Toronto Family Day Event for a Great Cause; TheChill.ca #StoppingKidsCancerCold

Family day was first introduced in Ontario in 2008.  Beyond another long-weekend to break up the looooooong winter, it’s a great way for a family to spend some much-needed time together.  While my husband and I enjoyed this long weekend even before we became a family of three, we love it even more now that we can celebrate it with our little one.

I was recently told about a new and exciting event that will be taking place in Yonge-Dundas Square Toronto this upcoming Family Weekend (February 17th & 18th).  The Sears Great Canadian Chill (www.TheChill.ca) is a nationwide series of Polar Bear Dips that will Stop Kids Cancer Cold!  It’s mission is to raise money for kids cancer.  Specifically in Toronto, the funds raised will go to support pediatric oncology research and treatment initiatives at the Hospital for Sick Children.  This is such a great initiative that I just had to spread the word.

Confessions of a stay at home mom (SAHM)

I always imagined that being a stay at home mom would allow me to do some of the things that I didn’t get to do while I was in the workforce. I pictured myself visiting different neighbourhoods throughout Toronto, walking around, discovering new stores and enjoying the fresh air or a nice cup of coffee.  That was all fine and dandy, until reality sank in.  I had Kyle and hardly had time to get to know my own neighborhood let alone visit other ones in Toronto.  Well, here’s a couple of other things I didn’t really expect to experience either, but I’m laying it all out so there’s no confusion about the realities of a stay at home mom (mine anyways).

• I wear the same clothes two days in a row if I know I wont be seeing the same people both days (my husband and son are exempt from this rule)
• I know the theme songs to 10 kid shows (and it’s not because I remember them from my childhood)
• I spend more time in the washroom than I really need too
• I let my 2-year-old get away with more than he should because I don’t want to have a bad day
• Many of my child’s activities include shopping
• I can’t DIY anything 😦
• I look forward to my phone blinking as it’s my way to communicate with the outside world
• I enter several online contests as a way to “contribute financially” to my family
• The iPad is my son’s best friend
• My favorite book to read is “magazines”
• My cleaning schedule depends on when we’re expecting guests
• I know kids love repetition but if I have to read the same book more than 10 nights straight I start to shake (and quickly hide that book)
• I don’t always make my son’s food from scratch
• I don’t buy organic
• I never wear sweatpants because I don’t want to fall into the stereotype
• I don’t always compost because the garbage is more accessible
• After 2 years as a SAHM, my cooking hasn’t improved
• Obtaining my MBA was a cinch compared to being a SAHM
• Even thought I can’t always describe in detail what I do all day long, I promise you I’m busy and exhausted by the time I put my son to bed
• I still prefer being a stay at home mom over working outside the home

If you’re a stay at home mom, what are some of the things that surprised you the most that you weren’t expecting to feel or experience?

Delicious and sustainable Mexican food for the whole family. Chipotle review & Giveaway

About five years ago when I was in New York city for work, a colleague of mine suggested that we go to an amazing Mexican restaurant near our office.  Not knowing the area we were in too well, I took him up on his offer.

I have never heard of Chipotle (www.chipotle.com) before, but I was excited to try it out the moment I set foot in the door.  All of the ingredients looked fresh and the aromas were amazing.  I loved that I could order a burrito in a bowl. I have to say, it was one of my favourite restaurants to eat at in New York.  Yes, I just said that, but it’s true.  It was love at first taste.  I was sooooo excited when they finally opened their doors in Toronto and I could take my family there.  To this day it’s one of our favourite restaurants when we want a special “treat”.

Here’s some awesome facts about Chipotle (as if you needed additional persuasion to go and eat there):

• It’s committed to serving natural and (unprocessed) organic meat
• Food is freshly prepared in front of the customers in an open kitchen
• They serve dairy products that are rBGH (Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone) free.

There are four Chipotle restaurants in Toronto so make it a Chipotle night or lunch with your family.  And to help you achieve that, Babylish Advice and Mayahood Blog are giving away FOUR Burrito bucks.  Each Burrito Buck is equivalent to one free meal good for a Burrito, Burrito bowl, Salad or order of Tacos.

To enter this contest, you need to do one of the followings.  The more you do, the more entries you will receive in the draw.  Kindly leave me a message at the end of this post to let me know which of the following activities you have completed.

1. Like Mayahood on Facebook

2. Like Babylish Advice on Facebook

3. Follow Mayahood blog on WordPress.  Click on the “follow” button and enter your e-mail address to receive my latest blog posts directly to your mailbox as soon as I publish them.

4. Sign up for Babylish Advice’s newsletter found on www.babylishadvice.com

5. Share this giveaway on your Facebook page.  Copy and Paste the following sentences on your personal timeline: Great giveaway from Chipotle Mexican Restaurant.  Enter here for your chance to win 4 free meals for your family to enjoy: http://wp.me/p248bN-os.

