Even more Community Sales.....

Hello there...
I'm sitting here listening to the rain falling on the roof of my office and wondering if the summer is truly around the corner.  We had a few beautiful days, however the next few are not looking the best.

One bright spot is there are even more community sales happening, and there is a Wild Rose United Church Garage sale this weekend.  They promise to have a lots of toys an bikes available.  So just as you have found out that your kids have outgrown the bikes from last year, you are in luck.

I've posted all the community sales on my website, so do take a minute to check them out at http://www.babyguidetocalgary.com/events/sales.htm

As for the third edition of Baby Guide to Calgary.  I am working on it at the moment.  Hope to give you updates soon.


Stay dry!

Paula

Getting back in shape!

Hello everyone. Sorry not to have blogged recently.
Well, I've just returned from two week vacation in Australia with the family.  It was wonderful to be in such a splendid tropical environment. We spent the time swimming, hiking, snorkleing. It was great to be getting back in shape and active again. Now if only I could get the kids adapted to this timezone again, that would be great. It's 11pm and I can hear them jumping around upstairs still.

I've also joined up with Bikini Boot Camp which has been fabulous to getting fit again after so long off the fitness (post knee surgery).  Lindsay has been fantastic at modifying all of the exercises to ensure that I'm effectively not doing much high G exercises on my knee. Yeah!  Lindsay has a number of programs available that run every 8 weeks. www.bikinibootcamp.ca  I've signed up for 16 weeks so that I just simply keep at it!  If I didn't have to go and meet with people, I'm not sure that I would be there!

I'm hosting a focus group on Baby Guide 3 in Mid-April to get some feedback on Baby Guide 2 so that I can incorporate some feedback into the third edition.  I have a group of ladies that will be joining me for about 1.5 hours to chat about what worked well and what didn't in the Baby Guide 2.

The Third Edition is currently being written and I hope to have it out by Christmas... all things going well that is.  I don't have a huge inventory left of the second edition left, so if you were thinking if buying the second edition, I would suggest you do that pretty quickly. If you do have some suggestions for Baby Guide 3, do send them on to me, it would be great to hear from you.

Blog later,

Paula
Author - A Baby Guide to Calgary

The Government of Canada releases a 'Recalls Widget'

The Canadian Government has had the excellent idea of creating a widget that can be added to websites, blogs and some social media pages, that shows all the consumer, health and food product recalls within Canada. It can also be customized to show only the type of recalls you, or your readers are interested in.
It's a great way to stay up to date on important information, quickly. I will be adding it to my blog and website!

Mother's Day

Hello, 

I've had many changes to me personally, physically and emotionally by being a mum.  Life changed from the time I found out that I was pregnant. As I watched and felt my body change, my clothing had to change, the only thing that did not change was my socks!  Even my shoe size changed and never went back. 

I often describe the difference between motherhood and fatherhood as the difference between bacon and eggs for breakfast. One is a commitment and the other is a contribution. 

Mother's day represents the commitment made by women everywhere. Its a day of celebration, just for you. 

So figure out what you want to do for the day, tell your family specifically what you want to celebrate. 

Enjoy the day!  I toast all of you moms out there.  You are an amazing group of ladies. You have made quite the commitment!

Kind regards, 

Paula

Children's Theatre

There is a play coming up that might be of interest to parents of children aged 5-12. Put on by University Theatre of University of Calgary, The Queen, The Bear and The Bumblebee happens on Sunday, April 10th at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the door (cash or cheque only) - adults $15 and $12 students(children)/seniors.  Tickets are available through tickets.pumphousetheatre.ca or 403-263-0079.

From the Pumphouse Theatre website, "In this whimsical tale, three friends realize that wishes can lead to grand adventures - ships that fly, magical crowns, fire-breathing monsters and the best adventure of all - discovering yourself!
The Queen, The Bear & The Bumblebee is written by Dini Petty and features The Bumblebee Symphony Orchestra.
Originally written and performed as a poem to entertain children at Toronto's world-famous Hospital for Sick Children, The Queen, The Bear & The Bumblebee features a rich collection of classical orchestration and delightful songs to bring the magic of this enchanting story to life for the entire family."

There will also be a milk and cookie reception.

