Staying in touch through Skype

by Brie We live in Ottawa, but our family doesn't. Our extended family is scattered across three provinces. While that means lots of people to go and visit, I am not eager to undertake long car rides or plane rides with two kids four years old and under very often. At the same time, we want our kids to know their aunt and grandparents. Our solution is not only a great way for the kids to keep in touch with family but also a great distraction/ time waster/ thing to do when you want to load the dishwasher without kids underfoot.

Skype is a free program that you can download from the Internet that allows you to make free video and audio calls from your computer. The first few times I used it I felt a bit like Jane Jetson, but without the cool hair. Now I am used to it and so are my kids. Whenever we make an actual phone call to a family member my four-year old girl always asks Can we Skype? right away.

Skyping will keep your kids amused for much longer than a phone call will, but I would still recommend some props. To keep my young kids interested for a good period of time, my family relies of books. A big pile of books. Grandma reads a lot of Maisy. My dad pulls out a book about cats. My sister once tried to read an art history book, but that didn't go over well so she quickly stocked up on some kids books from the library. And if you don't have books on hand, an impromptu puppet show with socks always works.

The only hard park about Skype is that it seems like the people on the other end are really just in the other room. When we recently Skyped with friends who moved to London this past month, I had to explain why the girl couldn't go over to visit her little friend at his new house. Thankfully his dad then turned the computer around so she could watch the television with them and all was forgotten!

Do you Skype? Do your kids love it as much as mine do?

Brie is the mom of a 4-year-old daughter “the girl” and 2 old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.

Summer of Awesome - Backyard Camping

by Lynn It's no secret that I despise camping. I've blogged about it many, many times. I hate being outside, I hate cooking over two tiny burners with a pint-size pot, I HATE the bugs. I really hate getting up in the middle of the night and having to make my way with a flashlight through a cloud of mosquitoes to the "comfort station." Assuming there even IS one.

My kids have been camping twice with their much hardier father, and as a result, they've had a taste of the joys of sleeping outside. And of course, they love it (maybe I brought home the wrong spawn from the hospital?). This summer, they bugged us and bugged us to go camping.

I believe I've come up with a genius solution: backyard camping!

Here's what you'll need to do.

1. Check the weather forecast and pick out a nice, sunny, warm day for camping. No need to book your site months in advance and take a gamble that it won't rain - your private site is ready and waiting for you whenever you want. Just say the word and it's yours. This must be what Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie feel like.

2. Get up early and pitch your tent in your backyard. Then kick back with your first tall lemonade of the day while the kids spend an hour running in and out of the tent like it's the greatest thing since sliced bread.

3. Reflect on your brilliance.

4. My kids like camping for two reasons only, and the first one is the ability to gather a huge amount of sticks from the surrounding woods. So now's the time to take them for a walk in the woods, in a nearby park or in the green belt. We are lucky to live within walking distance of a few green belt trails - you can see a full map of them here and get driving/parking information here. We like to bring chunks of fruit and baggies of birdseed to scatter around, and sometimes we're lucky enough to catch sight of birds, ducks, or chipmunks. If you're really ambitious you can take them out to Gatineau Park, but if you're willing to go hiking in Gatineau Park, why don't you just go camping for real, FREAKS.

5. Head home for lunch. Make lunch in your own kitchen. Use your own bathroom. Reflect on your genius.

6. The afternoon is time for the second thing my kids love about camping: the beach! We live closest to Britannia Beach, and we like it - the beach is really nice and they have a big play structure set back from the water a ways, so you can alternate between fun in the sand and snacks in the shade. You can get information about all the city's beaches here. Be sure to check the Swim Advisory Site before heading out to make sure that the beaches are open - the city site is updated every morning around 10 a.m. or so with details on the bacteria levels.