6. Let me know (by leaving me a message at the bottom of this post) what you would get from Chipotle if you won this giveaway.

7. Follow Mayahood Blog on Twitter (@fitzpatrickmaya).

Contest deadline is Thursday, December 6th.  Open to all residents in the GTA.  Good-luck!

Top 30 mom blogs in Toronto – Takes 2 seconds to vote for me!

To my amazing blog readers and followers.  As some of you may already know, I made the top 30 mom bloggers in Toronto list on Toronto Mom Now (TMN).  An honour in itself considering how many mommy bloggers there are in Toronto.  If you like my blog, please vote for me 🙂  It doesn’t take more than 5 seconds.

http://www.torontomomnow.com/2012/vote-for-your-favourite-toronto-mom-blogs-of-2012/

There are some other amazing bloggers on the list as well, so check them out while you’re looking.  You can vote for up to 5 bloggers.

If you’re bored by this post, here’s an updated family picture with our cute new puppy that we got last weekend 🙂

 

What to do with Kids in Toronto! – Guest Post

Talk about a one-stop shop for all things going on in the city.  Melanie, a mother of two, has created what I think is the best resource for all things parents and kids in Toronto.  Her blog, aptly named Melanie OTG (on the go), lists various places and activities that one can do with their kids on a daily basis.  She rates each location / activity on a scale of 5 by activities, amenities and value and than gives an overall score.  She has activities categorized by age, location and type.  She even lets others rate / review a place as part of her online Kids’ OTG Activity Directory.  Talk about making it easy for your average busy, stressed-out mom.  I can’t say enough good things about her site and I’m so glad she agreed to do a guest post with me.  We’re also running the Bizzy Bee Playcentre Giveaway together.  Check out the contest details on my site or on Melanie’s and enter to win.  The contest closes this Friday!

______________________________________________________________________________________

I’m a mom with two children and as you may have guessed, I love taking my little monsters out for fun things to do and provide them with opportunities to learn and explore a variety of activities. My aim for this post is to give you a broad range of ideas for things to do with your kids, young and old, in Toronto and the surrounding area throughout the year.

Some I’ve been to and others I haven’t. If myself or others have reviewed the place already, you can read the reviews by clicking on the links below. And if you have a baby, check out my post here which is geared just for babies (toddler post coming soon!), and my Fun for the Month posts that feature my monthly activity picks!

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of the places I’ve mentioned below and if you have suggestions for other fun things your kids like to do!

It’s not easy being a male baby model!

Of course every parent believes that their baby or child is the cutest, and John and I were no exception. In fact, the first thing that my husband John said when Kyle was born was “he’s so cute!”* over and over again.

When Kyle was around 3 months, my brother and sister-in-law were telling me about a friend of theirs who had her son with a modeling agency. I contacted their friend (thanks Jenn) and asked her what she thought about the agency and the overall experience. She said that it was actually a lot of fun! So I immediately went and signed Kyle up. It wasn’t long before we received an e-mail for his first photo shoot. It was a cover-shoot for a Harlequin romance novel, how could I say no 😉 For those of you picturing Kyle with his shirt off rescuing a girl baby from a burning building, it wasn’t quite that cool. He was wearing a sailor’s outfit though!  And it was a lot of fun.

Bizzy Bee Playcentre – Giveaways – winners selected: Frillygirly & Reejsaad

Thanks to everyone who entered our contest.  The winners have been selected!  Frillygirly won entrance to the Princesses in Training workshop on April 28th and Reejsaad won one free day of summer camp.  CONGRATULATIONS! (Please e-mail me at mayay@rogers.com for details on how to claim your price).

A few weeks ago, on a dreary weekend day in Toronto (unlike the weather we’re currently experiencing), my husband and I decided to hit up a local play center with our son Kyle. It was too cold to play outside, so we were stuck in-doors or running around doing errands most of the weekend until we realized we didn’t do anything “fun” for Kyle. So we got in our van and headed to Bizzy Bee Play center in the Beach. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised.  Bizzy Bee was vibrant with happy kids playing with every kind of toy imaginable, going down slides and running around with enormous  grins on their faces. It wasn’t hard to see why the kids were having so much fun, the place was FULL of toys, activities and crafts. Everything was kept nice and clean and tidy considering the amount of kids that were there. Brenda, the owner, an early childhood educator, ensures that the place is kept safe and enjoyable for everyone.

