Oh Canada! Family Events Around the Country

Somehow, July 1st (and therefore Canada Day) pops up in ye olde calendar next week.  For all you parents who have been thinking: What do we do? Where can we celebrate? Have no fear: here are a variety of family event listings for cities around the country. Happy Canada Day!

Ottawa Events

Parliament Hill fireworks,music and celebrations

Toronto Events

Music and fireworks at Mel Lastman Square

Montreal Events

Celafete 2008

Halifax-Dartmouth Events

Family events and music on Citadel Hill

Prince Edward Island Events

Cultural celebration and flag-raising

St. John's Events

Sunrise Ceremony

Winnipeg Events

Performers and celebrations at The Forks

Saskatoon Events

Free entertainment and ceremonies

Calgary Events

Food, live entertainment and music

Vancouver Events

Performers, entertainment at Canada Place

Yellowknife Events

Cake, entertainment and ceremonies

Crafty Keri

Here's an interview with a west-coast mom entrepreneur named Keri Zingle. This mom-of-two approached me after noticing our 'Vendors' thread on the ParentTalk Forums and asked if I would be interested in profiling her company, Craft Caravan. Because I'd like to shine a spotlight on hard-working and creative mom entrepreneurs from all over the country, I am more than happy to oblige.

Q: How would you describe your business?

A: Craft Caravan is a company that's run from our home in Vancouver. It's a service that lets kids be surprised with fun, educational crafts they receive in the mail.  Our service is great fun for children, and it makes craft-time easy for parent

Q: How does the service work?

A: Our Kids Craft Club is like a monthly magazine subscription; members receive a shiny green envelope of craft supplies, project instructions, and 'fun fact sheets' at the beginning of each month.  We also provide 'Card Making Kits for kids' - which include 8 brightly coloured cards and envelopes, and are loaded with tot-friendly supplies like glitter glue, stickers, and themed message labels.

Q: How did the idea come to life?

A: Craft Caravan was started as a direct result of a very hectic Valentines Day
with my daughter, scrambling to make a hand-made card for every child in her
preschool class. We were rushing for breakfast, getting ready for work, and getting ready for school, and (because she was too young to manage scissors), I was cutting hearts out of construction paper for her to decorate at the same time.  During the scramble I thought "wouldn't it be nice if someone could just provide me with all of the kid-ready supplies!" A short time later, I left my full time position and chose to stay home with my kids while working on Craft Caravan.  We launched in September 2007, and have been growing every month since.

Q: As a mom, how does it feel to run your own business?

A: I love the flexibility, as it allows me to schedule around my kids, but it's also a huge commitment and responsibility that goes with me everywhere!  In some ways it feels like having a third child...needs lots of nurturing and attention to grow into a successful 'adult', with lots of fun and challenges along the way.

For all you crafty moms, dads and kids out there: I received a few of Keri's projects in the mail.  Lily, our two-year-old worked with our nanny to do the butterfly project together.  It was very simple and small but I have to say it turned out quite beautifully (I'll post a photo of the butterfly soon!).  Keri also sent me their scrapbook kit which I know our son will love.  Craft Caravan ships across Canada and in the U.S., too.

Kanye West + Me

I've got a secret to confess: When I'm in the car by myself, I turn up the radio REALLY loud and rock out.  (Okay, I didn't say my secret was exciting.)

This morning, on my way to the Parents Canada office, I sang Kanye West's Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger and it felt great! Being stuck in the morning commute (something I'm not used to doing as a freelance writer) suddenly didn't feel so frustrating. That new, 80s-throwback tune, Shake It by Metro Station also came on.  I wasn't crazy about that song when it first came out - sounds a bit like The Cure with a dash of Honeymoon Suite thrown in - but now it's growing on me.  With some Shakira, Maroon Five and Madonna added into the mix, I could even envision myself as a single, childless, gal-about-town for a few minutes.

Suffice it to say, I was able to enjoy listening to MY music (no Alvin and the Chipmunks soundtrack today!) and let off a bit of steam at the same time.  So, if you happen see a thirty-something mom sans kids in a green minivan singing her heart out, it might just be me!  If you do, just turn up your radio and sing along.

Pickles, Granola Bars and Gum. Oh my!

"Are your kids good eaters?" It's a question I get asked a lot.  What about you?

My answer, usually, is, "Yes, they are." I feel lucky that my two children (2 years old and 5 years old) generally are great about eating a variety of grains, fruits, veggies, and meats (although Lily is not fond of chicken or beef). They are often happy to snack on pickles, raisins, peanut butter, or yogurt as a snack.

