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Posted by Josée in Weekly Updates on February 16th, 2012 It’s the final Winterlude weekend! You can find my Best of Winterlude picks here, and the official Winterlude site here.
More fun this week:
- The University of Ottawa Wind Ensemble performs at Tabaret Hall on Thursday (admission is by voluntary contribution);
- The Great Backyard Bird Count is on this weekend, from Friday to Monday. I blogged about last year’s GBBC here;
- Children between the ages of 2-1/2 and 4 can join Billings Estate’s Preschool Playdate, taking place on Saturday from 11 am to noon. This week’s theme is Dinosaurs and Fossils (Almost Frugal – register by calling 613-247-4830);
- Hazeldean Mall is launching a new Kids’ Club, the ”Hazeldean Hounds“, on Saturday. The free launch party will run from noon to 2 pm and will include kids’ entertainment, make and take crafts, and a magic show at 1 pm;
- Wintermuse continues at the Currency Museum on Saturday and Sunday;
- Animal Tracking on Snowshoes, a free guided tour through Gatineau Park (snowshoes included!) takes place on Saturday and Sunday;
- Catch a movie at Rainbow Cinemas at the St. Laurent Centre – this week’s family-friendly showings include The Muppets, Hugo, and Happy Feet Two (Almost Frugal); and
- Find more suggestions in the monthly calendar for February and in my Year-round Activities listings.
Monday’s Family Day Fun:
- Spend some time at Billings Estate on family day – try snowshoeing, a horse and sleigh ride, or make crafts (Almost Frugal);
- Enjoy a winter fun day at Pinhey’s Point – take a horse-drawn sleigh ride, explore on snowshoes, and learn winter survival skills (Almost Frugal);
- The outdoor skating rink at Rideau Hall will be open from noon to 5 pm (weather permitting!);
- The NAC English Theatre is hosting a their second annual celebration of family from noon to 4 pm;
- Councillor Allan Hubley and MPP Jack MacLaren are hosting a free family day skate from 10 am to noon at the Jack Charron Arena;
- Head to Old Navy at the Rideau Centre for their free Funnovation Imaginarium from 1 to 4 pm;
- The FC Capital United Soccer Club and the Ontario Soccer Association are hosting free soccer clinics for youth aged 4 to 12, particulary new Canadians;
- The Ottawa School of Speech and Drama is putting on some family day fun with free drama workshops at 12:15 and 3:15, and performances by the Ottawa Theatre School at 11 am and 2pm;
- The North Grenville Municipal Centre will be showing Puss In Boots at 10:30 am and 2 pm - these movies are usually Almost Frugal but the Municipal Centre is showing them for free until the new projector arrives;
- Mayor Jim Watson is hosting a family day skate from 11 am to 2 pm at the new Rink of Dreams located on Marion Dewar Plaza at City Hall – winter fun and free hot chocolate too!
- Dovercourt’s family day fun day takes places from 10 am to 4 pm (Almost Frugal).
Have a great week!
Posted by Josée in Off-Topic on February 13th, 2012 Whenever I sit down to try and write a blog post lately, the words come out like the title of this post – choppy, incoherent, and scattered. (More than usual. :) That’s because I’m so…
…busy.
As promised in my To-Don’t post, so far I haven’t taken on any new projects in 2012. But I do have a few rather time consuming projects from 2011 to finish up. One of these projects involves taking courses, including a correspondence course. I keep waffling between wanting to work on it in every waking moment in order to get it done and just doing the bare minimum so that I have time to concentrate on other things. If I take this approach though, it’ll be hanging over my head for months.
The reason that I’m taking courses is that a friend and I will be launching a new venture in a few months. Details will be forthcoming soon, but for now we have prep work to do and decisions to make. I would love to be able to go part-time on my regular job and part-time with our venture. I would love it even more if I could go part-time with my current job and that it somehow morphed into one that’s related to the venture and to the courses I’m taking. Though I usually like to be firmly in control of my destiny and believe that anyone can accomplish pretty much anything they put their mind to, in this matter I’ve appealed to the…
…universe.
Instead of just quietly going about my business and preparing the new venture, I’ve started telling anyone and everyone at work about it. I’ve let it be known that I’m really interested in this area and that I would love to somehow modify/change/adjust my job to include it. And then I said, “There you go universe, it’s up to you now.” (I think I actually said it out loud. :)
We’ll see what transpires. In the meantime, I feel that I’ve been neglecting the frugal fun aspect of this blog, and I just don’t have time right now to research events like I used to. Which is why I’m looking for…
…guest posts!
