HRM Parent Blog

It's almost the end of January - and I'm sure I could dig up some sort of statistic to share with you about how many New Year's Resolutions are broken by now...but really, who needs that extra stress?   I mean seriously, it's hard enough to keep up with the day-to-day of life as a parent, let alone trying to layer on the pressure of getting more sleep, saving money and working out. No wonder they get broken! 

Life is too short and family time is too precious.  So why not take advantage of the fact that it's still January to change your resolution and join us in the 12 month "Time Well Spent Family Challenge" challenge?  It's one activity per month that will hopefully be a little more manageable, less stressful and give you a great excuse to get the family together. 

Are you up for it?

January - Visit a library: In celebration of National Literacy Day on January 27th, how about planning a family trip to any one of the great public libraries in HRM?  While you're there be sure to browse their huge selection of books, stop for a play in the children's area, check out their events calendar and more.  Before you leave, don't forget to take a few minutes to get your kids their own library card! 

February - From the Heart: We could easily suggest that you just do a valentine's day craft and call it a month, but why not dial it up a little more.  This month, it's all about doing a simple act of kindness that come straight from the heart.  Get the family to help shovel an elder neighbour's driveway, volunteer to canvas for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, bake cookies for someone who may need a little lift or leave anonymous valentine's in mailboxes around your neighbourhood with a happy message inside.  Just be sure to spread some love this month.

March - Go Green: Here's a fun combo to celebrate St. Patrick's Day as well as National Nutrition Month.  At least once a week for the month of March, challenge your family to try a new green vegetable that you haven't tried before. It's not as boring as it sounds when you throw in a little fun.  Have everyone take their first bite together or have the kids do a blind taste test and and let them guess what green veggie it could be. Heck you can even make up a song about it to make it more exciting. Don't worry, if green peas are even a stretch for you, we'll enlist Wendy, our Bringing Balance blogger to help share some of her favourite green veggie recipes when the time comes.  Who knows, by the end of the month you may have some new green vegetables to love!

April - Darkness Calls:  This one is easy.  April 22nd is Earth Day so do your part by participating in Earth Hour.  Shut down the iPads, turn off the TV and light some candles and enjoy a full hour of family time.  We'll be sharing some tips and tricks for making sure there's something for everyone to do and who knows, you may end up keeping the lights off well beyond the hour.

May - Family Tree:  Don't stop with just celebrating mom this month, and take some time to create a simple family tree.  This is especially meaningful if you have family members that live far away. Our kids are always fascinated to hear stories about their great-grandparents and often get confused about relatives that they don't see often, so including pictures will make it even more special. Here's a great book that can help with the process.

June - Stay Safe: It's National Safety Month, so how about using it as a great time to cover some important safety awareness topics with the family.  Do your kids know their telephone number or about calling 911?  Can they recognize the symbols for poison or dangerous products? Have you ever planned a home fire drill?  We'll be sure to share lots of great resources when the time comes, but slot it in the calendar to get your family in the safety zone this month.

July - Picnic Time: Yup, simple as that.  Pack the picnic basket, throw some juice boxes in the cooler, grab a blanket and head to the nearest park for a good old fashioned family picnic.

August - Reach for the Stars:  We can't wait for this one...it's another easy one that you'll be glad you did. Pick a good clear night and head out to the backyard for an evening under the stars.  Forget the lawn chairs, cover an area with blankets and line the family up.  Then spend 30 minutes just watching the stars.   See who can find the big dipper first or maybe spot a shooting star.  While you're there, maybe spark up a chat about what each person would wish for or what he or she would do if they could go to the moon.    

September - Back to the Books: Ok, we know this is hands down one of the busiest months of the year for any families with school aged kids.  Getting back into the swing of things with routines, activities and homework doesn't leave much time for anything else.  So we'll keep it simple. Read.  Just read.  Even if it's just a few minutes before bedtime, try and share at least one book (or chapter) a night with your child.  Even older kids, who are reading chapter books, will still get so much from having you read to them for a change. Plus it's some guaranteed cuddle time, how could you not accept this challenge?

