Over Easy Like Sunday Morning

The infamous 'egg dipper' or 'egg in a nest' that I have been feeding my toddler to get some protein into his skinny self. The toast is the delivery mechanism for the protein. You will remember an earlier post in which I provided the extremely complicated recipe that not only involves a toaster, but also a frying pan.

Instructions for eating: Dip toast in egg. Toddlers find this remarkably fun.

 

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Wading into Wetlands

Botanical Gardens
Sunday, July 31, 10 am – 4 pm
Wetlands are home to our provincial floral emblem, the pitcher plant and a variety of fascinating critters. Get to know Newfoundland wetlands through a variety of crafts, stories, games, activities, and nature hikes. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Go Walkabout

You really don’t know your city until you walk it. Every time we go for a walk I am reminded of this. You see a lot more at a walking pace than from a car window. On foot you can connect with people in your community. 
One of our favourite family activities are weekday evening strolls. From spring to fall, when the weather is decent and the sunset is later than 5:00PM, we dress our toddler in his pajamas and plunk him in the stroller with a sippy cup of milk and a blanket with the optimistic plan that we will walk until he drops. He has never fallen asleep for us, but we always have a lovely walk. Walking helps wind us down after our busy work day. We talk about our day, make plans, get ideas from other people’s gardens and home designs and have friendly chats with our neighbours.

We are lucky to live in a part of St. John’s that offers a different, beautiful and interesting walk for every day of the week. There are three playgrounds within 10 minutes of our home, great riverside walking trails, and scenic neighborhoods, but most neighbourhoods in St. John’s and the surrounding towns have walking trails of some sort. If you haven’t ventured out on them lately, I highly recommend dusting off your sneakers and packing up the kids and going for an evening walk. With our busy and car-centric lives there is no better, cheaper, or simpler way to help your kid (and you too!) get to know their neighbourhood and connect with the people in their community… plus everyone gets a little fresh air and exercise too!

Have a favourite walk to share or favourite family activity others might enjoy? Send an email or leave a comment on the Facebook page.

Up and away...

The Canadian Forces Parachute Team, the SkyHawks, will fly into St. John’s on Friday, July 29 for a parachuting demonstration in the skies over Bowring Park, beginning at 2 p.m.

Summerfest & Summerdance 2011

Summerdance takes place on the Festival Stage, located on the Sliding Hill on Allandale Road in Pippy Park, St. John's from 2:00pm to 4:00pm, July 30 - 31.

Parking for this event is available at the Confederation Building parking lots.

I don't know anything about this event, so more information is welcome!

Chores: Laundry

When you aren't in a hurry, toddlers can help with all kinds of chores and they really enjoy it too. Here's mine helping to load the washer. I am sure the novelty will wear off by the time his is 15. Too bad!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The Legend of Inuksuit

2-4 PM Thursday, July 28, 2011 At the Rooms
Did you know that an Inukshuk was once used as a navigation tool by the Inuit people?
Today, Inuksuit inspire craftspeople, carvers, and printmakers. Come hear the myths surrounding the first Inukshuk and create your very own Inukshuk craft.

Picnics and Beaches

Here's a couple of  picnic blankets and other things that make summer activities easier with toddlers: If it's hot and there's no shade around it can be hard with babies and little kids, we bought this when our toddler was an infant and it is easy to use: Beach Shade at Canadian Tire

There are a couple of good picnic blankets out there, locally Coo Chi Coo carries one made by Tuffo (see the picture) and we bought this one too from LL Bean because it is fleecy and works for winter activities. Both have a waterproof backing for wet grass or sand. LL Bean also has this parasheet, which looks cool, but I haven't tried it myself.



Not sure that you'll get your money's worth this summer, but we can always hope!

Lantern Festival

We took our son to this last year and it was our first time there. I have to say it is one of the best things I have done in St. John's with our child. A really great way to spend a summer evening.

Victoria Park Lantern Festival
The Victoria Park Lantern Festival takes place annually on the Saturday that is on the last full weekend in July. In 2011, the last full weekend is indeed the last, so the 11th annual Lantern Festival will take place on Saturday July 30th (rain date Sunday July 31st). The Festival is a participatory event that brings people together to celebrate their community and light up their park with hundreds of home-made lanterns.

The Lantern making workshop schedule is posted on the web site.

Be part of the art
This festival strives to encourage artistic expression, public participation and community-building in the Victoria Park area, and to ensure that the park remains a vibrant part of our urban landscape. Be part of the art! Make a lantern! Come in costume! Enjoy yourself and the community around you.

Rooms with a view

2-4PM, Tuesday, July 26th, 2011
At the Rooms: Spend some time making art inspired by the fantastic panoramic views of the city of St. John’s.

You've got mail!

