Hamilton News To Know, by Laura Babcock - May 17/13

Hi Moms,
Today has been insane news day -

• In US Obama facing for scandals (Benghazi emails, IRS targeting conservatives, and justice department taking Associated press records) 
• Nationally the scandal involving the Senator Mike Duffy and the Prime Minister's office about his expense claims is outraging the country. 
• Provincially Premier fired head of Ontario Lottery and Gaming and whole board quit. This turns the whole casino issue on its head ( still no word NDP will support Liberal budget either) In Toronto (according to gawker.com and Toronto Star) the mayor caught on video tape smoking crack with Somali drug traffickers. CNN, New York magazine are all over it - this scandal will blow up (pardon the pun) I don't see how the mayor survives it even though crack dealers won't release video - they want lots of money for it. 
• Locally council launched integrity commission complaint against the mayor for allegedly bullying city manager - the city manager said he accepts mayors apology but warned council to respect staff 

Has this week crushed your belief in politics?
Cheers L

What To Do With Kids On Victoria Day Weekend in Hamilton, Ontario 2013

We have a beautiful long weekend ahead of us. I'm thrilled that the weather looks sunny and warm. I have traditionally always banked on the Victoria Day May long weekend to be cold, wet and rainy so this is a wonderful surprise! So in addition to enjoying the sunshine, having lots of family fun and perhaps seeing a fireworks show in Hamilton and surrounding area here's a list of activities we've found to help you get out enjoy our wonderful city and have fun with your family:

Event Schedule

Saturday & Sunday - Guided Tours of Dundurn Castle
Monday - Burlington Bronte Creek Springtime on the Farm
Saturday - Monday - Toronto HarbourKIDS Circus Festival
Friday - Monday - Dusk 'Till Dawn at Starlight Drive-In Theater


Fireworks Schedule

Sunday - Dundas Driving Park
Friday, Sunday & Monday - Fireworks, Illumination & Concert Series Niagara Falls


Enjoy & Explore

Hamilton's Waterfalls & Trails
Roller Skating at Hamilton's Waterfront Outdoor Rink (with DJ!)
Victoria Day Weekend Campout - Valens Lake Conservation Area & Campground
Royal Botanical Gardens Tulip Festival

Spring is here, get outdoors!

Let's face it, staying active during the colder months is tough. If you're anything like me, the thought of heading out into the chilly elements for a run or a hike is daunting. I've been patiently awaiting spring's arrival because I knew that once it got here my motivation levels would go through the roof.

We are so lucky to live in a city with so many great places to explore around us. Here are two of our favourite spots to visit: 

Dundas Loop/Hermitage Ruins - Dundas Valley Conservation Area

I've been hiking the Dundas Valley Loop for years now. With beautiful scenery, lots of extra paths to explore and the Hermitage Ruins, there is lots to see and do. Keep your eyes peeled for Deer, and travelers on Horseback! 

Tiffany Falls 

We love Tiffany Falls because it's a nice short hike. Great for a quick walk if you are limited on time. Follow along a beautiful path, cross over some nice wooden bridges, and end up at the Waterfall. Located off Wilson st between Dundas and Ancaster. 

I encourage you to visit these spots with your kids this summer, I think you'd really enjoy them. Do you have a favourite spot to visit for a hike and some outdoor time? 

Karen is a busy Hamilton Mom to two wonderful boys and four businesses. She regularly blogs at That Mom Blog about working hard at rediscovering herself, getting into shape, and trying to balance it all at the same time. 

Alphabet Play - H is for Horse

The momstown Hamilton preschoolers were horsing around this week at Chapters Ancaster.  We were investigating the letter H and having a great laugh as we practiced making the H sound (Ha-Ha-Ha).


This week instead of cutting out a letter traced onto paper the kids were provided with strips of brown paper and asked to assemble their H craft.

