Our first CSA pickup from Riverglen Farm!

Yesterday was our first pickup of our veggie box from Riverglen Farm (http://riverglenfarm.ca/intentonal-eaters-community-supported-agriculture/). Over the past few years we have become much more conscientious about what we are eating and where are food is coming from. We are still growing some of our own summer veggies in our back garden - tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, beans, peas, carrots, peppers, lettuce, spinach, onions and cabbage - our little 12x4 garden patch can actually grow quite a bit! But we decided this year to supplement our garden with a bi-weekly box of organically grown veggies from a local farm - this service is called Community Supported Agriculture. It helps farms sustain their business and it offers your family the freshest and healthiest food options. It is a young couple that run the farm and are trying to make a go of their business. Everyone is so very friendly and really puts an effort into getting to know the people supporting their farm. They are so great with Ewan and he absolutely loves getting to see their animals and people actually working the farm.

Yesterday, our basket of goodies had lettuce, salad greens, peas, onions, garlic scapes, turnips, radishes,  herbs, and swiss chard. The farm also sells eggs year round as well as chicken three times a year - so we also added some farm fresh eggs and three huge chickens to our order. The radishes, turnips and garlic scapes are the three veggies that we are not familiar with so I spent last night coming up with some new recipes to try.

I am excited to be sourcing almost all of our summer - fall foods locally and knowing exactly where our food is coming from and how it is being grown. I think it is a great experience for Ewan seeing exactly how food is produced as opposed to it magically appearing in the grocery store. As well as beginning to understand that different seasons and weather bring around different types of foods. In fact our grocery store trip this morning was so very short and sweet with only one bag of dried goods and we were in and out in only a few minutes.

My only dilemma is how to explain to Ewan that we are eating his beloved chickens. As I was putting the chickens into the cooler, Ewan said "you don't have those chickens over there, right?" I said those chickens over there gave us the eggs that we have and these are eating chickens in the cooler. I didn't have the heart to tell him that we were going to eat the chickens that he had just spent 30 minutes running around and playing with.

Getting Creative!

So over the past few weeks I have been feeling a lot more creative - probably because Alan has been travelling for work a lot and I have had more time on my hands. I have been working hard again at my scrapbooking and Ewan's book is now up to date as well as a scrapbook that I made of 'Just the 3 of us' - between Ewan's 1st birthday and up until Isla was born. I have also been making some good progress on Isla's baby book. After Isla's baby book I am definitely going to be making yearly books online with a digital album - they are not nearly as time consuming and easier since all of my pics are organized online.

Besides scrap booking, Ewan and I also made stepping stones and a 'children's garden' for him to take care of and play in any way that he would like. In the garden we included lots of different 'feely' plants, colours, smells, logs and rocks, and a little place for him to plant seeds. Ewan absolutely loves being in this garden and can water it from the rain barrel all day long. The stepping stones were a really nice personal touch - we used the plastic tray for under pots, cement and then made footprints in them. Word of advice - make sure you have someone quite strong with you if you are buying a bag of cement. I definitely did realize how heavy cement is and had to wonder around the store and parking lot for some one to lift the bag for me - I couldn't move it at all!

Another artsy thing we attempted was dying play silks ourselves. If you have never used scarves or play silks I highly recommend them. They are a great sensory activity for babies and toddlers and then turn into a great imaginative tool for older kids. the are simply scarves of all different sizes that can be dyed lots of fun colours. Isla loves sucking on the scarves and playing peek a boo and Ewan dances with them, uses them as grass when playing with his farm, water with sea animals or as part of a costume. I will be placing another order of these soon - they are quite reasonable when ordered in bulk, so let me know if you are interested in placing an order with me. Again, a really great open ended 'toy', a perfect addition to any playroom.

My next project is going to be making a mobile. I have all of my supplies and I am hoping to begin this week. My thought is that it might make Isla like her crib more. I know I am just grasping for straws here. But it is also really beautiful.

I have also been thinking of some great craft ideas for the kids at the summer camp program. There are sure to be a few new ideas in addition to some A Gym Tale classic art projects this summer.




What have you been crafting?

Strawberries!

This week Ewan, Isla and I ventured to Miller's farm in Manotick to do some Strawberry picking. This is the first time that I have taken Ewan strawberry picking and he absolutely loved it! We chose the largest basket (which didn't look that big at the time) and Ewan picked away for a good hour. He loved digging through the bushes and walking down each of the rows. I had picked some, but my back was in a lot of pain having Isla in the sling while picking - I sure wish my baby would sit in a stroller! So Ewan actually picked almost all of our berries. He also enjoyed walking around the farm and looking at all of the tractors and helping to water some flowers.



Since then we have baked some strawberry muffins, made strawberry smoothies, strawberries in yogurt and on ice cream and just eaten a whole lot of strawberries! Any other strawberry ideas? Send them my way:)



We will definitely try making it out a few more times before the strawberries are out of season. It was really a great activity for the whole family and created a positive experience about growing our food and eating healthy.

I can't wait for raspberries next month!

Family Vacation:)

I am so happy that we were able to take a family vacation just after Ewan's birthday. Although Alan and I have both been off work more this year with the arrival of Isla, it was a much needed getaway! We decided to make this vacation all about Ewan since he has had to adjust to so much with the his baby sister. And so without a doubt, meeting Mickey Mouse would most certainly make his dreams come true! We left for Florida just after Mother's Day and spent a fantastic week just steps from the Magic Kingdom where we could see Mickey each and every day.


