HaPpY NeW YeAr

Hi Everyone!!

Here's what I've found!

Free Events in Waterloo
Manulife Financial Sportsplex & Healthy Living Centre, RIM Park
2001 University Avenue East,
519-884-5363 TTY: 1-866-786-3943
7-9pm: Public Skate @ Pillers Rink
7-9pm: Public Skate @ Optimist Rink
7-9pm: Adult Skate @ Lions Rink

Albert McCormick Community Centre
500 Parkside Drive,
519-885-1220 TTY: 1-866-786-3943
7-9pm: Public Skate

Waterloo Public Square Family New Year Celebration
King Street & Willis Way, Waterloo
519-886-1177 TTY: 1-866-786-3942
8pm-12am: Ring in the New year with music, dancing and free skating on the Ice Rink.
Bring the kids for a 9 o'clock New Year Celebration or stay for the main event at midnight. 12 midnight Free ginger ale “champagne” toast.

(The swimming at the Rec Complex has been Cancelled)

Free Event in Kitchener
City Hall
Ring in 2011 at Civic Square!
Join us for the largest free, outdoor New Year’s Eve celebration of its kind in Waterloo Region! Ring in the New Year at Kitchener City Hall on Friday, Dec. 31 from 5 p.m. to midnight.
Enjoy an evening of family fun with free public skating, live entertainment - and two countdowns to 2011!
Erick Traplin kicks things off at 5 p.m. with a children’s New Year’s Eve celebration.
Beginning at 9 p.m., ring in 2011 with K-W Glee and opening artist, 2009 Canadian Idol contestant Alisha Nauth.

Free Event in Cambridge
Family New Years Eve Party
Friday, December 31st, 2010
Join family and friends to celebrate a new year. Family skating, costumed characters, video skating party, games and more.
6:00 - 8:00pm
Location: Hespeler Arena, 640 Ellis Road
Contact: 519-740-4681 ext. 4277 or
http://www.christmasincambridge.ca/


Free Event in Brantford
Come celebrate New Years Eve at Harmony Square!
With entertainment from Green Daydream! The ultimate Green Day tribute band taking the stage at 10:30pm. Checkerboard Floors will play at 8:30pm. Full stage schedule coming soon!
There will be food, an outdoor licensed area provided by The Piston Broke, skating, music and entertainment all night long! :)
Bre Creative will be facepainting too!
Bring in the new year at Harmony Square!
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Chicopee Event
Ticket cost for this one details are here http://www.discoverchicopee.com/index.php/events/info/chicopee_new_years_bash/
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New Year's Day
Meet Mayor Zehr and council at New Year’s Levee
Citizens and visitors of all ages are invited to join Kitchener’s mayor and city council at the 2011 New Year’s Levee, held at city hall on Sunday, January 2, 2011 from 2-4 p.m.
This free event is an annual ritual to mark the start of another year, exchange New Year’s greetings with friends and neighbours, and with council, in anticipation of good news for the year ahead.
Bring skates for a spin around the rink on Civic Square, then warm up indoors in the Rotunda, where the Kitchener Musical Society Band will be performing. There will also be a special performance by members of the Grand Philharmonic Children’s Choir.
Refreshments are donated each year by Bingemans.
The levee is a great chance to greet returning members of Kitchener City Council, meet the newest councillors, and continue the holiday spirit into 2011.
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Jan 9th

