Books that Make Home Life Inspirational

I have a crush.
Not really on a person, but a lifestyle – a way of being that is both simple and magical. It pulls together all of the homemade goodness of our childhoods with the purposeful parenting partnerships of today’s generation of moms and dads.
It’s one of those things that I’ve been in denial about [...]

Give Dad A Hand (or Two)

So, I left it up to the preschooler this year as to what we would do to make sure her Dad knew how very special he is to us on Father’s Day.
We started talking about it two weeks ago – paint a picture, make a card, catch bugs (her fave, although she didn’t want to [...]

A Home Museum with Shadow Boxes

Zoology, Botany and Forestry aren’t exactly in the vocabulary of the under-5 set.
Yet, every time we hit the beach, the garden or the trail, science is following us around.
Each pine cone or shell tucked in a tiny pocket reveals something significant about a place we’ve explored. (Yes, OK, I am total science nerd.)
And I’m pretty [...]

Product Review – Kumon Preschool Skill Builders

Our daughter couldn’t be bothered.
Crayons were so not in her repertoire. Colouring – no thank you!
As you know, she would paint until the cows come home. But, crayons, pens, anything that involved lines – not so much.
The omnipotent “they” tell us that our kiddo should be thinking hard about the whole line-making thing. I get [...]

Hit North Vancouver Island Museums

So, the tiny person and I hit the opening day of the Spring Break Hands-On Farm yesterday. It’s most definitely a scaled-down version of the Summer farm. But, it was totally great to see our daughter getting into hanging out with the bunnies and guinea pigs inside, and getting the chance to feed the donkey [...]

On The Rocks climbing gym

Derek Kwan is here today with the scoop on a cool, relatively new climbing gym in Campbell River.
I very much appreciate Derek’s contributions to the site, not only for his plainly Dad perspective, but also for offering up some great scores in the fun locales department.
Without further delay, here’s Derek:

A friend of mine has proclaimed [...]

The Parents Primer for North Island Birthday Party Locales

If there was ever one day that makes kiddos screech with excitement and parents cringe just a bit with knowing the work that will go into it all, it has got to be your tiny person’s birthdays and the ensuing parties that make childhood sweet.
Finding the perfect locale to celebrate that special day can be [...]

Top 10 Late-Night Valentines Movie Picks

Happy Valentines Day!
Whether you are of the school of greeting-card-company holiday or season-of-love, Valentines is all about showing those you love how much they mean to you.
I’ve heard from a few moms and dads the last couple of days who have spent some great family time busting out homemade valentines and test driving those yummy [...]

The 8-Step Plan to Make Family Fitness Stick

Editor’s Note: I feel moderately guilty posting this today. We’ve done plenty of hiking, beach-walking and generally outdoors loving the last week. But, you can bet that has also included plenty of sleeping in, snacking and lounging around blissfully in need of doing absolutely nothing.
But, upon return, I will be hitting the pool hard, the [...]

Celebrate 2008, Family Style

Ringing in the New Year is generally considered an adult-style event. With traditions that focus on alcohol and late-night parties, plugging the kiddos into any celebration is a challenge to say the least.
That’s where the Comox Strathcona Regional District, Tim Hortons and McDonalds have jumped in to save the day with Family New Years celebrations [...]

Geography Awareness Week

What is the capital of Nepal? (Kathmandu)
Where are the Farallon Islands? (just off the coast California near San Francisco)
What is the tallest waterfall in the world? (Angel Falls in Venezuela)
If you are like me, it’s a good thing the Internet exists. Otherwise, world geography – as fascinated as I am by it – would be [...]

Book Review – Monstrology 101

Welcome to the first edition of the CVK Rainy-Day Book Club.
A while back, in the midst of pulling together portions of our Rainy-Day Survival Guide, I was out cruising local book stores and ran into a pal who said that she’d stopped reading with her young kiddos because she had no idea how to find [...]

Making Bats for Spooky Learning

When I sent away for the Canadian Wildlife Federation’s free Wild About Bats package a few months ago, I sincerely wondered what I would ever do with it.
The tiny person was not in any way interested in flying spooky creatures at that point and, much like the snake one I also sent away for, the [...]

Pumped Up Pumpkin Carving

Pumpkin carving is one of THE great family rituals around here.
Me, I’m the pumpkin patch lover. In my estimation, there is nothing as fun as an afternoon running around the farm, picking out the perfect pumpkin and soaking up that harvest energy.
My husband is the pumpkin carving master, the maestro of glowing squash, the king [...]

Top 10 North Vancouver Island Family Movie Adventures

Gray and me have a cozy relationship. When it’s really gray out, like this weekend, I want to wrap up in a big fuzzy blanket, get all warm and cozy, and throw in a great family movie.
Family TV watching is one of those things that has become a bit of a taboo topic in parenting [...]

Get Away – Butterfly World

Butterflies hold an honoured place in our house.
As the story goes, my grandfather who passed away more than 20 years ago, returns to everyone in the family from time to time in the form of a beautiful butterfly.
I’m a firm believer in his visitation policy as on my wedding day, just moments before my dad [...]