Our sneak peek at the new Lego Store

When I told my son Cameron, 7, that we would be visiting the new Lego Store in Sherway Gardens the day before the Grand Opening, and that (gasp! Call Children's Aid!) I'd be taking him out of school for this, his response was, "I think I'm going to faint."

As some of you know, my boys are NUTS about Lego. They play with it every day, put Lego on their wish lists for each gift-giving occasion, read Lego magazine, visit Lego.com and count their allowance in anticipation of what they might be able to buy. Cameron even had a Lego-themed birthday party.

So naturally, yesterday's outing blew his mind.

The moment we arrived at the store he clapped eyes on the Star Wars Death Star model - a coveted collector's item - in the shop's gallery window. (You can also get a good look at the impressive Tower Bridge set there.)

"I'm Brandie Weikle" I said to the Lego staffers who showed us around. Cam echoed "and I'm in Lego heaven."

 

One of the highlights was this amazing set-up where fans can assemble their own Lego guys.

 

 Cam had a great time with that. SO many smiles on this outing.

 At the "Master Builder Bar" kids can follow instructions to build Lego models using the bricks in the middle of the table, or play games online, as Cameron is doing here.

Immensely popular with the truly commited Adult Fans of Lego (AFOL), the "Pick-a-Brick" wall offers an ever-changing combination of bricks in various sizes and colours, perfect for creative types inventing their own Lego models.

Speaking of creativity, one of my favourite parts was staring into these display cases to see models put together by talented builders who aren't even Lego staff - just fans happy to share. This theatre, complete with skeleton under the stage, is great...

...as is this circus scene.

As we pulled out of the parking lot after our visit was done, Cameron said "My favourite part was just walking around, seeing what they had and being AMAZED at what they had."

If you haven't had a chance to check out my story on the Lego store opening, you may not know that the grand opening runs Friday from 11-7, and Saturday and Sunday from 10-6. A highlight will be the construction of an eight-foot R2D2 in Sherway Garden's central square.

I also wanted to share that I was helped with this story by Phil Fraboni, an adult fan of Lego who plans to be at the opening on Sunday. Fraboni has been playing with Lego since he was a wee boy. His collecting passion today is Star Wars Lego, of which he was around 50 sets. 

Here he is showing off some of his assembled Star Wars kits. So dedicated is Fraboni to both Lego and Star Wars that this weekend will also see him trooping with the 501st Legion Canadian Garrison in London dressed in Star Wars: The Clone Wars Captain Rex armour.

His mother is a much better Lego mom than I am. She saved all of his sets from childhood INCLUDING THE INSTRUCTIONS! Fraboni plans to put these all together once he has the display space!

You can follow Phil Fraboni on twitter at twitter.com/hamcam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mom the Vote at the polls today!

At the risk of stating the obvious, the final and most important thing you can do to #MomTheVote is make it to your polling station today to cast your ballot.

Seriously. Don’t let anything short of hospitalization or other family emergency get in your way.

Many of you could be looking upon your schedules today and feeling a little stressed. Casting your ballot between work and dinner, or while keeping the baby asleep in her stroller, may seem like just another task piled upon you.

I ask you to consider that only a comparably privileged existence can allow for that viewpoint. Think of the places in the world today where people are going to war for the right to do what we lucky folks can look upon as just another thing to cross off the list.

Graham Hughes/THE CANADIAN PRESS

So how are you going to make this happen? Have you put a voting plan in place? Mine is to leave the office a smidge on the early side (you’re entitled to three hours off if you need it), get my boys from their two schools and take them with me.

Their dad and I have been talking up the election and explaining the process, as we aim to do whenever there’s a chance to vote. It’s a great way to make the democratic process real for the kids. As perturbed as he is that he can’t cast a ballot himself (we did our best to explain using a theoretical Kids’ Party that would cancel school and make ice cream an official food group), Cameron, 7, is keen to understand how it all works.

He's been tagging along on voting day at every opportunity, even one rough time when he was a toddler complaining intermittently of “something [imperceptible] in my eye.” Even when awkward parking and snowsuits were involved. Even when a trip to a church basement fit about as easily into my evening as a root canal.

But you know what? When he’s allowed to vote, I’m absolutely sure Cam will make the effort. (Besides, we’d disown him if he didn’t.)

To cut corners tonight, I’ve planned a simple dinner of grilled cheese or BLT sandwiches with fruit for dinner. I know this meal will come together quickly after I get home with tired kids in tow and it's a relief to have something so easy on deck.

What’s going to work at your house? If your extra-curricular schedule is super demanding this evening, ask yourself what it would say to your kids if hockey or band was given more importance than exercising your democratic right?