Mayor’s New Year’s Levee
Time: 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM
Description:
Don’t miss Waterloo Mayor Brenda Halloran and Council’s annual New Year’s Levee. The event is on Sunday, Jan. 9, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., at RIM Park.
Enjoy free skating, children’s activities, live music and entertainment, and food and refreshments, while quantities last.
Entertainment will be provided by the K-W Symphony Community Orchestra, pianist Jason White, the Chinese Singing Group, the Wilfrid Laurier University Singers, the Waterloo Collegiate Institute Ensemble, the K-W Skating Club and Happy Space Clowns.
A free Grand River Transit shuttle will run from Conestoga Mall to RIM Park during the event. Call 519-585-7555 for more details on the shuttle.
RIM Park is at 2001 University Ave., Waterloo.
For more information on the levee, please email linda.vandenakker@waterloo.ca or call 519-747-8700.
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Also FYI most kids are off school Jan 14th if you're looking for a good place for them to spend the day while you're at work I highly recommend The Camp @ THE MUSEUM (aka The Children's Museum)
http://www.themuseum.ca/children-camps.htm
 ask for Sherri tell her Lisa McDonald sent you.


In the not so distant future we'll be having our APRIL 9th MeFest at the Waterloo Rec Complex. If you know anyone who would like to be a vendor please have them email those2girls@writeme.com

We hope you put it on your 2011 calendar! It shows how much you support this group when you come to the show!


Here's something fun http://email.chuckecheese.com/hostedemail/share.htm?h=22b5b765ad01a9916028973f5d35e003&CID=12354845010&ch=DB51DA44B20FCA2FD5FFBD3DEE703526&show=1
If you move the mouse around & click the mouse it's grabbing tickets for you to redeem at Chuck E Cheese (I got 27)

Also I'm putting together a post about Friendships Formed on Facebook & Twitter. If you'd like to contribute just send a message to my inbox facebook.com/lisamcdonald122

HaPpY NeW YeAr!!!
& Keep Smiling!
Lisa

@kwartzlab with @DarinTheGreat

Normally Tuesday nights are busy around here. With dinner the homework it doesn't leave much time for anything else!  Being that it's Christmas Break here in Kitchener-Waterloo we decided to check out the @kwartzlab 's Open Night (held every Tuesday at 7pm) & we're so glad we did!  Here is just a sample of the neat stuff that @DarinTheGreat showed us.

After that we got to see an EGG BOT in action!

How are we spending the rest of Christmas Break?  I believe ripping apart old computer hard drives and seeing what we can come up with!
For more info about kwartzlab please visit http://www.kwartzlab.com/

Thanksgiving on 10/10/10

Today being the only time I'll be seeing 10/10/10
I asked people what they are doing at 10:10
I was told many are people are getting married, some people are just starting brunch & many are getting ready for Thanksgiving.

In Canada the holiday is tomorrow, but the majority of my Kitchener-Waterloo friends are having their big turkey dinner today, so they can enjoy the Oktoberfest Thanksgiving Day Parade & family day at a lot of the festhalls.

As for myself today at 10/10/10 at 10:10 I was hanging out with the person I am most thankful for, playing the sport he is most thankful for (incase you're new to my blog it's hockey). He is the subject of this blog. I'm very happy about our 10/10/10 at 10:10 moment this Thanksgiving.  I'd love to hear about yours!

Video Diary of Our Day Trips!

& we saved the best for Last .....

Convo time again

Son "I like pulling off scabs it's fun"

Where exactly does the fun come from? The thrill of ripping it off in one tug (like peeling a beer label)? Seeing whether or not you have to yell "MOMMMMMM I need a Band Aid"?
Deciding if you're going to get up & put it in the garbage?
I'm not sure where this thrill in all of this is as long as it doens't end in "Ewwwwww"

Convo from today

Son : I'm like a ninja
Me : Huh?
Son : I just jumped off the stairs.
Me : Oh okay, be careful NinjaBoy
Son : I'm not a ninja
Me : You just said "I'm like a ninja"
Son : Ya, I said I'm LIKE a ninja

Too funny

Do write about your tween?

I love that a lot of Moms write about their families. The thing is, most write about their babies & toddlers. That's okay, that's what they know, & I will continue to read & support them. I just wonder who writes about their tweens? I'd like to connect with some others who post or enjoy reading about raising tweens. Does that exist or am I a lone soul here in the blogsphere?