7. Head home for a BBQ dinner. Hot dogs, hamburgers, and corn on the cob will serve you well. Be sure to eat outside, at your patio table or even a picnic on the grass in front of your tent. Afterwards, finish up with smores - not having a fire isn't a problem, you can make them in your microwave. Here's my recipe: put a graham cracker on a plate and top with 8-10 chocolate chips. Microwave on high for around 15 seconds. Add a big marshmallow on top - it's best to place it on its side - and then microwave for 12-13 seconds on high (your kids will get a kick out of watching the marshmallow swell up like a balloon). Remove from the microwave, top with another graham cracker and enjoy with many, many wet cloths nearby.

Mmmm. Gal Smiley prefers her smores made with two chocolate chip cookies instead of graham crackers and chocolate chips, and you really can't argue with that, either.

8. As it gets dark, light some candles and break out some board games or books. Let the kids run around with flashlights, they LOVE that.

9. Time to sleep. Now, those that are truly wimpy can use a real bed, but even a dedicated non-camper like myself can handle a night in the tent. Either way, if you need to get up in the night for a pee, I can recommend a close, clean, private "comfort station."

10. Get up in the morning to a fun breakfast made in your own kitchen. Reflect on your smartitude.

I almost forgot a critical component of backyard camping - unplugging. No computers, no phones, no video games, no movies. It will be hard to resist - the family room couch is RIGHT THERE - but it's camping. There has to be SOME hardship.

My kids do still pine for the real thing, but backyard camping is just about as close to nature as I am willing to get. So for that reason, it's a Summer of Awesome Must Do, and my kids can love it or lump it.

Lynn is mom to three tombliboos aged 7, 5, and 3, and blogs over at Turtlehead.

Audio stories: my secret weapon

by  Brie There are times when I want to get something done. Okay, there are lots of times when I want to get stuff done. Most of the time I am unsuccessful for various reason, but the main reason is that I live with two kids four years old and under. Sure, I can steal some time if I put on a video but I don't always want to give them some (read: more). That is when I pull out my secret weapon. Audio stories.

I remember when I was a kid we used to listen to stories on records. So one day I went looking for some great stories for my kids to listen to. My recommendations are ones that I have bought, grandma has kindly bought or I have found online. Often you can buy the stories on CD with an accompanying book. I like that, but in our house the books get tossed aside quickly in favour of sitting on the couch reading other books while listening to the story play.

My favorites are:

- Free to be You and Me takes me back to the days of lying on the floor listening to a scratchy record. We have the CD and it plays the same great  stories, poems and songs that I remember. We also have the book, which I read almost every day for six months when the girl was two. Except for the fact that it is a very big and very long book I loved reading it to her. I would even sing the songs and I try to avoid singing. You can check out the CD, book and video and also download some of my favorite songs to your MP3 player on the website.

- We have a number of classic stories on CD from Puffin Storytime. These include Madeline, Corduroy and Curious George. All of these are books that I had read the kids already so they  knew the story before I put the CD on. Once the stories are done, there are songs and poems. I think the girl likes those just as much as the stories!

- Robert Munsch is one of my favorite storytellers. And lucky for us he shares his stories online! His fabulous website lets you choose a book to listen to online. Let's face it, he tells the stories much better then I do. The girl is enraptured when I put his stories on (we also own one of his CDs) and will happily sit for a record amount of time. Another reason to love Robert Munsch.

Do your kids listen to stories on records, tapes, CDs or online? Please share your favorite audio stories.

Brie is the mom of a 4 year old daughter “the girl” and 2 old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.

Summer of Awesome - Carp Farmer's Market

by Lynn I grew up in the Kitchener-Waterloo area of Ontario, and there are a couple of farmers' markets there that are legend in my mind. We'd go several times a summer and it was always so cool -- looking at all the produce, getting fresh meat and to-die-for cheeses, scamming the odd baked treat out of my mother. Going to market was a lot of fun for me and ever since we've had kids of our own, I've been looking for a market to call home.

This summer we gave the Carp Farmers' Market a spin, and it was pretty good. There's no question the food was plentiful and varied and amazing. We bought some of these multi-coloured carrots, which I think are kind of a scam, but still got the kids excited about vegetables, so can't argue with that.

