencils and incorporate them into your kid’s cards. We have dollar store pencils EVERYWHERE around here. I can build a bird cage out of dollar store pencils, because that’s about all that they’re good for… and I don’t want to build a bird cage out of dollar store pencils. From this day forward, dollar store pencils that arrive at Casa Fishbowl are going straight into the garbage. It sounds harsh, I know, but they drive me batty with their unsharpenableness. DON’T DO IT.

If you or your child wants is going to make cards this year, start as soon as you can. Like today.

• 1) Find an idea you both like
• 2) Buy the supplies (or better yet, work with what you have)
• 3) Make the cards in batches, assembly-line style. There’s nothing worse than staying up late – alone! – or with a crying kid trying to cut 30 paper doilies into 30 intricate heart shapes on February 13.

Here are a couple things we made in the past:

• Lollipop flowers (pictured above, includes a template)
• Lollipop butterflies (also includes a template)

They’re both pretty easy to assemble and customize – and very inexpensive to make! Some other ideas I like:

• This “Bee Mine” valentine idea from the Disney Family Fun website… although it might be a little too complex if you’re making them for 30 kids, why not make them for five or six BFFs?
• This Valentine’s Day paper puppet is super easy
• This Rocket Candy Card idea is hilarious. In fact, I’m going to urge the youngest to go this route.
• For a bit of classroom chaos, check out this printable/foldable paper airplane Valentine. (Who doesn’t like to instigate classroom chaos!!)
• I like these glowstick Valentine’s Day cards too… although I know my kids wouldn’t want to send that particular message to everyone in the class. (“You make my heart glow”) We’d have to think of something else. In our school the kids are required to send a card to everyone. Yours?

This is the easiest card ever:

• Cut out small rectangles or heart shapes out of red or pink construction paper and have your child stamp or draw or punch heart shapes on each one. Fold in half, sign, and voila, your card is complete.

Any other ideas for Valentine’s Day card crafts for the classroom? Do share!

Fishbowl patron Lilac Lingerie really hopes that you get what you want for Valentine’s Day… whether it’s chocolate, flowers, or a quiet dinner for two. Whatever makes your heart flutter! But let’s get something out of the way here, nothing says YOU LIGHT MY FIRE more than lingerie. Right? Right.

Lilac is giving away somethin’ fuschia to one lucky Fishbowl reader, just in time for V-day:

Rawr.

The chemise is by Change, and the thong is BonBon Lingerie.

The chemise comes in S, M, L, and has adjustable straps. (And if you ask me, that neckline will look amazing on just about everyone.) The chemise is very soft and stretchy. It’s pretty AND comfortable and joyful and bright and sexy, and I am told it is comfortable enough to be used as an everyday nightie. The thong is one size fits all and is a very feminine piece … a flash of black lace trim and little cat applique guarantee the wearer will knock someone’s socks off. Literally.

The total value of this giveaway is $88. The chemise retails for $49 and the BonBon kitty thong goes for $39. (BonBon Lingerie is one of Lilac’s higher end brands.)

Here are the deets:

One of the best things about being a WAHM is that I have the luxury of juggling my schedule around my kids and work deadlines. Usually it works out, sometimes it does not… like yesterday, when I had a massive deadline AND a field trip.

Neither were negotiable, so I was up at 5:00 in order to squeeze in a few extra hours of writing before the field trip. This one was to Rideau Hall, residence of the Governor General. It’s a pretty special place.

Sadly, I was so rushed that I left without my School Trip Emergency Survival Kit (STESK). My STESK consists of two things. Two important items I learned to bring with me after dozens of lessons learned during school trips. Namely:

• Tylenol
• A thermos of hot tea

Without my STESK, survival is dubious. And might make me want to use this:

Just kidding (OK, only half-kidding).

Because I was rushing with this deadline I found myself working until the very last minute, and by then it was too late to get my STESK ready, so I went without. :)

I survived! Mostly because the kids, the parents, and the teachers are really nice people and school bus suspension seemed a bit more stable than it had in the past:

Here’s a sneak peek inside the wintery grounds of Rideau Hall.

The building itself is very interesting. So many stories! No photos allowed inside though. Did you know that if the Canadian flag is flying it means the GG is not at home? Sadly we weren’t going to meet His Excellency.

One of the reasons I like to go on field trips is for the memorable one-liners. For example, this time around someone asked the security guard if he was the Governor General. I got a chuckle out of that one. :)

We got a short tour and then proceeded to the outdoor skating rink.

This place has been recommended to me before, but this was the first time I’d seen it myself. How can I put this, it almost made me cry. That’s how pretty it was. It felt SO CANADIAN too. Outside, on ice, sun shining, music playing … a perfect day. I bet it’s spectacular at night.

(FYI, out of respect of the children’s privacy, I am not posting photos in which anyone is clearly identifiable.)

There’s also a rustic warming hut beside the rink (I think they refer to it as the Chalet) which has a big wood stove inside, making it a really cozy place to lace up your skates:

Everyone was pretty happy at the end, which made me happy I came. And that I didn’t even make use of the emergency exit.

You might be interested to know that the rink is open during the evening (but you need to make reservations for your group) and is open to the public during weekends. There is more information about it on the GG’s official website.

I urge you to check out Rideau Hall next time you have a hankering to do something cheap and interesting here in Ottawa. It makes a great field trip.