If you’d like to try your hand at blogging or you’re already a blogger and you have a free, frugal or almost frugal event or activity that you’d like to blog about, please get in touch! I haven’t had guest bloggers before so I have no idea what to expect, but if you’re interested please email me at contactme(at)frugalfunottawa(dot)ca and we can chat about your ideas. Not much fame or fortune involved, but maybe a bit of fun!
Told you I was choppy, incoherent and scattered lately…!
Posted by Josée in Weekly Updates on February 9th, 2012 This week in Ottawa:
Winterlude! You’ll find my Best of Winterlude picks here, and the official Winterlude site here.
Valentine’s Day is on Tuesday, and Koba Entertainment and The Backyardigans are offering free Valentine’s Day e-cards for kids! The card includes a picture of The Backyardigans and a personalized message. Just send a Valentine’s message to the backyardigans at info(at)thebackyardigansontour.com and your child’s message will be sent to them on Valentine’s Day. B.G. and Bonhomme have both sent emails to The Backyardigans and are anxiously awaiting their reply!
Thursday:
Friday:
- It’s Valentine’s Date Night at the North Grenville Municipal Centre on Friday, and they’re showing Like Crazy (PG13) – these movies are usually Almost Frugal but the Municipal Centre is showing them for free until the new projector arrives;
- Brantwood Park’s Valentine Skate takes place on Friday;
- Catch the University of Ottawa Orchestra in concert at Saint Bridig’s Centre for the Arts on Friday (Almost Frugal).
Saturday:
- Saturday is Hockey Day in Ottawa! Celebrate by joining in the fun at one of the City’s 237 outdoor hockey rinks;
- Children between the ages of 2-1/2 and 4 can join Billings Estate’s Preschool Playdate, taking place on Saturday from 11 am to noon. This week’s theme is Seasons (Almost Frugal – register by calling 613-247-4830);
- The Vanier Winter Carnival takes place on Saturday;
- The Shenkman Arts Centre’s Fête Frisson takes place on Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm – enjoy free skating, snow painting and ice carving, and the free OYP Theatre School’s OYPCapades show at 11 am;
- Lowes is offering a Kids Build and Grow Clinic on Saturday (build a Valentine card creator). Register by calling 613-830-6370 for the Orleans store or 613-836-3971 for the Kanata store;
- Kids can also build a keepsake box during the Home Depot’s Kids Do-It-Yourself workshop on Saturday (online registration required);
- At 1pm, kids of all ages can make Valentine’s cards using the ancient art of quilling at the Vanier Museoparc.
Sunday:
- Celebrate Valentine’s Day by joining the February Fling at Fairfields (3080 Richmond Road) from 1 to 4 pm.
All weekend:
- The Beaver Cup 4 on 4 Pond Hockey Festival takes place on the Rideau Canal Friday through Sunday, and includes the 2nd Annual Media and Celebrity Pond Hockey Game at 1 pm on Sunday;
- If you’re looking for indoor Winterlude fun, head over to the Currency Museum and check out Wintermuse on Saturday and Sunday;
- Animal Tracking on Snowshoes, a free guided tour through Gatineau Park (snowshoes included!) takes place on Saturday and Sunday;
- Kids can write Valentines for veterans in the lobby of the War Museum on Saturday and Sunday.
Valentine’s Day Tuesday:
- Spend a romantic evening stargazing at the Museum of Science and Technology;
- Join the Friends of Library and Archives Canada for a Valentine’s Day special presentation, From Love to Lust (For Grown-Ups – online registration required);
- Find more frugal Valentine’s fun in this guest post I wrote for Local Tourist Ottawa last year – though Amélie isn’t playing at the Bytowne this year, Casablanca is playing at 6:50 pm on Valentine’s Day.
More fun:
- Catch a movie at Rainbow Cinemas at the St. Laurent Centre – this week’s family-friendly showings include The Muppets, Hugo, Happy Feet Two and Puss In Boots (Almost Frugal); and
- Find more suggestions in the monthly calendar for February and in my Year-round Activities listings.
My latest contest is up – you could win four tickets to see Richard Scarry’s Busytown Busy! Details can be found on the Frugal Fun Ottawa contest page.
Happy Hockey Day, happy Valentine’s Day, and have a great week!
Posted by Josée in Contests on February 6th, 2012 Koba entertainment is bringing this wonderful children’s classic to life, and I have four tickets to give away – visit my contest page for details!
Posted by Josée in Weekly Updates on February 2nd, 2012 This week in and around Ottawa:
- Winterlude starts on Friday and runs until February 20th. You can find my Best of Winterlude picks here, and the official Winterlude site here. Here’s hoping the weather cooperates…!
