Family Friendly Getaway to Toronto

A weekend trip to Toronto can be exciting for the entire family. I had forgotten how fun it is to wake up in a hotel in a big city, go down for a swim and then take off for the day on a walking trip that will present all kinds of surprises and wonders for your children. Being in a city can be extremely family friendly if you plan strategically. Staying in a hotel that is centrally located is a must. The Fairmont Royal York is located perfectly for exploring the CN Tower, St. Lawrence Market, the shops of Queen Street and the ROM – Royal Ontario Museum. A clever feature offered through their in-room dining is a picnic lunch provided in a re-usable backpack they will provide you and your family with sandwiches, fruit, vegetables, drinks and water for you day outing.

We decided we wanted to walk in order to take full advantage of stopping along the way to explore and discover the unexpected. With map in hand we set out for the day heading towards Queen Street to poke around the shops before making our way to the ROM. The ROM is a wonderful museum and something I greatly appreciate bringing up a young family in a city without a proper museum. From the dinosaurs and ancient Egyptian exhibits to the featured exhibition – Dead Sea Scrolls – our boys loved the displays and interactivity at Canada’s largest museum of world cultures and natural history. The ROM has an excellent website that can greatly assist with your planning both at the museum and around the city, including information about Toronto, dining information and a comprehensive list of accommodation options.

Before heading to the museum we had discovered that there are Toronto City Passes that you can be purchased. For $59 for adults and $39 for children you receive a pass for 5 attractions in the city which include the CN Tower, Casa Loma, Royal Ontario Museum, Ontario Science Centre and the Toronto Zoo. Our boys were excited to go up the CN Tower and even though we were floating in the clouds it was a lot of fun…for them any way. Standing on the glass floor is not for the faint of heart. From there we experienced the Toronto street cars and made our way to Casa Loma. The legacy of Sir Henry Mill Pellatt, a prominent Canadian financier, Casa Loma is an impressive mansion worth a visit. The wonderful view experienced from climbing the turreted towers and exploring the tunnel connecting the castle to the stables are a few of the features that make this a great place for kids to explore.

The only problem we had on our excursion to Toronto was a lack of time. We really needed a few more days to explore the other attractions and to further enjoy Canada’s largest city. We will be back!

To plan your family friendly trip to Toronto, it can be helpful to visit the Tourism Toronto website located at SeeTorontoNow.com

Holiday Wish..? by Leanne Hume, Nannies on Call

Holiday Wish..??
How about Back Up – Corporate Subsidized ..or Fully Funded Childcare

Not sure what to ask your boss for Christmas this year?
Interested in hearing about a program designed to help your company best plan for a future that is flexible, family friendly and progressive?…oh….And make your life as a working Mum a little easier…

Here is A Holiday Wish you can approach your employer (or employees) with this season…that benefits everybody!!

Amidst cutbacks, companies with a long term view are introducing low-cost, high impact benefits to deepen loyalty and retain staff.

Nannies on Call, Western Canada’s premier childcare agency, is pleased to introduce its Corporate Backup Childcare Program providing in-home backup childcare for employees of participating organizations. Occasionally, regular childcare arrangements breakdown, due to snow days, School PD days, a child’s mild illness, and so on, and this is a significant source of stress for employees with young children.

This program is a relatively inexpensive benefit that offers a
significant return on investment. The direct costs of childcare-related absences in Canada are approximately $3-$5 billion a year. Providing employees with a reliable solution increases productivity and reduces absenteeism and turnover. This results in huge cost savings for organizations. Companies registered with this program are taking the long-term view that eventually the economy will rebound. When this happens, in order to be competitive, companies will need to be well positioned with loyal, engaged and talented staff, and have a reputation as an employer of choice.

“Backup childcare is one of the fastest growing work-life benefits in
North America, and Nannies on Call has been approached by several
organizations requesting a program like this,” says Michelle Kelsey,
Owner of Nannies on Call. “Employers are looking for ways to reduce
absenteeism and related costs, and employees value knowing that when
they need it, they can have access to trustworthy, reliable
childcare.” In fact, a third of workers rank the ability to balance
their family and work as the first or second most important factor
when taking a job.

Nannies on Call offers a partially subsidized model in which companies
pay an annual registration fee starting at $1000, depending on the
number of employees. The employees then have guaranteed access to a
qualified, professional nanny at a discounted rate during working hours. Another option is a fully subsidized model, in which the company pays the
hourly fees of the nannies, up to a set number of hours per year.

