Another Beachy Day

So yesterday's massive downpour reminded me that summer is nearing an end. So to ensure we get the maximum out of our nice days, we took an impromptu trip to the Toronto Beaches. Actually, I got lost driving to the Scarborough Bluffs and ended up at Woodbine Beach.  That's a colossal oops.

This is my only pic from the beach.  Somehow my camera memory card got corrupted as I was uploading pics.  I'm sad I lost so many great pics.   I hope hubby can find a way to recover them.  Until then, here's Joshie hamming it up. 

Only 2 more sleeps until the first day of school!

End of Summer Fun at Rouge Beach

Well, we are in September now and summer is rapidly coming to an end.   Although it is still humid out and hot, the days are starting to get shorter. This Labour Day, we took them to Rouge Beach just to relax. We've been many times before since it's so close and less touristy.

Here we are tossing pebbles in the water

Bunny was afraid of the surf

But Joshie had no problems

We made a sandcastle

Had a picnic snack (oops forgot lunch!) and went home for a nap.  Hope you had a nice Labour Day.  What did you do?

From the Cottage to the AGO to Cityline

So taking a vacation is exactly what the doctor ordered!  This past week was a lot of fun! It all started last Friday when my friend V and I drove up to A's Cottage for a Girls Weekend. It was heaven. A bunch of great ladies, good food, and beautiful scenary.

Here's a view from the dock

A is my crafty gal pal so she made some chimes out of old spoons

We ended up learning how to shoot.  8 gals with a .22 calibre rifle.  Yup.  I did pretty good too! 

We had a lobsterfest on the dock with lots and lots of butter.  There was no dieting on this trip!

The night was so clear and beautiful.  I saw 3 shooting stars!  (And no, they were not satellites.  Real shooting stars!)  I made 3 wishes too!

I really missed hubby and the kids.  Baby bunny missed me a lot too.  I have to give kudos to hubby for watching the kids for the 3 days.

Later in the week, we went to the Art Gallery of Ontario.  I don't even bother trying to get them to smile.  One is always coming from one direction while the other is going the other way.    I saw the Picasso exhibit but through the eyes of my little ones.  I heard things like "he's naked!" and "what's that?" and "she's sad!"  I took the kids in the middle of the week because once Joshie starts school in September, we will only be able to visit on weekends :(  The kids also love going to the AGO because it means going to the Chinatown bakery beforehand for sticky buns and cookies.

By the end of the week, I was exhausted but my cousin had tickets to go to Fashion Fridays on Cityline so 4 of us went down to be audience members.  This has been a tradition for the last 3 years!  I ended up downtown at 8:20am - record time ever!  I missed my GO train so I ended up driving and got there at the same time as the train.

Here's a pic of Dundas Square... I can't believe how much it has changed over the years.   I remember when there were no ads and no big retailers.

Next week will be our chillaxing week before school starts.  I'd better get started on kiddo's new backpack!

The Bata Shoe Museum

So it's summer and there's not enough time to be writing, playing, and running my Josh & Teo ETSY shop.  There's a ton of stuff to do here in Toronto and every weekend is a festival of some sorts.   I almost need a vacation from summer!  Of course the kids are so happy to be running around outside, riding in their tricycle gang, and enjoying some cool treats.

It's always nice to check out new venues so I took them to the Bata Shoe Museum.  We go to the ROM so often that it's nice to see something different!  The promise of a scavenger hunt and puppet theatre lured us into the Bata Shoe Museum.  It's been years since I first went with my friend T.  We both wore our Fluevogs of course!

So a shoe museum is pretty much all about shoes.  Surprisingly the kids had fun!  They thought these very big feet were really funny.  Baby Bunny kept on saying "dat's funny!"

We then went to the puppet theatre.  It started off with the kids but ended with hubby.

I really wanted to see the Roger Vivier exhibit.  The shoes were so beautiful - a far cry from my mom-shoes.  The kids couldn't understand why I kept on staring at the shoes.  My fave were these orange beauties!  I love how the addition of the little bow makes these shoes really stand out.

We did our scavenger hunt.  Baby bunny had no patience but Joshie was really good at searching for the shoes.  We saw shoes from many cultures and eras.  I love the Louis Vuitton shoe closet!

We ended with a certificate for Joshie - none for Baby Bunny!

What a fun place! 

The Bata Shoe Musuem is located at 327 Bloor St. West, in downtown Toronto

Enjoy your summer!

Summer in the City... Taste of Lawrence

Nothing says summer like street fairs!   For years now, we've been going to the Taste of Lawrence street festival.  I remember when it used to be really really small. 

