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Planning a fun, kid-friendly summer

If there is one phrase that hurts my ears (not to mention my head) it’s the ol’: “MOM, I’M BORED.”

That’s why we started doing this:

It’s our Giant List o’ Summer Fun!

We’ve been doing it for a few years now, and it’s great. Not only does the activity itself eat up a couple hours (brainstorming activities and illustrating them all takes time you know), but it becomes a big “go-to” for when we’re looking for something to do. My goal is always to include smaller things the girls can do without me (have a tea party, play a board game, read a book, play at the park, have a pyjama day) as well as some of the bigger things I don’t want to forget to do as a family this summer (do some backyard camping, hit up some of our favourite museums, and go on day trips).

The best part is that when I hear that dreaded phrase I can point to our Giant List and tell them to just pick something.

Here are some of the things that are on our list:

• camping (done!)
• Parc Omega
• vacation
• go see the Harry Potter movie (maybe make some Harry Potter crafts too?)
• Calypso Water Park (done!)
• swimming at the local pool
• make pudding
• go to our Nana and Papa’s
• visit Babi
• continue our tree hunt/neighborhood leaf collection
• check out the workshops at our local kid’s art studio
• crafts (I have a bunch planned already)
• make ice cream
• bake yummy things (HELLO EASY BAKE OVEN)
• picnic in the park – somewhere new!
• go for a hike
• go to the beach
• go on a family bike trip
• sleepover with friends
• tea party (make invitations to make it official)
• play with friends
• mom’s birthday celebration in August
• camp in the backyard
• go for ice cream
• go the library
• check out our favourite museums
• Saunder’s Farm
• go to the movies
• visit the Farmer’s Market
• Papinack Zoo
• Summer camp (one week away from home!)
• write a letter to a friend
• Spa Day
• explore Ottawa
• fly kites
• make bubbles
• decorate t-shirts
• host a lemonade stand (done, but we can do it again!)

What would you add to your Giant List o’ Summer fun?

A Long Lost Childhood Book

I used to have this book when I was a child. I have fond memories of my sister and I sitting quietly on our Dad’s lap as he read it aloud to us – probably the only moments of solace for him as we spent most of our time screaming through the neighbourhood. The three of us can all recite it perfectly from memory today, even know it has been missing for years.

            I went to the animal fair,

            The birds and the beasts were there,

            The big baboon by the light of the moon

            Was combing his auburn hair…

Remember that one? I still can’t come to terms with the fact that it is essentially the story of the death of a monkey, and possibly a pre-mature warning on the dangers of alcohol. But this book was amazing. I was obsessed with the illustrations. I can still picture them in my head; they were so intricate and pastel and comforting.

Photo by Katie Bresner | 2009

I found the book once, after I wrote it off as long gone many years earlier. I hid it under a pillow in a drawer for safe keeping, knowing I was the only organized person in my family and if I left it out in the open it would be lost again forever! Perhaps not surprisingly, given the common occurrence of theft-by-sibling in my house, one day the book disappeared from the hiding spot… never to be seen again.

Given the magic and majesty of the internet, it dawned on me recently that I could probably find it online. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of this sooner! I scoured our UsedCanada.com sites and even looked for it new – but I couldn’t find it. Every time I go into a thrift store, used bookstore, or new bookstore, for that matter, I look for it. I just can’t seem to find it anywhere.

The poem is called “The Animal Fair”, but I don’t know what the book itself was called or who did the illustrations. All of the current publications of it are all wrong – they have made it more politically correct, completely omitting the fact that the monkey was a raging alcoholic and this was his ultimate undoing.

It’s funny how some things from your childhood just stand out – the book probably means more to me now than it did then. Do you have any long-lost things from your childhood that you wish you still had?

And Now For Something Awesome

Friends, I present to you Jen Bell and her fantastic recycled dresses! Made from pretty much everything, including (but not limited to) old tablecloths, curtains, shirts, napkins, blankets, chicken wire, Christmas wrapping paper, duct tape and even Jen’s old grad dress.