SWAGGER WAGON

Different Era (Thankfully)

Last night I took my son to East Side Marios (FYI Kids eat free is on from Mon-Wed where we live).
We sat so we could see the screen with the Canadian Women's Hockey playing Sweden.

My son asked Do you know how many medals the Canadian Women's Hockey team has won? I said I know at least 2 gold medals
(I've since looked it up 1998 - Won Silver Medal 2002 - Won Gold Medal 2006 - Won Gold Medal)

& he responded THAT'S IT? Only 2 we're known for hockey!!! Why only 2?

That's when it clicked.

I told him that the Women's hockey has only been recognized as an Olympic Sport for the last 3 Winter Games (as well as the one we were currently watching).

He asked WHY?

Goes to show you how things change. He's not from the mindset that girls can't play sports. He doesn't have a sister so it's not like he can see her play. It's great to know that our kids have a different mindset.

It also makes much more sense to why he laughs so hard at this EGGS commercial. He keeps saying, those guys don't know that these girls are in the Olympics. Most chuckle because of the whole girls playing hockey thing.



I'm glad to know there's a shift in this thinking. No more Us VS Them when it comes to sports. We can all play (well except me, due to an extreme lack of co-ordination, but I'll cheer from the sidelines).

Here's another great example of sports commercials with more forward thinking

Thank-You for our newest source of fun! & our 1st Flip Video

As you may know Tweens love anything that sounds gadgety. I don't know how many times I've been asked to purchase a SHAM WOW or MIGHTY PUTTY (infact one time I had a pimple & was told I NEED TO BUY THE MASK=PROACTIVE). They advertise all these products on Teletoon Retro (which is something I should add to my post from a few days ago about what to watch with a tween).



Back to gadgets. We do have some gadgets, but not many Hi-Tech ones.

That all changed!

On twitter we won a Flip Ultra HD!

Courtesy of @ParentClub (follow her, she rocks)

So here's our thank-you card/video

What to watch with a Tween ?!?!?!?!!?

I myself am looking forward to the arrival of THE A-TEAM to theatres this summer (take a look)
Once again I'm up in the air if it's appropriate for my son.

Seeing this brings me back to the days of watching shows like
THE A-TEAM & THE DUKES OF HAZZARD. These were just fun shows filled with comedy & adventure (& a lot of car chases).
Where are those shows now?
Heck I'd even settle for something like Love Boat or the Cosby Show we can watch & not have to discuss later.
Everything now is full of CRIME DRAMA or INAPPROPRIATE COMEDY for his age.

What happened TV networks?

Did you forget families do like to watch TV together? You know, just turn it on & click to something funny or action packed.
If you want to do that now, it involves renting a movie (which then means making popcorn, turing the house into movie theatre etc).

What do we watch?
Survior, YTV & Sports

Survivor is funny & adventurous. He gets bored during the monologues, but joins me to see the challenges & the voting at the end.

YTV has shows like Drake & Josh, as well as iCarly (but have heard those shows are moving to Nick Canada & I think I'll have to pay to get that channel).

As for Sports. This used to be the true fun experience for us. We would watch the games at night & in the morning we'd watch the Sportscentre highlights.
That all changed with Tiger Woods. Not that I think Athletes are role models, it's just that one morning Sportscentre spent most of it's show talking about that whole fiasco. I kept clicking away & back to the station since I kept hearing "I really want to see the scores". I'd click back, still talking about Tiger. Click away & click back & the announcers are talking about Tiger. Click away & click back, now everyone on the show is joking about Tiger.

Seriously? I when did TSN become TMZ ?

So here I am hoping that the A-TEAM movie will be so successful that they make a TV spinoff, which would then bring that whole thing full circle (expecting the new plotlines not to be extremly violent & controversial).

One can only hope.

What do watch with your children? I'd love to hear, maybe we would enjoy it too!

My 1st Retail Giveaway!

