Two Legged Fun

As we head towards Christmas, one of my goals this Holiday Season is to make an effort to be more charitable. We are very fortunate and I want to start teaching my kids the importance of helping others and appreciating what we have.

Being charitable and making a difference in someone’s life doesn’t mean having to make large monetary donations. There are many great charities out there who make it easy to get involved and contribute with what you have. In the next few weeks I will share some of these great charities with you as well as some fun and frugal ways I have come up with for the kids and I to help give back to our own community and around the globe.

Coats for Kids and Families

With the approaching Holiday season comes the colder weather, and that has me currently focused on outfitting my kids in new boots and snow gear. I have been lucky buying at the end of season of finding good deals, but it pains me to see our growing collection of outgrown and barely used snow gear in the coat closets. Confession: I haven’t been that good at taking the kids out to play once it gets cold and snowy out!

Since we no longer need these items, I decided it was time to gather up all the two-small coats, snow pants, boots and hats and donate them to the Coats for Kids and Families program run through the United Way. This great program runs from October 1 to December 15 and donating couldn’t be much easier thanks to donation bins at all Page the Cleaner locations throughout Edmonton. Our location was just a quick 2 minute drive up the road.

While I could have likely sold a lot of the items through local Facebook Buy and Sell groups to make a little extra money for the holidays, this felt like the better option. My closets are cleaner and hopefully our donations will help keep some little ones warm this winter. Plus, maybe this is the kickstart I need to start saying goodbye to some of the other baby stuff I have cluttering up the basement!

Total Cost for us to donate to Coats for Kids and Families: $0

How are you being charitable this holiday season? Please share your ideas in the comments!

Everyday Life, Two Legged Fun

Signs of the Times

September 11, 2015October 13, 2015 chantelledoll

Judging by the looks of my Facebook feed this past week, it would seem that Pinterest has now made cute chalkboard signs a requirement for all first day of school photos. There were very few back to school photos I saw that didn’t have some type of chalkboard-inspired print or hand-lettered sign as a prop.

I loved seeing the many variations and was truly impressed by the planning and creativity that went into everyone’s back to school photos. Growing up, my mom simply snapped a quick first day picture of my siblings and I just before we were headed out the door to school. Our props were nothing more then our overstuffed backpacks.

First Day of School Chalkboard Sign Continue reading “Signs of the Times” →

Everyday Life, Two Legged Fun

Discovering Dino’s at Jurassic Forest

September 8, 2015October 12, 2015 chantelledoll

One of my favorite daytrips from Edmonton is to the Jurassic Forest in Gibbons, Alberta. It is quick and easy to get to from the city and is great for both the young and the young at heart. I mean, who doesn’t love seeing giant robotic dinosaurs?

SONY DSC

It had been a couple years since we last visited Jurassic Forest, and when I saw they had added on a dinosaur themed mini golf course for this year, I knew it had to be added on to this years Summer Bucket List.

Continue reading “Discovering Dino’s at Jurassic Forest” →

Everyday Life, Friday Favorites, Two Legged Fun

For the First Time in Forever

July 24, 2015July 24, 2015 chantelledoll

Okay, well maybe not FOREVER, but it has been over 2 years since my husband and I have actually been out to dinner alone.

We celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary on July 17th and today we are dropping off the kids and checking out a local restaurant. Somewhere without coloring books and crayons, or chicken fingers on the menu!

How is this possible? It is all thanks to My Gym! I enrolled the kids in a weekly class in June and was delighted to discover they also offer a monthly Parent’s Night Out that allows us to drop off the kids for 3 full hours of uninterrupted adult time.

I was hesitant to book the Parent’s Night Out when I first enrolled the kids since they have a history of not liking the activities I sign they up for. Ball Hockey was a big flop for my son last year and my daughter wanted absolutely nothing to do with soccer this Spring. I actually only decided to try My Gym when I came across a half price Groupon – if they ended up absolutely hating it, I wouldn’t feel bad about “wasting” a lot of money.

Well, I am happy to report that they absolutely LOVE My Gym. The instructors are all amazing and my kids are actually excited to go to class each week. They do a variety of gymnastics skills and exercises, with free play and songs thrown in for good measure. The classes are a full hour of activity and my kids always come away with a big smile plastered across both their faces. It is a little pricier then some of the activities I have tried the kids in, but because of how much my kids enjoy it I was happy to start paying full price after our Groupon was used.

