Kid's Zone

The Kid's Zone at Chapters has been a life saver for many parents I know. Where else could you go to have a coffee, talk to fellow parents, let the kids interact and play with each other, read them a story, pick up a magazine for yourself and get your Christmas shopping done all at the same time. I wrote about going there in Time Changes. Morning, noon and night, we've taken our son to the "book store" and everyone enjoyed ourselves. We've used various locations across the country as breaks when on the road or travelling - it makes for a familiar spot when you're in a new city - and as every parent knows this can be a great comfort to little ones.

Unfortunately, I've had to use the past tense. After the library today, myself and a friend headed to the local Chapter's with promises of trains for our sons, coffee for ourselves and perhaps a few last minute gifts in the bag. Alas, when we get there, "train gone" as my son said. We were told by the woman working the section, that they were told to remove the train tables and that in the future there would most likely only be a couple of  chairs and the teacup in order to focus on books.

Sounds great in theory - bookstore focussing on books. However, in reality, life doesn't work that way. Here are some of the realities.

1. Reality is that if I just want to read a story with my son, I stay at home or go to the library.
2. Reality is that the only time that I get into the book store these days is when my son is playing with the trains, other kids or reading a book in the Kid's Zone while I get a coffee, talk to a friend and browse the books.
3. Reality is that it would have also been great of the store to warn parents that the train will be gone as of X date - that way my friend wouldn't be having to console her child, another mother wouldn't be pushing two screaming kids in a stroller out the door and I wouldn't have to lie to my child that the train was broken and had to be fixed.
4. Reality is that I've rarely walked out of Chapter's empty handed - either I've bought a book, a toy, a coffee, a magazine or a gift.
5. Reality is that with the trains and toys gone, Chapter's has just become another store I'll be avoiding in order to prevent unneeded meltdowns due to boredom and "don't touch" choruses. 
6. Reality is that we went to another store that still welcomed kids to be kids, and well I didn't walk out empty handed from there.

I really hope that either the information we received today was wrong or that Chapter's reconsiders their policy regarding the Kid's Zone. It's been a great place that encourages literacy, community and social interaction for kids and parents alike. Aside from that, from a purely economic view, most of what I spend at Chapter's is done while taking advantage of the Kid's Zone.

Winter's Arrival

It's been predicted that Calgary is going to have one of the coldest winters in a couple of decades. I shiver just thinking about it. I shiver even more knowing that it is currently -17C with a wind chill of -26C outside with the current weather listed as ice crystals.

I'm one of those people who'd rather see several feet of snow than the thermometer  dip into the -20s. I love to spend hours outside in the winter - hiking, skiing, skating, taking photographs or just generally playing. So give me the snow, but you can keep the bitter cold. Besides which it's a lot easier to dress a two-year old for snow than for cold and a lot more fun!

That being said we can't choose the weather, so just in time we've finished outfitting our son. Many of the blogs that I follow about outdoor adventures with kids have been blogging about how to dress your kids for winter. They all have some great tips and I've included some links to their respective blogs below. I want to emphasize the importance that you make sure that you're dressing your children to fit your lifestyle and your kids personality.

Matt loves to move, so keeping him mobile as well as warm is one of our priorities. So to that end, we've outfitted him much the same as we have ourselves. We found great long underwear for him which not only adds a layer of warm but is wicking so no moisture stays close to his skin. We have a warm fleece layer - simply cosy and warm. Then we have a layer to protect him against the elements - wind, rain, snow, cold - a winter snow suit which is waterproof-breathable and we also got him a pair of fleece lined snow pants (no bib) which are proving to be great for hiking in cold weather (if it's a mild day we also have his rain suit at our disposal). Add a choice of mitts, both waterproof hiking boots and snow boots, winter (wicking) socks, hats and balaclavas and our son is ready for any weather and activity. I've deliberately left out the brands as so much depends on your kids - not all brands fit all kids - find stuff that fits your child. We love Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC) and have bought a lot of stuff over the years there, including one of Matt's new pairs of mitts. We also find that North Face and Columbia fits our son very well. You can find a lot of good fleece pieces in many of the stores including Children's Place and MEC. If you're in Alberta and you make it down to Pincher Creek, The Outdoor Outlet there that has great stuff not only for adults but babies, toddler and preschoolers. Consignment stores as well as online classifieds such as Kijiji are also great sources for good clothing.

If you still need to outfit your child for the winter, please take sometime to read some of the blogs below, because, as I can't emphasize enough, every child is different and everyone's lifestyle is different - the clothing you choose needs to reflect that. Keeps reading reviews and blogs, talking to other parents and talking to the experts at the stores and make a choice that's right for you.

Family Adventures in the Mountains

Adventure Tykes

Active Kids Club

Get Out With The Kids

The Kid Project

One last question to leave you with. Would piece of gear do you deem essential?