Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year!

2010. 365 days of whirlwind of a year.

But a great year it was.

Hannah's first birthday
A job I actually love
A new car
Vacations to Massachusetts, Vermont and Cuba

So what are my resolutions for 2011?

Exercise more: especially yoga
Teach Hannah something new every single day
Keep work as exciting as ever
Do more for me
Go out more as a couple

I'm sure there will be more added to the list as the New Year unravels.

So as I prepare to ring in 2011, I wish you and your families the very best for a healthy and happy New Year!

And then...I'm going to Disney!

Friday, December 24, 2010

The Place of Religion

For those of you with kids in Montreal CPE daycares you have probably heard about the government's recent ruling to ban religion in subsidized daycares.

The decision has left our house feeling uncertain about Hannah's education.

As of June 1, over 100 daycares in the province will have to change their procedures to fit the new guidelines. But, from what I know those guidelines seem quite blurry. If it's ok to have a Christmas tree or light a menorah on chanukah, why is it not ok to teach kids' hebrew songs?

There is a very fine line between "teaching" and "observing". Don't young children need to be taught traditions and rituals in order to observe?

We attended Hannah's weekly Shabbat party at school this morning, as she was chosen to be Ima at school. It was so nice to see how she is learning about her religion and interacting with her peers in a Jewish environment.

I take some comfort in the recent letter put out my CJA. Looks like the fight isn't over just yet.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Tweet Tweet

Twitter. Up until about 3 months ago it was just social media jargon to me.
But now it has become a part of my life, minute by minute.

I started up my own Twitter account a couple of months ago to get a feel for it all. It was just really practice for the FoodFun Twitter account but it got my feet wet and realizing the potential of this social media tool.

And now I am on Twitter all day long. It's the first thing I check when I wake up and the last thing I do before I go to sleep. It is addictive for two reasons:

1. To make great connections.
2. To stay up to date and in the know

From making great editorial connections to finding out about new restaurants and sales, Twitter keeps me updated. This morning it also brought some sad news about the suspicious death of a young Montreal man. Throughout his disappearance Twitter was a huge tool in searching for his location.

It's amazing what this new medium has done. But also a bit scary.

Where do you draw the line between your regular life and Twitter life?

When do you unplug and stop multitasking?

I wish I knew the answers. Hopefully with time I'll figure it out.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Family Getaway

While most people are holiday shopping, we'll be heading out on a different kind of shopping trip. To luggage stores, that is!

Yes, we have booked a family vacation for this winter. And just in time, as we are taking advantage of Hannah flying for free before she turns 2.

So where are we heading? We're going to Disney!

Definitely not the first place I would have thought I'd be welcoming the month of January but with Aeroplan points to burn Orlando was one of the few destinations still available for a reasonable number of points.

So we'll be heading to the mecca of family friendliness. And staying in the lap of luxury. We got a 2 bedroom 1100 sq. ft. villa at the Sheraton Vistana Resort for an unbelievable price. We just have to tidy up for ourselves (ie. no housekeeping) and we're saving $100/night.

So the itinerary isn't completely booked but we're hoping to spend a day at the Magic Kingdom and another at the Animal Kingdom. So many things to figure out...Do we bring a cooler so we don't spend a fortune on unhealthy food at the parks? Do we book a character dinner? Or is Hannah too young to appreciate it (or will she get scared)?

I know there are tons of moms out there who have done their Disney research so if you have any tips, I'd love to hear them!

Friday, December 3, 2010

Want to have some FoodFun?

So I've been talking a lot lately about FoodFun.

Maybe you've checked out our website or maybe our educational games for kids are new to you.

Either way, I have a special invitation just for you Montrealers.

FoodFun will be putting on a live demonstration of our 3 games - FoodMoves, FoodFarm & FoodFlash at Fait Ici.

Here are the details:
Sunday December 12
11:15 am
Kids 3-8 + 1 parent
2519 Notre Dame West (Corner Charlevoix)

If you are interested in having a Sunday morning of fun please email me to RSVP. Space is limited so its first come, first serve.

Hope to see you there!