In addition to incredible dresses, Jen has also made a white 50′s style hat out of cardboard and a necklace out of plastic. Essentially, an entire outfit for a fancy evening out made of recycled materials.

Jen started asking her next door neighbours if she could take the things they were throwing out to make her creations (they didn’t mind). Amazingly, that was only about two months ago. “The whole idea is to inspire people to look at something they would never think of and maybe just maybe make a difference in this world.”

“I love taking articles that the average individal calls trash, and make it into wearable art.  These garments are to act as an inspiration board to create your own personal style.  Our society is consumed with labels, trends and waste.  It’s time to change our priority and save this environment for generations to come.” – Jen Bell

We’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more of Jen’s creations (and fantastic photos from Diving Bell Photography!).

Craft-Time! Make Your Own Personalized Stamp

Well hello boys and girls! Get out your linocut tools and I want to see good posture at those craft stations! Today we’re going to make our own stamps.

I actually learned how to do this in Grade 7 art class. Maybe it was Grade 8. What is the grade where the teachers think you’re responsible enough to handle sharp objects? It literally scarred me as a child, which is why I wouldn’t recommend this project for the kiddies, and sternly tell you TO BE CAREFUL! But anyway, it can be used for so many different things so I just had to share!

You can make any design you please and use your stamp for whatever purpose, such as fancying-up your snail mail, making personalized stationary, or even to make a variety of them for the kids to use to make their own art projects.

Here’s what you need:

• - Lino. It kind of feels like an eraser and can be found at any arts or crafts store. There is a thicker, more rigid lino block, but I suggest the “speedy cut” variety. It’s much easier to work with and a slip of the linocutter is less likely.
• - Lino Cutter
• - Inkpad, or liquid ink and a paintbrush
• - Pencil/pen

Step One: Get out your lino.

Mine is a scrap piece, which is why it is shaped like it is. Normally they are square or rectangular.

Step Two: Draw your design onto the lino in pen or pencil.

If you are making a design involving text like mine, make sure the text is backwards (so that it will print forwards). You can freehand this or use whatever technique you want to trace an image. Tracing an image in pencil, place the traced-side down on the lino, then scribble all over the back to transfer the lead to the lino will work well!

Step Three: Get out your linocutter

Step Four: Carefully carve out your design.

Make sure you plan ahead which areas will be in relief and which areas will be lowered.

Step Five: Carve out the areas around your image so that they will not be printed. If you are using an inkpad, it is probably easier to just cut away all of the excess around your image.

Step Six: Paint your ink onto your image. Or stamp your image into your ink pad.

I used this liquid ink.

Step Seven: Stamp!

Top 10 Gifts for the Music Fiend

As previously mentioned, I’ve been experiencing a vast number of birthdays lately. For most friends cards, cupcakes or drinks (alcoholic or otherwise) are usually suitable gifts, but for your close friends you need to step up your game. Thus my dilemma as my dear roommate Matt’s birthday approaches on July 15th. He happens to be a huge music junkie, so a took a peek at the UsedEverywhere.com sites to see what could be found for the ol’ chap.

1. Vinyl Records Who doesn’t love a good vinyl? Even if you don’t have anything to play it with, they’re always fun to have around and put on display…

2. …Or, you could also buy something to play them on. Perhaps a Gramophone? How charming.

3. If the gramophone just isn’t their thing, it’s possible some Bratz Speakers will be more their speed. Who can say no to pink rhinestones? Not me.

4. It goes without saying, but an iPod is pretty essential for music lovers. I like this one because it kicks it old-school, remember that wheel thing they used to have? (oooohhhh….)

5. Pop this AM/FM Cassette Player over your shoulder and blast some Marky Mark (not that I do that or anything…). All the ladies and/or gentlemen will be lining up.

6. Learning to play the guitar is totally more fun with the assistance of Books, correct? Correct.

7. After they’ve mastered the guitar, it’s probably time to move on to a new instrument; you know, keep the learning going. Perhaps a Mandolin?