Hey there Holiday readers, hope you are well this holiday season!

Things are very exciting around my place! We're busy playing Squeeballs for Nintendo Wii & DS


This game is rated E10, which is perfect for my son!

It's a game about being a toy tester. As a player you must run these toys balls through a variety of challenges to see if they hold up under the Extreme playing situations.
The Squeeballs that pass the tests make it off their island & can go to the toy store.
It's truly a fun & silly game, which makes it perfect for family play.
There are several ways to play it. On our Wii we chose PARTY MODE so we could take turns playing the challenges on the Ladder. As you get better, more challenges are unlocked & added to the Ladder.
I don't know about the DS version yet, as my son won't let me get my hands on it (so I'm guessing that's a good thing).

Want to see why we're giggling all day with this game? Take a look at this short video http://www.squeeballs.com/#/see-us-in-action
Also on the site you can see other info about the game by clicking the buttons on the blender (yup you get to blend a Squeeball - too funny!)

I'm giving away a copy of Squeeballs for Wii & a separate copy of Squeeballs for DS.
Here's how to enter

Answer this question in the comment section... Where do the Squeeballs that pass the tests end up? Answer that along with your name & email in the comment section.

I know some of you like to get extra entries, so for each of these you do, leave a separate comment for each one you have done

1. Follow me on twitter @those2girls
2. Tweet this... Wow @those2girls are doing @Squeeballs giveaway here http://itsnoteasyraisingatween.blogspot.com/ #squeeballs
3. RSVP to the TWTvite for MeFest on the sidebar of this page.
4. Join the Those 2 Girls Facebook group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&viewas=0&ref=mf&gid=29614118262 & leave a comment on the wall there
5. Put a link from your Blog, Facebook page, YouTube channel to this post, send me the links for them

Winners will be contacted by email

Alright everyone hope you all have a great time over the Holidays!
This contest ends at Midnight NEW YEARS EVE so get in on it before that GIANT SQUEEBALL in NEW YORK drops-ha!

Star Wars in Concert

As many of you know we went to STAR WARS IN CONCERT last week.
It was well worth the ticket price & I would go again.

I made it an early Christmas gift for my Tween & myself, as we are both STAR WARS FANS!

We got there early & somehow got in with EARLY VIP's (one of those right time, right place kind of things). This meant no lineups for the Displays. Yes that's right DISPLAYS!! All from George Lucas's archives. So awesome!
Here's 4 clips
1st is a slideshow of the displays, made by me with my pics (& with fun music to make the 2 minutes go by fast)


The 2nd clip is not from me, but you get an overview of the show
(no video or flash photography allowed during the show & I wasn't going to risk it after the price I paid for tickets)


This clip is also not from me, but just to show you, we'd be watching the screen & forget that it's a live orchestra playing the music (the music is not added to the film). See you catch yourself forgetting as well


This final clip (again not mine) is to show how each piece was presented.
First Anthony Daniels, the actor who played C3PO (okay the GOLD ROBOT for those who still don't know who I mean) would introduce the piece live on stage, then the orchestra would play while the segmanet played on the GIANORMOUS screen!


There were two standing ovations for the show. For the second ovation Anthony Daniels came out in a Toronto Maple Leaf Jersey with the #3 on it (do you get it?)

So as you can tell it's all still fresh in my mind & I will sign off by saying

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU.......ALWAYS

Parade Etiquette

I was lucky enough to have a Saturday night off the same night as the Cambridge Nightime Christmas Parade.

It was a great time for us, yet I feel some out there could have used these DO & DON'T lessons......

DO Allow time for travel, parking & picking out the perfect site.
The parade started at 6pm & Cambridge is about a 20 min drive from my house, plus I wanted to park somewhere that is easy to leave from. Also being the shorty that I am, I always like to get there early enough so we can both see, yet not too long before otherwise my son will get impatient & want to leave.