October - Give Thanks:  This should be fun.  In the spirit of Thanksgiving pick a day of the month where the family will be together for most of the day (if possible) and play the thank-you game.  It's pretty simple, anytime anyone says or does something nice for another person, they have to say "thank you".  If you remember to say thank you, you get a sticker.  If you forget and someone catches you, you lose a sticker. At the end of the day, whoever has the most stickers is crowned the most thankful!  A little friendly competition will be fun and the lesson in manners doesn't hurt either.

November - Remembering:  This month's challenge is all about honoring our soldiers, past and present, and taking the time to ensure your kids are aware of the sacrifices they have made.  Make plans to attend a Remembrance Day ceremony in your area or visit one of the many forts, museums or monuments around HRM.  Read "In Flander's Fields" poem to your kids or even have your older children write a note to a soldier serving overseas or a local veteran. It won't take much time, but is bound to have a lasting impression.

December - Movie Night:  It's the last month of the year and what a better way to celebrate completing our challenge than with a family movie night.  Plus it'll be a nice get-away from the rush of the holidays. All you need is a big bowl of popcorn, some blankets to keep you cozy on the couch and a great family movie to make your challenge complete.  Who knows, maybe having more "movie nights" will become your resolution for 2013!

That’s why we’re encouraging you to find a few moments over the next week to spend some good quality time together as a family. It doesn’t have to be a road-trip or a big extravagant party.  It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or take a lot of effort – it just has to be with the family and be time well spent!

Here’s a few ideas to get you started:

Pedal It: the snow will be here before you know it so grab your helmets and bikes and head to a local park or trail for a refreshing family bike ride.

Top 10: spend a little extra time at the table after supper one evening and make a list of the top highlights of the summer.  You might be surprised at what the kids choose as their favourite moments.  Keep the list and do the same next year to see how it compares.

Movie Night: you can’t go wrong with a family friendly movie night, but check out this fun idea from East Coast Mommy for an outdoor movie night that the kids will love!

Picture Perfect: in case you’re like a lot of us (especially me!) you still have lots of photos on your camera not yet downloaded or printed for that matter.  Why not plug the camera into the tv or computer and host a summer slideshow with the family to enjoy every moment of the summer all over again.

Board Games: there’s really nothing like a board game to get the family together for a little fun and laughter!  Twister, Monopoly, Candy Land, Risk, Clue, Cranium, Boggle…and more.  Go grab a few from the basement and let the games begin!

Picnic Time: eating outside on a blanket or picnic table can be so fun and without the distractions of tvs or toys, can make for some solid family time.  Don’t get fussed over the meal – grab a cooked chicken, hummus and pita and a salad from the grocery store and you’re good to go. 

Special thanks to Deirdre Evans for this great post on getting your kids out in the garden for a little late summer planting!

It’s time to think about Fall planting, and what better snack to plant with kids than sugar snap peas. Peas are an all time favourite in our house. Not only do my kids love picking and eating them straight off the vine, but they are one of the easiest seeds for children to handle because of their size.

To plant the peas, begin by having your kids poke a little hole in the loose soil with their finger or a stick, drop the pea seed straight in the ground and then water. They can plant the seeds 1 to 1-1/2 inches deep and one inch apart. With all of this rain, they should see the first little leaves appear within a week. Once the leaves appear have your child stick a branch in the soil about an inch away from the seed, the plant will climb up the branch as it grows.

Here in Halifax, seeds planted now will grow into the Fall, and hopefully bring you fresh peas by end of September.  The Farmer’s Almenac gives October 20th as the first frost date for Halifax, so this gives plenty of time for your peas to grow.

Short on space?  I’ll stick peas in planters on the balcony, at the ends of my raised beds and even as a border behind my flower beds. You can plant the peas along the edges of your garden and then use branches as a trellis that peas will climb.

