Lace Ups - Speed it up!

My son recently got his first pair of lace-ups. He's been heading off to school with double knots tied loose enough to slip in and out of, and coming home with laces trailing on the ground. I guess I've been lazy, I mean how hard can it be right? So we got the shoes out after dinner, my 8 year old, my six year and myself each with a shoe ready to go.

There are two methods of tying shoes right? The kids way - two bunny ears, and the real way - circle the thumb method....Wrong! Enter Speed Lacing - we found this brilliant method on You Tube – not only is it easy to do, it's super fast plus the kids thought it was so cool that they were determined to learn it. See the video below of my six year old demonstrating the method after less than 10 minutes of practice.





Think you can do it? Check out the You Tube video step by step at the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yuP-pWOmRE

Post a comment and let us know if your child tried it!

Exclusive Coupon for Toronto Hippo Tours

Toronto Hippo Tours - “The Hippest Way To See Toronto!” Discover the fun of Toronto’s must-see sightseeing experience. The 90 minute narrated tour is a continuous journey on land and water. See the CN Tower, Rogers Centre, City Hall, Eaton Centre, Queen’s Park, AGO and much more! Then experience the thrill of the SPLASH into Lake Ontario and tour the waterways of Ontario Place in our modern, amphibious buses!

Special Deal for Friends of Child's Life!

Take advantage of an exclusive offer- receive 20% off a 90 minute Toronto Hippo Tour! Discount applies to a maximum of 5 tickets (adult or child). Coupon must be presented at time of purchase, expires October 31, 2009.

> Print Coupon

Your Family Dinner can help Raise Money for Collitis Research

It's that time of year again - time to get together with family and friends to enjoy a great meal for M&M Meat Shops fifth Annual National Family Dinner Night!

For everyone who registers their participation in National Family Dinner Night, M&M Meat Shops will make a $1 donation to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada, up to a maximum of $100,000. Just follow the link below - enter your name and province and click submit - it's that easy - enjoy dinner together all for a great cause.

National Family Dinner Night™
Thursday, September 17th, 2009
Register your family dinner here: www.nationalfamilydinnernight.com/register.asp

Paws for Reading

The Paws for Reading Program is designed to help and encourage children to read. Animals are ideal reading companions especially for children who may not be strong readers. Each child will have 15 minute reading session with ‘Oona’, a certified pet therapy dog. She loves to listen to stories and never judges a child’s abilities. This wonderful, new program is free and occurs every Monday evening from 5:30-6:30 at the Markham Village Branch.

Call 905-513-7977 x 4284, to register for a space.

More Info

Markham Farmer's Market Open Thursday's

The Markham Main Street Farmers' Market is now open Thursday evenings from 3 pm to 8 pm - June 18 through September 24. Also open Saturday mornings until Oct 10th.

Featuring many organically grown fruits and vegetables, as well as baked goods, preserves, flowers, live entertainment and much more! More info

Kids and Trees.. it's only Natural

Envirootkids is the vision of Carol Norton, the co-founder of All About Kids childcare which has four locations in the greater Toronto area. With Envirootkids Carol takes her commitment to children and the environment to the Enviroot Tree Farm.

The Tree Farm is a natural setting for a truly unique camp, school or family experience. The summer day camp, opening this summer, offers athletics, drama, music, nature exploration, crafts, animal care and much more. Kids learn as they play with hands-on experiences – bugs, growing food, getting messy and have fun doing the things they love to do – are designed to teach a positive respect for the environment.

This weekend marks their first open house - drop by on May 30th to experience Envirootkids and Camp Treetop.

Learn More: www.camptreetop.ca

Canadian Sitter - win a membership!

Canada's #1 resource for hiring a babysitter, and finding babysitter jobs in Canada.anadianSitter.ca is an online job posting service to assist parents in Canada to find part-time and occasional babysitters. The sitters are university and college students from Canada looking for work that compliments their class schedule, which includes summer babysitting from April to September.

The sitters have posted a profile that lists their experience and qualifications with their contact information; they can post a resume and photos as well. A 3-month membership to CanadianSitter.ca provides parents with access to the database of more than 3,700 babysitters in Canada.

Parents post their own profile that states what they are looking for with contact information, and the sitters can apply directly to the parents by phone or email. Visit www.canadiansitter.ca for more information and to do a test search in your city!

