News
Family Update: Back-to-School iPhone Apps, Laptop Recalls, Another Breastfeeding Benefit, Heart Attack Risk at its Roots, Dining Out with Allergies and More
Need an app to get your school year functioning smoothly?
· Back to school? There’s an app for that (Parent Central)
Another to do: Return the recalled laptop before school starts:
· Toshiba Satellite Notebook Computers (Health Canada)
Too add to the lengthy, guilt-inducing lists of breastfeeding benefits:
· Breastfeeding for even a month reduces risk of diabetes (Parent Central)
Talk about a bad hair day:
· Is a heart attack hiding in your hair? (Health Zone)
Dining out with allergies doesn’t have to be a game of Russian roulette:
· Eating out with food allergies (Ottawa Citizen)
A fascinating look at the increased psycho-pharmacological treatment of young kids:
· Child’s Ordeal Shows Risks of Psychosis Drugs for Young (New York Times)
Contest
Back-to-School: Last Chance to Win a Skip Hop Backpack!
If you haven’t yet entered to win one of these adorable Skip Hop knapsacks are perfect, leave us a comment below. We’ll be notifying the winners Monday.
We’re giving away a Frog, Zebra and Penguin. Let us know if you eat breakfast family style or en route, and what your child eats most often.
Thanks for tuning in to our Back-to-School posts. We hope you and your family have a lovely weekend to kick off the new season!
And if you’re looking for helpful tips on starting school check out our CF’s Back-to-School Guide. And find our complete September 2010 issue available in digital edition here!
Food Ideas, Health & Safety
Long Weekend Tips: Brush Up On Your BBQ Grilling Safety
Image Courtesy of beketchai via Flickr (CC)
According to Health Canada, there are an estimated 11 million cases of food-related illness in Canada each year—many that could be prevented by proper food prep and handling. Here are some tips on how to make sure your next barbecue bash is something to remember for all the right reasons.
- Never defrost meat at room temperature. Defrost meat in the refrigerator, in a sink filled with cold water, or in the microwave.
- Always refrigerate perishable foods, including luncheon meats and potato and pasta salads, within two hours of purchase or prep. (In hot weather, one hour.) Toss leftovers that have been sitting in the sun or heat for an hour or more.
- Never place cooked food on an unwashed platter that previously held raw meat, chicken or seafood. If you only have one, make sure it is washed with hot, soapy water before reuse.
- Always use a digital food thermometer to ensure meats are cooked to a safe temperature. Don’t try to guess doneness by appearance alone. Fish should be cooked to an internal temperature of 70°C (158°F), burgers, pork and steaks (medium) to 71°C (160°F); and chicken pieces to 74°C (165°F). For a complete list of recommended cooking temperatures, visit hc-sc.gc.ca.
Once you’ve reviewed your summer BBQ safety, it wouldn’t hurt to look over the basics before firing up for your feast!
Contest
Giveaway: Win Tickets to Yo Gabba Gabba Live There’s a Party in My City!
Darrell McDaniels from Run DMC performing with the Yo Gabba Gabba! crew. Photography by Neilson Barnard.
Hooray! It’s back-to-school (almost) and cooler days are here. We want to give readers across Canada the chance to celebrate with a Kia Motors Yo Gabba Gabba! There’s a Party in My City concert. This morning we’re giving away four tickets each for Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Montreal. Email us at win@canadianfamily.ca with your phone number, what city you want tickets for and your favourite guest who’s appeared on the show. Hurray up! We’ll be drawing the winner at noon.
UPDATE: We’ve awarded the above tickets. Have a fabulous weekend, and keep watching our blog next week for an interview with creator Scott Schultz and opportunities to win tickets to the remaining shows, in Vancouver, Regina, Winnipeg, London and Ottawa!
Crafts & Activities, Fun
The Coolest Way to Spend an Afternoon This Weekend
The magical world of The Hidden Park
Imagine a stroll through the park with the on Sunday afternoon. Now imagine dragons popping out from behind trees, fairies floating through the branches and creatures emerging from the rocks beneath your feet.
No, you’re not hallucinating from a lack of sleep: you’re playing The Hidden Park, and augmented reality game for the iPhone.
The Hidden Park turns major parks around the globe into mystical puzzles. You can even use your own local park as a backdrop!
The game begins with a call from a mystical creature who needs help saving the local park from destruction: he needs to prove that it’s teeming with magical wildlife. Your family is tasked with getting photographic evidence of their existence. As you weave your way through the park, following the magical GPS-enabled map, you must solve puzzles and unravel clues to find all of the hidden creatures. Snap a shot of your kids at the designated spots, and creatures appear in the photos.
Toronto’s High Park is currently the only park in Canada already programmed, but as mentioned, parents can set up the game to work in any park in your area.
The Hidden Park is available through the iPhone app store and is $3.99.
Bring along a few snacks and drinks, borrow a friend with an iPhone if you don’t have one, and you’ve got a magical fun-filled long-weekend afternoon for only a few bucks!
Food Ideas
Back-To-School: One Mom’s Plan for Lunches
Photography by Michael Alberstat
My daughter, Charlotte, starts Grade 1 next week. She’s fine. I’m anxious. Why? I have to make her lunch every day. (Up until this point, she has enjoyed a hot, nutritious meal at her daycare.)
