The first thing to do is get the material. In my case, I went and got everything at De Serres (note that “Omer” is no longer part of the name). You’ll find a wide choice of 12”x12” papers with some that have different patterns on each side, which is absolutely perfect for this particular DIY project.

Crédits: Project Wedding

You can also go with origami paper. It’s up to you, be creative. Just make sure you don’t use a thick cardboard, otherwise you’ll find it hard to bend it and that would be a shame.

Crédits: Project Wedding

Then, you’ll need:

• A wooden stick
• A pair of scissors
• Pins (decorative or not)

Crédits: Project Wedding

• Cut out squares according to the size you want your paper windmill to be. Last time, I cut 4”x4” squares (I wanted to make a garland), but you could make smaller ones (1”x1”) or very large ones (12”x12”). Don’t forget to pick a wooden stick that fits the size.
• Fold the paper diagonally one time (make sure the folding line is well defined) then repeat with the other diagonal.

Crédits: Project Wedding

• Following each folding line, make a cut using your scissors from each corner two-thirds of the way towards the middle.

Crédits: Project Wedding

• Mark the wooden stick using a pencil to know where to pin it at the end (this depends on the size of paper you chose).
• Take the left tip of each cut blade and bring to the center (you can also choose to use the right tip, but make sure you use the same side for each for blades, otherwise it won’t turn) and put them all on top of each other.
• Press the pin in to keep all four tips together.
• Finally, pin into the wooden stick making sure you don’t push all the way, otherwise you will block the mill and it won’t twirl.

CAREFUL: don’t use large pins, they could break the stick in two (trust me, I did the test).

And here’s the final result.

Crédits: Project Wedding

You can make these for many different events: wedding, birthday, anniversary, garden party… Kids love making this.

Have a great day,

Leslie Passerino.

Actually, it’s perfectly doable if you establish a good strategy and come up with a game plan.

• Theme.

You need to choose a theme right from the start. This will help you set your goals, find recipes, games, imagine the invitation cards, decorate and don’t forget the party favours. You should include your child in this project, it’s a great way to learn new stuff and build confidence.

• Space.

You have many options according to your budget: in your living room, your family room or over at a sibling’s house (the most economical options), in a park in the summer (very economical), at a community center (a great way to keep your home clean and keep costs down at about $30-$60 depending on the room size and the duration of the party), a reception hall in a club (if you have a membership), the school gym at your kid’s elementary school (if you have many guests), a restaurant (but you have to include meals).

• Decoration.

Don’t hesitate to use blogs (in French or in English) that provide DIYs or how-to videos for kid’s birthday parties: garlands, hats, balloon decorations… You’ll find anything, all you’ll have to do is buy the material needed (it’s usually cheap) and plan an evening with your girlfriends or family members.

• Food.

The best is always to think simple and good. Think about what kids their age like and add a healthy touch to it. You’ll find tons of easy recipes online for this kind of party: caramel popcorn, whoopee pies, cookies, finger sandwiches or salty muffins… Success is all in the presentation of the sweet and salty pleasures. Don’t forget to add a few candies; they’re colourful and inexpensive.

• Presentation.

Everything has to be coordinated: the presentation plates, the stickers (in line with the invitation), straws for the glasses of milk, cute juice bottles… Write everything down on your list. You’ll find most of your items at Dollorama, Wal-Mart, Zellers…

• Entertainment.

Still sticking with the theme, you’ll find it easy to imagine a few games, for example: pirates = scavenger hunt; hip hop = dance contest; adventure = animal contest (sound and move imitations)… We often over think these things. If you have access to a Polaroid, you could capture the moment and print a picture for each kid, they will absolutely love it.

• Goody Bags.

Kids (and adults) love gifts, so don’t hesitate to prepare a personalized goody bag for each one of you guests and try to keep the small party favours in line with the theme. And why not include a photocopy of drawing made by the birthday boy or girl.

• The Must!

