a peek inside the fishbowl

05 Dec, 2008

date with Marla

Posted by andrea in: Easy ways to make kids happy

This post is mostly for my mother, who emailed me to ask me about it because she is deeply engrossed in the lives of the people who comment here. (You didn’t know that, did you? Ha!)

Anyway, I can’t believe I’m just writing about it now. I can’t believe a whole week has flown by since Marla and her daughter came to visit.  I can summarize it in one word, or three. Take your pick.

WONDERFUL

and

I LOVE MARLA

They arrived Friday night. The girls all played while Marla and I drank tea and chatted. Josie is a delight. So sweet and polite. And so creative! I love watching children in their own little worlds. Josie played with some Playmobil and every once in awhile she’d pipe up and tell us something about the Rabbit King and his Kingdom and his little chick friends. So cute.

Marla and Josie slept in the office-slash-guest bedroom. I warned her about the lack of curtain in the powder room. Thankfully she agreed to stay despite this shortcoming.

In the morning Marla, Emma and I went to get bagels and smoked salmon while Sarah and Josie and Mark stayed home. We stopped at a couple of little shops in the area (Red Chair has a ton of amazing stuff for Christmas right now), came home, and had breakfast. THEN we went to CUBE gallery to check out an art show called “Toy Revolution.” (I love art designed with children in mind!) They had a couple workshops too, which was perfect. The girls all made fabulous fabric finger puppets courtesy of FabricawakuwakuFish on Fridays was there too. I was very tempted to buy one of her plush raccoons. I wish I had good pics to share!

Afterwards we went to feed the chickadees. (I feel slightly guilty we didn’t show Marla and Josie The Sights, especially since we’re only 10 minutes from Parliament Hill. But Ottawa sights aren’t that great in November. So perhaps it’s not such a bad thing that we bypassed it this time around.)

The chickadees were kind of sleepy. There are times when we go there and are practically swarmed by ravenous birds. This was not the case, and I was slightly worried they would be a no-show. We had to hike a bit before we found some amiable birds. In the end they did not disappoint.

 Sarah and a chickadee blur at Jack Pine Trail

We had a few minutes to spare before we were to meet Dani and her family for dinner at the Lone Star, so we decided to check out the Wild Bird Care Centre. They often have a resident owl. We saw something even better. A buck, grazing quietly right next to the main building. (!)

Little Josie, who was clutching her Bambi toy (”IT’S BAMBI’S FAW-THER!”) had to be persuaded to stay close as not to frighten him away. We all watched quietly, then returned to our cars at which point we saw even MORE deer (Bambi’s mother and sister, perhaps?) before we had to leave. It was a lovely moment.

From there we went to the Lone Star for dinner. I think Sarah was a quite taken with Simon. And Tristan was complimented for his Frisbee-throwing skills from the time we met at movies-on-the-beach. After dinner we went to Dani’s for a glass of wine (and a bottle for some):

Marla and Lucas

All in all, a wonderful visit. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Related posts:

  1. >Day three of March Break 2010 It began on the bus (kids LOVE taking the bus...
  2. >A date and a movie Chantal kindly invited us to her place for lunch on...
  3. >Home again Edited to add: I was going to make up a...
  4. >It’s almost time for movies on the beach! BOB-FM's Movies on the Beach is coming back to Ottawa...


Print this post Print this post

2 Responses to "date with Marla"

1 | Marla

December 8th, 2008 at 9:09 am

Avatar

It was lovely, and in the end, I had to post about it too - which I hope will stand as an additional thank you for your hospitality!

2 | DaniGirl

December 8th, 2008 at 7:19 pm

Avatar

Ah, it was such a lovely weekend. I’m so glad you guys got around to posting about it — I wanted to, but the boys had other ideas for my free (ha!) time.

The boys keep talking about “the beach girls” and asking when they’ll be back. What a fun night for kiddies and grownups alike!!

comment form:

Patronatus

The Candy Store - Ottawa's Premiere Treat Boutique


Click for more info about AliCatArt


Natural sun and insect protection from Nayla Natural Care


NACO Family Adventures


Specializes in a holistic approach to health and fitness, combining Running, Yoga & Plant-Based Foods, to enhance your health and vitality


The best little toys store in Kanata


WallSpace Gallery and Framing  in Ottawa


WOMAN DIVINE specialty organic skin care products and treatments in Westboro


Saunders Farm: 100 acres of aMAZEing summer fun!


Click me!

Archives

Me and my pet projects



Stay in touch



etc.


  • Natasha: The movie idea is awesome. I cannot believe the girls made their own movie poster. That puts a twist on movie nights at home. I think the idea of
  • ralph: I'm not a cooking scientist so...can I just substitute my quick rise yeast and use it like I usually do?
  • Betsy Mae: yes, dogs do so many neat things that many people who don't have/love dogs know about! our boy is very expressive, i've never had a dog who smiled as
  • Friday puppy portrait >> a peek inside the fishbowl: [...] If you’re so inclined, there’s still time to enter the Extra Helping giveaway [...]
  • Stefania (Ingredients for Life): They're such cuties and so is their little L.
  • Melissa: I signed up! :) I'd have to say that quick and easy no-cook or low-cook recipes and info about stuff happening around the local area would be my pick
  • Theresa: She is totally rockin' the glasses. I LOVE them! I think 'different' glasses are the best. My daughter is six and has been wearing glasses for just

My right hand is actually a camera

  • Dinner at Westboro Beach
  • Toes in the sand
  • windy day
  • Sandy hands
  • lifeguard
  • Thursday July 29, 2010
  • laughing dog
  • shadowy

The Obligatory Blurb

My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark and our two daughters Emma (11) and Sarah (9). I am a writer, web content manager, and family photographer. I've been blogging since 1999. I have a passion for words (on their own or strung together), the arts, healthy living, family travel, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa for parents and kids. I also love vegetables, books, and great design. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal ... all rolled into one. If you're so inclined you can read more about me here >>

If you'd like to contact me, please use this form. Thank you for visiting!


It's smart to be Savvy

I write for the Ottawa edition of SavvyMom, an online publication dedicated to delivering practical solutions to moms’ everyday dilemmas. I'm always on the lookout for cool new products, time-saving services and the best family-friendly events in Ottawa. So do contact me if you have something you'd like to share with our very Savvy readers!

Sideblog

The best of Ottawa for parents and kids: via Twitter

A year ago today

My other blog is a scratchpad of sorts

The Westboro Community Association blog

Cursed to covet pretty things