Maybe you can even create a fun new ritual around election night – one that your kids can look forward to each time. Could you ride your bikes there together, or watch a movie when you get home? Could you arrange to meet a neighbour and let the kids run around on the grass while you take turns casting ballots? It doesn't matter what you do just as long as you get there.

So tonight, skip something. Order pizza. Go for a post-vote milkshake. Do what you have to do to make your voice heard.

Royal wedding with kids!

My sons didn't get up for the Royal Wedding. Maybe it's a boy thing. I don't know. But Cam went to bed giggling with me over Will and Kate barf bags and throwing out questions like "Are there Will and Kate pajamas? Are there Will and Kate contact lenses?"

But some people's children will be able to answer where they were when The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were wed.

Epitomizing the little girl's view on the event, Star reporter Josh Rubin's 5-year-old daughter said wistfully: "I wish I could be a princess."

Carla Mawyin's daughter, 8, echoed that with "It must be exciting to turn into a princess!"

Maureen Dennis's 5-yr-old daughter nailed it when she asked, "Is this in real life?"

"MOTHER, it's not Kate," said Corinne McDermott's daughter Meg. "It's Princess Catherine."

One little girl was concerned for Kate's safety. "Why is there no seat belt in the car?" she asked her mom, @womenandwealth.

Rubbing their eyes and cuddling under blankets, children huddled to watch the 6 a.m. ceremonies.

Here Reid, age 6, watches the wedding while drinking a cup of tea. And not just from any old teacup. This is a commemorative cup from King George VI's coronation. Mom Barbara Dundas (@ottmomgo) snapped this photo.

Ella Smyth, 7, takes in the royal wedding with a special teacup brought out for the occasion by mom Kelly Smyth.

 

Nadine Silverthorne (@scarbiedoll) shared this pic of her sister and daughter snuggled up early in the morning.

 

 

And at Lianne Philipson-Webb's (@sproutright) house, breakfast for her eldest while younger daughter watched sleepily from the couch!

Displaying characteristic spunk, 2-year-old Maddy said "When I get bigger, I want to be a minister." When mom Mary Vallis replied, "You can be anything you want to be," she replied, "I want to be a sheep."

Nolan Smyth enjoyed the special Royal wedding breakfast prepared by his mom, photographer Kelly Smyth, who took this photo.

Carson Smyth, left, 3, has a show down with brother Carson and dog Marlow over just who will get the whipped cream from this strawberry.

Try as she might to get a scone, golden retriever Marlowe....

...had to make do with this cup of tea. At least it was in the good china, right?

Could anything have be more princess-dreams-come-true than being whisked away in open carriage pulled by white horses? At Shelley Somers's house, her daughter yelled out "Horsies!" at the sight.

McDermott's little son pointed at the TV and yelled "Hawse!" and "Neigh!"

Want to read about some of the kids in the wedding?

Page boy steals the show.

Adorable photo gallery of the kids in the wedding party.

 

Toddler drink-spiking aside, keep going to restaurants!

Two disconcerting cases where a toddler was inadvertently served alcohol in U.S. chain restaurants have emerged in the last week.

Reaction was strong on Twitter yesterday and it got me thinking: For heaven's sake, let's not shy away from taking our kids to restaurants just because this happened. Because you get tired of making dinner every night. Because the terrorists would win if we stayed cooped up inside eating leftover mac-and-cheese. And because we need to expose our children to restaurants early so they know how not to be beasts in same.

Don't get me wrong. It is completely unacceptable that two babes were boozed at Applebees and The Olive Garden. How did sangria end up in a cup with a lid? I suspect it could have something to do with factory-like chain restaurants, harried staff, and similar-looking jugs of orange juice and sangria. Who knows?

I do feel pretty sure of this, though: When you opt to take your kid to a small, neighbourhood restaurant where there's attentive service and things are a little less mechanized, you can likely be a little more confident that junior's juice is vodka free.

 
This is Cam being spoiled to death on a recent (not too) sick day

So please, keep going out. Try someplace new. Maybe even somewhere with proper tableclothes or no kids' menu. It'll be okay.

 

20 blog posts, 20 comments, one day

Today I saw a post by Ali Martell about her longing for the days when blogging was just about writing, reading and sharing and maybe a little less about optimizing and taking pitches and all the rest. In it she pledges to read and comment on 20 blog posts each day and comment on them. Every day.

I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up but I gave Project 20 a go today and found it very enriching. What I learned: There's so much great writing out there and I'm only just beginning to scratch the surface.