One other huge bonus for me is that I have even been able to have my two different aged kids enrolled in the same class! I think this has really helped my youngest get comfortable in a class setting and I love that it keeps things simple for scheduling on my end. And, when their weekly class isn’t enough for them, we have been taking advantage of the Practice and Play sessions. I can see this hour of free gym play being particularly handy come winter rather then paying admissions to other indoor playgrounds.

I am really looking forward to our Parent’s Night Out because I know our kids are in good hands and will be having a ton of fun while we finally enjoy some adult time. It is a Halloween theme and my son is excited to go in costume to play and eat pizza. I know I could have hired a sitter a long time ago to get a night out with my husband, but I have always felt guilty leaving the kids – this seems like the perfect win-win solution for all of us to have a great night.

Everyday Life, Two Legged Fun

Counting Sheep

July 14, 2015July 14, 2015 chantelledoll

Better late then never, this past June we managed to knock off on of the item’s from last summer’s bucket; visiting the sheep on Grandma’s farm.

I grew up in a city and my husband grew up on a farm in rural Saskatchewan. Now that our parents have retired, it is funny to see that there has been a switch on both sides. My husband’s parents have sold their farm and now enjoy life in the city, while my mom sold her house last year to move onto the farm with her husband.

I have been a crummy daughter and it has taken me over a year to get out to see my mom’s farm. I purposely waited until the spring/early summer because my mom and her husband raise sheep and I knew there would be plenty of little lambs that the kids would be excited to see.

My youngest has always loved animals, so she was quite happy to see the abundance of sheep. She happily chased them throughout the field, but was never able to get too close before the flock all took off.

Lucky for the kids, my mom’s husband did chase down and catch one of the newest lambs so they could see and pet it up close. It was pretty cute!

There was lots to see and explore on Grandma’s farm and I think my little city kids were happy to be outdoors enjoying the open space.

It was a lovely day with my mom and her husband, and it was great to see exactly how my mom is spending her retirement. I also think it is great that we still have a farm in the family to show the kids and give them a feel of what life is like beyond the city.

Everyday Life, Two Legged Fun

Summer Bucket List 2015

June 30, 2015June 30, 2015 chantelledoll

Summer is upon us so I am revisiting and updating our Summer Bucket List. We had a great time last summer and managed to make it through a lot of our list, but it may have been just a bit more ambitious then I expected with two young kids. Quite a few of the items on our list got looked over for long days at the beach and playground.

Items carrying over from last year that I definitely want to attempt include getting out to Grandma’s farm to see the new lambs, going for a paddleboat ride at our lake and visiting a U-pick.

Activities we will be repeating from last year include visits to Fort Edmonton Park and The Edmonton Valley Zoo, beach playdates, exploring new playgrounds and splash parks with friends, and planning another neighbourhood ice cream social.

I am also very excited to have my kids each signed up for a summer camp they’ll love – a week of Princess Academy for my 3 year old and Jedi training for my Star Wars loving 5 year old. If you are in the Edmonton area, check out Mudpie Parties to learn more about these great camps. Camden did the Super Hero one last summer and loved every minute of it, so I know they’re going to have an amazing time. I think I am just as excited as my 3 year old to see which Princesses she gets to meet each day!

What’s on your summer bucket list? Hopefully our list has helped inspire you to get out there and make the most of these warm summer months!

Everyday Life, Two Legged Fun

Playing Around

June 25, 2015July 24, 2015 chantelledoll

Now that it is summer I am finding it a lot easier to keep my kids happy and entertained. If we have nothing planned for the day, I tend to choose a nearby playground to take the kids to so they can run off a bit of steam.

This year I am noticing a big shift when we go to the playground. Both kids are now at an age where I am comfortable with them climbing and discovering on their own, making me more of a spectator then an active participant. They are happy to play together or chase down new friends while I get to take a short break on the bench.

When we are meeting up with our friends, it is so nice to now have a few moments now to actually visit with the other moms. The kids have gotten good at keeping each other happy and entertained and they tend to stick in small packs so it is easy to find them for the all important head counts.

It looks like it is going to be a good summer for all – the kids will be happy to be out exploring and playing, and I will actually get a bit of time to sit and relax!