I have heard horror stories from other moms on how tedious this task will become in the months going forward. Then there’s the fear she won’t eat what I packed. My own mom drew the line in Grade 3 when I came home with an uneaten lunch for the third day running. From that point on she said I was on my own (tough-love food division) when it came to making lunch; I ate jam sandwiches, crackers and cheese and bologna-and-mustard sandwiches for the next few years.
This holiday weekend, in addition to enjoying the last hurrah of summer, Charlotte and I will be sitting down to make a list of her favourite meals. I’ve printed off these 15 fabulous lunch ideas. I hope by including her in the discussion we can come to some agreement of what goes in a lunch she’ll love.
I know one that is making the list is a Build-Your-Own Meatball Sub idea (pictured at left) from our food editor, LeeAnne.
Simply defrost 3 frozen meatballs in the microwave. Cover in 2 tbsp barbecue or tomato sauce and pack in a container. Pack alongside a bun and toppers such as grated cheese, mushrooms and pepper slices.
It looks so good, I think I’ll make one for my lunch next week too.
—Robin, CF’s senior editor
Bonus: Sign up to receive the Canadian Family e-newsletter before September 6th, and you’ll receive our school-lunch issue, packed with more than 40 easy, healthy lunch ideas.
For more yummy lunch ideas, check out CF’s Back-to-School Guide. And find our complete September 2010 issue available in digital edition here!
Advice, Parenting Solutions
New Babysitting Site Means You Might Actually Be Able to Leave the House
Photo by Ruth L via Flickr (CC)
Picture this: Friday night, you come home exhausted from another week of running errands, shuttling kids and doing a million different things. Then, your husband shows up with tickets for tonight to that thing you love (fill in the blanks here).
But wait. Dilemma. You have children! You’d have to leave in a couple of hours to make it on time, but you can’t get a babysitter that quickly, nor do you know anyone who’s trustworthy on such short notice!
Looks like plans are cancelled and it’ll be another evening of Disney flicks while you enjoy a microwaved helping of whatever’s left in the fridge.
Now, take out the last paragraph and replace it with you going out and enjoying yourself.
No really, it is possible.
SOSsitter is a website designed for the busy-too-much-to-do parent. It is in short, a database for babysitters for you to find in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec (SOSgarde). On the site there is a database of over 4,000 babysitters who are all over 18. Also, many of these sitters are trained with children with special needs. But the site isn’t for just “baby” sitting. It’s also available for those who’d like a sitter for the elderly and for their pets.
The site was started by a single Canadian mom who simply wanted a solution for herself and the many other parents who need a good review of babysitters.
Each sitter profile includes distance to your home (based on postal code), third party recommendations, references and whether or not the sitter has had criminal background check, so you know what you’re getting when you begin the interview process. The only thing that would make the site better is if it was free, but it is at the moment a paid site. Membership ranges from $20 to $80 depending if it is monthly, quarterly or annually.
Whether you’re looking for a night out, or for a couple-of-days-a-week care, with so many sitters you’re bound to find one that fits your schedule.
We all need a break sometimes and you deserve a night out…without the kids.
News
Family Update: Picky Eaters, Genetically Modified Fish, No Trial for MS Cure, Afghan War Video Game, Added Weight for Married Couples, and More
The strategy of “I packed this lunch for you, and you’re going to love it!” doesn’t work as well any more does it?:
· Pack a lunch that your child won’t pitch (Globe and Mail)
Do you have wish for a new fish dish? It may be bigger and better, but who knows if it’s safer:
· Is genetically altered fish OK? U.S. to decide (National Post)
Feds say not enough evidence to try out MS miracle cure:
· Health agencies won’t sanction national trials of controversial MS treatment (Ottawa Citizen)
Warning: Your kids may want this new video game about war. The twist? It’s about the Afghan War:
· Does the Taliban video game trivialize war? (Globe and Mail)
Curbing sleep issues for your ADHD child:
· Sleep problems, ADHD can go hand in hand (MSN Health)
When you get married or are in a relationship, there’s just “more to love.” Seriously:
· 5 ways to avoid putting on ‘love chub’ (MSN Health)
Fun
Back-to-School: A Neighbourhood Breakfast Block Party!
Back to School Breakfast Inspiration Board via Tiny Prints
Need a wonderful way to get your little one excited about starting school? We love this adorable Neighbourhood Breakfast Block Party plan put together by the lovely folks at Tiny Prints.
But even if you don’t live on a closely-knit cul-de-sac, this fête would be just as much fun, and maybe even more doable, with just your nearest and dearest, be it friends or family.
With a pretty autumnal colour story of marigolds and oranges, all you really need is some yummy bottled juices or smoothies, festive straws, casual flowers and an owl or two here and there.
And for an easy recipe that suits the look, check out these portable breakfast ideas. We’re especially fond of the mouse!
For more brilliant first-day tips, check out CF’s Back-to-School Guide. And find our complete September 2010 issue available in digital edition here!
Crafts & Activities, Fun
Whittle Me This: Check Out this Guy’s Mad Pencil-Carving Skills!
Image courtesy of telegraph.co.uk
So by this point, you’ve already scoured the house from top to bottom in search of any salvageable school supplies to put off yet another trip to the mall. What you likely turned up was a few mouldy lunch bags and three dozen chewed-down pencils.
It’s probably best to ditch the lunch bags and start fresh, but here’s an idea for those stray pencils: turn them into art! Check out even more by this amazing artist!