Thanks to everyone who shared a link to their blog post. My aim here was to comment in all kinds of places and particularly on blogs where it would be appreciated. I adore getting comments on my little blog, and I hope it brought just a smidge of good feeling to some writers today to see my words below their posts.

It's definitely work to try to fit in that much reading and commenting, though not impossible. I edited fewer stories today because of this undertaking, but I enjoyed it immensely.

It's 10:15 and I'm just finishing up. Here are the links to the 20 blog posts I read and commented on today:

Cheaper than therapy - Project 20

Z recommends - An open letter to the Girl Scouts of the USA

Have Baby Will Travel - Character dining with toddler

A Mother World - J. Crew Ad: Painting sons toes pink a big deal?

Active Kids Club - All-day kindergarten: A child's perspective

Bit of Mom Sense - Healthy snacks and overcoming unhealthy marketing messages

Little Miss Mocha - Thinly veiled discrimination

After the Artist's Way - Clearly, I'm not French

The Tree Hugger - Weekday vegetarian: Artichoke, kale and ricotta pie

Yummy Mummy Club - Nick of Time: Should kids sell cookies for fundraisers?

The Kids Are Alright - Once upon a time I wrote about food

Neighbourhood Sprawl - That's a good joe

Through the Looking Glass - 52 in '11: I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman

Yummy Mummy Club - Julie Cole, The Baby Machine: Online is public domain

Life with Bellymonster: Lost and found, dreams of a daughter

A peek inside the fish bowl: This is what marketing to moms looks like today

Print to Pixels: 18 again

The Boot Camp Blog: Anouncing my diet book

Lovely Bicycle: Female anatomy and saddle discomfort

Enviro Dad: An Earth Day call to action

Hmmmm. Looking over the list I can see that I commented almost entirely (Hi Eric!) on blogs written by women. If I do another post like this anytime soon, I'll make sure to be mindful of that in my reading and try to even it out.

Ka-Chow! Sprockets festival gets underway with sneak peek at CARS2

Writer and mom of two Heather Greenwood Davis checked out the opening of the Sprockets festival this weekend and shares her family's experience with this guest blog post.

Disney Pixar Animator Don Crum must’ve known from the moment he was attacked on the red carpet by kiddy paparazzi that he would have his work cut out for him at the opening night of the Sprockets Film Festival on Friday.

Crum was in town to introduce the World Premiere of the short film Hawaiian Vacation. The film centres on the Toy Story gang trying to cheer up Ken and Barbie after their plans to travel with their new child owner Bonnie are thwarted when she leaves her backpack (with them in it) behind.

And though everyone, including my son Cameron, 6, was excited about seeing the World Premiere, the fact that a good number of kids were wearing Lightning McQueen emblazoned gear was a hint at what had really lured them out.

CARS 2, the long-awaited sequel to the blockbuster, 2006 Golden Globe winning Pixar smash, hits theatres this summer (June 24), and Crum had promised the kids a sneak peek.

So as Crum stood on the red carpet in front of the TIFF Bell Lightbox theatre alongside a life-size replica of the newly revamped McQueen race car he created, he was grilled.

Cameron, normally quite shy, wasted no time in calling him over.

The two had their heads so close together that I can only make out Crum’s responses.

“You’re very observant!"

“You’re right.”

“Well he got that after he won the Piston Cup…”

“You’ve seen the movie a few times haven’t you?”

(More like 793, I think.)

“Well, I hope you’ll like it.”

Turns out Crum had nothing to worry about.

From the moment Hawaiian Vacation hit the screen, the non-stop giggles behind row after row of 3D glasses were proof he had the audience in the palm of his hand. And he kept them there for the full six minutes of the film. When the Cars 2 trailer and clips were shown, kids and parents alike were gasping and grinning at the special effects.

A mix of James Bond thrills and Pixar funny brings a sleek, bolder flashy look to the new movie.

This isn’t another CARS for the preschool set; it's a movie for the kids who’ve aged a few years since the first one.

And judging from the way he’s sitting on the edge of the seat, his open-mouthed stare and the consistent “Whoa!” sound he’s emitting, Cam is clearly giving it two thumbs up.

Hawaiian Vacation will appear in theatres in conjunction with CARS2 this summer.

Heather Greenwood Davis is a freelance writer. Her son Cameron is now counting down the days to CARS2.

The whole pot of tea

I've made a promise to myself. At least once a week, I'll brew a whole pot of tea. And I'll drink it while it's still warm.

It's an incredibly mundane resolution, but it represents so much more than just the caffeine indulgence.

Monday to Friday I make single cups of tea, puttering around before leaving the house for work, juggling loads of laundry and breakfast requests. Sometimes I boil the kettle several times before actually remembering to pour it over the tea bag in one of my favourite blue mugs. Just as often, it gets cold while I make "eggy sandwiches" or oatmeal.