Everyday Life, Two Legged Fun, Uncategorized

DRESSing for Disney

March 6, 2015April 27, 2017 chantelledoll

To princess dress or not to princess dress? That was the question I faced before heading to Disneyland. We have no shortage of princess dresses to select from, but they are all very delicate and not made of the most comfortable material for a full day of wear. They are also all pretty long and I worried about my daughter tripping or getting caught up on it when getting on rides.

BUT I was also afraid after seeing all the other little girls in the park wearing their Princess dresses that she would be upset. In the past month, she definitely hit the terrible two stage full-on and has become very headstrong if there is something she sees and wants. Before the trip, I downloaded the Disneyland app to my phone and she repeatedly went to the Fantasy Faire section to pull-up the pictures of the princesses to point to the dresses and proclaim “I want dat!”. I know they do sell much better quality dress-up costumes in the parks, but there are still a lot of itchy materials and the length issue to consider.

I ended up getting this lovely Cinderella Deluxe Dress from our local Disney Store and hoped it would be a good enough compromise for my dress obsessed little girl. The bodice is a nice cotton so she was comfortable throughout the day and the skirt portion was short enough that she was not tripping as she ran through the parks and stepped onto the rides. The extra layers at the skirt did make it a bit heavy, but I don’t think my little ‘Rella even noticed.

She was with me when I bought it, but I tucked it away and surprised her with it for our second day in the Disneyland Park when I knew we would be visiting Fantasy Faire. She was so excited and proud to get the dress and she ran/pranced/skipped the entire way from the hotel room to the park that morning.

The dress worked perfectly and the adorable photos of my princess were well worth the cost of the dress. Her faced absolutely beamed every time she was called a princess that day or was told how pretty her dress was! It is better made then most of the dresses in our dress-up our collection so it should stand up to the daily use I know it will get now that we are back from the trip.

For the other days in Disneyland, she was happy to wear her Minnie dress, and her favorite Frozen outfit. The more frills and tulle for my girl, the better! I did have a frilly new Minnie outfit for our last day in the parks, but she insisted on wearing the Cinderella dress for a second day. I think she would have worn it the entire trip given the choice.

How do you deal with princess dresses in the Parks? I figure my little girl will only be little for a short time so I want to embrace this phase as much as I can. Seeing her excitement in the park just made me excited for the next time we go when she will be able to get the full princess experience with a Bibbidy Boppidy Boutique makeover!

Disney Under 3 also shares a great idea to use Princess Dress-Up Aprons on your visit to the parks. I came across this too late to have time to order any this trip, but I will definitely keep this in mind for our next Disney adventure.

BY Air, Everyday Life, Travel, Two Legged Fun

DIY Printable Disney Countdown

January 21, 2015March 28, 2017 chantelledoll

Today I am sharing a simple DIY printable I designed to count down to our Disneyland trip next month.

To make this countdown, all you need is an empty 4X6″ photo frame with a glass or plastic insert, a printed copy of my attached printable, scissors and a dry erase marker. (I found my dry erase marker as part of a cute Frozen themed set from Dollar Tree.)

Continue reading “DIY Printable Disney Countdown” →

Everyday Life, Two Legged Fun

Planning a Disneyland Surprise

December 31, 2014January 15, 2015 chantelledoll

Christmas is over. The kids passports have just arrived. It is time to start planning my Disneyland surprise!

So far we have managed to keep it quiet from the kids and I am hoping to surprise them with the news just a few days before we leave. There were some questions when we had to order passports, but my 4 year old doesn’t actually know that anything has been booked and confirmed.

When I saw this new Little People Magic of Disney Day at Disney set by Fisher Price I instantly knew it had to be part of my Disneyland surprise. We love Little People in our house and this set couldn’t be more perfect for the Disney lover in me. It even has a fireworks show and music!

At 2 and 4 I think my kids are still a bit young to read a t-shirt or understand a packed suitcase, but I know new toys are something they can get excited about. I have also bought the Little People Lil’ Movers Airplane and my hope is to make it into a bit of a scavenger hunt in the house where they first find the plane and then need to follow the clues to fly their Little People to the Disneyland set. I am hoping this action will help them make the connection that we will be flying to Disneyland.

I haven’t worked the plan all out, but there will be balloons and other mickey themed decorations involved, and I will likely break out the Mickey waffle maker afterwards! We will also watch the Disney Vacation Planning DVD so we all have a better idea of what to expect in the parks. I think I am more excited about planning this then I was for Christmas.