Is this something you would like wrapped up and left on your desk this holiday season? Let your employer know…it means less stress for you…fewer disruptions and disturbances to your work flow…and safe secure happy kids… let the bells ring out!!
We think this program is one worth mentioning at the water cooler…

Nannies on Call is Western Canada’s premier childcare agency serving
Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria and Whistler. In addition to the
Corporate Backup Childcare Program, the company offers ‘on call’
childcare services available 24 hours a day, seven days a week as well
as a cross-Canada nanny placement service for temporary, part-time and
full time nannies. Nannies on Call defines the highest standards in
childcare, with carefully screened, trustworthy and experienced
nannies.

Travel Recipes – Sneaking Away (just for a weekend) – Let Us Know Your Favourite Parent Getaway Destinations

We love to travel and we love to travel with our kids but sometimes it is so fun to sneak away, just the two of us, for a few days. I know it seems impossible; the thought of getting away with your respective other for a weekend but it can be done and is so very important for your relationship. The trick I realized is to make it a destination that is easy to get to and is a one-stop shop (spa, pool, restaurants, entertainment) where you potentially don’t even need your car once you arrive. So for the next few months Connect Moms is going to be featuring just these type of parent getaway destinations and what to do when you arrive. Other than sleep!

Our first will be the Tulalip Resort in Washington State. Stay tuned and send us your stories about great parent getaways! Just email sarah@connectmoms.com.

Create the Home Life You Deserve With the Support of a Family Coach by Jane Richards; Family First Coaching

Create the Home Life You Desire with the Support of a Family Coach

By Jane Richards; Family First Coaching

Is your home life stressful?
Do you battle with your kids about bedtime, homework, and curfews?
Do you wish your kids were more responsible?
Is your family time practically non-existent?
Do your kids seem more connected to their friends than to you?
Do you feel pressured by your peers or extended family about how you should parent?

As parents, nothing is more important to us than our kids. Yet, while we are crazy for our kids, at times, parenting them can make us crazy.

Whether we have preschoolers, grade-schoolers, tweens or teens, balancing career, child-care, social responsibilities, extra-curricular activities and sports teams whilst doing a “bang up” parenting job, can be extremely challenging.

All parents have parenting struggles at different ages and stages in their children’s lives.
Even your neighbours, who appear to have the perfectly happy, uber polite, well adjusted, overachieving children, have “parenting” moments – believe me!

No one wakes up in the morning determined to create a chaotic, stressful home life.
But sometimes life takes over and our home lives and relationships can get off track. When things slip sideways, we can lose confidence in our parenting abilities and we can feel disconnected from our kids.

A Certified Professional Family Coach may be the answer for many overloaded, working parents, who, while trying to do it all, discover that they are not “where” they want to be when it comes to their children. Parents can easily lose sight of what they really want, not only for their kids, but also for themselves. A Family Coach can offer ways of empowering parents to discover their best parenting answers and to help them get back on track.

A Family Coach offers an incredibly flexible, confidential support service that can be tailored specifically to meet the needs of each individual client. Coaching happens when coach and client work over the phone, or face to face, to:

• Gain perspective
• Identify self-defined outcomes
• Develop plans and strategies
• Learn new tools
• Overcome obstacles
• Take action, move forward and achieve positive change

With the support of a skilled Family Coach, parents can learn to shift their parenting approach as their children change and grow and can proactively plan for what is up ahead.

Time with your family is precious! Don’t waste it! Call a Family Coach and make a plan.

• Create boundaries that are effective
• Support your kids to become more independent
• Improve listening skills
• Establish more family time and increase the “fun factor”
• Strengthen your attachment to your children and teach them how to make value-based decisions vs. peer-based decisions
• Tap into your parenting instincts and parent with greater confidence…

Thus creating the home life you desire!

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5 Tips for Creating “Calm” at Home – Set Clear Boundaries

Tip#1: Get on the Same Page
If you co-parent, it is imperative to get on the same “parenting page” as your partner. Kids know all about divide and conquer; therefore it is important to present a united front when it comes to limits, expectations, rules and routines.

Tip #2: Lead by Example
Practice what you preach and model the behaviour you expect your children to exhibit. If you want your kids to respect you and the boundaries at home, you must consistently adhere to them.

