The Holiday season has begun!

Now that we have had the first snowfall and the holiday's are officially less than one month away, I feel like I can now begin to prepare for the celebrations. I had planned to finish all of my Christmas shopping in November, however, it does not look like that is going to happen. Although, I have done the majority (well, maybe half), I have also decided that I am going to make most of Ewan and Isla's gifts this year, which is taking a little longer. The reason being is last year we had a wonderful Christmas but we went way overboard and Ewan decided that he did not want to open any gifts at all. 

So this year, and hopefully something we maintain over the years to come, is to have essentially 5 gifts for each of the kids. I really like the idea of 'something they want, something they need, and something to read'. I also would like to add something to wear and something I think they should have. I have also moved very much in the direction of open ended and simple toys for both my home and the nursery school program and I am really liking the way these items inspire and require the children to use their own creativity and imagination. A great article can be found here about the benefits of simple, open ended toys for young children.

Here are a few of the items that I am aspiring to make for the kids this year. 

Dying more play silks for both kids - larger ones for Ewan and smaller for Isla. I first did 5 this past spring and Ewan absolutely loves them, they are definitely one of his favourite activities. He uses them for dancing, as superhero capes, making birds nest - it really depends on the day!

Another idea for Ewan is a felt crown and two swords that I have sewn for him to go along with a wooden hobby horse that I purchased. He has begun to get into knights and dragons, so I think this will be big hit. Both were very simple projects and I really like the way they turned out. I found the crown pattern here and the sword pattern here.

I have also made a Fort Building kit for Ewan as he is all about using blankets to create his own little spaces. I found this idea here and I loved the simplicity of it. With a some suction hooks, a flash light and clothes pins from the dollar store, a bed sheet and some fabric scraps I was able to make this kit and I am sure he will be so excited to start building.

I also made both kids some Christmas pyjama's. I have just recently learned to sew and these were considerably harder projects and I kind of got bored of doing them by the end. Also, I messed up Isla's pj's and all of her penguins are standing on their heads, lol, I am not going for perfection with any of these items! I do like the idea of making them Christmas pj's each year though -  a tradition a may try to keep up.

I have also invested in a set of Schleich animals for Ewan, which I expect should last forever and can be brought to A Gym Tale after he is finished with them. To add to this set, I am making a play mat using felt with trees, water, mountains etc. as a dedicated space for him to use with the animals.

And yes, I realize I have gone over the five gifts. But not nearly as much as last year and I am really happy with the potential each of these items have to hopefully inspire his imagination.

As for Isla, in addition to the play silks, which I order online from Dharma Trading, I will be making her a set of bean bags - ideally the alphabet, but she may only get her name depending on time;) I found a great pattern for them here. For Isla's age I think the bean bags will be great for stacking, throwing, dumping or just eating.

I have also ordered a soft doll and a little wooden stroller for her from various shops on Etsy - a great site to check out for both ideas and to purchase the hand made items that you do not have time to do yourself! 

 So all of these projects are the reason that I have not blogged in quite some time! Hopefully some of these items will inspire your own creativity this year! I would also love to hear about how you decide what to get for your children for the holidays as well as any other open ended activities that your children absolutely love.

Helping Hands in time for the Holidays

I have been following a blog for some time and I really enjoy the authors sense of humour, her stories as well as the many initiatives she takes to help others. One of which is her 'Helping Hands' project currently underway in which she tries to match families with needs to those that have extra to give and encourages those that have 'just enough' to watch miracles take place. If you are interested in reading more about it or simply looking for a good read please visit Momastery for more information.

Although I very much like the Helping Hands project, I like the idea of helping someone a little closer to home. I would like to share a story that took place this weekend - not a 'look what I did' story, but a 'look what happened' story.

