The Canadian Tulip Festival - the plan

by Shawna With the early warmth this spring, we may be in danger of having an almost tulip-less Canadian Tulip Festival (which runs from May 7th - 24th). While this may put a crimp in my role as one of the "Artists in the Tulips" (this will be my second year my images can be found in the Tulip Art gallery in Commissioner's Park by Dow's lake), it in no way means I won't go to the festival with my kids.  Sure, it's nice for me to see the tulips and use them as a colourful backdrop for pictures of my nearest-and-dearest, but let's not lose sight of the main reason to go: to let the kids exhaust themselves by hopping them up on sugar at the Fudge Shack and tear around like mad things, all the better to sleep that night!

I kid.

Sort of.

In truth, there are tons of kid-friendly activities at the Tulip Festival and they almost all come with the bonus of getting out in the fresh air and maybe even learning a little history along the way.  To kick off the festival, there's an open air Liberation Street Party planned this year on Sparks St., which is being held in celebration of the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands and Canada's role in it.  Throughout the festival there will be children's activities at Major's Hill Park, and a lot of the area's museums are planning programming that links in with the festival.  The tulip festival website has details on all of this and more.

The fact is, there's a dizzying variety of programming and there's no way it would be fun to dash from activity to activity, trying to cram it all in; what we do is take a look at the schedule and try to earmark just a couple of things that sound fun on a day or two I'm not officially scheduled to be there.  We keep things loose and watch the weather, and if we can go at those times, so much the better.  And if things don't align so that we hit all our "planned" events, we try to keep in mind that what the kids really like best is the chance to ride the tulip shuttle bus (a novelty for my suburban children), see the ducks on Dow's Lake, and yes, eat fudge and Beavertails and tear around like mad things.

The better sleep that night is just a fringe benefit.

Shawna is mom to 4 year old Sage and almost-2-year-old Harris.  She has  been writing online since 2003, and her latest project is a fledgling photography blog.  She feels a defensive need to let you know that she herself rides the bus almost every day.

Take me out to the ball game

Did you know that baseball is coming back to Ottawa? If you haven't heard, we now have an Intercounty Baseball League team called the Ottawa Fat Cats!

I have to say I'm not a baseball fan, but I did go to several Lynx games years ago with friends and had a good time! We are planning to take Joel to see a game this summer. At 3 years of age he probably won't understand how the game is played, but I'm sure he'll still have a great time. How could you not have a memorable experience at the ball game? A bus ride to the stadium on a weekend afternoon spent outside, finding our seats, buying peanuts and cracker jacks, or hotdogs, and doing the 7th inning stretch (do they still do that?), it all sounds like a great time to me!

Tickets are $12 per adult and children under 6 years of age are FREE (ye-ah!!) The first home game is Saturday, May 15th against the Mississauga Twins @ 7pm. Since they are a new club and trying to establish the franchise in Ottawa, there are many great deals being offered.

For example, the Ottawa Fat Cats really wants the next generation to learn about the sport of baseball so they are offering a complimentary ticket to all seniors (60+) who bring one paid child to the ball park. They are also offering free transportation to the stadium!

According to the Fat Cats website, baseball fans and concert goers can board any OC Transpo bus by simply showing the bus driver a concert ticket or baseball game-day for that date.

For more information, to buy tickets or see the game schedule check out http://www.ottawafatcats.com.

Camping at the KOA

by Joanne Watching the sunset by the fire with the kids while they roast marshmallows and cook spider dogs!  Nature trail walks to pick up treasures (rocks,leaves and twigs)! Watching a chipmunk steel our peanut butter toast! These memories are all part of our family summer adventures!

We love to camp!  My husband loves the smell of his Coleman stove coffee, the sound of crickets and frogs and the crackle of the campfire!  He loves it all… but I won’t stay in a tent!  I won’t sleep on the ground and get that close to nature.  We can’t afford an RV right now… so you may be wondering how we do it… no, we don’t camp in the backyard – I will let you in on our little secret.   The KOA!

A few years ago, we found the perfect comprise to my husband’s desire to be close to nature and my desire to sleep on in bed.  Most KOA’s have these wonderful cabins for rent – one room Kabins (for up to 4 people), two room  Kabins (for up to 6 people) some have cottages and lodges for even more amenities, some include picnic tables and fire grills.

They are wonderful – one year it rained – we had a blast staying dry in the cabin doing crafts, napping and watching others pack up and head home.

KOA’s are great for families – most have hiking trails, some of pools and jacuzzi’s or lakes and there are lots of organized activities for the kids.

They are also located all over – we stayed at a KOA when we visited Storyland and also when we visited the 1000 Islands.  All you need to bring is a sleep bag, bath and hand towels and your toiletries.  If you are going to eat at the campsite, you may want to bring your camping stove if one is not included in the rental.

We always have an amazing time and we are looking forward to our next camping adventure – this year with our new puppy!

Joanne the proud mom of Amélie (8 years old) and Mathieu (5 years).  She is new at blogging and you can find her at Our Money Pit.

Ottawa Public Library: Treasures for the Little Ones in Orleans

by Isabelle I still remember going to the library with my mom as a preschooler. I don't know how often we went, but I do know that every time we did, I took out a huge stash of books, often the same ones over and over again. Now that I have my own preschooler, I love our library trips. We are huge readers, and going to the library means that we're getting a little variety in terms of bedtime stories. With four books every night, we go through them pretty quickly.

My local branch of the Ottawa Public Library  is on Orleans Boulevard. It has a good selection of books for preschoolers in both English and French. There's also a smaller section of board books, again in both languages, for babies and toddlers. The children's section at the Orleans branch has kid-sized tables and chairs as well as a rocking chair for moms and dads.

This particular branch offers a number of different programs for kids of all ages. For instance, it offers several sessions of Babytime and Toddler Time each week, with stories, songs and games for the tiniest library aficionados. For preschoolers, the Orleans branch offers Storytime sessions on weekdays, and older kids (6-9) are invited to special events at the library, such as the Springfun program in April, where kids will hear a story, do a craft and participate in other activities. All of these programs are identified as "bilingual" on the library site, although it is unclear whether the stories and activities will be presented in English and French to the same group, or whether groups will be divided up according to language. For kids who need a little bit of help with schoolwork, the Orleans branch also offers a homework club on Saturday mornings for grades 1-10.

My little guy loves the library and I look forward to bringing my daughter to the baby programs when she's a little bit older. No matter the season, a Saturday-morning trip to the library is always a treat for our family!

Isabelle is the mom of 3.5 year old Jay and two-month old Rosie. You can also find her at Dr. Peach’s Blog.

Going to the dogs

by Brie There is a dog park within a five-minute walk from our house. We always walk by it when we go to pick up the husband from work. Recently I realized the wisdom of walking there and stopping.

The dog park is part of a larger park. On one side is a sidewalk and on the other side is a field leading to a play structure. Both sides offer optimal viewing. And if we visit both sides of the dog park I can prolong the experience even more!

Once we arrive at one side of the fence I like to let my three-year old daughter and nineteen month old son out. They like to peek through the chain link fence and walk along it. This also allows them to follow a dog from one end of the park to the other and burn off some energy.

My son has a deep love of dogs. From afar. He will screech happily as he watches them run around the park but if they come anywhere near the fence he will back up cautiously until he is hiding behind my legs. As soon as they wander away again his face is pressed right back up against the fence.

Yes, a visit to the dog park is a great thing to do with my kids. And if I grab a coffee from the cafe around the corner I am happy to let them watch frolicking dogs for as long as they want.

Brie is the mom of a 3.5 year old daughter “the girl” and eighteen month old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.