8. So if they’ve mastered the guitar (and the mandolin), they’re going to need some accompanying instruments for the band. Who doesn’t love a great Keyboard solo? No one, that’s who.

9. Keyboard is now in check, it’s time to hit Broadway. Yes, oh yes… Another round of Show Tunes for me and my friends! Especially when it’s Wicked music like this! Oh dear, I’m hilarious.

10. Maybe they’re only a budding music fiend, that’s totally find. Nurture the love for music in a fun way, maybe with Rock Band for Wii? The Beatles apparently have their own version of this. Such a big win.

Play a little game

Awhile back I posted about a cool board game I found in a secondhand store.

Last night my family played a round of Careers, another vintage game we have on our shelves. It’s an oldie but a goodie. Unfortunately it was missing some rather important score sheets, so my husband did a quick search online and printed them off. (I just realized you can find and print scans of the original score sheets from 1957! Check out this PDF.) Did you know you can also do this with Monopoly money? You can print your own One, Five, Ten, Twenty, Fifty, One Hundred and Five Hundred dollar denominations. (AND FEEL RICH!)

Missing game pieces are also an unfortunate reality of buying secondhand games. That’s why I started collecting them separately. I can’t tell you how handy this has been!

You grab a die or playing piece when you need one. Handy eh?

Used Strategies From Users Like You!

April

Charlotte met April at Victoria’s Social Media Camp in June and they got to talking. It turned out that April is a huge fan of the site. A mother and grandmother, April has used UsedVictoria.com for years, selling everything from China Tea Pots to Cars and promoting her business, PearlBrite Victoria, that she shares with her husband. Recently, April and her friend, Krystal (also a UsedVictoria.com aficionado), sat down with us to share some of their strategies for getting the most out of buying and selling online.

Here are some of the tips they shared with us!

Finding the Best Deals

• - Be thorough – click through all of the postings of the item you are looking for, bookmark the links to the best deals. Then call up the sellers, do some negotiating, and pick the best one.
• - Make use of the Free Tab – “Under the Free Tab I often find goodies I hadn’t thought about like toys or plants for the garden out back where the kids play outside in the summer”, Krystal told us.

Selling Your Stuff

• - Price things appropriately – April reminds us that, “there’s no return policy” on items you sell. There is “no delivery and emotional value attached to the item for the buyer, so price it accordingly”!
• - Price things comparatively – find out the cost your item retails new, and see how similar items for sale used on the site are priced. Looking at ads from people who post regularly are the most reliable.
• - Sell items in bulk – “It’s a better bargain for people that way and it gets more stuff out of my house faster”, April told us. And for items that are part of a set, selling complete sets rather that individual items raises the value. Children’s clothes are also in very high demand and something easier to sell in bulk.
• - Be detailed in item descriptions – and be honest. This cuts down on a lot of haggling time!
• - Know how your item depreciates – April says, “things like cars everyone knows depreciate 50% as soon as you drive it off the lot, and lots of Used items are like this.” As a general rule, April usually marks down items a maximum of 25% of the original price unless it is an item that depreciates faster.

These are some great strategies for buying and selling online. Thank you so much to Krystal and April for sharing these tips!

How Frustrating Indeed

I’ve been pretty preoccupied lately. I feel like my blog posts keep getting shorter while somehow managing to take up more effort. Why? How? Woe is me, perhaps?

Well, no. I’ve got it pretty made, if I do say so myself. A fantastic summer it has been, and although it may seem like it’s only just begun, for me it seems the end is near… In a melodramatic way, of course. With four weeks left in my undergrad degree, this delightful job with a most delightful company and a Grad Gala to plan (and a Grad Committee to wrangle, as of late), it’s been busy to say the least.