I began thinking about what "extra's" that I have to give and came up with a few ideas. I have had a set of winter tires for a car that I no longer own sitting in the garage. I decided to look online to see if anyone had posted a 'need' for winter tires. I found plenty. So I offered them to one of these individuals and they were over the moon with excitement and picked them up the next day. I also realized that I no longer needed an exersaucer or a playpen that just did not get enough use to warrant saving for any future babies. So again I looked online for someone who had posted a need. Once again, I found plenty. One individual caught my eye -  a single mother with a 4 month old son who had left an abusive relationship with only what she could fit in her car. So she essentially needed everything baby related from a place for him to sleep, clothes, toys etc. I emailed her and offered her my exersaucer and the playpen. I then posted on Facebook asking if anyone had any extra's to give someone in need. The response I received was overwhelming. With the extra's offered I was able to give her everything on her 'wish list' for her son all within 24 hours of posting on Facebook. I had families dropping things off at A Gym Tale, neighbours of those families wanting to help, I picked things up this afternoon and brought the entire car load (I could not actually fit another single item into my car) to her by 1pm. She was thrilled. She couldn't believe that within 2 days of finding the courage to ask for what she needed, she had received everything and more. Hopefully we have shown her that there are people in her community that care for her, even complete strangers.

Maybe this will inspire you to reach out to the community during this holiday season to offer someone in need a helping hand, or if you are in need maybe give you the strength to ask for what you need, or simply to watch for miracles around you.

If you know a family in need of help this holiday season please email me (info@agymtale.com) and maybe we can make another miracle happen in our very own community.

Can it be true? A Gym Tale's 7 year Anniversary!

I cannot believe that this past week was A Gym Tale's 7 year anniversary! It feels like so long ago Alan and I began our journey - our little small business in the green roofed building on Larkin Dr and Greenbank Rd. Then again it feels like it was just yesterday that we decided to begin our Nursery School program - I have been running into some of our 'original' families who began with us 7 years ago and the children are now 12 years old! That is crazy!

A Gym Tale originated from Alan's Entrepreneurship final project in University. I did not get into my Master's program of choice and decided to take a year off to help Alan open up his business. Little did I know that we would go on to create a dream career for myself and a life style that we would not trade for anything. It really has been wonderful being able to use our creativity to fill a niche within the very community that we grew up in.

In the above picture - taken from my scrapbook, Alan and I are sitting at our giant desk on the very first day that we opened - we were only 23 and look like kids!

Anyone remember our original logo with the little caped boy and all of the t-shirts with capes that my aunts and I made?

It still shocks me at how much our vision of what A Gym Tale would be has changed and grown over the years. We began with a vision of 'gymboree' type classes which encouraged children to develop their imaginations while at the same time promoting an active lifestyle. These classes have drastically changed in format - a big thank you to all of the families who gave us a chance as well as feedback to help us develop the program that we have today. We very quickly realized that filling 40 hours a week with Gym & Music classes was not realistic - and so the idea of beginning a Nursery School program came about. This really gave me an opportunity to use my skills and challenge my imagination to create a program that fosters the natural development of young children through play based learning. Once again this program has changed and grown over the past 6 years to become one of my projects that I am most proud of. It also provides the opportunity to really get to know so many children and their families within Barrhaven. Birthday parties have also changed drastically over the years. It absolutely shocked Alan and I that within two months we were consistently hosting 8 birthday parties a weekend every weekend. I will not get into how we used to offer personalized invitations and change the colour of streamers after every party to coordinate with the theme. Have I also mentioned that we more or less lived at A Gym Tale and did not sleep for the first 2 years?!

After two years in the green roofed building, we came to the realization that what we were getting out of A Gym Tale simply was not worth working 7 days a week, night and day, and all holidays (except Christmas day). We had to make a very difficult decision - either close A Gym Tale and walk away knowing that we tried our best or to take a leap of faith and create something bigger. We have always liked the saying 'go big or go home', and so Alan fulfilled his life long dream and we bought a pirate ship and a castle! Our move to the new location (our present location) was both the most stressful time in our lives as well as the most exciting time. This was a huge undertaking and we were so very fortunate that the client base that we had gained supported us and we were able to attract so many new families to give us a chance to become a part of their children's lives.