You can likely still find pea seeds at Halifax Seed or even Canadian Tire.  My favourite spot though is Vesey’s in PEI as they have many different varieties, are local and will ship.   I really like their Sugar Snap Peas as they are very sweet with a great crunch.  

My children love picking and eating fresh from the garden. In fact, it’s a great way to give them a snack as I get dinner ready.  They will head out to the vegetable patch and search for hidden peas, it’s always a game to see who can find the big pods that have made it without being picked.

Deirdre Evans, is an HRM mom who is passionate about urban gardening and introducing kids to healthy foods through gardening projects.    For more information on urban gardening, recipes and ideas for backyard gardening with kids, visit her website .

The gorgeous weather over Canada Day weekend led to a popsicle fest around my house.  Supply couldn’t keep up with demand!

As summer brings warmer days - I encourage you to make your own popsicles.  It’s cheap and easy, and a great way to get small children involved in the kitchen. Commercial popsicles, and other frozen treats often contain less-than-healthy ingredients like artificial colours, high amounts of high-fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners.   In addition, kids often donʼt have the same “thirst sensors” as adults and need to be encouraged to take in more liquids on hot summer days.  Homemade popsicles can help keep them hydrated and cool!

For all of these reasons, my urchins and I have started inventing new “healthier” flavours together.  Everyone is getting in on the action --  It’s become a bit of a competition!

All you need to get started is a popsicle mold or two (choose BPA-free plastic - I found mine at HomeSense), or even just some small disposable cups and some popsicle sticks.  Most smoothie recipes can be frozen into popsicles easily.  Even 100% fruit juice frozen in molds is a better option than most commercial popsicles.

Here are a couple of easy recipes to get you started. When the molds are empty, just whip up another batch and re-freeze.  

Blueberry Banana Pops
1 cup plain Greek Yoghurt
2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries (or strawberries!)
1 banana
1 cup 100% apple or orange juice
1 cup water
2 cups pre-washed baby spinach (really!)
1 tsp real vanilla extract
2 tsp agave or honey

Blend in blender until smooth, pour in popsicle molds and freeze at least 4 hours - enjoy!   For a "gourmet" popsicle - add some sliced fresh fruit to the mold!

Chocolate Almond Banana Pops
1 L carton of chocolate-flavoured almond milk (I like the 120 cal/cup Almond Breeze)
2 bananas

Blend and freeze in molds - YUM! 

Wendy McCallum, LLB, RHN, is passionate about providing busy parents with the tools & support they need to feed their families wholesome food, so everyone can play, learn, and feel better!  She is a mother of two terrific HRM kids, ages 6 & 7.  For information and recipe ideas, visit her website

Running seems to be the topic of conversation in our household these days.  Which is quite hilarious since neither my husband nor I are die-hard runners by any means.  Sure I’ll head out for an evening jog around the neighbourhood once in a while, and have entered a few 5k runs along the way, but nothing that would ever have my kids thinking “mommy is a runner”.  Or so I thought.

We were at our daycare’s summer party a few weeks ago and part of the events included a fun run for the kids. While both my girls (2 and 4) were really excited to be in it, my 4 year old seemed extra focused and determined.  My husband and I didn’t think much of it as we ran along side them, and assumed she was just being a little competitive with her classmates.  

It wasn't until after the race that it hit me. I was admiring her medal and congratulating her on a good run and she proudly took a sip of her water and said “now I’m a runner like you’”.  It was so cute but it also made me realize just how much our kids can absorb, even when we don’t intend for them to.  

Since then, I’ve suggested we find some more fun runs for us to go in, which she’s all for.  That’s when I found this run.  Even though it’s a bit of a drive outside the city, I couldn’t help but share it as it looks too good to be true.  It’s this Sunday, but we’re still hoping to squeeze it into our long weekend plans. 

NOT SINCE MOSES RUN

Older kids and adults can choose from a 5k or 10k route and The Basket Run for kids has courses along the shore that range from 100-500 meters and includes a medal.  Plus food, entertainment and a fair bit of mud!  What’s not to like about this week’s Get Active event?