CanadianSitter.ca has 10 memberships to give away to Childslife.ca members! Win a 3-month membership to access more than 3,700 babysitters across Canada, valued at over $40!

How to Enter:

1. Send the an email to info@canadiansitter.ca with the following subject line: 2009 CanadianSitter.ca "Too Many Sitters!" Contest

2. Include your member name, email address, and that you are entering the Child's Life "Too Many Sitters!" Contest.

3. Draw will be held on May 31, 2009. Good Luck!

3rd Annual Shania's Sunflower of Hope Fun Fair!

Come out for a day of fun with family and friends while raising money for the Sick Kids Foundation. Fun for the whole family - bouncy castles, games, pony rides, silent auction, toy shop and more! Shania was an 8 year old Markham girl who was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma in June 2006. Neuroblastoma is a cancer that begins in the embryonic cells which normally develop into parts of the nervous system. Shania started fundraising because she wanted to help children with Neuroblastoma.

• Saturday, May 2, 2009
• 10:00 am - 5:00pm
• Markham Fairgrounds, McCowan Rd. (just north of Elgin Mills)
• $35 per family (6 max), $9 per person
  
• website

Markham Trees for Tomorrow

Did you know that the Town of Markham has a commitment to plant 75,000 trees by the end of 2010, and that more than 50,000 have already been planted?

Why plant a tree? Trees help the environment, the economy and our overall well-being. Trees clean the air and absorb noise. They provide shade and wind-protection that can help to reduce utility costs and they add to property values

In the spirit of spring and upcoming Earth Day (April 22), why not plant a tree of your own? You can attend one of many tree plantings with your friends and children, or even plant a tree on your own property. Every tree counts, in fact, the Town has set up an online registration page so you can include your tree in the grand tally.

Upcoming Earth Day Tree Plantings:

Pomona Mills 10th Anniversary Tree Planting - April 25
Community Tree Planting- Toll Bar Park - April 25
10,000 Trees for the Rouge - April 26
Trees for Tomorrow Community Planting - May 2
Grandview Park Tree Planting - May 7
TD Friends of the Environment Foundation Planting - May 9
Community Tree Planting- Fontainbleu Park - May 10

Check Child's Life's events pages for more info on these and other events.

Shop Local, Shop One of a Kind!

Etsy - www.etsy.com - is an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade. What makes it special? It brings unique and one of a kind handmade creations to your doorstep. You won't find any mass production items in it's shops, instead you'll be inspired by the immense creativity it's sellers share and maybe even fall in love with a one of a kind creation. Click the BUY tab to view 15 different shopping methods, including 'shop local', 'Editors Picks', 'Pounce' and a fun little app that let's you pick items by 'Color'.

Etsy gives artists and crafters (170,000 shops to be exact) the opportunity to sell and showcase their wares to anyone with an internet connection and a mailing address. It also gives mom's, like It's a Cushy Life in Markham, a new avenue to work from home doing what they love to do. Click the SELL tab to see how you can start selling on Etsy.

Tip! Etsy is THE perfect spot to shop for those hard to gift people - you know the one's I'm talking about!

Start your Etsy experience by checking out these talented local sellers, and then click across the globe to whatever inspires you.



It's a Cushy Life
Handmade jewellery pieces with semi-precious stones and freshwater pearls.

Sugar Street Café
Your one stop shop for pretty and eco - friendly gifts

My Little Chipmunks
Unique Handmade Pendants, Custom Photos and Keepsakes

Purple Craft House
Hand Dyed Yarn and Stitch Markers

Cherry Spinster
Handknit & Handwoven creations

Mabel’s Labels is running a contest to search for a blogger to send to BlogHer ’09. The grand prize winner will receive a trip to BlogHer’s Annual Conference in Chicago, July 24-25, and will be featured as the event’s chief correspondent on Mabel’s Labels blog. The grand prize includes flight, two day conference pass and two night paid at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers.

www.blogcontest.mabel.ca

To Enter write a post answering the following question:

What have been the rewards and benefits of participating in the blogging community?

Link the post back to www.blogcontest.mabel.ca, Tag the post as Mabel’s Labels BlogHer ’09 Contest, and finally e-mail blogcontest@mabel.ca the link to your post!

Deadline to Enter: 12:00pm EST Monday February 9, 2009

Questions? No Problem.
Ask Caitlin the BlogHer ’09 contest girl!
blogcontest@mabel.ca 1-866-306-2235 x308