Day and Night; Tremblant, Quebec has something for everyone

We just returned from our 2nd annual family ski trip to Mount Tremblant, Quebec.  Unlike last year, Kyle and I flew there while the rest of the gang made the seven+ hour drive from Toronto.  Kyle and I flew Porter (www.flyporter.com).  I can’t say enough good things about this airline.  The experience was amazing and so fast.  I only had to show up 30 minutes before take-off, even with a toddler!  We received tons of snacks and drinks at the lounge and Kyle loved watching the airplanes.  Before I knew it, we landed.  A shuttle bus took us right to the village where Kyle and I had a few hours to kill before everyone else arrived.

First stop, FOOD!  We went to an Italian restaurant (http://www.pizzateria.com/) and shared a salad and a pizza.  I unfortunately didn’t plan his clothes very well as he was wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs sweatshirt in the (Montreal) Canadians home turf.  Thankfully no one made a comment about it.*  After lunch, I took him to the indoor play pool located in the village – Aquaclub La Source (http://www.tremblant.ca/activities/winter/activities/aquaclub/index-e.htm).  There was a great wading pool for babies / toddlers with a water slide that I was able to take Kyle down.  There was even a jacuzzi the size of a small pool that wasn’t too hot and full of little kids.  It was also pretty neat to watch the skiers from the glass windows surrounding the pools.  Kyle and I ended our two-hour adventure in the jacuzzi.  We warmed up, changed and made our way to the chalet to meet the rest of the gang and daddy. I had to make a quick detour for a Beaver-Tail.  It was sooooooo yummy, I couldn’t resist!!!

The next day, John and I got to hit the slops while his family watched Kyle.  We made it to the gondola at 8:30 and we finished our first run by 9:00.  It was amazing to get back on the skis after a one-year hiatus.  The snow conditions were great but the weather was a little on the chilly side (-16 degrees on the top; but felt much colder due to the wind).  Since this would be my only day of skiing, I wanted to take advantage of it.  We skied about 5 runs, before we had to go inside for a quick break.  My toes were frostbitten and my fingers extremely cold.  After warming up by the fire and drinking some coffee, we hit the slops again.  We were able to ski right into our chalet for a quick-lunch break and continued until the last ski-lift at 3:45.  I don’t know if it was the time of year, the weather or the overall winter seasons that we’ve had, but the slops were empty.  It was amazing!  On some runs, it felt like John and I were the only ones there.  We had the whole trail to ourselves, and we loved it.  Of course, the best part about skiing is the ‘apres ski’.  We stopped at “Le Shack” in the village and ordered a few pitchers, some POUTINE (when in Rome) and shared a few laughs and stories before we headed back to the chalet for dinner.

Tuesday morning, after Kyle’s morning nap and before we had to leave for the airport, I took Kyle to the village.  The weather was warming up and we hung out at the bottom of the hill watching the skiers go by.  Kyle loved just “running” around in the snow and sliding down on this bum on a small hill.  He tiered himself out enough that he napped the entire ride to the airport.

If you’re looking for a fun, quick and great family get-away, look no further than Tremblant.  Whether you’re a skier / snowboarder or just there with friends or family, there is something for everyone.  If you happen to be there with the kiddies but no one to watch them, Tremblant does offer daycare (Kids Club) for children 1 to 6 years old.  http://www.tremblant.ca/activities/kidz/index-e.htm

Hope you have fun 🙂

* Its possible everyone was mesmerized by Kyle cuteness so they weren’t capable of speaking!

Related articles

• Mont Tremblant – October 7, 2011 (joebeans2002.wordpress.com)
• North America: Best Winter Hotels on the East Coast (hotelclub.com)
• Ski Mont Tremblant – Take 2 – Mont Tremblant, Canada (travelpod.com)

Continue to travel with kids!

Growing up my parents were really big into traveling, and I got the “bug”. Travelling definitely tops my list of “hobbies”. When we had Kyle, I was excited to continue traveling like we always had, plus baby! We’ve been very fortunate to travel a bunch since the birth of our son Kyle.

FAO Schwartz in NY city

The first “trip” the 3 of us took was when Kyle was 3 weeks old when we drove up north to the cottage for thanksgiving weekend 2010. Not a “real” trip, but it was definitely a haul. When Kyle was 5 months old, we drove 8 hours (yes, you read that right, 8 hours) to Tremblant, Quebec. Let’s just say, lesson learned, and we’ll never do that drive again! This year, I’m flying porter with Kyle while John, my husband, is driving there with his family. When Kyle was 6 months, we took a 24 hour trip (time of travel from leaving our house to arriving at the hotel) to Hawaii. At 9 months, we flew to New York for 4 days and this past August, we spent a week’s vacation up at the cottage. Most recently, we flew to Edmonton in October to spend a week with my brother and his family and in November, we flew to the Bahamas for 4 days. With all this travel, Kyle is officially an elite frequent flyer member!*