a peek inside the fishbowl

This will be old news to some folks (mostly because I scooped myself in our local newspaper last week) but please read on!

A few months ago, someone from Blueprint Public Relations contacted me about a campaign they were working on for the Champlain Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Network (CCPN).

The CCPN is a group of health and community partners from across the Champlain District of Ontario. They are implementing a five-year Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Prevention Strategy. (CCPN partners include Ottawa Public Health, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, the Healthy Active Living & Obesity Research Group at CHEO, and the Ottawa Hospital, among others.)

Their new campaign is called Know More, Do More and it grew out of an interesting survey.

Their research suggests there is a gap between parents’ perceptions and the reality of their children’s weight, physical activity levels, and eating behaviours. (Remember the post in which I asked about your children and their weight? I was already mulling this all over.)

Most parents in the region think their children are at a healthy weight and are physically active on a regular basis, BUT the findings of national organizations (such as Statistics Canada) tell a different kind of story. 

Here’s the interesting part (at least is was to me). Almost 2000 parents were surveyed and not one thought their child was obese. Childhood obesity is on the rise yet few parents are willing to admit that their children might have an issue, and if they aren’t able to admit there’s a problem, well, they won’t be motivated to change their habits (i.e. eat smaller portions and get moving).

I hope the survey is going to be posted on their website because there were some very interesting findings. For example:

24 per cent of parents in our region say their child spends two hours or more per day at the TV, computer or video games but in reality, 90 per cent of Canadian children spend more than the recommended maximum of two hours per day at the TV, computer or video games.

They – or should I start saying we – want to make parents aware of this knowledge gap and to motivate families to incorporate more physical activities and adopt healthier eating habits into their daily routines.

The KMDM campaign is essentially about establishing lifelong healthy habits, because many children are not meeting the recommended guidelines for (1) physical activity and (2) healthy eating.

Makes sense right? Anyway, Blueprint has asked me to be a spokesmom of sorts and take on the KMDM challenge. Of course I had to say YES.

This means:

1) I will be speaking at the official launch at Dovercourt Recreation Centre on Saturday March 27, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. And you are invited! There’ll be information about fun family activities and healthy eating, and complimentary (healthy!) snacks. There’ll be activities set up for kids too. I urge you to come say hello and hang out with us for awhile. (And after all is said and done, let the kids run loose outdoors for awhile, that’s what I’m going to do!)

2) I am going to do be taking the KMDM challenge and will be focusing on building our health as a family unit using the resources available to me at the KMDM website. They’ve created a really neat “tip jar” idea to help inspire and motivate (which I appreciate because I can always use some new ideas and a kick in the pants). Some of these jars will be at the launch but you can make one yourself using the instructions on this page.

3) I’ll be blogging about our efforts a few times a month, but I will also be twittering some links and tips on a daily basis. If you have a twitter account you can follow me @knowmoredomore. Alternately you can also read the twitter feed right online. If you’re Twittering too, please use the hashtag #KMDM so I can see what you’re up to! I’d love to see how you’re incorporating KMDM into your family life. Or maybe you have tips of your own to share? Think of it as a daily reminder as well as an ongoing conversation (besides it will make this challenge a whole lot more fun)!

4) Looking for more info? Check out the official Know More Do More website (there are prizes if you register too – woot!) or the Facebook page. I am especially excited about the social media aspect of KMDM but I need your help to spread the word!

I am very excited to be a part of this campaign and to be promoting good family health in this way. Please join me at Dovercourt on Saturday. Until then, I’d love to hear what YOU do to stay healthy as a family. What can you work on? What kind of things do you do well?

Someone once said that getting a puppy was like coming home with a baby. This is a big misstatement that I wish to correct. Getting a puppy is like having a hyperactive TODDLER walk through your house, but worse. Toddlers usually don’t pee on the floor (well, at least mine didn’t). And they usually don’t chew on your shoes/table legs/area rugs etc.

So. Without further ado I would like you to meet…  Piper!

 
I’d been dropping in to visit her at the Carlingwood pet store for over a week. As of Friday night she was officially ours.

She’s a three-month old fox terrier. She’s smart and scrappy and very cute and I already love her to bits. But I tell ya, it has been quite the learning process for all of us (and Mark and I both grew up with dogs!).

• I have already stepped (barefoot) in a puddle of pee.
• We’ve figured out that she really likes sticks.
• She’s on a dry-only diet and the pet store clerk recommended we stick to it (thoughts??)
• She’s had one bath so far, and smells like cherry gum
• We are crate training* her. So far it’s going pretty well. She’s already had two naps inside it this afternoon (once with the door open, once closed).
• The girls have promised UP AND DOWN AND AROUND AND AROUND they’re going to walk/feed/care for/pick after the aforementioned pooch. I’m making them sign a contract (I’m not kidding).