Who doesn't love getting mail in the mail box? (I mean real mail, not email and not bills!)  Here's a fun activity you can do with your children so they can experience the joy of getting old-fashioned mail:

Have your children write a letter or draw a picture or maybe make a homemade postcard or card and then pop it in an envelope, address it, and have them stick a stamp on it. Explain to your child what happens to their letter or read a book like The Jolly Postman or Seven Little Postmen to help them understand.

Make it a little field trip to your neighbourhood mailbox to mail it and be sure to let them drop the letter in the box themselves.  They can send the letter to themselves, a friend or a grandparent near or far. What fun it will be if the recipient replies!

You can ensure your child gets a surprise in the mailbox by writing them a card or letter yourself and mailing it at the same time.

Ad - free zone

In my quest to shelter my child from advertising and inappropriate tv programming for as long as I can, I have invested in some children's DVDs. I thought I would share some of the ones we love best.  Franklin, Little Bear, and Olivia are the ones that my toddler can watch unattended while I make supper or get ready for work. They have nice storylines with good messaging and very few scary moments that make my toddler hide his eyes and cry out: "Mommy, I don't like this part!"

They are all inexpensive and there are many more to choose from. They all have Christmas editions too which I think will be nice for helping my toddler anticipate the holidays this December. One of my favourite childhood memories is watching all the Christmas specials leading up to the big day.

Car Lovers and the mommies who love them

Take note:
The Dub Show is tomorrow at Bowring Park
A car show for VW and Euro cars 1:00pm - 4:00pm.
FREE! Donations of a non-perishable food item will be accepted to support local food banks. Show car or daily driver, heavily modified or rust bucket, come out and enter the show! BBQ to support Ronald McDonald House.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Fluvarium Mini Programs

From the Fluvarium Web Page - no information about what age they are appropriate for, but perhaps if you call them. These programs are offered daily at the half hour on the hour.


Participate in our Mini Programs this summer!
We are offering -
FISH IS FISH - Build a trout and discover what makes a fish a fish.
MARSH METAPHORS - Explore our wonderful marsh and discover its importance in our eco-system
INTERESTING INVERTEBRATES -Investigate the bugs hidden in the stream.
EXPLORING EELS -These slippery friends have a bad reputation. Find our more about this mysterious fish.
AMAZING AMPHIBIANS - Discover the differences between frogs and toads.
SENSATIONAL STORIES - Enjoy some of our favorite stories about the outdoors and the environment.

Like bargain hunting?

The annual Georgestown Neighbourhood Association flea market will be held on Saturday, July 23rd, 2011, with a rain date of Sunday, July 24th. This is basically a neighbourhood-wide yard sale where everyone who has stuff to sell sets up in front of their home.

Georgetown is the neighbourhood that falls between Bonaventure Avenue and Monkstown Road and Empire Avenue and Military Road.

Lunchtime Concert Series

It is often difficult to find places to take your kids to hear live music because concerts often occur in bars or other adult venues. I guess that is one reason the Teddy Bear Picnic is so popular. In St. John's, during the summer there is another option: Lunchtime concerts, held each Friday at  12:30 p.m. at the Harbourside Park, Water Street from July 8 - August 26, 2011. Admission is FREE!


Here's the schedule:

July 22, 2011 Opening Act: Sarah Harris and William Corbett
Featured Act: Duane Andrews

July 29, 2011 Opening Act: Jonathan Miln
Featured Act: Jimmy Thomson Quartet featuring Katie Hopkins

August 5, 2011 Opening Act : Fiona Shea
Featured Act : East of Empire

August 12, 2011 Opening Act: Violin Femmes
Featured Act: The Skylarks

August 19, 2011 Opening Act: Peter Mills
Featured Act: Fergus O'Byrne and Jim Payne

August 26, 2011 Opening Act: Emily Andrews
Featured Act: Matthew Hornell

RCMP Musical Ride

The keystone Kops unit of Mazol Shriners is proud to be named the host organization for the 2011 RCMP Musical Ride in the St. John's area.

One of Canada's most recognized icons, the RCMP Musical Ride represents a colourful Canadian tradition. The troop of 32 horses and riders will perform a variety of cavalry drills choreographed to music.
Musical Ride & RCMP souvenir items will be available as well as pre-Ride entertainment to ensure that this will be a memorable family experience.

Location: St. John's Racing & Entertainment Center, Goulds
Peformance Time: 2:00 pm July 23, 2011

Tickets:
Adult (Advance): $10.00 (At the Gate): $12.00
Children(Advance: $5.00 (At the Gate): $6.00
Children under 5: FREE

Tickets available at Bidgood's, Goulds; Mazol Shrine Office, Topsail Road, St. John's; Marie's Mini Mart, Moore's Drive, Mount Pearl, Blackmarsh Road, St. John's, Thorburn Road, St. John's, and Highland Drive, St. John's.
For additional information please call: 364-1591

Treasure Map Exploration

This is on tomorrow at the Rooms -

2-4PM, Thursday, July 21, 2011
We’ll have tons of fun as we use brown paper and teabags to create a treasure map the whole family will enjoy. Map your own backyard and challenge your family and friends to find the hidden treasures!