During the past five years in the new location we have continued to grow and change in order to try and meet the needs of our community and to challenge ourselves to create higher quality programming and active entertainment for children. We now also offer Kid's Night Out, Before & After School care, Camps, New Year's eve Sleepovers (we did anyway) and group visits.

It is also incredible the number of staff that have helped to shape A Gym Tale along our journey. In our first location we had 4 staff members at a time and now we have 14. Each and every individual who has worked with us has brought with them ideas that have helped to shape what we have become.

We are so very grateful to everyone who has helped A Gym Tale become what it is today and to all the families that have invited us to become a part of their lives. We love what we do and we will continue to strive to provide the best quality programming and children's entertainment.

Fall Adventures and Halloween fun!

I have been meaning to write a post about all the fantastic activities there are in the fall for kids, but doing all of these activities, working at A Gym Tale and two kids who lately refuse to sleep in the evenings have really left me with no free time - or I have been choosing to sleep during this time!

Over the past few weeks we have taken advantage of the warm weather to go apple picking at Mountain Orchards and then eating more apples then is probably good for you. We have also been taking lots of walks through nearby trails and exploring and collecting as we go. We now have an impressive collection of acorns and rocks! Quick note - if your child has begun collecting acorns, they will get maggots if kept inside, so outside is definitely the better choice!

Ewan's favourite activity so far has been choosing our pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. This was a very, very long process as he needed just the right pumpkin. This weekend we are aiming to try and carve the pumpkins and Ewan has been trying to decide on the kind of face he wants all week. To do this he has been using markers to practice on the pumpkin itself and then simply wiping it away to try another idea. This is the first time that Ewan is really excited and anticipating a holiday so I am really trying to play it up with some rituals that we can do each year. In addition to pumpkin picking, we have been making decorations (candle holders, ghosts to hang in the trees, and spiders), reading lots of Halloween books from the library, making a Halloween countdown banner, and regularly wearing his costume. I also made a display with little halloween themed picture frames of all the costumes Ewan has worn over the past three years for him to look at.

I am also planning a big Halloween breakfast on the morning of Halloween to make the day extra special and memorable. After reading the Happiness at Home book by Gretchen Rubin I have been inspired to try and plan more 'memorable' moments for the kids. The book highlights that it is the special little things out of the ordinary that people remember and lead to the most happiness, not necessarily big events. We just tried a fantastic pancake recipe that makes them look like Jack O Lanterns (recipe below) which I will make for Halloween morning along with orange juice and bat shaped toast all on Halloween themed plates. This will also all take place at 6:30am so that I can be at A Gym Tale for 7am to begin the Before School Halloween party, followed by the Nursery School costume party - I will sleep well that night!


I would love to hear all about your Halloween traditions!

Jack O Lantern Pancake recipe (found in the Artful Year - ebook - www.artfulparent.com)

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2tbsp sugar (I used 1 tbsp honey instead)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp nutmeg
1 1/2 cup whole milk
3/4 cups pumpkin
1 egg
2tbsp melted butter
banana and chocolate chips to make face

mix everything together - the batter is stiff enough that I was able to shape it into a pumpkin (somewhat) and then Ewan decorated the faces on them before I flipped them. These were really delicious pancakes and the banana eyes looked really great!