DON'T Arrive late, & expect to stand right in front of my perfect spot that I've been waiting at least half an hour

DO If someone does stand right in front of you be polite. In my case I said "Excuse me, I don't mind if you block my view, but please don't block my son's"

DON'T Be like the lady next to me who then yelled out "Yeah how ignorant is that!"

DO Get everything organized before the parade starts. Camera out, water bottle opened etc.

DON'T Do things you should have done while walking from the parking lot IE start yelling "Well I'd go to Tim Horton's but no one will move for me" or my fave light up your smoke in a crowd of children (I don't really care if you smoke, just don't do it in a dense crowd).

DO Dress properly. Yes it was a beautiful 15 degrees Celsius in November yesterday, but I knew that once the sun came down it would not stay that temperature. We brought toques & gloves.

DON'T Think it will be warm enough for your child to wear a sleeveless vest so that their nose can drip beside me the whole time.

DO Help the people out around you. Taking family pictures, passing money for cotton candy etc.

DON'T Keep up your conversations by trying to yell over the bands passing by

DO Cheer for Santa!

DON'T Run in front of others to get to the front (see 1st "DON'T)

DO Wait for the crowd to disperse to pack up folding blankets, folding chairs etc.

DON'T Come stomping through, pushing around all the small children in your path.

DO Ask your child what he/she enjoyed most about the parade on the trek back to the vehicle

DON'T Feel that everyone around you needs to know you're going home to enjoy a cold one!

Yes, agreed most of these items are common sense, yet these DON'Ts are actually things I witnessed last night. That's why I now refer to Common Sense, as RARE Sense (it rarely gets used in these situations). So make sure to review these few simple steps to enjoy the parade as much as he did!



For a listing of parades in your area, please visit http://yummymummyclub.ca/santa_claus_parades

1st Christmas Card of 2009!

I came home to find a letter in my mail from my Grandma, known in my family as Gramma on the Farm (yes Gramma is spelled this way at our house!)

She wanted to send me this pic of my son & her from this summer & figured she might as well send the Christmas card along as well.

Isn't this a beautiful pic? This lady is in her 80's & she looks spectacular! I was her 1st grandchild & my son is her 1st Great Grandchild! She's exactly how I want to be when I get to be a senior! She goes to card parties, takes bus trips, is involved in her community Bazaars & fall fair SHE ROCKS! & she's MY GRAMMA!

I hope to look this great when I'm a Great Grandmother!

Phew!

Yesterday I got a call that my son came home from school. I tried to keep the worry out of my head, but the worrier I am made me almost sick to my stomach. He was at his Dad's for the afternoon, so I knew he was fine, but still with all that is going around right now, PANIC seems to be the reaction.

Once I picked him up, I could see he was not himself. He had glossy eyes & his regularly pale skin had changed to a shade of olive green. HERE WE GO....

Yet the car ride home gave me a different impression. He was talking, but not in the OH I'M SO SICK VOICE. He's been listening to me finally see my summer post here
The whole way home he kept saying, yes I'm sick, but not that H1N1 kind of sick,I'm a healthy kid, I just need to feel better.
I told him that his good attitude will help him get better quicker.

So throughout the rest of the day we watched movies in between bouts of coughing.

Today we went to the Doctor's. I gave him the full details, told him that I'd be willing to take any recommendations & medications required.

The Doctor said that he had the beginning stages of Bronchitis & not to PANIC! He said it was good he came in right away before it advanced. Apparently this is going around as well, but with all the other stuff no one really takes a 2nd look at it. He prescribed cough syrup & said it would pass in a few days.

He also wants him to have the H1N1 shot, but not until he has fully recovered (he thinks next week). He also said that the H1N1 shot is not the regular flu shot & he should get that as well.

So we are happy with news & guess what my son's question for the doctor was.....

Can I still go trick or treating?

YUP
That was his biggest concern.

The Hunt for the PERFECT Hat!

