a peek inside the fishbowl

Posts Tagged ‘kids

09 Jul, 2019

Diamonds and hot dogs

Posted by: andrea tomkins In: - Ottawa for kids|Easy ways to make kids happy|Ottawa

I am posting this from Thailand (!), reason being that I wanted to get it online before the bulk of summer gets away from us. If you are looking for something fun to do in Ottawa this summer, read on!  I’m not a very sporty person but I’ve certainly played my share of organized sports. […]

For a few years, many moons ago, the kids and I were regular visitors at the annual live butterfly show at Carleton University here in Ottawa. I thought it was a great way to introduce kids to the magic, beauty, and joy of these amazing creatures. So when I heard about the new live butterfly exhibition […]

“When you eat an orange, eat an orange.” I don’t know who originally said this. Some sources attribute it to an unnamed Zen master, others, to Vietnamese Buddhist monk and religious leader, Thich Nhat Hanh. Regardless who said it, this philosophy is one I try to live by and instill in our kids. It reminds […]

28 Jul, 2017

Camping at Bon Echo, Cliff Top Trail

Posted by: andrea tomkins In: parenting|travel talk

Everything was soaked on Monday morning, which was not a surprise given the rain storm we had the night before. We had planned to hike the Bon Echo Creek trail but once we got there we realized it was way too muddy and impassable in parts. (Note to self: make sure all family members have […]

27 Jul, 2017

The most important thing about camping with kids

Posted by: andrea tomkins In: parenting|travel talk

While I was tapping out yesterday’s Q&A post about camping I got to thinking about camping with kids. It’s been a great experience for our family, especially since we’ve been doing it since our daughters were small. Camping is one of our family traditions. Every year is an adventure and every year we cherish the […]


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The Obligatory Blurb

My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Piper who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. We also have two human offspring: Emma (24) and Sarah (22). During the day I work as a writer at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

If you'd like to contact me, please use this form. If you're so inclined, you can read more about me here. Thank you for visiting!

 


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