- The City’s Rink of Dreams is officially open at City Hall and is open to the public from 8 am to 11 pm daily, except in the case of a special event or inclement weather - check the website before heading out;
- Catch Footloose (PG13) at the North Grenville Municipal Centre on Friday – these movies are usually Almost Frugal but the Municipal Centre is showing them for free until the new projector arrives;
- Children between the ages of 2-1/2 and 4 can join Billings Estate’s Preschool Playdate, taking place on Saturday from 11 am to noon. This week’s theme is Animal Tracks (Almost Frugal – register by calling 613-247-4830);
- Animal Tracking on Snowshoes, a free guided tour (snowshoes included!) through Gatineau Park, takes place on Saturday and Sunday;
- Creative Sundays continue at the Ottawa Art Gallery;
- The NAC’s Jaques Hétu Celebration begins with a free concert in the NAC’s Southam Hall on Wednesday, and continues on Thursday February 9th with a free concert at the National Gallery. Tickets for both concerts can be picked up in person at the NAC box office;
- Catch a movie at Rainbow Cinemas at the St. Laurent Centre – this week’s family-friendly showings include The Muppets, Hugo, Happy Feet Two and Puss In Boots (Almost Frugal); and
- Find more suggestions in the monthly calendar for February and in my Year-round Activities listings.
Congratulations to Sara, winner of the third NAC Orchestra Family Adventures Series concert tickets. I have a great new contest going up on Monday, so be sure to check back then!
Have a great week!
 Winterlude Canal Night Skate by David R. Carroll (Flickr Creative Commons)
Posted by Josée in Off-Topic on January 30th, 2012 One of the things I find hardest about parenting an (almost) three-year-old and a five-year-old is the never-ending litany of requests that I get from the kids. It seems to go on and on from sunup to sundown. B.G. will ask for juice, I’ll get up to get it and pour it into a red cup. As soon as she sees the red cup, she decides she’d rather have the blue cup. Or I’ve poured apple juice and she wants orange juice (even though yesterday she insisted that she REALLY REALLY HATES orange juice). We’ll sit down for supper and Bonhomme will decide that he wants a fork, not a spoon. So I’ll get him a fork and sit down. But wait – B.G. has discovered that there are no pickles on the table, and we Must. Have. Pickles. If she wanted a fork versus a spoon we’d ask her to get it herself, but the barrel-sized glass jar of pickles isn’t something we let her get out of the fridge on her own.
Like most parents, Hubby and I gave up on eating our meals hot, or even cold, in one sitting a long time ago.
One of the side effects of all this asking is that I’ve developped a tendency to say no to everything. Even before the kids actually make a request! As soon as I detect an inquiring tone in the ”Mommy” that they use to get my attention, my brain is already formulating a response: “No!”
Especially if I just sat down.
I’ve been trying to stop the automatic no, but it’s really hard. Most of their requests are perfectly reasonable; it’s just that there are so many of them:
- “Mommy, can I have (insert food item)?”
- “And I want juice in the red cup please.”
- “You forgot my straw.”
- “Can I have my (insert food item) in the big bowl?”
- “I’m done my snack, can I go outside?”
- “Can I call grandma first?”
- “Can you get me…(insert anything that happens to be currently out of reach).”
Yes, sweetie, yes you can. *sigh*
 Cup of Straws by anolobb (Flickr Creative Commons)
Posted by Josée in Weekly Updates on January 26th, 2012  Photo by rickbond79, Flickr Creative Commons This week in Ottawa:
- Catch Abduction (PG13) at the North Grenville Municipal Centre on Friday – these movies are usually Almost Frugal but the Municipal Centre is showing them for free until the new projector arrives!
- The Dovercourt Recreation Centre is holding a night-time winter carnival on Saturday from 4 to 7 pm;
- If the weather cooperates, the Governor General will host a Winter Celebration at Rideau Hall on Saturday (thanks for the email, Lindsay!)- I blogged about it here;
- The Ottawa Public Library is trying out something new – the Human Library. On Saturday, real people of differing backgrounds and occupations will be “books” at various local branches, and library patrons can “check out” a book for 20 minutes;
- The annual Lion Dance celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year will take place on Saturday in Chinatown. The parade will follow Somerset between Preston and Bay Streets from 1 to 2:30 pm;
- Lowes is offering a Kids Build and Grow Clinic on Saturday (Build-A-Saurus). Register by calling 613-830-6370 for the Orleans store or 613-836-3971 for the Kanata store;
- Animal Tracking on Snowshoes, a free guided tour through Gatineau Park (snowshoes included!) takes place on Sunday;
- Creative Sundays continue at the Ottawa Art Gallery;
- Carleton’s Science Café takes place on Wednesday. The topic: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of bacterial diversity;
- Catch a movie at Rainbow Cinemas at the St. Laurent Centre – this week’s family-friendly showings include Hugo, Happy Feet Two and Puss In Boots (Almost Frugal); and
- Find more suggestions in the monthly calendar for January and in my Year-round Activities listings.