Local Mom Blogs

Another Mommy Blogger you might want to check out  The Momster Tales

Summer sales for stocking up

I don't know about you, but given how busy life is these days I do a lot of my shopping online and with the Canadian dollar being so good you aren't limited to Canadian retailers. This time of year there are a lot of sales on as retailers clear out summer stock to make way for fall and back to school (already!). So this is when I do a lot of my shopping for next summer. I try to shop off season and a year out so that I can get the best deals. Gap, Old Navy, Lands End, and The Children's Place online have awesome sales on now.

Playing with Printmaking -

Playing with Printmaking at the Rooms
2-4PM Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Take a turn on our printing press and create original calligraphy images using fabrics, foam and other found objects in this family fun geared for everyone.

Pizza night

Home made pizza is a great way to introduce kids to cooking. I made Jamie Oliver's pizza dough the other night and it was easy, fantastic and freezable. It is also very similar to play dough which makes it a great way to include your toddler in making dinner.

Also, home made pizza is versatile. If your children are picky they can each have their own and they can add the toppings they choose, which is a bit of fun in its own right. If one only wants sauce and cheese and the other wants pepperoni and peppers in a smiley face they can each have what they like.

I made grown up versions for me and my husband that included artichoke hearts, olives, roasted grape tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozza and I did a separate one with parmesean and mushrooms. Delicious!

Stylin' and profilin'

I couldn't help myself, I had to order this for my kid to wear at the Folk Festival.

Sandbox Threads has awesome kids T-shirts and they ship to Canada. If you sign up for the newsletter you'll get a $5 discount. My order was $21 Canadian including shipping.

Dinner and a Book

If you follow St. John's Toddler on Facebook you may gave have seen me reference this book and how it helped my kid try a few new foods including fries and peas. It also helped him eat more sausage and more carrots too.

The book is about a little boy whose dinner runs away from the table and has an adventure. I had the idea that cooking the "Run Away Dinner" might just be a fun thing to do as the book was in heavy rotation at the time, but lo and behold not only did he find the idea fun, but it also made him excited about eating these things and having seconds!

Whatever works!

Clothing Swap Update

Due to some challenges regarding booking a venue for the swap, and because of feedback I recieved from people signed up for the swap  - I am going to move the Children's Clothing Swap to September.

As our summers are so short and everyone wants to make the most of it, I think September will be a better month. As well, in September we'll all be thinking of fall and winter clothing and this time of year might be more conducive to the swap anyway.

Please spread the word and send me an email to be added to the swap mailing list if you are interested in being part of it.

Thanks for your patience!

Genealogical Fun

Explore your roots during our Genealogical Family Fun Day at the Rooms.
2-4PM on Thursday, July 14
Construct a simple family tree to share with family members of all ages or a family crest button to wear proudly on your jacket.

No child left inside

I heard a great documentary on "Nature Deficit Disorder" on CBC last week and I love the spirit of this article about "Nature Deficit Disorder" in our children. I don't know why this is a topic with buzz this week, but DNTO on CBC also had a feature on why city dwellers need to look at trees to help their brains work better and it can't be bushes or flowers... it has to be trees!

All of this got my thinking that I haven't shared two great little books I bought that help you come up with ideas for exploring the outdoors with children of all ages. The books cover every season and though many of the ideas are ones you might think of yourself, sometimes we can all use a little inspiration.

Pop Up Pop Art -

Come see the Province’s collection of Pop Art on display in the gallery - then create pop up paperworks using images made famous in our culture. At the Rooms Thursday, July 12th, 2011 from 2-4pm.

Dining with Toddlers

I recieved a great recommendation for brunching with toddlers from a reader and I thought I would pass it along:

We had brunch today at the Casbah with Paige & Emily...Paige is 3...highly recommend! Paige loved it - their brunch options came with nice-sized portions of fresh fruit to start. She had a fish cake for her meal, but they also had pancakes, French toast, etc. We will definitely go back again. Emily slept the whole time which was also nice :)
 Janice

Struck gold

Lester's on Pearltown Road, also known as "The Other Lester's Farm" has a great petting farm for kids, a restaurant I hear makes a good brunch, but best of all, right between the greenhouses is a big pile of gravel. There are also a bunch of old toy dump trucks and tractors in this pile of gravel. My son was in seventh heaven and I got to do a little garden shopping. Bravo for businesses that do clever things like this Whether it was intentional or not I don't know, after all it is a family farm and those toys could belong to the Lester's kids and just happened to be there, but whatever... it worked out well for me and I highly recommend this as an outing with your truck-loving toddler. The petting farm is just icing on the cake.