 

The idea behind this it to familiarize them with the letter and how it is formed with just three straight lines.  There is even an educational program that is based on this concept called Handwriting without Tears  (I have not had the opportunity to explore this program, I only know it exists).  Once the kids had pieced together their H they added some details to turn it into a horse.  We used black craft foam for the feet, tail and mane.  Scissor skills were challenged while making small snips to create a fringe on the tail and mane.  The final touches were to make the head and add some eyes.

Those are some great looking horses!

Eric Carle is another of my favourite authors.  I love the way he creates his illustrations by piecing together hand-painted papers in various colours and textures.  This week we read a book called The Artist Who Painted A Blue Horse.

Not a momstown Hamilton member but want to join us next time? Visit us at our momstown Hamilton site and register for a FREE 4 week trial membership and see what we're all about! A membership is only $45/year and you get to participate in amazing programs like this all the time!

Also, in 2013, with every full year membership purchased you get a BONUS subscription to Today's Parent Magazine!

Discovery and Sensory Play Toddler

Our momstown Hamilton toddlers explored using mess free finger painting!  As moms, we always want our little ones to explore and be creative, but paint can make even the boldest mom hesitant when it comes to the toddler age group, since it often seems that everything at this age goes into their mouths.  The kids had a great time with the tactile activity, and they all walked away without a drop of paint on them!

This is an easy project to do with your little one!

Items needed:
- Heavy Duty Ziploc bags (we used the large size heavy duty freezer bags)
- Tempera paint
- Baby Oil
- Glitter



Mix equal parts paint and baby oil into the bag.  I just eye balled it and put a generous blob of paint in each bag.  I let the kids decide which two colours they would like to experiment with, and see how the colour combinations would come out once mixed together.

Add a sprinkling of glitter to make the paint sparkle.  I found that if you squeezed some baby oil onto the glitter after adding it to the bag, it mixed with the paint better.

You can also take the bag down to the table with painters tape to keep it stable, but I found the kids prefer to be able to spin the bag around as they are playing with it.  You can also tape the ziploc bag closed to ensure little fingers don't open it mid-play...it just depends how curious your child is!

The outcome is a creative art project that can be re-used again and again.  The kids were able to manipulate the paint, swirling it together, patting it to make handprints, or trace out letters and shapes with their fingers.

Five tips for better spring cleaning, by Abigail Cukier

There’s something about spring. It makes me want to clean everything.

That darn sun makes me see all the spots on the windows and switching over to warm weather clothes inspires me to give away infrequently worn items. But it’s tough to find the time to tackle everything I want to do. To make things easier, I am trying to keep in mind some wise nuggets I’ve picked up along the way. And so that you don’t have to take the time to find them yourself, I’ve gathered some of my favourite tips here.

The one-minute rule

This one comes from Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project. For any task that can be done in one minute – do it right away. If you put your jeans away right now, it will take less than one minute. If you wait, you end up with a pile of clothes to put away at the end of the week. It’s the same for sending a short email, signing a form or putting a dish in the dishwasher.

Large artwork envelope

I am a saver. So it is hard for me to throw out any of my kids’ artwork. But I force myself to recycle a few pieces every month. I put new work on the fridge and when I take the old stuff off, I recycle one or two pieces and put the others away. But I needed a storage space that does not take up too much room. I am now using this tip from Today’s Parent. Take two pieces of Bristol board and tape or staple them together on three sides and stick the work inside the opening at the top. 

I made two and labeled one for each of my kids. They are stored under my son’s bed and I intend to start a new one each year.

Getting at hard to reach spaces

I just read this one in a spring cleaning guide in Walmart’s new Live Better magazine. You know those pieces of hair and pet fur that gather along the space where the wall meets the floor? Use a toothbrush to dig it out. It really works.

This leads to my next tip...

Spring cleaning checklists

At the start of spring, I always feel like really digging out the dirt. This year, I am going to use these checklists from Live Better to do a thorough spring cleaning. They give tips on cleaning a bedroom, bathroom, living room, front entry and kitchen. With very busy weekends ahead, I plan to tackle one room each week until they are done. 