Tip #3: Set Your Child Up for Success
If you have young kids, boundaries can be very specific. “Brush your teeth before bed.” “Wear your helmet when you ride your bike.” But as your kids mature, creating boundaries takes more thought and planning. For example, let’s take homework:
Are there set times to do homework?
How old is your child and how much work is reasonable for him?
Who’s responsible for making sure the work is done?
At which point do parents help out with homework?
Are there clear consequences set out if homework isn’t finished?
Take the time to think things through and establish routines that make sense. Set reasonable expectations and predictable, fair consequences hence diminishing frustration and confusion. If there is one place you want your child to consistently experience success, it is most definitely at home.

Tip #4: Monitor and Adjust
If things aren’t working don’t be afraid to change them up. Ask for your child’s input. Kids have great ideas!

Tip #5: Pick Your Battles
Not everything will improve overnight. Pick 3 to 4 things to focus on and give it time.

Setting clear boundaries for your children is so worth it. No matter what age or stage your kids are at, when they know what is expected of them they feel respected, more secure and more confident.

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Jane Richards is a Certified Family Coach accredited by The Academy for Family Coach Training. She is also an Elementary School Teacher and Mom to 2 girls and a boy, ages 9, 12 and 14 yrs. To contact Jane, you can call Family First Coaching 778-340-0036 or email jane@familyfirstcoaching.ca

Taking Stress On by Michelle Vandepol

Working mother

Taking stress on – it’s better than the alternative.

There are many potential sources of stress in modern everyday life, from the mundane – dishwasher breaking, to the pivotal – mommy or daddy losing their job. Usually we can deal with isolated stressors, but there are times, especially in economically challenging times, that a million tiny stressors can add up to something much bigger.

Take that original dishwasher. It might not be a big deal, even if it didn’t get fixed right away. One can always wash the dishes by hand. But if you add it to a family who is worrying about employment, behind on their bills, and short cash for everyday necessities; trying to sell their home and keep it showing ready, and having issues with their kids who are affected by parental arguing, or dealing with single parenting, you have a recipe for deserved melt-down. If bottled up and turned into a bitter or self-pitying spirit, negativity becomes a hard monkey on the back to shake.

The advice here, is not don’t worry, be happy. While thinking positive is an asset to your game plan, there are times when it feels nearly impossible. Being realist about your stressors, even listing them, is fine. In fact taking time to give yourself kudos for dealing with them all, can alleviate some of the stress of the feeling of not being enough.

No matter how difficult the circumstances, they will not always be this way.
Don’t measure your difficult life against another’s seemingly easier one. Much of what we see of others’ lives is a façade. If their lives are in this moment easier, they might have difficult times coming, or in their past. Instead of focusing on others, think of the skills you are acquiring in having less in the way of resources and the ways you can provide for your children the way no one else can. Put those bills aside, do the damage you can on them come payday, and try to enjoy the days between.

It’s time to put some of your needs upfront so you can deal with the stress that is bombarding you. Ok, so this is probably not the time to get an expensive gym membership or book spa appointments, but there are little things that can save your mind. A new novel or movie from the library, a brisk ten minute walk by yourself, a coffee out with a friend – they can recharge you as much a something a hundred times their price.

Remember that you want to come out of this challenging place with your relationships intact. Taking our stress out on our families wears away at that glue that holds us together in the first place. We can require the same restraint for the rest of our family members as well. So if a spouse is complaining about the budget dinner or the kids are upset that they cannot get the things that you used to be able to treat them to, do not place those additional stressors on yourself. It seems noble to worry about fixing their distress, but it could very well be more damaging in the long run, when you are lose it on them for their lack of gratitude even when you are making sacrifices for them.

So don’t. Learning to deal with some uncomfortable realities is part of life. You are still providing them with love and food and shelter. If you are the only one juggling the demands of the household, delegate some. With the freed up time, your family can try to overrun the difficulties with the good stuff. By replacing the lacking with a new lifestyle – things like putting something small and fun on each day of the calendar – a trip to the park, doing something outdoorsy, crafting or baking together, inviting friends over, taking in an outdoor concert, or hitting garage sales.

Later you will look at this chapter in your life and will not remember its difficulty clearly, but the things you learned and the strength of your relationships will still serve you.