Fun with Food

Ok, so this mom blogger is just having too much fun making food for her kids. You really need to check it out. I don't think I have the energy for some of these things, but there are some pretty cute, clever and creative ideas on her blog.

Snails in jars

I love to garden, but it is a lot of work keeping up with the weeds and the pests. Luckily, I have a toddler who has a passion for snails, so I have enlisted him to help keep the snails "from eating Mommy's garden." He takes the job very seriously and seems to get a lot of pleasure from collecting the snails in a container for me. We then 'dispose' of them by sending them to Robin Hood Bay with the weekly garbage collection where I assume they will do more good than harm.

Classic Cars and Onion Rings

If you have a little boy or girl who loves cars, there is no better place to go than A&W on Kenmount Road on a Thursday night in the summer. People with cool and classic cars gather for gear talk and fries and the atmosphere is friendly and fun. They often have music playing and it really is a nice way to spend a summer evening, even if you aren't in to cars yourself.
Tip:  Park at Chapters and walk over to save yourself the traffic and parking congestion.

Beothuk Amulets

Beothuk Amulets family Fun at the Rooms
2-4 PM on Thursday, July 7, 2011
Bring the whole family along and explore the life of the Beothuks in The Rooms 3rd Floor
Connections Gallery - then decorate your very own pendant or amulet just like the Beothuks would have done 500 years ago.

Arugula Pesto

After I posted this on Facebook someone suggested that I post the recipe too. I like to make pesto out of greens that are going to expire before I can use them as a way to not waste them. This one is made from Wasabi Arugula, something new to me I found in the Dominion produce section. It's hot and peppery - so if you think your kids will balk, try mixing it with spinach to mellow the flavour. I didn't have a recipe, but here is the gist of it:

1. one container of arugula
2. garlic cloves to taste
3. 1/2 cup parmesean
4. 1/2 cup walnuts
5. olive oil (enough to make a paste consistency)
6. dash of salt (optional)

As Jamie Oliver says, whazz in your processor and use as a pasta sauce or spread on chicken breast or shrimp before and after grilling.
Bottle for freezing if you wish to save for another day. This can work with spinach too, I like my spinach mixed half and half with basil. Tip: you may need more olive oil to make it cover your pasta, use your judgement.

Rooms with a View

Family fun at the Rooms Tuesday, July 5th :
Rooms with a View - Spend some time making art inspired by the fantastic panoramic views of the city of St. John’s.

Festival 500

Inspire your children to sing, several children's choirs are on this year's schedule.

Outdoor Movie Night

If warm summer nights ever actually materialize, then this might be a way to combine a date night and an outing for your toddler. Put your kid in their PJ's, pack up the stroller and head downtown for outdoor movie night!
The details are here . Sounds like a lovely way to spend an evening, especially if your kid is the type who will fall asleep in their stroller.

O Canada

I envy little about our neighbours’ south of the border, but in one area I have always been jealous: celebrations. As Canada Day approaches I am reminded of how big a deal the Fourth of July is in the US, the awesome tailgate parties that Americans have around football games and the mother of all American family occasions – Thanksgiving.

Canada Day pales in comparison to the Fourth of July. I have heard that in Ottawa they celebrate it in style, but here in Newfoundland it seems little more than an afterthought. It is very difficult to find a list of Canada Day activities in this city. Case in point, last year, I accidentally posted an old Canada Day press release from the Provincial government web site because it was the only one I could find and, mea culpa, I didn’t see the date.

Thankfully, I have relatives that have a Canada Day Party each year and I am glad they do. Otherwise, except for the fireworks, I am not sure I would celebrate the day at all. Not very patriotic is it? I guess as a Newfoundlander, Canada Day is tainted slightly due to its other historical association. However, whether it’s celebrating the Newfoundland Republic, the Nation of Canada, or the Stanley Cup finals I think I need to rectify my lame-o approach to all the potential celebratory occasions I am missing out on. I mean think of it, wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a few gift-free reasons to indulge in food and festivities with friends and family between New Year’s and Christmas each year?

So this year I start my transformation: I am making some kind of red and white food, I have bought some little flags, and I will maybe even dress my family in Canada Day T shirts today. I am going to do whatever I can think of to make Canada Day fun and I am going to try and figure out a way to make my toddler understand something about the meaning of the day and start a family tradition that recognizes our country and my gratitude that we live here. Whatever your political stripe or thoughts about our current government, life in Canada is worth celebrating! Happy Canada Day!

Let me know how you plan to spend it!

UPDATE:

Mission accomplished! Minus the cupcakes. The sun came out! We attended the Memorial Day Ceremony and Parade, waved our Dollar Store flags, enjoyed the annual family Canada Day party, and are packing up to enjoy the fireworks as we speak.