Giving Thanks

With the approaching Thanksgiving weekend, I have been talking with the kids all week about Fall traditions and the things that we are thankful for in our lives. Some of the answers ranged from marshmallows, to mommies and daddies, and obviously horses! I personally am very grateful for my health and my family, both immediate and extended. I know I am very lucky to have such a large extended family who is so very helpful and involved in our lives. I am also thankful that my business allows for the possibility to have my children with me and not have to deal with shortage of quality child care available. I am again so very thankful for my family members who offer to take my children every so often to give me a work day without children - and oh, do I appreciate those days! I am also thankful my career and my husbands career can be considered relatively stable in the current time of economic uncertainty being felt by so many in a government city. Furthermore, I am thankful for our friends, who are oh so patient and understanding of our crazy work schedule and still take the time to try and connect. We have really tried this past year making friendships and family relationships more of a priority as opposed to getting lost in our work and it has been wonderful creating a more balanced lifestyle. 

On the topic of balance, A Gym Tale will be closed this Thanksgiving Sunday and Monday. I know not typical of indoor playgrounds, but I feel it is important for us to take some time to really reconnect with family and friends. As a small business owner, a wife and a mother to two young children, it is becoming more essential to find time to really focus in on only my family and not split my attention between them and work. I am so looking forward to doing this over Sunday and Monday this weekend.

Another hard decision that Alan and I have recently made is to not hold the New Year's Eve Sleepover this year. Alan and I have run this event each year for the past 6 years. Yes, it is true, I have slept on the yellow crash mat the past 6 years on New Year's Eve, even very pregnant and with a baby, while Alan worked all night at the desk. Although we very much enjoyed spending the evening with your children, for this year we have decided to spend it with our family. This is not to say, that we will never run the event again, just not for this year. I cannot tell you how excited I am to not have to whisper 'Happy New Year' to Alan because twenty children are sleeping in the forest!

I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend and is able to find a moment to relax and feel thankful for whatever it is, big or small, that is making your life amazing right now.

My new favourite picture below, once again taken by the ever so talented Elizabeth Fulton Photography.

Book Recommendation & Lecture this week

Just a quick update about a lecture taking place this Friday evening by the author of Simplicity Parenting -  Kim John Payne. If you have not had the chance to read this book, I highly recommend it. It is definitely once of the most helpful 'parenting' books that I have read and I have really put many of the practices into place in both my home and the Nursery School program at A Gym Tale. The author emphasizes finding balance and rhythm in children's lives as well as de-cluttering the amount and types of toys that children have available to them at any one time. This book was an easy read and I found the suggestions were very applicable to real life and offered reminders of ways to simplify to make even the most hectic schedule more child friendly.

I will be going to the lecture this Friday - I have never actually attended something like this before, so I am very intrigued to see what it will be like. I do look forward to gaining a few new tools and ideas for both my home and A Gym Tale. Click here for more details on the lecture.

Fall is underway!

Fall begins this week and it marks my full return to A Gym Tale! I have tried to transition myself back to work slowly over the past 2 weeks - first with Welcome sessions and Small Group sessions for Nursery School students and now this week with a full nursery school class and Gym & Music classes. It has been wonderful to be back - but also absolutely exhausting! I am starting to adapt to the very early mornings again as well as all of the food preparation needed - lunches are a lot of work to pack each night! The kids are also beginning to adjust - it is a lot of stimulation 3 days a week, but they are also very much enjoying themselves. I have never seen Ewan so excited as he was on his first day back to school!

Nursery School has really been going well and I am really liking the changes to the routine and classroom that we have implemented. We have a wonderful group of kids enrolled this year and they are very excited to be joining the program (most of them anyway - I still have a few to convince!). Here are a few pictures of our new set up - 

Gym & Music classes also begin this week! Although I was terribly nervous this morning, they went very well and I was able to get right back into the groove of running the classes. It was really nice seeing familiar faces as well as meeting so many new families. I do still have space in each of the age groups, so if you are looking for something to keep the kids active as the weather is becoming colder send me an email and check out the schedule here.

And one more reminder that our contest is coming to a close on September 20th for the Ipad and 5 Drop In Play pass card, so the more friends that 'Like' A Gym Tale on Facebook and post that you referred them, the more entries you will have in the draw. Good luck!