Hi Everyone
Thanks again for visiting! So with Halloween right around the corner I thought I'd let you in on the costume happenings around here.
This year my son didn't pick out his own costume. Weird I know for a 10yr old not to have a say in his costume, but here's how the story goes.....

Last January I was at the DISNEY OUTLET in Vaughn Mills (love that store). They had a Captain Jack Sparrow costume for $12, please read that again TWELVE DOLLARS!!!!!!!!! This is the Official Licensed one they sell at Disney World for $60 US.

I grabbed it as it was the only one. It came with everything except the hat. I figured it would be easy enough to find a hat around Halloween since they were everywhere last year.

Yes well perhaps I was kidding myself....

Nowhere are there any Jack Sparrow hats! Just the red sash with the dreads. Not really my son's cup of tea. As I've scrambled all around KW all I get offered is sashes w/dreads, until finally

I FOUND IT............

& the cost was, wait for it, wait for it....

$8 Yup EIGHT DOLLARS.

Did you do the quick math? Full Jack Sparrow costume = $20
Pics of it to come next week!
Wondering what Pre-Halloween events are happening this week?
Make sure to check out
http://stufftodowithyourkidsinkw.blogspot.com/

Thanksgiving for the past year

more tips can be found at
http://www.wearethatfamily.com/
Part 1 of post: Explanation (not timed). I read once if you write down 100 things in one minute it shows what you are dreaming about (ie what your goals should be. I'm going to do a variation of it & take one minute & write everything that come to mind when thinking about what has made me THANKFUL for my son in the past year.
Please ignore how random it is & all typos that come into play. Part 2 will be the One Minute timed typing
(now going to tweet that I'm writing a ONE MINUTE BLOG POST.

Part 2 GO!

love, fun, stanley cup, Christmas, Star Wars, Bingemans, Wii, video games, card games, splash parks, cottage, car trip, Leaf games, hockey, laughter, giggles, too funny!

Son is watching NEXT STAR. "Hey mom do you know Justin Bieber is only 5 yrs older than me?" here we go into puberty

Lasting Power in a Boy's World

It will come sooner than you think.
CHRISTMAS
I know you're thinking Halloween, but really, buy costume, buy candy, put up some (hopefully) fake spiderwebs, carve pumpkin. Done!

Yes Christmas will be here before you know it. I'd like to give some advice to the parents of those 3 & up (basically any child that doesn't shove toys in their mouth).
Certain toys have lasting power, & most big ticket kids toys sit in the corner once the new year has started.
Believe me, I've been there & have some $60 "decor toys" to prove it.

I know every child is different, but my son is now 10, & this is a list of things that he has loved since age 3 & still plays with

1. Action Figures, particularly Star Wars & Transformers, but all the "dudes" end up in some battle of good guys vs bad guys. Unfortunately in my house the good guys never win. Apparently it's more fun that way.
2. Lego, the most (non messy) creative item for kids. Many times my son will ask for toys & cars for his action figures, & yes we do have some, but for the most part I will say, "Why not build it with LEGO?" Some great battleships & fortresses have been built this way.
3. DVD's. All kids love movies with their favorite characters.
4. Pokemon, don't kid yourself, it will happen. As soon as they start going to school Pokemon will invade your life (I use Pokemon cards as allowance tool). Sure we've gone through fazes of Yu-Gi-Oh & Chaotic cards, but it always reverts back to Pokemon.
5. Video Games. Here's a little hint about video games. If you're child really wants a certain video game, rent it 1st. We have a couple of video games that just sit here, as they are too difficult. Now we rent & if a particular game gets requested to rent again, I know that is worth the purchase.

Those are the TOP 5 toys that have stood the test of time in my house. Honorable mention also goes to Hot Wheels cars & Mini-Hockey sticks.

Hopefully this list will help with your upcoming Holiday purchases. Now back to buying Halloween candy (don't ask where the 1st batch of it went)!