I live in an amazing suburb with at least 20 playgrounds connected by well over 20 kms of pathways. My kids are very excited because we are going to bike to all of them over the course of the summer and cross each one off our list.

The other adventures we plan to experience this summer are: finding hikes inside the city, going on hikes in the mountains, enjoying a healthy picnic at the park near our house and cooling off in the outdoor swimming pools and spray parks in our city.

Our action plan for staying healthy includes daily physical activity, enjoying the outdoors, eating fresh fruits and vegetables (even if they are hidden in a smoothie) and taking our vitamins.

How do I get my kids to take vitamins since many of the kids chewables taste so chalky? I discovered Adult Essentials and IronKids vitamins about a year ago and have been hooked ever since.

They have a full line for adults and kids in gummy form. Understanding why there might be a gummy vitamin for a child is a no-brainer. Kids like gummies and taking their vitamins becomes more of a habit like brushing their teeth than an archaic form of torture. Anyone remember those nasty spoonfuls of cod liver oil we had to take as kids?

Well guess what? Adults like gummies too. I have slowly switched over all our daily vitamins to the Adult Essentials line. My faves are the Vitamin D. They taste like lemon drops. Yummy.

I love that the company is Canadian. The owners are Canadian. The vitamins are manufactured in Canada, their head office is in Canada and more importantly they are regulated by the Canadian government so you can trust that what they say on the packaging is actually in the vitamin. Go Canada!

You can find the gummmies at most major drugstore chains including Superstore, London Drugs, Shoppers and even Costco.

Before you head out to buy them be sure to grab some coupons. Visit the IronKids Facebook page and the Adult Essentials Facebook page. Simply click “Like” and you will be redirected to where you can dowload and print a $2.00 off coupon.

Better yet, enter to win a complete line of both sets of gummy vitamins courtesy of the folks at Adult Essentials and IronKids.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We have lots of spring babies in our family and my mommy brain means that often despite my best intentions I am late sending the cards. I joke that since my nephews get their card a week after their birthday it makes their special day last longer but I’m sure they don’t care as long as I send cash . Recently I discovered another solution; e-cards! I can even send them the morning of the birthday and not feel like I totally missed the boat.

Disney Jr Channel is having their first birthday in May and to celebrate they have a Birthday E-Card Activity!

This is one of the cards we made! Such a fun and easy e-craft for the kids!

I enlisted my kids to help with the birthday cards for their cousins. It was so easy and the kids had a fun time being creative! We chose the background, colors, message and decorations. We scheduled delivery for their birthday and voila the boys will all get an email with a personalized card on their birthdays. We even made one for Grandpa too! You can schedule up to 3 months in advance so every quarter the kids and I will sit down and make cards for their friends and family.

You can see everything they have to offer by visiting www.disneyjunior.ca or their Facebook page.

Disclosure: I’m part of the Disney Junior Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

I live one of the farthest corners of the city where the suburban sprawl ends. I live so far out that that there is a “City Limits” sign at the end of our street. One of the drawbacks to living on the edge of the city is that we are pretty far from more central attractions. One of the advantages is we see a lot of wildlife traipsing around our neighbourhood; I have seen more moose since we moved in 5 years ago than my entire life.

I was finishing up dinner last night when I saw one of these huge animals trot by our fence. I dropped everything and screeched for my kids to get inside the house because I have seen deer effortlessly hop our fence and I wasn’t sure how agile and frisky these moose were feeling. Then I grabbed my camera and took few shots of them. Have a look at who came for a visit!

One of the things I love to do with my kids every spring is plant strawberries. I found one of those big terracotta strawberry pots a few years ago at a yard sale for $1.00 (lucky me) and although chipped and cracked in places it does the trick.

I do not have a green thumb but strangely enough our strawberries flourish every year. My kids love to be part of the process from selecting the plants at the store, potting them and taking turns watering them. It is also a very rewarding lesson in patience waiting for those strawberries to ripen throughout the summer. Kids learn very quickly the longer they wait, the better they will taste.

If you would like to try strawberry container gardening here is what you will need:

• a strawberry pot found at most garden centres
• a handful of small rocks (optional)
• some potting soil
• 7-8 individual strawberry plants (also found at a gardening centre)

Most strawberry pots have a hole for drainage at the bottom of the pot but I placed some rocks at the bottom of mine for extra drainage. Fill the pot 3/4 full of potting soil and start putting your strawberry plants in each of the little openings. I usually plant 2-3 at the very top. Cover with enough soil so the plants are sticking out of the pot and their roots are completely covered. The entire process only takes about 10 minutes which is perfect for kids and their short attention spans. Water the strawberries daily and just enough so the soil is damp but not soaked. Strawberries thrive in sunshine so find a nice sunny spot for them. I keep mine on my east-facing back deck and they seem to do great there.

Do you have any tips or suggestions for gardening with kids? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below!

Although one might think this is a post Voula would write because she is the Greek one of our motley duo, I am the coffee addict. I have 5 different coffee making apparatuses in my house. I adore coffee. The great thing about Greek Frappe, however, is that you don’t need a single appliance to make this. Just some ice cubes, water, sugar, instant coffee and a jar with a lid. I use a glass canning jar.

Here is how you make it:

1. Place one ice cube, 2 tsp of instant coffee (I like Nescafe), 1 Tbsp of sugar and 1/4 cup of water in a jar with a tight lid.
2. Shake and shake and shake the jar until the liquid becomes really frothy.
3. Pour the froth over a cup filled with ice and top with either milk or cream.
4. Enjoy!

I love my afternoon coffee break and this is one I make on those extra hot days in the summer.

