Located a little over an hour and a half northeast of Edmonton is where you will find Métis Crossing, Alberta’s first major Métis Cultural Interpretive destination.
I can still picture the place perfectly. My very own grown-up studio loft. It’s at least 1500 square feet of wide-open space. Long, narrow, two-story, stained-glass windows with arches, frame the room on either side. My bed is centered on the far-back brick wall with soft linen sheets tossed perfectly imperfect. Thin hardwood floors in a herringbone pattern, with markings of time gone by, connect my bed to my art studio which occupies at least 2/3 of the wide-open space. I have come to realize this place I picture is unusually grand for a single room in New York City, but that was my vision.
I think it was about grade 11 that I placed my vision in NYC, but I was about 5 when I decided I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. I spent hours sketching Betty and Veronica fashion spreads while I started to picture details of this space in my mind. It’s no wonder I ended up in the interior design industry specializing in textiles.
Ready to take your kiddos for a spin?
Mama Chris and her two kiddos, 10 & 11 headed out to Rabbit Hill this weekend to take advantage of the beautiful weather with some tubing. We’ve always wanted to go but hadn’t had the chance, so this was the perfect day for it!
With three choices of slide, even though it was busy we weren’t waiting long to go, and the burlap at the bottom made it so you slow down safely!
The handy magic carpet helping you get to the top, once you have spun (or not haha) down is great. The kids think their dad should put one in our back yard now lol!
It was an amazing way to get out of the house, and really out of the city. We got to spend some time having fun, in a covid-friendly way.
It was indeed, TUBULAR 😉
Chris is a Mom of 2, a 10 & 11 year old, she works as a admin for a local bakery. She loves cider, hanging out with good people and writing about her feelings. She currently resides in our Capital City, however she grew up on an Alberta farm.
*Our visit to Rabbit Hill was complimentary. As always all opinions are our own.
You may be getting real sick and tired of staring at your family at home by this point of Covid Winter in Alberta… The struggle is real and movie nights are getting old. We decided to mix it up a bit and try ice fishing! Last year my kiddo and I went ice fishing with my brother and let me tell you, my then 7 year old thought it was the coolest thing! He has been begging to do it again, but with Covid restrictions and not having the proper equipment ourselves, we just hadn’t been able.
Then I got the idea of renting an ice fishing shack from an ad I scrolled past one day on Instagram. Perfect!
Even though we’re eight months into dealing with a global pandemic, we’re still navigating many firsts and that includes Halloween. A few weeks ago, Dr. Hinshaw announced that Halloween is not cancelled but we still have to do our part to ensure a safe experience for all.
First things first, regardless of your current Halloween plans if you are isolating or feeling sick stay home, and do not hand out candy!
Celebrating Halloween Safely This Year
Masks & Costumes
The great thing about face masks is that there are many different styles available that can complement or even be the focus of your Halloween costume. From plain colours, fun prints, skeletons to animals, monsters to unicorns and more, the options are endless.
Regardless of if your costume incorporates a mask or not when social distancing is not possible your costume should allow for a mask to be worn safely and comfortably if needed.
Trick or Treating
This year we’ll be packing some quick snacks and of course hand sanitizer!
Generally, when we’re out trick or treating I’ll sneak myself and the kids a mini chocolate bar or two… but this year will look a lot different. To avoid the inevitable hangry, pack a granola bar or something equally easily accessible.
While it’s suggested that you avoid ringing doorbells and touching hard surfaces if it does happen the hand sanitizer will come in clutch.
And of course, once you get home before you dig into your candy, you’ll either need to disinfect it right away or leave it sitting for a few days…Who am I kidding? Go buy some Clorox wipes now.
Halloween at Home
If you’re skipping the trick or treating this year but still want to celebrate at home, there are still some great ways to celebrate Halloween which include:
- Dress up in your Halloween best and host a cohort Halloween party!
- Hide candy in your backyard and have a Halloween scavenger hunt.
- Host a Zoom pumpkin carving night
- Enjoy a Halloween movie marathon with your favourite movies!
Worried about having too much but still want your favourites? Visit the bulk areas of your local grocery or bulk barn to grab smaller amounts. This way you can still enjoy your favourites but won’t overindulge.
Handing Out Candy
It’s suggested that anyone handing out candy should do so while maintaining social distancing. If this is not an option, wearing a mask is a must!
This is also the year to get extra creative! Pre-packaging your candy a few days ahead of time, placing the candy on an outdoor table or another area that they can easily be grabbed from, using long salad tongs, and even the growing popular Candy Chute DIY are all great options.
Whatever you decide, the guidelines from the Alberta Government strongly discourages leaving out bulk bowls of candy for anyone to grab from.
Do you have other tips for celebrating Halloween safely this year? Leave a comment below so we can add it to our blog post!
By Ashley Anjlien Kumar, The Confidence Coach
In Part 1 of this 3-part series, I described some of the behaviours a child might exhibit if they have perfectionist tendencies. To refresh your memory, check out the post here. Not only will this help a child with perfectionism, but it can prevent it from developing in the first place.
PART 2: CELEBRATE MISTAKES
Sounds counter-intuitive doesn’t it? Aren’t we supposed to prevent our kids from making mistakes? As kids we were always cautioned against making mistakes, right? So why do I want to celebrate my kids mistakes?
I hear kids all the time, especially in a dance class or sports, “I hope I don’t make a mistake” or “I hope I don’t get it wrong.” They hope they don’t make a mistake because they view the mistake as a diminishment of who they are. That somehow, they aren’t good enough. Many kids, by age 5 or 6 years old, are already determining their self-worth by their mistakes.
In my family, similar to many conservative traditional families, making mistakes was not okay. You did not make mistakes. Mistakes meant punishments.
As we spend more time at home and try to not run to the store for every little thing, I am finding that we are trying to use what we already have on hand. Or, make what we need from things we have here. OR, just make things because we have nothing else to do! For my son’s Art Week at school we were given some projects to create at home. One of the projects was window painting with homemade paint. I wanted to share it here because it’s quick, fun and cleans up easily!
Homemade Paint
- Flour
- Liquid Dish Soap
- Warm Water
- Food Colouring
Mix equal parts of flour, soap and warm water in a large bowl. We used 1/2 a cup of each, but depending on how much paint you’d like you can adjust. Use a whisk to ensure that all the flour is mixed in. Find some small bowls and add the uncoloured paint to them. We used old plastic applesauce containers that I keep in the craft supplies. Use food colouring to create your own custom colours of paint! A while back at the grocery store I found these Neon food colours, they created some really pretty shades.
We painted on the window at our front door with a variety of brush types. Any mistakes we made were easily wiped away with a wet cloth. We also tried the paint on paper and canvas, with success!
What homemade projects have you been enjoying with the kids? Let us know!