It's not a huge place but there are dozens of stalls selling all kinds of goods. Even though there's not a lot of walking, it's very stroller friendly, so feel free to bring one along - to hold your kid or your purchases. It's free to get in and parking is free, but you'll need lots of money on hand as this is a cash-only kind of place, and also, it's not the Superstore. Things are on the pricey side - bunches of carrots were going for around $4, the last strawberries of the season for $5, giant zucchini were around $2. Much more than you'd pay at the supermarket, but I can promise you that the food is a) fresh, b) local, and c) delicious.

Also, there are lots of really different fruits and vegetables here, and that makes it fun and interesting. Almost everything was organic, as well.

I don't know how to shop at a farmers' market. I'm not usually there to get groceries, I'm there to explore and pick up anything that looks really tasty or unique. So as a result, we filled a whole bag with veggies and it did cost a pretty penny. But oh, SO GOOD.

We happened to be there the weekend of the Garlic Festival, which meant there were at least five times as many people as usual, and SCADS of garlic.

There's lots of other things to buy there, too, like chocolates, cakes, fresh baked bread, flowers, elk or buffalo meat, pies (I bought a sausage roll, I LOVE sausage rolls), fudge, and crafts.

I bought my girls a fun cookie on a stick and YUM.

You can also buy ready-to-eat food there, like pulled pork on a bun, freshly cut french fries, and gelato.

So, was it fun? I loved it, but the market got mixed reviews from the kids. My five-year-old daughter, Gal Smiley, is a bit of a foodie and was really excited to see all the different foods. It's pretty hard not to feel like the trip was worth it when one of your kids is standing there saying, "Mommy, can we PLEASE get the beets? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE?" So, there's that.

My three-year-old really loved the band that was playing there and wanted to stay and dance all day; she also liked looking at all the food and she sure did love her cookie on a stick. She likes crowds and shopping in general so she was happy and REALLY didn't want to go home. So there's that.

My seven-year-old son was uber-cranky and begged to go home the entire time. He sulked and frowned and was a general killjoy. It didn't help that due to his food allergies, he couldn't eat any of the ready-made food there, and couldn't have a cookie on a stick. He did ask for some carrots and a cabbage, though. So, there's that.

Overall, I think the market is good for the kids - it's good for them to see different foods, to talk about buying local, and to learn about what it means to be a farmer. It's not exactly a Big Fun kind of place, but it's interesting in a field-trip kind of way. It's certainly way better than a trip to the Superstore.

And for lunch on market day, we had sweet little baby grapes that taste like candy, purple carrots, unbelievably fresh strawberries, and rosemary bread with flavoured oil for dipping. So, there's THAT.

So I think I'll give the Carp Farmers' Market a Summer of Awesome Should Do - and know that I'll personally be going back for more. The market is open Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and you can get directions from their website.

Lynn is mom to three tombliboos aged 7, 5, and 3, and blogs over at Turtlehead.

Splish Splash

by Erin We just got a brand new splash pad in my neighbourhood!! It was added to an existing park with a play structure and swings.

Did you know that the City of Ottawa has almost 100 splash pads?

You can find a map of all the locations here.

Miss K has been a little...ummm..."weary" of the water this summer. I believe it might have something to do with an unfortunate incident during out spring visit to Newfoundland where Mommy sat her on a large rock on the beach as the tide was coming in. I did get some awesome photos until she realized that there was water pooling up around her and fell off said rock in an escape attempt. (Note: I was within arms reach, and the water was very calm and shallow. I am a good parent, I promise.)

I had hoped that by taking her to some of the Ottawa's awesome splash pads I might get her reacquainted with the water and boost her confidence. Luckily, my plan worked.

If you haven't already spent some of your summer hanging out at a Splash Pad, I highly recommend that you plan a visit or two before September comes. I have seen children of all ages, from babies to tweens, having a blast playing in the water. Even if you don't currently have one in your neighbourhood, the is bound to be one within a short driving distance.

Don't forget your sunscreen!

Erin is mom to 2 (almost 3) year old "Miss K" and 6 month old "Mister J". You can read her blog at My Suburban Adventure