It's a nice little festival...  I discovered a really cool quilting shop called Sewing Machine Factory Outlet in a tiny strip plaza.  If you're into sewing, you have to go in.  They have a huge selection of really nice fabrics!

There's a big selection of truck food

Entertainment (fire guy!)

 Rides

Kid in a bubble was probably my favourite to watch.  I think the "Canada Bubbles" attraction was new for this year.

There's always room for some carnie games.  Unfortunately our favourite was closed!

That's ok though... we had fun watching the carpet slide with the bear.

Joshie tried his first game and won a little dolphin

 By the end of the night, we all had some cones and headed on home. 

 Can't wait for the next one...  Happy Summer!

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day!

It was a scorcher but we managed to go to Thomson Park and enjoy some of the festivities.  We saw some animals from the Bowmanville Zoo and we met up with Tall Guy again. 

We always love to see the Historical Museum.  I felt bad for the "pioneers" - they were in full costume today. 

Of course every party needs some bouncy castle type things. 

Most exciting of all...  Joshie flew his first kite! 

After our evening plans were cancelled due to sick hosts, we ended up watching the last Eurocup game.  So sad Italy lost... so much so that we had a parenting FAIL!  We forgot to take the kids out to see the parade down the street.  By the time we got there, it was pretty much over.  So, we all got popsicles which made the kids happy and turned the FAIL into a PASS! 

It was really hard to settle down for the night - lots of sparklers and glow sticks turned the kids a wee bit  hyper.  But, eventually they settled down and didn't wake up when the real fireworks started. 

Oh Happy Day!

My City: Rouge Beach

When most of us think of going to the beach in the city, we think of Ashbridges Bay.  However if you're looking for a less touristy alternative, consider a trip to Rouge Beach.   The beach is located right where the Rouge River meets Lake Ontario.  

Here's our first sandcastle of the year

You can fish in the river too!  See the guy at the bottom corner of the pic?  Wonder if he was able to catch any fish with the loud train overhead.  The kids loved seeing the Via train as well as the Go Train.

They could've spent their whole day digging for tiny stones

Hubby and I enjoyed the view...

While the kids practiced skipping pebbles

Love how they do everything together

It's a nice way to spend a lazy Sunday morning - much more low key than Ashbridges but just as nice.

Rouge Beach is located at 195 Rouge Hills Drive, Toronto.

Cha-cha-changes... Junior Kindergarten & The Royal Ontario Museum

This week I watched my little boy grow up a little bit.  Normally I don't notice the subtle changes until I go back and watch old videos.  This week he really showed me that he's growing up.   Here's what happened:

1.  Junior Kindergarten Visit

On Monday, we went to his school for a pre-junior kindergarten visit.  He wore his little man uniform shirt, a pair of shorts, runners, and his little backpack.  He really did look like a little man.  I was really proud of his ability to hold his own.  I was a little worried what it would be like, as he'll be one of the youngest in his class this September.  This visit was good for both of us... he got to see his class and I get to worry a little less.

Here's what made me smile:  1) He said "hi everyone" to the kids in the class without being prompted  2) He raised his hand to answer a question 3) He stood up in front of the class and read the number "14".   For a kid that has never been in daycare, he was really good!  I was surprised he could sit still for so long because I was getting fidgety.  But when a fly came into the classroom, he got distracted as did all of the other students.

Here's a picture of him finding something on the ground.  His "homework" has been all but forgotten.

2.  Visit to the Royal Ontario Museum with his friends

On Wednesday, we went to the Royal Ontario Museum with his little friend H.   They met at a kids party and then ended up taking some classes together (cooking and numbers) through the Ontario Early Years Centres.  This is the same friend that got this apron for her birthday.  

What really stuck out for me was that he was being "Mr Tour Guide" and telling her about all the cool stuff at the museum.  It was almost like he was showing off what he knew!  He was also really brave about going into the bat cave. -

When Matteo lost his shoe (worst thing that can happen in his world), Joshie stayed behind with his friend at the knights exhibit.  While I was busy hunting down the shoe, he showed her his favourite piece in the European collection (the "Lemon Lime" dish).  

Pals who like dinosaurs:
 

Must dig for bones... Poor Matteo is too short to dig for bones.

3.  Play Time with Little Bro

I hear him saying things like:

• It's not like that.  Do you want me to show you how?
• You get the first one you touch!
• You need to take turns!
• Do you want to play with me?

So yes, my baby is growing up.  I'm totally going to be the Mom that cries on his first day of school.