However, like most mothers, I suffer from 'food guilt' sometimes.  Not only do we (me especially) bribe them with food in order to get them to do stuff: "If you have a bath now, you can have a cookie after dinner..." or "If you let Mommy work for another hour we'll have ice-cream as a snack..." But, I feel like my children eat more sugary snacks and drinks than their friends.  I have no problem giving them juice in the morning; I figure it's 100% pure juice and has nutrients and vitamins.  But, it's the cookies, cake, granola bars, ice cream, candy, and gum (Kash eats candy very infrequently and our daughter doesn't eat candy or gum at all) that concern me.

Luckily, like I said, they do eat well and I try to keep in mind that their daily and weekly intake of healthy foods balance out the sugary treats but it still makes me wonder: How much is too much?  What about you: What's your take on treats and desserts with your kids? Do you find the commercials for sugar cereals and candy on TV suck them in? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

If you're interested in healthy eating, here are a few related articles (some written by dietitians and doctors):

Healthy Foods for Growing Children (9-12 months)

Healthy Foods for Toddlers

Body Mass Calculator (tool on ParentsCanada.com homepage)

Sign o' the Times

Have you heard about the movement where parents and babies communicate via sign language? I first heard about this phenomenon a few years ago from my friend Susanna who lives in Los Angeles and I was rather perplexed: ‘You mean, your little baby can actually generate signs?’ Yes, she can!

How did this all come about? According to the Baby Signs web site, "In 1982, Dr. Linda Acredolo and Dr. Susan Goodwyn discovered that babies were spontaneously using simple gestures to represent words they were not yet able to say. They might sniff for ‘flower,’ pant for ‘dog,’ or flap their arms for ‘bird.’ ‘What would happen’, Dr. Acredolo and Dr. Goodwyn wondered, ‘if parents just helped the process along?’"

Cindy Boehm is the director of operations for Baby Signs Canada. She lives in Saskatchewan with her family. Cindy tells me that Baby Signs came to Canada in 2005 and there are currently about 48 independent instructors across the country. Those interested in becoming a certified instructor can complete an online course over four weeks (which costs $400) and must send in a DVD where they show off their excellent signing skills, before receiving the okay to start up their business.

Interested in teaching baby sign language classes yourself? Ferrah Graham is a teacher and a Baby Signs Certified Instructor living in Saskatchewan. She’s been an instructor with the program since 2006 and has two young children. Ferrah says, "Both of our children have been (and are) signing babies.  Our daughter (2.5 years) began signing at about 8 months and eventually had a signing vocabulary of nearly 80 signs.  Now she speaks very well with a spoken vocabulary above many children her age.  Our son began signing at about 9.5 months and currently has a signing vocabulary of about 12 signs."

Instructors are able to run their own businesses and offer classes when it’s convenient for them. Keep in mind, though, that being a Baby Signs instructor does not bring in a salary equivalent to a full-time job (average yearly income is about $16,000) but, according to Cindy Boehm, this could be an interesting, valuable and flexible part-time opportunity for someone who’s "passionate about signing…it’s a job they can feel good about."

What's the best thing about being a Baby Signs instructor?  Ferrah says, "The best thing, for me...is the relationships I have made with the families I work with." She continues, "We have a great time together! These families keep me posted on their progress, share their stories with me, refer people to my programs and keep coming back for more."

If you’re interested in taking Baby Signs classes with your kids, you can check the web site. If you’re interested in becoming an instructor, email Cindy at info@babysigns.ca.

Happy signing!

Related links: Baby Talk: Talking with Hands

Parlez-Vous Francais?

My son is starting French Immersion in the fall and today he has an orientation at his new school.  I'm a bit nervous for him. 

Growing up in Ottawa, we studied the 'language of love' and I took a few French courses during university as well.  However, I'm hardly fluent and my husband speaks very little French. Kash's new school is geared towards native English speakers but I really want to start him speaking or reading some French before September rolls around. 

I must get to the library and take out les livres en francais.  Any suggestions on where to start?  French KidLit titles to recommend?

On a similar note, ParentsCanada.com has a great article online entitled: Why Boys Don't Read.

It's not all Oprah and naps around here...

I've received great responses to my last post on mom entrepreneurs.  Thank you.

Speaking of which...sometimes I laugh because I myself am a WAHM (work-at-home-mom) and, I suppose, an entrepreneur as I run my own freelance writing business. But, it's not all about watching Oprah and naps here at home.  Take today: the morning began with feeding and bathing the two kids and the cat (feeding only). I then ran downstairs in my PJs to work on my laptop. After checking my six different email addresses, I frantically set about writing an article for a magazine - due tomorrow.

After that, I got to working away for an hour or two. At that point, I stopped to help our nanny convince my son that, yes, he did want to join her and his sister on a playdate. Twenty minutes later, the kids were out, the cat was fed, and my husband was gone to work.  Great. I began to write, blog and work again.  Shortly after that, I realized I hadn't had breakfast or showered.  I jumped into the shower only to hear my daughter crying as she and our nanny were back home and Lily didn't want her diaper changed.  Our nanny finally got the new diaper on and I put Lily down for a nap (a BIG perk for me as a WAHM!).

