Back to School Traditions

I love the idea of establishing a few special back to school traditions to start things off on a positive note. No matter how old your kids are, going back (or starting) school can be a bit overwhelming. I’ve had the chance to look online and I found a couple of cute traditions that are pretty neat:

• Take the traditional "back to school" portrait up a notch by pairing it with a list of likes and favorites. How fun to compare from year to year! Here's a cute way to do it!
• Drawing a kiss or special note on your child’s hand so they can take a look at it throughout the day.
• Back to school breakfast in bed. Anything goes.
• Special notes in your child’s lunch box. This one can go past the first day.
• Make a yearly time capsule by getting a few favorite items, recent photos, current likes, etc. and put them in a container to hide away until the next year. Each night before the first day, pull it out to see how much everything's changed. Then make a new one.
• Hang a sheet in the back yard and have a night-before-school backyard movie night. Here’s how to turn your iPhone into a movie projector.
• First Day Back dinner extravaganza. At the meal, each kids gets to talk about their day then as a family setting some goals for the year, discussing things to look forward to and other things of that sort.

I love all these ideas and will likely pick a few to make this year’s back to school a memorable one for all.

What will you do to celebrate back-to-school?

Christmas Old-Fashioned Style

By Angèle There are always a million things to do during the holiday season, but how much is really what matters to you? I know that for me, concentrating on the basics and creating traditions that my child (and her mother) look forward to every year is what matters. So if you’re looking for a simpler Christmas, even an old-fashioned Christmas, here’s a good place to start.

Heritage Villages Cumberland Museum (East of Orleans)

On a late Sunday afternoon last December, my daughter and I, along with friends, went to the Cumberland Museum to experience the Vintage Christmas Village of Lights.  We admired twinkle lights as we walked in the dark and sang carols on our horse-drawn wagon ride.  We then decorated gingerbread men in the old town hall (yes, we ate most of the icing straight from the bag), and admired the handmade decorations in the schoolhouse. Of course, after warming up with hot chocolate around the camp fire, we saw Santa in a very old, charming house. We left filled with Christmas spirit; it was an event to remember.

Needless to say, I plan on going back this year: http://www.ottawa.ca/en/rec_culture/museum_heritage/museums/cumberland/events/ http://www.facebook.com/cumberlandmuseum

Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in December, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Families (two adults and unlimited children) $18.

Upper Canada Village (South of Ottawa, in Morrisburg) We haven’t been to Upper Canada Village’s Alight at Night Festival yet, but if it’s anything like what we can do and see there during the summer, it will be impressive. Starting November 30th, we can go on a horse drawn wagon ride or on the lit up toy train, spot the Dickens characters and enjoy carollers in the old church or have a traditional Christmas dinner.  Or we can simply stand and stare at the twinkle lights for hours.

It’s definitely worth the drive from Ottawa. http://www.uppercanadavillage.com/index.cfm/en/activities/alight-at-night/

Angèle is a goofy mum to a daughter and a wife to an evil genius (retired, apparently). She’s also a social media strategist, a podcast host and a teacher in training.  In her other life, she’s a fan of fresh air, yoga, good friends, new places and keeping things simple.  She is the author of two blogs: More of Less (http://moreoflessblog.blogspot.ca/ ) and My C Word (http://mycword.blogspot.ca/ ).  PS. She often overshare. You’ve been warned.

6 Tips for Staying Healthy through the Holidays

by Jayda

The holiday season is upon us. The season of parties, celebrations, and get togethers. Many of these events involve food, lots of food. A time when we all fall, to some degree, off our respective wellness wagons. Here are 6 tips to help you stay within arms reach of that wagon.

1. Stay Active

Let’s be honest, we will all consume more calories/food/sugar than we should over the holidays. Keep moving. Continue your normal workout routine, or adopt a new one. Round up your friends and family and go out for brisk walk around the neighbourhood or play snow tag after that heavy meal. Aerobic exercise stimulates the release of appetite regulating hormones.

2. PRE-Eat At Home

Don’t starve yourself all day in anticipation of the dessert buffet being served at the holiday party. Eat a meal rich in whole foods at home before you go; you will be less inclined to make poor food choices driven by a ravenous appetite. Remember to eat breakfast. A nutritious breakfast will set the tone for your day. Additionally, feed the kids one of their favourite meal before attending holiday parties. This a great way to avoid behaviours related to hunger, in the case of  a delayed or late meals. Children are easily distracted at parties and may not eat to fullness so by pre-eating you can relax and enjoy your meal knowing that they had a wholesome meal at home and anything they eat at the party is a bonus.

3. Focus On Activities

Plan to meet friends and family for an activity in lieu of a meal. An afternoon of tobogganing or skating will take the focus off food and burn calories. Bonus! Too cold? Bust out the board games, get crafty or plan an indoor scavenger hunt. Host the activity between major meal times and serve a healthy snack or light meal.

4. 'THIS' then 'THAT'

When plating your food fill up on healthy, whole,  foods first then hit the dessert table. Consider incorporating all five flavours (pungent, sour, sweet, salty and bitter) when choosing foods. By satisfying all tastes, you are less likely to experience cravings after a meal.

