Tag: family life

Where to eat well in Gatineau and Ottawa with kids

We went for a weekend getaway last weekend with our 4 years old boy. I didn’t plan for anything except for meeting friends on Sunday and visiting the Canadian Children’s museum. Whenever I’m in vacation, I rely on Yelp to find restaurants. Once again, I was reminded of how practical Yelp is.

The filtering options make it easy to cut down on the number of reviewed restaurants. As a rule of thumb, I focus on restaurants with 40 reviews or more. I also take the time to read the most recent reviews to get a feel of the place, to see if it fits our criteria, what we’re craving for at that moment. Then, I check the food pictures and visit their web site. Frankly, I rarely made bad choices with this technique.

Raplapla’s doll hospital is a life saver

raplapla doll repair service

Every toddler child has one doll that he can’t sleep without at night. I always admired the modern rag dolls designed by Erica Perrot of Raplapla. The fact that I can put it in the washing machine was a bonus. The decision was a no brainer when it came to buy Zack his first doll, it had to be Mr. Tsé Tsé. As I called her about making repairs toTsé Tsé, Erica proved again that she understands and cares for the needs of her customers, i.e., the kids.

It took Zack a while but eventually he adopted Tsé Tsé. We never called him Mister; it’s too formal. Zack loves Tsé Tsé so much that a year and a half later I bought a second one in case we lose the original. We couldn’t fool him. So, we called the second one Yéyé. Now Zack falls asleep with both of them.

Almost 3 years later, Tsé Tsé showed wear and tear. He started to bother Zack a lot. I wanted to act before it couldn’t be saved. So I called to inquire about the repair service of Raplapla. Let me tell you that their doll hospital is a treat for parents and kids!

Kids learn critical-thinking skills and more by visiting an art museum

A recent study involving nearly 11,000 students and almost 500 teachers in a rural community — Bentonville, Arkansas, to be precise — shows that kids acquire important skills when they are exposed to arts. This research suggests that students actually retain a great deal of factual information from their tours. And this is contrary to current museum education beliefs and practices.

Why we gave our baby a digital identity

digital identity at birth

There are many posts and articles already written about “oversharing”, giving a digital identity to babies, creating a digital trust for your newborn and the right to privacy of kids. Before I wrote my posts, I asked why should I write another one. As I continued to research the topic, I failed to find my viewpoint in all those posts. I decided to share my side of the story.

I want to start the discussion with the fact that many things will have impact on a kid’s development and will shape who that kid will become as an adult. Our parent actions have always been one of them. I approach social media as one more component to the equation.

Why I Expose my Toddler to Design and Modern Architecture

In six words: to prepare him for the world. It has nothing to do with the fact that I’m a visual person or the fact that design is in my bones. I found my design and architectural style at 6 years old. I recalled our Sunday car rides where my parents drove to see upscale houses across the province. My parents looked at traditional houses while I admired the rare modern architecture houses that we encountered. They knew about my preference and encouraged it. Each time that we passed by a modern house they made sure that I saw it.

Why It Is Never Too Early To Expose Kids To Art

Kids as young as two years old are able to appreciate art. Last night, I got another proof that toddlers can be moved by art the same way that we do.

My husband hung a small painting from an established local artist on a wall of my son’s bedroom while I read the bedtime stories to our son in the living room. As he stepped into his bedroom, the painting captured his attention. My son had a true awe moment. The first thing my toddler boy did after he noticed the painting was to sat in front of it to admire it further. I am so glad that I resisted the temptation when I was pregnant to buy him baby art. At the time, I had the feeling that he would outgrow his nursery quickly. He did!