More writing, more phone calls, more blogging, more marketing. The day went by pretty quickly.  And, although I love being able to see my kids every day, the interruptions can be trying. That said, it gets lonely when they're out all day. I'm fickle, right?!

Those of you who work from home can probably identify with my little summary here. I look forward to profiling more of you WAHMs and 'mizzards' out there across Canada. Keep posting your comments here or emailing me. Now, back upstairs to help put Kash and Lily to bed.

Good night.

Lipstick Dreams

One of my plans for this blog is to profile successful and aspiring WAHMs (work at home moms) and "mom entrepreneurs".

My friend Ellen, while not a traditional mom (she is co-parent of two adorable pugs), is a successful business woman.  She started her blog, Lipstick, Powder 'n' Paint, a few years ago in Vancouver. The blog features reviews on make-up, cosmetics, and perfume. 

After she and her husband made the move to Toronto last year, things really started to take off.  A master marketer and blogger, Ellen knows where to find the best products, the key people to interview, and how to reach a world-wide market.  Her blog has been featured in New York Magazine, the National Post, Glow Magazine and more. Way to go, Ellen!

In the next few weeks, I'll have features and interviews with successful moms. One runs a baby sign-language program and another had an epiphany and then started her "all-in-one" kids' craft-shipping business from home.  They will share: the ups and downs of working from home; the bonus of seeing their kids more often during the day; and tips on starting your own business.

Stay tuned!

Does Father Know Best?

Can you believe Father's Day is THIS Sunday? It seems to have crept up on me - along with Mother's Day, our wedding anniversary, my niece's and nephew's birthday and a dozen other celebrations.

Recently, Workopolis (Canada's largest online career-solutions provider) sponsored a poll asking working dads about the ever-popular 'work-life balance' situation. What did they find out?

• First off, poll results indicate that: one in five (21 per cent) of dads confess that time away from family is their top concern because work commitments mean they miss out on important family moments.

• Quebec dads are the extreme when it comes to keeping everything under control – over half (54 per cent) cite no challenges, and only three percent indicate that time away from family was a concern.

• Finding time for chores was the top concern for almost one-quarter (23 per cent) of working fathers in Western Canada.

Patrick Sullivan, President of Workopolis, offers more tips for dads considering a job change: “Well, I think they need to think about the impact on family, the kind of job that it is, and whether there's travel or shift work involved,” says Sullivan. He adds that fathers should also consider: “The distance from home, commuting, and the time away from the family” when deciding which job to pursue.

More great questions for job-searching dads to consider include:

• If there’s flexibility in work hours
• Whether the organization provides daycare
• What the paternity leave policy involves and what the overall benefits package provides

Happy Father's Day to hard-working and loving dads everywhere!

It's 2 am: Do You Know Where Your Brain Is?

Ugh. Last night I had one of those nights that's been shared by parents everywhere: sleepless, restless, and exhausting.  The only upside was the opportunity to cuddle with my wee girl for a few hours (but I'd rather do that during daylight hours).

After promising myself that I'd go to bed early (I had been up working late the night before), it was 11:30 pm before I put my head down on the pillow.  Only five minutes later, I heard our toddler, Lily, calling out.  It all went downhill from there.  Here's the run-down:

11:30 pm - I go to bed ready for a restful slumber.

11: 35 pm - Lily calls out - upset and hot. My husband goes into toddler's room and tries to comfort her by singing, cuddling and convincing.

11:40 pm -12:30 am - Lily alternately screams, cries, watches TV with my husband and points sleepily with her chubby digit to various things in the TV room and kitchen...Is it yogurt she wants? Water? Juice? Medicine? What is she looking for...?

12:30 am - My husband tries to put her down again. More screaming and crying. 

12:35 am - I get up (after a fruitless attempt at sleep) to help out.

12:45 am - Holding Lily, I take her downstairs and put dirty dishes into the dishwasher (hey, why not multitask?)

1 am - I decide perhaps Lily needs her diaper changed and that her PJ bottoms are too tight. We rummage through the drawers, find new PJ pants and a new diaper. (Thankfully our deep-sleeping son does not wake up through any of the diaper changes, screaming, crying, talking or walking.)

1:30 am - We're singing and cuddling in Lily's room.  Shall we try to go back to bed now, little lady?

2 am - She's finally sleeping.  But, Mommy's awake.  I get a snack, check email, open mail.

3 am - Back to bed for me...ah, sweet sleep.

6:30 am - What?! Lily's up for the day? It's much earlier than her regular "wake-up" time. Perhaps she's sick? What's going on?

6:45 am to 8:30 am - I catch a few more winks, then shower, dress, pack a hasty lunch and it's off to my once-a-week in-office day.

Coffee anyone?