a peek inside the fishbowl

Like many of my  Westboro-area neighbours we are kinda proud of Westfest. Our chests puff out a little when talk comes around to this little neighborhood festival that grew. It’s become our own summertime tradition. It draws massive crowds, big acts, and best of all, it’s free.

The girls always marvel at the fact that it’s at the end of our street. I do too. I think that’s pretty cool.

We’ve been doing Westfest for a few years now so I think I’m qualified to give some advice on how to do it right with kids. ETA: Westfest 2010 is on this weekend: June 11-13)

• If you live close enough (I’m talking a 1-2 km radius) – WALK. And rent your driveway to the highest bidder. :) Parking is a little crazy, so consider taking public transit OR get comfortable with the idea that you’ve going to leave your car faaaaar from the action.
• Leave the bikes at home or lock them up outside of the main drag. Please don’t walk around with them. It’s crowded, and no one appreciates getting their toes run over. You can actually park your bike in a secure/supervised area at Richmond and Tweedsmuir for only a toonie.
• Wear comfortable walking shoes and haul out that umbrella stroller, because it’s a bit of walk if you’re going to take everything in.
• Tie balloons securely around little wrists! :)
• Be ready for just about any kind of weather. Some years it has been incredibly cold while other years we’ve come close to fainting from heat stroke.
• Make a food plan. If it’s a nice day the patios will be packed. Many restaurants extend on to the street and serve a very basic menu in order to take pressure off the kitchen staff. If you don’t have a plan and find yourself walking from resto to resto at 12:15 you will soon come to regret it, especially if there are kids involved. One year we just plain gave up, and ordered pizza to go from Newport and ate it by the side of the street.
• Check the map and plan your day. Merchants get involved too, and there’s always a lot of stuff going on for kids.

We always end up making multiple visits. It’s just easier that way.

There’s a lot of other neat stuff going on too. The Elation Centre (a Fishbowl advertiser) has partnered with lululemon and will be outside the store (Richmond at Churchill) doing fun yoga “competitions” from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. They’ll be rounding up moms, dads, kids and see who can perform and hold a posture. (I am looking forward to seeing this. We all know how much kids love to show up their parents, right?) 

Music is truly what Westfest is all about (at least for me). I haven’t even touched on the musical acts! They are above par.

My only wish for Westfest (and maybe this is the year that it’ll change?) is that they could “fill in” the emptier parts of Richmond Road with other acts – buskers, barbershop quartets, beignet stands, animal acts, anything – to make that long walk from Golden Ave. to the Superstore seem a little more compelling.

What do you think? Do you have anything to add? Are you going to Westfest this year?

I struggle with teacher gifts every year. I belong to the camp of parents who don’t like to give candles, smelly soaps, kitchen gadgets and various other doodads.

Here’s the thing, just because you think it’s pretty doesn’t mean they do too.

What scared me off tchotchkes forever was a sneak peek into the “mug shelves” in one of our school’s staff rooms. I know what I saw. I am certain they don’t want or need another mug (or anything with an apple motif) because that mug shelf was profoundly IMMENSE and was close to collapsing.

I am on the fence about baked goods. Personally, I would LOVE to receive a tin of homebaked cookies. But what if I’m trying to watch my weight? Or don’t care for double-double chocolate cookies? 

Where do you stand on gift cards? I think they can make a pretty good gift, but only if we get the right one.

Many malls sell gift cards. You can buy one and it will apply to every store in that mall. (It’s not as personal, but it’s better than another mug.) What about an iTunes card if they’re into music? Or Henry’s if they love photography? Or for Starbucks or Bridgehead? Or the local movie theatre? Or for spa services (like a massage or pedicure for example).

Maybe, to prevent the gift card from being interpreted as impersonal, it can be supplemented by a lovely handwritten note? What do you think?

I also think these things make great gifts:

• Coffee or tea (less expensive and still shows you care)
• A really nice bottle of wine (if you know the teacher really well)
• A donation to a charity on their behalf. $50 will buy school supplies for classroom in a developing country.

Anyway, someone must have some new ideas for teacher gifts! Tell me, what are you giving your teacher this year? I would also love to hear from a teacher. What were your most memorable gifts?

Piper’s cone came off today and we finally got veterinary permission to go for a long romp.

Thank god. Just in time!

This was our KMDM activity this week:

Take advantage of the Ottawa River and the Rideau Canal. Kids who are physically active are less likely to become depressed.

Ottawans, YOU KNOW HOW LUCKY WE ARE TO LIVE HERE, right?

We are lucky ducks indeed. Spring, summer, fall, winter; the Ottawa River and Rideau Canal sustains our souls and makes this a nicer place to live.  

We went to the Arboretum near the Central Experimental Farm. I wanted to try a new destination, but it’s really pretty here and I knew that dogs were allowed. Just keep them on a leash, and watch for cyclists.

There are wiiiiide areas of space in which to run and stretch your legs. There are trees to climb, hills to roll down, things to explore, DUCKS, pretty sights to see… and Tons.Of.Trees. (It is after all, an arboretum, right?) The majority of trees are labelled, making it easy to learn the differences between a hackberry and a hawthorne.

It’s the perfect thing to do after dinner, and it’s entirely doable.

So instead of hunkering down in front of the telly, leave the dishes and go climb a tree.

Here’s a view of Sarah exploring the shoreline, before she tripped and fell in the water:

“Oh well! I guess I’ll take off my socks!”

I was praying that nothing was going to leap out of this hole in the ground. Nothing did (PHEW) and it was deemed worthy of inspection.

We all had a pretty good time – a totally cone-free good time.

Cue angels:

I do recommend it. It is an amazing little spot. GO!

Here’s a tip, if you do go, park at a hidden little parking lot at the bottom part of the looping NCC Scenic Driveway. (Here’s a map.)

So here’s a question… where do you go when you have a hankering for fresh air? Do tell.

As for next week … here’s my tip (another one of my own creation):

Read the nutritional panel and ingredients of every grocery store product for the week. Did you know that the vast majority packaged products contain crap that isn’t very good for you?

It goes without saying that the folks behind KMDM would never use a word like CRAP. But I’ve hit a breaking point and can’t wait to write the post. :)

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This post is part of the Know More Do More initiative spearheaded by the Champlain Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Network. KMDM is about empowering parents and inspiring them to take charge of their children’s health by taking easy steps to increase activity levels and improve eating habits. I’m one of two champion families who has been asked to take this challenge. You can join too. Check out the official website for more information. You can also get healthy tips by following @knowmoredomore on Twitter. If you’re blogging about your participation, please let me know so we can cheer each other on!