If you took pictures of the event with a digital camera, print some for each one of the guests and write a message like: “Thank you for coming to my birthday”. Slide them in separate envelops and have your son or daughter distribute them to the guests. They will be touched and believe me; they won’t ever forget this delicate attention.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me. I will be glad to help you. (leslie@lesliepasserino.com/ leslie@kreavie.ca)

Leslie Passerino

Here are a few titles that you might have seen and that will please both the kids and the parents. Let’s just say that the creators of these movies work hard to make sure everyone enjoys it and to bring people together for a comfortable family activity.

-          Up: A touching animated movie about family relations and following your dreams. The colourful and charming characters will bring smiles and tears to your face. You absolutely have to see it.

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-          Toy Story 3: The last of the Disney trilogy but not the least. It rounds up wonderfully well this series as Buzz Lightyear, Mr. Potato Head and our favourite cowboy embark on a crazy adventure full of unexpected turns and emotions.

-          The Incredibles: Who doesn’t like superheroes? Not one, not two, but an entire family of superheroes. They all have their own special superpowers and they’ll discover each other as they get sucked into this incredible adventure. My favourite: Jack-Jack Attack, a 3-minute short film about the family toddler and his babysitter to the sound of Mozart in the background. You’ll cry of laughter.

-          Mars Needs Moms: This one is very interesting because the characters are played by real actors. We discover that in the extra features and it only adds to the emotions and the depth of the main characters. The story is about the importance of moms in our lives. Really well done.

-          Treasure Planet: Inspired by the classic “Treasure Island” by Stevenson, Disney collaborates once again in creating a dream and makes us live a thrilling adventure set in outer space. The importance of the father figure and mentor in the life of a young boy is essential and their presence and absence have consequences. This is well portrayed in the story about space pirates.

-          Dinosaur: Another Walt Disney feature, this time the main characters are computer-animated but the backgrounds are real. This shows great technical and graphic skills for a film made at the beginning of the millennium. People of all ages will be touched.

-          The Adventures of Tintin: Our young journalist and his loyal dog Snowy on our screen with striking quality and a lot of action. It will please every member of the family. It’s a great way to introduce this character to the younger generations.

-          Kung Fu Panda 1 & 2: Our panda that is crazy about Kung Fu is back with a sequel that is as extravagant as it is funny. Still surrounded by his friends the Furious Five, this bear has to fight, learn life lessons and the value of friendship as he attempts to find his origins. A must see.

Une semaine, un chapitre

-          Tangled: You know the tale about a young woman with extremely long hair up in her tower, well that’s her. Beautiful story once again filled with songs (thank you Mickey) and sweet characters. To see and see again.

-          Ratatouille: Throughout his travel, our young rat with a refined sense of smell and taste becomes a great Chef thanks to aParis restaurant garbage boy. Excellent.

And one last one, just because of one part that makes me burst out in laughter every time:

-          Over the Hedge: Based on family relationship and the place of everyone in it, whatever yours is. Love is there and it’s the most precious thing to preserve along with trust and integrity. Excellent film, especially if you don’t know what happens when a squirrel takes an energy drink! You have to see it to believe it!

prixDvd.com

Of course, there are many other movies and we all have our preferences. I gave you my top 10 that I watch with my 3 little blond heads who, I must say, had their say on my pick. So hurry up to the couch with a big bowl of pop-corn and enjoy you family movie night.

Sébastien Pitre

An Intruder in the Load

Did you put a pretty white blouse with a load of red clothes and ruined it completely? Before throwing it away, try this. Soak it in a bowl filled with a few litres of milk. Let is soak for a few hours…then witness the miracle! This trick also works on coloured fabrics that turned darker or greyish.

You can also try this trick for ink stains, for instance if you drew a line with a pen on your shirt or if the entire pen leaked in the pocket of your jacket (and it really happened to me!).

The Traditional Red Wine Stain!

Who has never spilled red wine on a tablecloth or a shirt and poured the entire box of salt on it, hoping it would disappear? Forget about that useless trick. Follow the recommendations given by Madame Chasse-taches and cover the stain with white wine. If you don’t have any at hand, use Club Soda. As for me, I always throw my stained clothes in the washing machine right away and it works almost every time!