Although the trip was a lot of fun and it was incredible seeing Ewan's face when he met Mickey and all of the other characters, it was also a very exhausting trip. In fact, it took all of last week for all of us to recover! Three years old was a magical time for Ewan to meet his beloved Mickey, but it was also very overwhelming for him. And the tantrums he had were bigger than anything I've seen! We learned very quickly to shorten our trips to the theme parks and to spend either the morning or the afternoon relaxing by the pool and splash pad.

By far the best part of the trip was that we had planned a character meal each day - so one of our meals would be hosted by a group of characters which meant we could sit and eat while the character went from table to table to meet the kids and take pictures with them. So much better than waiting in line to meet them! Besides meeting the characters, Ewan also loved seeing the Mickey Mouse clubhouse show live at Hollywood Studio's as well as the Lion King theatre show at Animal Kingdom.

And how did we manage with an infant - just fine! Isla was quite comfortable in her sling or stroller and woke and napped as she pleased. It was an ideal time to go before she starts wanting to be put down and move around on her own. And Disney caters to all ages, so she was welcome on any of the rides that Ewan was able to enjoy.

It was really a great trip and we made so many wonderful memories. Here are a few of my favourites:)

Happy 3rd Birthday Ewan

A letter to my Ewan,

Happy 3rd Birthday Ewan! You are a smart, well spoken little guy with quite the sense of humour. You love being the centre of attention -whether you are dancing, singing or playing an instrument or simply telling a story. You exude confidence and sadly, for me anyway, have no problems leaving your mommy as you participate in your independent activities, such as gymnastics and swimming. You have an incredible memory and you love 'reading' stories to everyone. You are very big into music as well as letters and rhyming words. You also love your electronics and have begun a new passion for photography. Your favourite way to pass the time is definitely outside with your dog - exploring the yard, working in your garden and collecting rocks - and chasing the dog with your lawn mower. Your second favourite activity is playing chase with your friends, you absolutely love playing with friends. You are still such a cuddly boy and we still snuggle in bed as you fall asleep each night. You can never give enough kisses to everyone and will always fill the silence with an I Love You to bits and bites and pieces.

It has been such an incredible year with many changes and you have taken them all in stride. The biggest change being that you have become a big brother and you love this role so much. You are so kind and gentle (most of the time) and simply love watching your sister and teaching her things. She has an amazing smile that I am sure she got from you.

We love you so much and are so proud of the little boy that you are growing into. We cannot wait to see what this year hold's for you and to see your personality continue to unfold and grow.

Back at work with my baby!

I have now been back at work for 3 weeks running the Play & Music classes. It has been really wonderful getting to see everyone again - children, parents and the staff at A Gym Tale, while still being home with Ewan 3 days a week. It has been a really nice transition back to work and I am still feeling rested and energetic.
 Although Isla was just over two months old when I came back, which is still very young, it is really nice to be working part time as opposed to jumping right into full time work like I did with Ewan when he was 4 months old. Isla is with me each day at the classes in a sling and I feel like it has been working really well. Yes, we have had a few rough classes where Isla has not been happy, but overall I feel like I am able to still offer a quality program for parents and their children. And there is absolutely nothing better than being able to bring your children to work with you. That is the number one perk of owning my own child friendly business. It really would be wonderful if more work places could be accommodating to children or even offer child care at the work place. Don't get me wrong, some days I would love just one child free hour at work where I could be super productive, but for the most part it is a blessing to have them with me at A Gym Tale.

 I also have to give a huge THANK YOU to so many parents and grand parents who have offered to hold Isla when it is obvious that she does not want to be in the sling. YOU have saved me in those moments! Just when my stress levels are beginning to sky rocket because my 3 month old baby just doesn't understand that there is only 5 minutes left in a class, lol, one of you have stepped in and cuddled her while I finish the class. Maybe I should start advertising free drop-in play time for anyone who wants to cuddle my baby! Let me know if you are up for the job!

Isla is now 3 months old! I cannot believe how much faster time seems to be flying by with my second baby! I am trying to soak up every moment of it! Here is an updated picture of Isla -

And one of Ewan playing in the late April snowstorm?!

I hope everyone enjoys some snow fun today!

Good things happening at A Gym Tale!

So I have written about it on Facebook, but I can't stop going on about the new front entrance at A Gym Tale! It is just so wonderful! And so spacious with so much space to sit down - and not just on child sized benches - adults can sit now too!
Alan came up with a fantastic layout, that really does not take up much more space at the centre. I think it will be beneficial to everyone to sacrifice some space from the eating area to the front area (and yes, I realize an ideal solution would have been to rent a bigger space from the outset, however rent is so ridiculously high in Barrhaven that we really had to work within the constraints of 4000 sq/ft). Alan and the contractor did such amazing work and did it all over the Easter weekend. A huge thank you to both of you!

Pick up and drop off times must be so much more relaxed and on weekends parties will be able to both arrive and leave without fighting over space. Guests should be entering A Gym Tale excited to be there as opposed to being frustrated over the lack of space. I kind of just want to sit in the front entrance and listen to everyone be amazed by the space or even just sit with them since there are so many benches!

Other exciting news is that A Gym Tale was listed in April's Today's Parent magazine as one of the best indoor playgrounds in all of Canada. It was such a surprise and honour to be recognized. Alan and I pride ourselves on creating a unique space and programs / birthday parties that focus entirely on fitness. With the Pirate Ship & Castle playground and the gymnastics area there is no room at all for any video games / arcade that is seen in the majority of indoor playgrounds. We are so excited to be mentioned in that category.



So stop by to see me at A Gym Tale on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday to say hello during Drop-In Play or anytime for a quick peek at the renovations!