Turn up the stereo (or Songza playlist)

As much as spring weather makes me want to clean, it’s no fun staying inside when the sun is shining. To make it better, I like to play my favourite music.

When I was younger, I played music during every and any chore. Somewhere along the way, I stopped. But recenlty I started choosing a fun playlist on Songza or pulling out a favourite old CD. It definitely makes cleaning bit more fun. And I must admit, a family dance party has been known to break out right in the middle of a dusting session.

Written by Abigail Cukier of The Amazing Adventures.

Footsteps For Families: Jamie's Walk

My son’s story began when he was just an infant…
There’s something wrong with Chase. A mother can sense these things. My son was going through life like every other little boy, but in my heart, I knew that he was different than the other kids his age. I took him to the doctor time and again and expressed my concerns, but the doctor didn’t find anything that he felt was unusual.

Then, when Chase was two years old, an optometrist noticed that he had Nystagmus, an involuntary movement of one of his eyes. Suddenly, there were serious concerns about a potential medical condition. Less than a month after the discovery, we found ourselves meeting with an ophthalmologist at McMaster Children’s Hospital. Although we were nervous, the ophthalmologist was fun and outgoing, and immediately put us at ease. After examining my “average” three year old, the ophthalmologist recommended that an MRI be done as a precaution. It was scheduled for just a few months later.


Sedation is never an enjoyable experience for a young child, nor is it easy for the parents.  There are a few different ways to make this successful if a child is not cooperating and, unfortunately, Chase had to have his body wrapped in a blanket with just one arm left out for them to insert the IV.  The first attempt failed.  The second attempt seemed successful at first …  but Chase wouldn’t stop squirming and the IV came out. Another failed attempt.

They finally inserted the IV into Chase’s foot. Success.

He screamed himself to sleep. As I watched him lay limp in his father’s arms, it was a heart-breaking relief. It seems too much for a child to have to experience.

The MRI revealed swollen optic nerves and raised intracranial pressure. The emotions were overwhelming.
After a rapid journey of additional rounds of anesthetic and tests, the doctors determined that Chase had Craniosynostosis.  Premature fusion of Chase’s sutras (soft spots) had caused his brain to be compressed.
It was the scariest moment of our lives.  Chase was so young. His friends were his doctors and nurses. And he was completely clueless as to what was going on.

Since then, Chase has had several pieces of his skull removed so his brain can grow (the procedure is called a “decompressive craniectomy”).   His first surgery was back in 2010…the same year our second child was born.  As parents who have gone through so much to understand what is going on with our ‘baby’ how do we then choose who to stay with?  Our nursing baby (who wouldn’t fully take a bottle) or our 3 year old while in ICU?  A decision as such was not clear to us but we were fortunate to have been presented with an opportunity to reside at Ronald McDonald House in Hamilton while Chase was at McMaster Children’s Hospital.  I could stay in the hospital with Chase and have Chloe nearby for feedings.

Having volunteered in the home prior to ever needing it’s services, I had been fortunate to know where everything was, however it was quite a surreal feeling to be the one taking the plate for supper.  I quickly learned just how valuable donations of food and time were to the home and waiting room within the hospital

Since then our family has participated in the Footsteps for Families to raise money for the home and each time we are in the hospital for short stays, we make a stop at the waiting room or the home to drop off a food donation.

Picture of Chase in 2012 holding the food we brought to drop off at the family room in McMaster Children’s Hospital.

Our family will be forever grateful to Ronald McDonald house as it helped heal an already challenging situation.

The Berube Family.

Want to help Jamie & Chase support the Ronald McDonald House in Hamilton? We are walking together in the Footsteps For Families Walk-a-Thon Fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House Hamilton on June 9th. We are looking for sponsors for "Team Happy Feet". You can join our team and seek out your own sponsors or perhaps you will consider making a donation? You can do either one here: http://my.e2rm.com/TeamPage.aspx?teamID=370984&langPref=en-CA

Thank you for your support!!