When unparented activites risk your children's security!

I remember when the first time I could have my kids in "unparented" activities  I squealed with delight! Finally I could run and grab a quick coffee, or do a quick errand, or make a phone call. 

I've had a recent event that has caused me to rethink unparented activities for my children and thought that forewarned is forearmed for all of you and your precious children.

My kids were at skating lessons at Heritage and Macleod trail, near the Heritage LRT station. I had a phone call and found a quiet corner in the public area to complete my call. During this time, my son had a minor injury during the skating lesson.  He was startled and the instructor said he did not have to continue skating.  She took Declan off the ice, out of the skating rink and out to the main lobby and apparently tried to find me.  Since she could not find me, she then left him by the front doors since he said that he was okay (He is 7!). The coach was not informed, I was not contacted despite having provided an emergency number in the registration program. I found him quite distraught about 20 minutes later after I finished my phone call. I spoke directly with the instructor (herself a minor) who indicated that Declan seemed to be okay by himself.  She realizes his age, but thought he would be 'fine'.

I approached the skating club about the incident.  They indicated that they have no policies once the child is off the ice. They believe the skating volunteer made a mistake. They will not implement policies or procedures to ensure that this incident does not happen again. They advertise this program as unparented and have no obligation for parents to stay at the rink during the lesson.  Their resolution to the situation was a full refund, or take the program as is. They were not about to change any policies or procedures.  They felt there was no harm done.

Frankly, children under 12 should not be left unattended. They should be in the care of the instructors, until the parent returns.  Any incident where the child is physically or emotionally unable to participate should require the instructor to contact the parent to ensure that the parent is aware of the situation and can come to collect the child. Children who are not able to skate during a lesson, should be "supervised" on the bench in an area that is not accessible to the general population. 

 

Lessons learned: 

If you are dropping off your children at "unparented" events, check the policies of the organiziation running the event for the following incidents.
a) Late pickup. Will your child be supervised until the caregiver arrives?  Will your child be left in a public place unsupervised? Will the emergency contact number be contacted if the child is not picked up after 10-15 minutes?
b) Accident/illness/injury during the activity.  If your child is unable to perform the activities, where does the child stay until the end of the activity? Will they be supervised? Will the parents be informed, and the emergency contact called? 
c) Are all of the staff AND the volunteers aware of the obligations and are they trained in their responsibilities? 
d) Are underage volunteers or staff trained in the area of child supervision?

 According to Interpol, in 1999 there were 52 non-family abductions in Canada and 184 children abducted by a parent without a custody order. Abductions are real and caution needs to be exercised.  Ensuring that all activities that your children are involved in is critical to ensuring your child's safety and well being.
Child Safe Canada offers a free course entitled "Child Safe Abduction Prevention Seminar" - http://www.childsafecanada.com/pubcategory.aspx?ProID=78&CatID=5
Check out the policies of your children's unparented activities.  Reconsider your enrollment in activities that do not have policies nor enforce the policies.

So we're now looking for other skating lessons that do provide some form of protection by guidelines and policies for my children, or alternatively ensure that I am supervising them while they are having their lessons. (No bathroom breaks!)

Stay safe!

Paula

Fall is Community Sale Time

Hello there, 
It has been a busy summer, or what we call the middle months of the year. Not much warmth this summer. 


We've just finished dealing with 300 pounds of apples from our two trees in our back yard.  Apple sauce anyone? ;-)


I've just updated my website for a listing of all the community sales in Calgary and area.  Make sure you check them out as they have fantastic bargains. I usually head there early and bring either a blue Ikea bag or a laundry basket with me.  Stay warm while you wait in line, bring a coffee and some mitts. Click here for a link: www.babyguidetocalgary.com/events/sales.htm


Also, I am currently updating the book to the third edition.  So I have a little competition for you if you are interested.  The first two people to provide me an update for the book to info@babyguidetocalgary.com will win a copy of the latest Sarah Deveau book entitled "Money Smart Mom, Financially Fit Parenting".  This is an awesome book. You can get this at most stores around Calgary and across the country. http://moneysmartmom.ca/default.htm


Keep warm and I'll let you know how the third edition is working out. 
Kind regards, 


Paula