Vinegar and Water: the Miracle Solution!

Many types of stains can disappear with some vinegar and water. This mixture already works miracles for windows. Well, it’s just as impressive with the following:

• Yellowing of a shirt collar
• Toothpaste stains
• Felt pen stains
• Grass stains

Ice to the Rescue!

Your daughter got a piece of gum stuck on her favourite skirt or your son fell down and got some blood on his pants? All you need to do is take the piece of clothing, lay it flat and let an ice cube melt on it, making sure to rub it once in a while. This should be enough to make it disappear.

So, happy laundry!

Here are a few tricks you could try.

Trick #1: The Hide-and-Seek Method

All cats are gray in the dark! So if all your vegetables have the same colour, your kids might not notice anything. I know, the taste also has something to do with it, and kids are not always so gullible but we have to expose our young kids several times to one type of food before they can really say if they like it or not. Their taste buds are still in development. Planning on preparing a lasagna? Why not mix some red peppers with the tomatoes. In a Sheppard’s pie, you could mix your mashed potatoes with a bit of turnip or cauliflower.

Trick #2: The Creative Method

Kids never say no to a Sheppard’s pie! So why not reinvent this classic: sweet potatoes instead of Yukon gold potatoes; corn mixed with onion jam and mushrooms; etc. Mashed potatoes could be replaced by a Butternut Squash, carrot and sweet potato purée and so on.

Trick #3: The Creamy Method

Spreads can become your true ally. Kids usually like creamy stuff. Mix a few veggies, herbs and spices with cream cheese and you’ll get a great tasty dip for raw vegetables or for sandwiches to prepare for school activities.

Trick #4: The Illusion Method

Commercial chicken and fish nuggets are often rich and fat, so why not make them yourself, and while you’re at it, add a few vegetables to the mix. If you cut them in small pieces, you’ll create a great texture with a flavourful breadcrumb dressing (with fresh herbs for instance). From the outside, they’ll look as mouth watering as the commercial ones.

Trick #5: The Discovery Method

You could also act completely transparent: “Kids, today we are looking for a new vegetable at the market!” It’s time for the scavenger hunt. Game rules? Finding a new vegetable to try at home. This week, we are trying yam or Japanese radish. If they help you prepare their findings, kids are more likely to want to taste them.

Did you come up with solutions to withstand the heat? When we have kids, we have to show some imagination. At my place, besides the few rainy days that we spent lounging on the couch, our sources of freshness were somewhat diversified. In fact, to occupy your rainy days, I suggest that you read Louis-Simon’s blog on yoopa.ca. His blog gives a few suggestions that could come in handy this fall. True to his habits, his suggestions are tinted with humour. Just read his 15 reasons to like the rain (in French only). And get back to me on it!

But let’s get back to our initial purpose: intense heat. I’m not talking about the French movie les grandes chaleurs featuring the gorgeous François Arnaud…just for you ladies! No, I’m talking about the intense heat that we have experienced in the past few weeks…

François Arnaud

I live in a century-old house, so let’s just say that the heat slapped me right in the face! No central AC, no pool! But this year, I had the chance to try out Dyson’s newest fan, the Air Multiplier AM02. Its ultra-modern design and performance allowed me to fight the heat and sleep well, finally! Though it helped me get better sleep, I really wanted to try it to see if it would pass the kids and cats test. Well, the answer is yes. Since it is bladeless, it presents no danger, plus it’s easy to clean. Unlike the other fans on the market, the air produced is constant, giving out a nice breeze which intensity can be controlled with a small remote. However, it’s $549 for the tower model and $349 for the desk model, it doesn’t come cheap.

Dyson fan

Still, to fight the heat, a fan is good. Another trick is to sleep outside. An adventure that we lived for the first time as a family this summer. It will actually be the topic of my next blog. So, see you next time, I off to daydream about François!

Oh! For fans of François, like me, you can follow Les Borgia this fall on Addik. The first episode of the second season started on August 29^th, but it will be aired a few times at the beginning of September. For more details, visit addik.tv.