I’m hoping to end my reign as ‘the prodigal granddaughter’ when I toss that grad cap in November. It turns out they like to make you do many things in a short period of time in your last semester. Unexpected, isn’t it? And I do feel bad for missing my Grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary this weekend. I know they understand, but it’s things like that you don’t want to have to miss. Especially not for something like school. Terrible timing, really.

creative commons image courtesy of Evil Erin

So as I said, I’m a little preoccupied. Don’t worry, it’ll pass. It’s just particularly bothersome when it comes to content creation. I regret to be pulling the ‘write about how you don’t know what to write about.’

How do you deal when your mind is elsewhere?

A Country Market Rhapsody

Old Country Shops

If there is one thing I just love about summer, it is the outdoor summer markets. There are always so many neat things to look at, interesting knick knacks for sale, handmade goodies, and farm fresh produce – it just doesn’t get any better. Back in Montreal, the Marché Jean-Talon was a weekly ritual and one that I so looked forward to. They had everything (and still have)! Fresh cheeses, meats, seafood, fruit, vegetables, fresh baked goods and wacky gourmet delights. It was simply the best. Better than all the rest. Better than anything…

Feeling a little homesick, my amiga picked me up and took me out to the Coombs Old Country Market here on Vancouver Island, just outside of Nanaimo. Now, this market is famous in these parts because they have goats; not just any goats, but goats that hang out on the roof of the market! This was my friend’s fourth visit to said market, and she had yet to see a goat on the roof. I thought perhaps I saw the back-end of one from far away, but we’ll never really know for sure. So if you go and see goats on the roof, you are a magical mystical individual with lots of luck on your side.

Aforementioned Goat. Not on roof.

Coombs Market isn’t a classical outdoor market since the actual “market” is indoors, but it is set up like an adorable little village with a huge selection of different kinds of specialty groceries, little restaurants, and stores that sell all sorts of stuff. There is a garden store, a tacky souvenir store, jewelry places, a store that apparently specializes in selling bangles and pashminas, and another place that specializes in Ed Hardy Sweaters and slightly pornographic wooden statues (not pictured). There is even a statue garden, complete with that nursing giraffe statue you’ve always wanted (I wanted to take a picture of this, but there was a child sitting on top of it and I thought it might be unethical to capture that moment forever). All-in-all delightful despite the randomness of it all. There are quite a few stands selling hand-made items as well, which are definitely worth checking out. And of course there are lots of farm fresh, local fruits and veggies!

I went home with a pashmina, tomatoes, and ice cream. Great choices. I recommend them.

Photographic Evidence of Farm Freshness

Do you have any cool summer markets in your town?

Don't Wear White

It’s here, people. After much waiting and wondering, summer has arrived in Victoria precisely on the first day of July; crashing through the seasonal double-doors at the tail end of what would be considered ‘fashionably late.’ Welcome to the season of sand in toes (and everywhere else), sweat on brows and… oh, dear. Weddings.

Whether you think you look ravishing in that special bridesmaid -shade of seafoam green or the mere sight of calla lilies make you want to cry (and not in a good way), it’s okay. We’ve thrown together a Wedding Season Survival Guide, so we’re going to get through this together.

1. Humourous Wedding Movies Who doesn’t love to laugh? Even if chick-flicks aren’t your speed, something fun like The Wedding Singer might even get you excited about your impending ‘save the date’ request. Maybe.

2. Something Fancy to Wear Even if you don’t think latte is your colour, find yourself a great (and versatile) outfit that you don’t hate. It will make the whole thing less painful, trust me.

3. A Great Gift for the Happy Couple Umm… maybe just stick with the registry.

4. A Camera for Capturing Memories Plus it’s way less rude that playing with your BlackBerry/iPhone the whole time.

5. Comfy Shoes for the Reception There are tons of foldable flats on the market right now, and they are a life-saver. So hit that dance floor! Your impractical shoes shouldn’t hold you back from doing your version of the Funky Chicken/Macarena!

Finally, keep your sense of humour handy because something is bound to go wrong. And for the love of Pete, don’t wear white!