5 Things To Do Before Summer Ends

Summer is just flying by. Given that my daughter is in the French-Catholic Board, she'll be back to school on August 26th! Which means I'm starting to think about what we still need to do before summer ends, so that I don't wake up in October kicking myself for letting the sun and sand pass me by: 1) BEACH DAY. I just can't bring myself to go to a city beach for "beach day." I love Petrie Island (given that I live in Orleans), and support my city as much as I can, but until the Province and City of Ottawa clean up our water, I'm totally grossed out. Instead, we will be enjoying the clean and sandy waters out in Bon Echo provincial park!

2) FAIR. There are so many great Ottawa-area fairs, and we are definitely going to check out the Navan Fair on August 9/10th! Although my girls don't really enjoy crowds, I love that there are many different activities that don't involve the noisy midway :)

3) FARM. Although our vegetable garden is huge, it certainly doesn't compare to the greenery at Eco Honey Bee Spa and Gardens. It's my favourite eco-spa in the Ottawa area, and Deborah welcomes families to come check out her beautiful gardens, doves, chickens and rabbits. And as a bonus, we can take a walk through Kemptville and stop at The Branch for lunch!

4) MOSAIKA. We still need to get my oldest out for the evening sound and light show on Parliament Hill. I think she'll love it!!

5) POOL. I grew up with a pool, so it's slightly sad that my kids don't get to experience daily swimming in the backyard (although I'm not regretting the incredible costs and work associated with a pool!!). So before the summer is over, we plan to crash my friend's backyard and use their pool to cool off :)

What do you hope to do before summer ends?

A Summer Journal for Kids

For the past few years I have created a summer journal for my children to document their days off.

It all started as a way to entertain them on a long flight out west and three weeks of visiting family. I thought it would be a great way to keep them entertained drawing and writing about the things they did and saw. I provided them with stickers and other supplies to help them describe their experiences. They were young, 5 and 3, when we started. On the flight they taped their boarding passes in the journals. They collected flowers and other treasures in small bead bags to tape in their journals. With assistance my 5 year old wrote words to describe his summer vacation.

Now at 8 and 6, the journals are more focused on reading, writing, and cursive. This year our journals are full of writing prompts. There is still lots of space for drawing and pasting. In preparation for the last day of school I will print our journals, gather some art supplies (makers, pencils, doubled sided tape, glue, stickers, etc.) and store it all in a folder for each child. On our first day of summer vacation we will write our bucket list.

Click on the link below to download the full journal (39 pages) here for free!

summer journal KITC

It will print in black and white on 8.5 X 11 paper. I printed the journal at our local print store for about $12.00, including a clear cover page, a blank back page and coil binding.

What summer activities do you plan with your children?

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.

Community Cup 2014

It's hard to make connections in our community. We're busy people, with jobs (sometimes multiple jobs!), kids, pets, housework and financial worries. But building a community to support yourself and your family is a marvelous way to make friends and find others to lean on when times get tough. I've built my own community here in Ottawa in many different ways, and participating in groups and events has been instrumental in helping me find other like-minded parents to hang out with.

That's why I was excited to hear about the Community Cup, taking place this Saturday (June 28th) at Brewer Park.

The Community Cup is a not for profit, multicultural initiative that integrates volunteerism and sports. Initiated and hosted by the Catholic Centre for Immigrants in 2005, this volunteer driven, major event in Ottawa, is primarily a fun and engaging way to help newcomers and non-newcomers connect in a barrier free way that celebrates diversity and welcoming communities. The Community Cup is now an annual community festival, featuring soccer, multicultural dance and music, international food, a citizenship ceremony, events for the kids, and more.

In this day-long event, there will be:

• A 64 team co-ed recreational 7-on-7 Soccer Tournament with 4 divisions starting at age 7 and up.
• A Community Tent hosting 25 Ottawa-area non-profit and community service organizations
• Live Entertainment and Music with hints of Multicultural flavours
• Live streaming of the FIFA World Cup matches
• A Kids Zone for ages 14 and under providing non-stop activities, games, crafts, entertainment and a youth soccer challenge.
• Soccer Skills Challenge hosted by the Ottawa Fury and CKCU. Come meet the players!
• An Interactive Demonstration Sports area presented by various sports clubs/groups to learn and try out new sports and find out how to get involved. All abilities welcomed.
• A Canadian Citizenship Ceremony (1pm to 2pm). Witness and welcome newcomers to our great country.
• Experience delicious Local Food provided local vendors and food trucks.

And bonus? You can pop over to the Ottawa Farmer's Market for some fresh fruit and veg!!

Check out the website for more details, and comment below if you end up attending! Have fun!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=examfJRI5EE

GCGC Gymnastics

For a while I only knew them as GCGC Gymnastics. I recently discovered that GCGC stands for Gloucester Community Gymnastic Challengers. Tucked away in an industrial park in Gloucester, this unassuming Gymnastics centre wow'd us with their programming.

I took both my girls out to a Saturday morning Kindergym, and they were in awe of the 12,500 square foot facility. The children started off with a warm-up on the floor with fun music (who doesn't love running around in a circle like a mad person?) The kids were then separated into groups based on age and skill level. An instructor led each group over to various parts of the gym, and the girls got to practice on the balance beams, trampoline and bars.

My youngest (18 months), was just a teensy bit too young, although she certainly had a good time. By the time the class was over, I was in a full sweat from chasing her around everywhere. My 4.5 year-old got a lot out of the class, and I was so proud to see her confidence in trying new skills.

There are a lot of gymnastics options out there for parents, and it's hard knowing which one to choose. I like GCGC because there are both recreational and competitive options. Founded in 1976, the centre is in good standing with Gymnastics Ontario and bilingual coaches are certified with the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). The ratios are very small, and my girls were in a group of only 4 children in total. It's great knowing that my oldest could start off in recreational programs and perhaps move into competitive programs as she builds her skills.

Summer camps are also open now for registration, so if you're like me and have procrastinated getting your kids signed up, there's still space! Take a look at their website for more program information. Also, head over to their Facebook page and give them a "like!" Supporting local businesses like GCGC is such a pleasure!

Summer is HERE: Ottawa Events Round-Up!

OK, so maybe summer isn't here for another four days, but we're close! It certainly feels like summer. And with only four days of school left (for the French Catholic board), my husband certainly knows that summer is coming ;) As a SAHD, he will be the one in charge of summer fun! With summer comes many great events in and around Ottawa. I've heard of SO many things going on this weekend that I just had to get it all written down and clear in my mind :) I think we'll only be able to pick one or two events to attend, but I'd love to hear about what you're doing!

Teddy Bear' s Picnic

Lemonade Standemonium

Ottawa Dragonboat Festival

Carivibe Festival

Ottawa Fringe Festival

Beechwood Solistic Stroll

Boomerang Kids Charity Strollerthon

Glowfair Ottawa

and of course, we can't forget the Ottawa Farmer's Market!

Phew, that was a lot....have I missed anything?

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I almost forgot the ice cream festival! Ice cream is very important :)