By Caroline Nadea, Web Chief Editor
Yoopa.ca

Everything presented below applies to plants grown in a garden, on the patio or in containers for smaller spaces.

Aromatic Herbs

This is one of the easiest things to grow almost all year round and let’s be honest; it’s delicious in the kitchen.

Here is a table presenting some herbs that are fun to grow, along with the seedling, growing and harvesting periods.

Now, let’s see what we can grow with our little ones:

Lavander: It adds a fresh scent to your clothes or in the bathtub (great to relax before going to bed), it’s great as a calming herb tea and lavender oil mixed to shampoo can also prevent the appearance of head lice. Transplant in the spring. Pick the flowers as soon as they open. Dry them, heads down, in a warm, dry place.

Rosemary: It adds flavour to fish and pork. Transplant seedling in the spring.

Savory: For beans, stuffing and cooked meals. In the spring, you can sow summer savory (annual) or transplant winter savory (perennial). Summer savory is harvested before it flowers whereas winter savory can be harvested at any given time.

Sage: For salads, tea and cooked meals. Prune regularly. Once dried, the leaves keep a lot of their aroma.

Thyme: Cultivate regular thyme or lemon-scented thyme. Thyme is widely used in the kitchen. Transplant in the spring. Prune after flowering. Let it dry.

Vegetables and Legumes

Carrots: For March seedlings, choose short and early varieties. Space them out and sow on the surface in light soil.

Water-cress: Great to accompany a salad. It’s easy and fast-growing. It can be cultivated in pots, indoors or outdoors.

Spinach: Sow in line, fall or spring. Don’t lazy out on watering. Thin out the young plants leaving 10-12cm in between them as soon as they reach 3-5cm high. Spinach can be consumed fresh, in a salad, which will surprise your kids who often steer clear of this veggie.

Beans: Extra fast! If you always keep an eye of it, you will be able to follow the germination of the seed, the growth of the stems and leaves, the appearance of flowers, of pods and finally of new seeds.

Radish: They grow fast. In soil, some varieties can be sown starting in March. There are round varieties that you sow on the surface and long varieties that you sow2 cm deep. Water regularly. Kids will enjoy harvesting these young and crispy radishes 4 to 8 weeks later.

Lentils: Take a stainless steel colander and a piece of parchment paper. Water the seeds everyday, morning and evening, allowing the water to drain out through the holes in the colander. You will really enjoy this method that prevents spills, like it would if you were using a plate!

After a few days, remove the parchment paper, the seeds will have germinated and won’t risk falling through the holes of the colander, and then plant in soil.

Have a great day!

Leslie Passerino

The difference between polymer clay and playdough

A little while ago, I talked to you about playdough and gave you a homemade recipe. Polymer clay cannot be homemade but you can buy some at De Serres (formerly Omer de Serres) or at L’oiseau bleu in the Montreal region. Better known as FIMO, this clay material is available in “classic” or “soft” versions. For kids, I recommend that you use the latter, it’s easier for their little hands.

Available in a wide variety of colours, shiny or not, and textures, you’ll be able to create long-lasting objects.

Accessible to all ages, it is possible to organise an unsupervised activity with you kids with simply a few packs of FIMO, letting them explore their own creativity.

Some prefer creating useful objects, some like its decorative potential whereas others simply enjoy kneading and making something out of it.

How to use FIMO paste?

Once kneaded and shaped, the paste is baked into a standard oven for 25 to 30 minutes at110 °Cto harden it (check instructions on the package according to the selected paste). Time depends on the size of the object and on the type of paste.

Even if you follow the suggested temperature and baking time, it is recommended to vent the oven and to bake the objects on the cooking grill covered with parchment paper to avoid browning and prevent the release of toxic vapours. To rapidly cool down the crafted objects, you can put them under cold water.