5. Eat Mindfully

Eat with awareness, not just awareness of foods but rather awareness of the experience of eating. Mindful of the smell and taste of your meal. How does the food make you feel? Savour it. Enjoy it. Don’t forget to breathe. Take your time eating. Take a deep breathe between bites. Allow your body to feel full before going for a second helping.

6.  Stay Hydrated

Drink water, lots of water. Water will dilute the effects of the alcoholic holiday beverages and help flush the extra sugar out of your system and curb those cravings.

What do you do to stay healthy during the holiday season?

Jayda Siggers is a Mom of 2 ( JWS, 6 and LLS, 4), a nutritionist, a coach at Clean Plate Cleanse, a master mediator living under a co-dictatorship, whole food advocate, trying to live a little greener everyday.

Christmas Shopping, an Enjoyable Family Event?

Bazaars, Markets and Craft Sales Christmas shopping can be such a chore, so my daughter and I like to make it fun by chasing the Christmas bazaars, markets and arts & crafts sales around the Ottawa region. There’s no shortage of bazaars in Ottawa starting last weekend and throughout the holiday season, located in high schools, churches, community centres, museums and art centres near us. We love the ambiance and get inspired by the decor, the music and the crafts. We walk around soaking in the Christmas spirit, we take breaks with a drink and play the “who would love this” game.  And even when we don’t buy anything, we rush home to make our own masterpieces.

The three shopping events we’re looking forward to this year are the following. I have no idea what they look like, but we’re up for the adventure.

The Barnyard Bazaar at the Canada Agriculture Museum on December 1st: http://www.agriculture.technomuses.ca/english/activities_events/barnyard_bazaar_2012.cfm

The Baz’Art at the Shenkman Centre in Orleans, December 1st and 2nd: http://shenkmanarts.ca/en/events_evenements/december_decembre_2012/bazart/index.htm

The Holiday Art and Show Sale at the Ottawa School of Art, November 29 to December 19th: http://hosted-p0.vresp.com/747279/b43aa9ca7f/ARCHIVE

Why not support local artists and artisans this year by giving an original gift and have fun doing it? Search Google for a full listing of bazaars starting this weekend.

Street Shopping I have wonderful memories of having breakfast with my daughter in a little restaurant in early December, watching light snow fall and getting ready to shop.  Why brave nasty malls in the suburbs when we can get fresh air in a lovely setting while walking from boutique to boutique and stopping for food along the way?  Ottawa is full of great neighourhoods to enjoy this activity, such as the Glebe, Westborough, Elgin Street, Sparks Street and of course, the Byward Market.  I wonder if the cat still lives in the little bookstore on Sussex Street...

Last year, we tried something new and headed to Merrickville, just a short drive down the 416. Not only is the shopping great, but the town’s Christmas calendar is booming with activity! We enjoyed personalized service, artist studios, local everything and a nice lunch at the neighbourhood pub.  Now that’s the way to turn a chore into a memory. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to shop.

The Glebe: http://www.shoptheglebe.ca/?act=home Sparks Street:  http://www.sparksstreetmall.com/ Byward Market: http://www.byward-market.com/ Merrickville: http://www.christmasinmerrickville.ca/Merrickville.html

Angèle is a goofy mum to a daughter and a wife to an evil genius (retired, apparently). She's also a social media strategist, a podcast host and a teacher in training.  In her other life, she's a fan of fresh air, yoga, good friends, new places and keeping things simple.  She is the author of two blogs: More of Less (http://moreoflessblog.blogspot.ca/ ) and My C Word (http://mycword.blogspot.ca/ ).  PS. She often overshare. You’ve been warned.

Elf on the Shelf – Making Family Memories

by Gwen I am big on traditions in my home so I’m always looking for ways to create new memories with my children. Some of the fondest memories of my childhood revolve around the holidays, so when I heard about Elf on the Shelf, I knew that we could have lots of fun with it.

Elf on the Shelf has been around for many years, but the idea only became a household name when the digitally animated television special entitled An Elf's Story: The Elf on the Shelf premiered in 2011. Because of this TV special, Elf on the Shelf hit the big-time. Craziness ensued which caused stores everywhere to sell out, but we were lucky enough to snag ourselves the very last Elf on a Shelf from our Chapters Indigo store last year.

When our elf was “delivered” to us, the kids quickly named him Andy (because they think he resembles Andy from the Toy Story movies). The pictures in this post are of Andy and some of the trouble he got himself into last year!

Now, the whole idea around Elf on the Shelf is that he comes to live with your family in the weeks leading up to the big day. Each night he travels back to the North Pole to bring Santa a report on how the kids he belongs to behaved that day. When he returns each morning, he sometimes gets into a little mischief and this is the fun part.

There are many sites on the web showing different situations elves have gotten themselves into, so the sky is the limit when it comes to the fun things you can come up with for your elf. The true fun though, is seeing the kids find the elf each morning and giggling about the silliness they discover. And the best part of this whole thing? You will be creating holiday memories that your children will remember for a lifetime.

Keep your eyes open for the Elf on the Shelf television special, I am certain it will air again this year, and if you do decide you want to get your family its own elf, hurry, because they sell out fast!

Have fun!

Where to find Elf on the Shelf in Ottawa: Tag Along Toys Kanata Chapters/Indigo In store and online

Gwen is a mom of 2 and owns/operates Nayla Natural Care, an online store that specializes in carrying the best organic, natural and eco-friendly products.