* I am aware that to utter the words “crate training” in some circles is akin to such discussion topics as religion, politics, co-sleeping and formula feeding, but I am very happy with our decision.

We bought her a harness and we’re all learning how to go for walks. The girls, as you can imagine, are over the moon. They’ve been outside with her about twenty times today. Piper will be totally worn out by bedtime(or so I hope).

We spent exactly $147 on doggie-related doodads today including a crate, a brush, shampoo, toys and one lilac-coloured sweater. And that’s not including the dog. So much for a shopping embargo huh?

As I type this the house smells like wet dog, lasagna, cupcakes, and cherries. No wonder I have a headache.

But I am happy, really happy. I feel like we are part of some kind of secret club now: the dog club! If you’re game, I’d like to hear about your four-legged club members. And now that I’ve gained entry, are any helpful tips you’d like to pass along? I’ve read lots, but am open to any tips or advice you can share!

In the afternoon I dropped the girls off at their grandparents, motored home, and finished up a bit of work in time for… DATE NIGHT. (After all, March Break can’t be ALL about the kids, right?)

Mark and I had sushi at MHK and then took off to see Mysterioso at the NAC.

The NAC – as you may know – is a Fishbowl advertiser. The tickets were freebies to a special “blogger night” and I was excited to be part of it.

We gathered beforehand for wine and hors d’oeuvres from Le Cafe. Foodies will already know that Chef Michael Blackie has taken over the helm there. I have already decided that Mark and I need to go back and explore the full menu. (If I wasn’t so stuffed I would have sampled more.)

Mark and I had delightful chats with Peter Herrndorf, as well as a bunch of bloggers I know and love, Katharine from Girl about O-Town, Kym from Relishing (one of my favourite local blogs – so much beauty there), Robyn and Lana Stewart (where are you blogging now Lana?), Katie from Apartment613 … and that’s just scratching the surface. There are others I am forgetting, ack. ETA: AND JULIE HARRISON TOO. :) :)

The show itself can be neatly summarized as a magic show put to music – but that is simplifying things a little too much. By “music” – of course – I mean the full orchestra.

It is a marriage between the two. Magic is not the same without music. Music evokes so much, and magic, well, it was pointed out afterwards that everyone loves magic. Staring hard at the magicians at work, trying to figure out each illusion … it makes us feel like kids again. And that’s a good feeling.

Joseph Gabriel, the headliner, has an impressive track record as an illusionist. It was the library that set him on his path; a book about the world’s great illusionists he read when he was nine. (!) Johnny Carson was a fan, and Gabriel has performed on virtually every major television variety show.  He performed for ten consecutive years in Las Vegas, and in an 18 month Broadway run. So as far as magic goes, you know you’re seeing a top act.

A few of his illusions involved live doves. I was interested to learn that they were actually borrowed from area magicians. Ten doves (plus one “understudy”) were rounded up because his flock weren’t allowed to cross the U.S. border.

I strained my eyes trying to watch his sleight of hand. Where was he putting them? Where were they appearing from? One dove was “torn” in half to reveal two live doves. Conjuring a bird cage – with a live bird it in – seemingly out of mid-air. Craziness.

There were other acts too.

Les and Dazzle (their tagline is “So bad they’re good”) was a highlight for me. Les (the magician) and Dazzle (his assistant, who also happens to be his daughter) stole the show with their antics. I don’t want to give it away, but Dazzle, did indeed dazzle. 

Medlies from Hollywood films and magic-related television shows formed the basis of the musical part of this show. I recognized Bewitched and Harry Potter, the theme from Ghostbusters etc.

Christina Bianco added a great vocal component to the show. She did impersonations of some of the musical powerhouses of our time and got them down pat: Celine Dion, Barbara Streisand, Bernadette Peters, and Judy Garland. Her version of Defying Gravity from Wicked, was, well, wicked.

There was also a pair of magicians who specialized in quick-changes. It was pretty darn amazing. The lady “magicked” into a new dress about a dozen times during the show. (Dani mentioned she’d seen them on America’s Got Talent afterwards. I found a video online. You have to check it out to see what I mean. It is awesome. I still can’t figure out how they did it.) 

At the end of the show we had an informal meet and greet with conductor Jack Everly and Joseph Gabriel.

It was a highly enjoyable evening. As always, I do appreciate the NACs effort of bringing music to a wider audience. They do a great job of making it fresh and interesting. We are better because of it.

Emma and Sarah would have loved this show. I do recommend it for children, but the late hour might make it tough to bring anyone under 8 or 9. NAC should have considered adding a matinee performance!

Mysterioso is on tonight (Friday) as well as Saturday.