At the office, I buy a second cup of tea at the little tuck shop on the first floor of the Toronto Star building. I usually only manage to drink half or two-thirds of it before it gets cold.

But my new aim is to slow down long enough to (almost) single task as I drink a few cups of tea. For the last two weekends, I've headed to my home's enclosed porch to drink my pot of tea while reading an actual book or newspaper. Not on my laptop. Not on my iPhone. Instead, on my bottom under a blanket (while the mornings are still cool), for the duration of approximately three cups.

As parents, the idea of a few moments to read and sip a favourite hot drink can seem so elusive. Granted, it's easier for me to accomplish this than it is for some. I no longer have a baby who needs to be breastfed every few minutes. Because I share custody of my kids with the boys' great dad, I have a some structured time in my week when I'm not with them (painful at first, but something I've come to appreciate for its silver lining).

However, I maintain that it IS possible for anyone to slow down long enough for a pot of tea or a second cup of coffee. Maybe you'll still have munchkins running around. Maybe you don't have a partner with whom to trade off, or perhaps you're just so in the thick of baby care or early-morning hockey practices it doesn't seem realistic. But all of us can make a choice to indulge in something small and virtually free. If you're on your own with tiny children, maybe you'll have to get some help from the Backyardigans while you sip and read (or have a hot bath or whatever would feel good for you).

What strikes me, though, is the number of people who do share parenting with a partner, but who don't seem to be able to break away for the shortest amount of time. There's a complex matrix here of attachment, guilt, control and inertia. We don't think we can slow down so we don't. But we're actually just making choices to keep doing things the way we always have. And we can make a different choice to grab a little time for ourselves.

Sometimes it appears as though spending every second engaged with the family or our household chores is the noble thing to do. It's hard to get away from that to-do list and the urgent demands of a little one seeking someone to be Mater to his Lightning McQueen. Perhaps it would help to think of the time we carve out for ourselves as insurance against losing it on our kids when we're frustrating and can't bear to listen to another squabble or colicy cry. Because there is absolutely a cause-and-effect relationship between utter lack of personal time and our patience and tolerance.

So let's do this together. What would recharge you just a little? How can you make it happen?

 

Using the good

I realized, with a bit of surprise the other day, that I have a problem with "using the good."

Since I like to serve my 3-year-old yogurt parfaits in my good martini glasses (which, incidentally, turns out to be a good way to get rid of one's fancy martini glasses) I thought I was a veritable poster girl for "using the good." For seizing the day, at least as far as cloth napkins and good china are concerned.

I keep my grandmother's tea service on a tray on the counter. But, admittedly, it's not used as often as I intended when I put it there.

The thing that made me realize I'd been hoarding at least some of the good instead of using it, was a humble bar of soap.

See, people give me these gorgeous soaps for birthdays and special occasions. And instead of tucking into them next time I head to the bath, I spend a year or two admiring their packaging, which I lovingly display on my bathroom vanity or in little lined baskets.

What the heck for? I realized. Is there really going to be an occasion some time in the future where I will need to be better moisturized when I come out of the shower? Why save little luxury items instead of just enjoying them and using them up? It'll bring a little sensory pleasure to the day and cut down on clutter.

I'm not sure what exactly this has to do with parenting, which is the focus of this blog. But I do know that if it's important to me to teach my boys to value a candle-lit dinner and make ordinary experiences more delightful, I better live that way myself!

So moms (and dads): Could you dig out some bath salts (single-malt scotch) and use a little of the good after the kids are in bed tonight?

 

Cutest birthday card ever?

In lieu of a "cute kid quote" this week, I offer this birthday card by my friend Kelly's daughter Ella, to her brother Nolan.

 

Kids' books most likely to be banned

Wouldn't it be nice to live in the world where, at the slightest suggestion of real-world sex or violence, parents didn't scream bloody murder about inappropriate content in school libraries?

Sadly, despite it being 2011, we don't yet live in a society free of intolerant folks who turn up their nose at a book that features homosexuality or talks frankly about drugs.

I don't know if I've got this right, but I'd like to think that school book banning happens less in Canada than it does in the United States. If anyone has statistics that prove or disprove this, I'd love to see them.

Thanks to tweep @redheadwriting, I spotted this awesome infographic on The Good. While it shows the books most likely to prompt parent complaints in the United States, I think it's still worth a look for Canadian readers.

Please check it out and let me know what you think in the comments.

To get a better look, view it in interative mode on The Good Website.

And don't forget to check out our home page to make sure you haven't missed any important parenting news today.