Don’t forget that when it comes to doing an activity with kids, safety has to be a priority. So here are a few simple reminders:

• Not suitable for kids who could ingest it (4 years old and younger).
• Select containers and utensils to be used for this sole purpose (they will only be used for polymer clay in the future).
• Thoroughly wash hands after touching (this paste is not eatable).
• Bake paste in a well-vented area (not a confined space).
• Vent oven after use (while baking also).
• Think about the final use of the crafted objects (it’s always better to be prepared and to talk about it with the kids beforehand).
• Follow instructions provided by the manufacturer.

Have fun!

Leslie Passerino

Mrs. Eggplant

You absolutely have to try Mrs. Eggplant Ricardo-style. Vegetables are usually a safe bet with kids. But when they’ll see Mrs. Eggplant with her cauliflower ears and her pepper smile, your vegetables will disappear in no time. I usually serve this with a home-made mayo-honey dip. The traditional chilli-mayo dip is also a great winner for children birthday parties.

photo : mhharnois

Mister Porcupine

After the veggies, here are the porcupine fruits. It’s so easy to prepare, all you need is some bamboo skewers, a variety of fruits (pineapple, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, strawberries, clementines, etc.) and something to create a core. I usually use cantaloupe as a core after emptying it with a melon baller (I keep the melon balls to add on the skewers). Cut all the fruits with your melon baller – you can also cut them in cubes – and thread onto the skewers. Don’t put too much on each skewer, it will be too heavy.

photo : mhharnois

Besides these two plates, I don’t rack my brains on anything else. I serve the traditional chicken dainty sandwiches or mini-pita breads, some plain pizza squares and cheese cubes with grapes on a toothpick.

Cupcakes for girls, cupcakes for boys!

For birthday parties, I prefer cupcakes to cake because they don’t require much work when it’s time to serve. Here are two cupcake recipes that kids find spectacular and fascinating.

First, for little girls, Princess Cupcakes are always a great hit. Find out how to make them here.

photo : mhharnois

For boys, Flash McQueen Cupcakes will please fans of the movie Cars. Plus, they look much more complex to make that what they actually are. Click here to find out how to make them.

photo : mhharnois

With this menu, all you’ll need to do is find a few games to entertain your guests!

Source : Daycare @ Alphonse Desjardins Sport Center

InQuebec, choosing a daycare is almost a privilege. In fact, due to high demands, the most popular daycares have really long waiting lists. If you wish to send your kid to a childcare center (CPE), chances are you won’t ever receive a phone call even if you put your kid’s name on the list as soon as you get pregnant. Still, this shouldn’t discourage you to put your kid’s name down wherever you want.

Here are a few tips to help you choose the right daycare.

First Tip: Determine your needs

The first thing to do is identify your needs: do I need a day, night or evening service? Is my work schedule fixed or flexible? Are any of my family members available to watch my kid? Does my kid have to go to daycare full time or part time? Is it more practical to look for a place near home or near work? Etc.

Second Tip: Identify what you expect from a daycare center

It is important to ask yourself what you expect from a daycare center, especially if you are an employee working 40 hours a week. You kid will actually spend more time in daycare than at home with you. Ask yourself what you would like him or her to learn while you’re at work: does the daycare provide balanced meals? Do they offer pork-free, vegetarian or other special meal options? How do they deal with kids with allergies, disorders or handicap? Are kids required to nap for two hours? How do they impose discipline? Do they have any fieldtrips planned? Etc.

Third Tip: Evaluate the cost associated with your expectations and needs

Now that your expectations and your needs are clearly set, you need to attack the financial angle. Childcare centers were originally created to offer a place in daycare to low-income families first. They became so popular with people from every social class that it is now very difficult to get a spot. If money is an important prerogative, a subsidized family-run daycare ($7) can be an alternative. If that is an issue, than you have other choices: private installations likeMontessoriSchoolor Marie Gibeau, non-subsidized family-run daycares or a nanny at home.

Fourth Tip: Use all the available tools

It’s now time to start actively searching. Use your social network and all the available tools. Finding a daycare can be a difficult challenge! Register your kid on the Bila list, search on daycarebear.com and don’t hesitate to contact SOS Sitter for instance. The website daycarebear.com offers a how-to document that walks us through the steps and gives advices to young parents.