chocolate popsicles

Wow. I love finding recipes that list ingredients I already have in the house! A recipe that will be a sure hit this summer in our house comes from the wonderful 'Adventures in Crafting' blog. Click the link to get the tutorial!

summer fun!

In preparation for the dreaded 'long drive' that accompanies summer vacations I'm trying to find as many car friendly toys as I can. Here's 3 fun toys I've found. What are your favourite car toys?

buckle clip toy

the Melissa & Doug Memory Game

the Melissa & Doug Monster Puppet

'apple' cupcakes

This years search for creative and fun 'Thank the teacher' gifts led to some amazing finds. These 'apple' cupcakes are brilliant and shouldn't be too hard to do. Too bad I took a trip to Laura Secords yesterday and bought my teacher & bus driver loot. Check out Edible Crafts to get the skinny on these treats.

best summer kiddy parks in the capital

What's better than free?

I can't think of anything. And when you combine free with parks you get fun! This summer we are going to try out different Ottawa parks and see if they are all that they are cracked up to be. If you live in Ottawa here's a list of recommended parks. If you've been to one of these please comment and let us know what you thought.

Brewer Park off Bronson Ave. Lots of playgrounds and green space plus washrooms for our potty training tot.

South Nepean Park on Longfeilds Dr in Barhaven. Will please the entire family with it's skate park, splash pad and playground.

Andrew Haydon Park (Carling Ave) situated on the Ottawa river in the west end not only does this park boast beautiful views but this is one of the longest parks in Ottawa with several playgrounds, bike paths, an amphitheater and BBQ pit sites for your family or company picnics.

Walter Baker Park (Terry Fox Dr) in Kanata is the site of the Kanata Canada day celebrations. This park has a large playground, splash pad, skate-park and tons of green space.

Mooney's Bay Park (Riverside Dr.) is the site of the wildly popular HopeBeach VolleyBall tournament. It has it all, beach, canal, a great tobogan hill, winter skiing and summer bike paths and all in the middle of the city.

Vincent Massey Park (Heron Rd & Riverside Dr) situated on the Canal, this is a very large park with washrooms, water fountains, on-site parking and a beautiful views in all directions.

If these parks don't strike your fancy you might want to try inputting 'parks near Ottawa' in Google maps to get a layout of all our Ottawa area parks.

nienie

I just added my nienie button and thought I'd mention it. I know I have tons of buttons, but I have to say. This one is probably the most important one. She is a superhero and has incredible strength. Go nienie!

Emmeline you're so fine

Let me tell you a little secret.

I'm buying myself a birthday present. I am even going to gift wrap it and have it arrive at the front door. I am going to act surprised. And then I am going to open it on my birthday and be super happy with my new present. Wanna see it? I thought you would. Here's my Emmeline Apron. (fabric not exactly as shown)

I won't pretend for a moment that I could make this myself. I would have to be far too organized and skilled for that. I can however have one made and I really hope it comes in time for my birthday.

To find out more about the Emmeline apron check out Make Me Studios, Penny Carnival or the wonderful www.sewliberated.com.

wine bottle bag

My momentum has faded. With school finishing, a month full of birthdays and preparations for a jam packed summer, I'm loosing the knitting itch. I did finish my wine bag though and I'm so happy I did. I'm hoping to start J's robot hat next, but I'm inclined to believe it will be August before I get serious about it. No matter. I'm glad to be knitting again.

reflection

I can hardly believe it but E's almost finished her first year at school. It's been wonderful. She's grown so much over the year. Her sense of humour, her sassy attitude, her need to spell everything she's thinking about.

I'm excited to have her home with us this summer so we can take trips and have tons of playdates with her friends. I'm also looking forward to next year and the fun she'll have when she heads into a new class and starts learning french.

When reflecting back on this year I see things I want to get better at next year. Among those I'm most excited about is snacks. I've been watching Wendy over at Wendolonia do Bentos for a year now and she is my hero. I've got to find some fun bento boxes in my area and I hear there is a big new Asian Grocery store in the city! Woohoo! So I'm planning a trip there this summer so E can pick out her favourite bentos. Here's one of Wendy's creations!