Congratulations to Brenda who won the 2nd NAC Orchestra Family Adventures draw! The 3rd and final draw will take place on Tuesday – if you haven’t already entered you can find details on my contest page. The winner will get four tickets to see Emily Saves the Orchestra at the NAC on April 28.
Have a great week!
Posted by Josée in Free Fun on January 23rd, 2012 …even in winter!
This past summer I blogged about all the great summer fun to be had at Rideau Hall. The fun continues in the winter with Rideau Hall’s historic outdoor skating rink, which is open to the public on weekends. And this weekend will be extra-special - a Winter Celebration will take place on Saturday from 12:30 to 4 pm. I have to give a great big thanks to Lindsay for emailing me about this activity!
Among many others, this free event will include dog sledding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing (with skis and snowshoes available on site), kick sledding (a traditional means of Nordic transportation) and bandy (a form of field hockey on ice). The skating rink will be open for skating from 12:30 to 2:15 pm, after which several NHL mascots will take to the ice. At 3 pm there will be an NHL All-Star Weekend presentation with several special guests! You can find more information about all of the Winter Celebration events here. Rideau Hall will also be open for tours from 3 to 5 pm.
This event sounds like so much fun – I’m trying to rearrange my schedule so that we can attend. I’ll also keep my fingers crossed that the weather cooperates; right now it looks like today’s thaw might cause some problems, but hopefully it will get colder fast enough so that the Winter Celebration can go on!
 His Excellency Earl Grey at Rideau Hall (Flickr creative commons)
Posted by Josée in Weekly Updates on January 19th, 2012 This week in and around Ottawa:
- Catch Johnny English Reborn at the North Grenville Municipal Centre on Friday – these movies are usually Almost Frugal but the Municipal Centre is showing them for free until the new projector arrives!
- The 10th edition of the Mont Bleu Hobby and Miniature Festival takes place in Gatineau on Saturday and Sunday. Admission and parking are free and displays include model train layouts and RC models of planes, helicopters and cars;
- Brantwood Park’s annual Winter Party in the Park takes place on Sunday from 1 to 4 pm – Brantwood Park is located at the corner of Burnham and Onslow Streets;
- Animal Tracking on Snowshoes, a free guided tour (snowshoes included!) through Gatineau Park, takes place on Sunday;
- Creative Sundays take place at the Ottawa Art Gallery;
- Catch a movie at Rainbow Cinemas at the St. Laurent Centre – this week’s family-friendly showings include Arthur Christmas, Happy Feet Two and Puss In Boots (Almost Frugal);
- Find more suggestions in the monthly calendar for January and in my Year-round Activities listings.
Have a great week!
Posted by Josée in Frugal Fun at Home on January 16th, 2012 
I love playing board games. Since Hubby is generally less than enthusiastic about this pastime, I’m thrilled that B.G. is now able to handle games that are a bit more complicated than Candyland. I’m hoping to pass on my love of board games to her, and groom a formidable opponent in the process! She’s getting really good at checkers, Guess Who? and Chutes and Ladders, and we both enjoy playing Froggy Boogie, a terrific memory game for kids that she got as a birthday present last year. Board games make for inexpensive fun – I picked up “Line Up 4″, a Connect Four knock off, at Toys R Us for only $7.99. A deck of cards from the dollar store can also provide hours of fun – when B.G. was younger I started playing a simple game of “Black or Red?” with her when she could barely distinguish her colours. They’re great for simple pattern recognition and matching games like Old Maid and Go Fish, too.
Now that B.G. is getting older, we’ve implemented a weekly game night. She gets to pick two games to play before bed, and both Hubby and I participate. Bonhomme is still a bit too young, so we play after he’s gone to bed. I think B.G. really loves the special alone time with mom and dad, and it’s amazing to watch her little mind working away as she tries to plot out strategy.
I can’t wait until she’s old enough to play a few of my favourite games – Mille Bornes and Dutch Blitz are terrific card games, and the one board game that Hubby and I both like to play is Risk. If Bonhomme has the same affinity for games as B.G. does, we’ll have lots of terrific family game nights in our future!
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frugalfish...?
I wanted to have a bit of fun with this blog, so I've titled it frugalfish. I blog mostly about free and frugal Ottawa events and activities, with some asides about downtown living, my kids, four five-year old B.G. and two-year old Bonhomme, and whatever else comes to mind!
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