I know, I know, you’ve heard it a million times from me before but my family REALLY loves camping. The Victoria Day weekend, also known as the unofficial start to camping season, is a few short weeks away and we’re ready to roll. I’ve talked about camping with the kids before but each adventure brings about new ideas, so here are some of the new tips I’ve gleaned over the last year. I also love learning new tricks so please share with me too by leaving a comment below or sending us an email!

1. ALWAYS pack laundry detergent. I have a small bottle of ultra concentrated liquid that I tuck away in the bathroom. Kids clothing and bedding gets wet and dirty and smelly and in close quarters that’s icky. And we all know that accidents happen so I started carrying detergent with me after one trip when I went to a laundromat twice (once for bedwetting, once for vomit) and spent $5 on 2 tiny (and insufficient) cartons of soap.

2. Streamline your hygiene and cleaning products with an all purpose soap such as liquid castile soap. It’s great because you can use it as shampoo, body wash, all purpose cleaner, dish soap and even as laundry soap (see above). It’s vegetable based and organic so I can use it on my son’s very sensitive skin. I like Dr. Bronner’s and I’ve seen it at Choices, Thrifty Foods, Sobey’s and Superstore. Many health food stores carry it too.

3. Streamline your equipment Think of the ways that you can use regular items in unique ways to make them serve double duty; I use a salad spinner as a colander and a frying pan as a pot lid. A six pack holder is awesome for carrying cutlery & napkins back and forth or for carting toiletries to the showers. And in a trailer, an over-the-door shoe rack with pockets is great for holding everything that doesn’t have a home; sunglasses, keys, remote control, cell phone charger, pad of paper and pen, BBQ lighter, etc.

4. Always bring a drying rack, clothesline, etc and clothespins. Again, kids get wet and there is nothing worse than when the whole family smells like wet dog. I have this round thingy with clothespins that I found at the dollar store which works great for dish towels and kids stuff. It also compact enough to fit in the shower in the trailer so even if it’s raining outside I can hang the clothes inside. A rope or bungee cord between two trees is great for towels etc.

5. I’ve started pre-washing fruits and veggies at home. The less water you use camping, the better because you either have to lug it if your tenting, or pay to dispose of it if you’re RVing. Its also super nice to skip a step en route to making dinner or serving snacks; it cuts into mommy’s wine time if I have to prep food every time the family feels peckish

Speaking of dinner, it can get boring and unhealthy to eat a lot of ‘camping food’ so I’ve started planning my camping meals like I plan meals at home. There are a few camp meals that we HAVE to have each time, but with careful meal planning, delicious food in the bush is just as easy to prepare as smokies. Our friend Merry recently published an article on Easy & Healthy Camp Cooking so check out some of her great recipes and tips too!

Do you have any great camping tips? Leave a comment with your tips and tricks!

We just received an email from sweetspot.ca today that informed us they will be closing down this month. We are both super sad about this because we have enjoyed their website and newsletter with all its great parenting, fashion, fitness, food and fun articles for years. We want to say goodbye to this web pioneer who set the bar very high for those who follow.

Good luck SweetSpot! We’ll miss you!

Stuart Chaifetz, father to Akian a 10 year old boy with autism started getting reports of his son acting out in school. He was told his child was hitting teachers and throwing chairs.

Stuart could not understand why his son was behaving this way because he is such a happy child. Stuart consulted a behaviourist and ultimately decided to wire his son with a recording device to get an idea of a typical day at school for Akian.

Because of his autism, Akian was not able to communicate to his father that he was being called a bastard, told to shut up, laughed at and made fun of by his teachers at school.
Any parent would be incensed by the actions of the teachers towards their child. The reason these actions are so disturbing is because it happened in a classroom full of children with special needs. These teachers were supposed to be their helpers and advocates, not their built-in bullies. The recordings also revealed teachers having inappropriate conversations in front of the children.

Stuart posted a YouTube video with excerpts from his recordings to demand a public apology and have the teachers fired from their jobs. He says “my son didn’t go to school, he went to prison and he learned to fight to survive.” Check the video out below but grab some tissues first.

Last night I kicked dinner’s butt.

My kids scarfed it down and there was none of that chewing one bite for 10 minutes pretending to eat business. My husband had thirds. Neither of us had to cajole the kids to use manners, stop fighting or try just one bite because they all loved it.

What did I make that elicited such bliss? Chicken legs roasted with cilantro, lime and garlic, chimmichurri potatoes and coleslaw with homemade lemony dressing. This is not a fancy meal and it took about 15 minutes total to prep.

But the fact that they ate dinner, and all told me how good it was, made me feel awesome! Like I was a Kitchen Rock Star or something!

A few weeks ago we talked about our kitchen flops and disasters. Now I want to hear about your Kitchen Rock Star moments; what dish or meal do you make that has people oohing, ahhing and asking for the recipe?

To make it interesting, we will do a random draw of all the entries and give away a $25 gift card from our friends at Marble Slab Creamery! We will post recipes at a later date.

Send us an email or leave a comment below with your Kitchen Rock Star moves!

Did you see the “bucket list” for kids under 12 in The Globe & Mail today?

I was thrilled to see that my kids have done 9 of first the 10. And I was even happier to note that they have done more than half of the 50! Being outdoors is soo good for kids (and grownups) but since we are much more protective than in previous generations (for better or worse) our kids don’t always get the free uninhibited outdoor time that they used to. My goal is to help my kids do everything they haven’t done on the list by the end of the summer! Within age appropriate limits of course

Here’s the list:

1. Climb a tree
2. Roll down a really big hill

Rolling down a hill

Finding treasure on a beach on an island!

It's tiny, but she caught a crab

What’s your kid’s favourite thing on the bucket list?