Anne's Blog for Mississauga Kids…

Many of the Mississauga families who use are guides use them to find information on various education options for their children.  There are several Private and Independent Schools location in and around the city of Mississauga.  We’ve decided to give them their own space.

Mississauga Private Schools will be a website dedicated to spreading the word about Private, Independent, and Montessori Schools located in or near Mississauga.  We will feature articles about the schools and some of their events and activities.  If you’re interested in learning more about private education options in Mississauga take a moment to visit the new website and see what it is all about!

You’ll find an article by Belinda Bernardo who has been a Professional Educator for more than twenty years with Bachelor degrees and Graduate Work in Education and Child Psychology, Principal Papers and an E.C.E. She has published articles in the press and journals, contributed to media programmes and has spoken at many conferences. She owns and operates Star Academy, a private school in Mississauga.  Her article titled How do you ensure the best possible education for your child was featured in our 2010 Mississauga Kids Annual Guide.

There is another article about the new Oakwood Academy in Port Credit.  Oakwood Academy is a division of Kids CAN Social Centre and developed to serve the growing need for individualized education in a school setting. They are an Independent School, registered with the Ontario Ministry of Education. Their uniquely designed curriculum has been developed for children who require explicit education and focuses on both academic and social skills.

Keep checking back for great articles and updates.

Both the City of Mississauga and Port Credit are holding several “Movies Under the Stars” events this summer.  There is even an opportunity for involving your favorite canine friend!  So pack up a blanket and some drinks and a basket of treats and come on out to enjoy the fun!  Oh!  If you crave more films Mississauga Central Library is showing movies every Thursday night this Summer!

Mississauga Central Library: Come out to the Central Library to watch a wide variety of blockbuster Hollywood motion pictures. All films are shown on a cinema size screen, admission is FREE and everyone is welcome. January 14 – August 26. All films are PG rated. For information please call The Readers’ Den Department: 905-615-3200 ex. 3544. For more information visit: Mississauga Free Movie Night.

Port Credit Rotary’s Movie in the Park: Bring your family and friends to movies under the stars! Movies will be shown at Port Credit Memorial Park (32 Stave Bank Road N. Mississsauga) at dusk, usually but not always on Friday night. Bring lawn chairs and blankets, pay what you can. For complete schedule visit: Rotary Movie Nights.

My Mississauga Bugs Bunny Movie Night: On August 20th see Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig get Looney on the Big Screen at City Centre! Movie includes Oscar winners “Knighty Knight Bugs” and “Birds Annonymous”   Grab a bite to eat at the delicious food stand offering hot dogs (halal), turkey and beef sausages, french fries, a variety of soft drinks and juices, and many more items to choose from!  For more information visit: Bugs Bunny Movie Night.

My Mississauga Doggie Movie Nite: Outdoor Movie Night featuring Lady & The Tramp in collaboration with the City of Mississauga Animal Services. Bring your kids and the dog!  Snuggle under the stars and watch your dog unleash in a thrilling adventure with Lady, Tramp and the rest of the gang in this beloved classic. Fresh water and delicious cookies will be available. It’s a treat you’re both sure to love!  Grab a bite to eat at the delicious food stand offering hot dogs (halal), turkey and beef sausages, french fries, a variety of soft drinks and juices, and many more items to choose from! For More Information visit: Doggie Movie Night.

I was recently invited to attend an event put on by Maple Leaf Foods for bloggers.  Unfortunately for me it coincided with a week away from home, with out kids, with my husband.  Since I wanted to enjoy my time alone with my wonderful husband, I called Chantel Kowdrysh to see if she could fill in.  I figured she’s busy mother of six, surely she would like to know more about food safety… and I bet she’s enjoy a night out too.  I was right!  Thank you to Chantel for pinch hitting… or writing… for me!

By the Way!  If you leave a comment below you may be selected to win a Maple Leaf Gift pack… containing an insulated bag containing a Maple Leaf Apron, a Maple Leaf Meat thermometer, a Maple Leaf Pen, a package of Dempster’s Oven Fresh Multigrain Baguettes, and coupons for a FREE box of Maple Leaf NEW Prime Frozen Meat Products and a $5.00 off coupon for A package of new Natural Selections deli meat.  Contest Ends July 2, 2010.  Prize available for Local Pick Up only in Mississauga.

Win this Great Maple Leaf Prize Pack! Tell us what you think about Maple Leaf Foods!

There was some rumbling of thunder, and flashes of lightening, but nothing was keeping me away from my destination on Thursday May 27.  No sir, I had been handed the best gift of all by Mississauga Kids very own Anne Green.  A night away from home, and the opportunity to eat a wonderful dinner – without six screaming children!

Maple Leaf Foods paired together with a Toronto based word of mouth marketing company Matchstick, who are a member of WOMMA (Word of Mouth Marketing Association) to put together the Maple Leaf Roundtable Blogger event.  The event was held in Mississauga at Maple Leaf Foods ThinkFOOD! Centre. It was a lovely event that offered the opportunity to meet a group of wonderful bloggers from all over the greater Toronto area including, Kingston, Kitchener, and London.  As well, it was great to finally be able to meet my email buddy Sumaya Khan from Matchstick, who was a key person in orchestrating the event.

Upon arriving I immediately felt at ease as I began to mingle with so many great bloggers, writers, and authors, even though many of them I had never met. The evening started out in the front lobby with some very tasty appetizers including Maple Leafs Natural Selection Turkey and Ham.  Yummy!  Something a busy mom like me would definitely put in my children’s school lunches!

Maple Leaf Food Natural Selections Black Forest Ham

Following the front lobby mingling, we all gathered into a beautifully set room with a dining area giving us all full view of the kitchen and the Chef who was hard at work.

Since the 2008 Listeria outbreak and recall, Maple Leaf has been attempting to restore their reputation by setting new standards in food safety and nutrition, and clearly the Round Table Blogger event was a marketing ploy to reach out to us, the costumer, parent, and blogger to assist in their endeavour to get their message across about their renewed commitment to food safety and the introduction of their Maple Leaf Food Safety Pledge.  However, it was quite obvious that Maple Leaf Foods are taking things very seriously as there were numerous key Senior Management people present, including President and Chief Executive Officer Michael McCain who opened up with the following statement:

“2008 was one of the most challenging years for me both personally and in business. On our watch 22 people died.”

He certainly took full accountability and owed up to the fact that Maple Leaf was at fault, yet they learned some very valuable lessons from the tragic event and are taking those lessons and applying it on a daily basis. He talked about Root Cause Analysis, Investment in the people and Maple Leaf Food’s commitment to becoming a global leader in food safety.

In January of 2010 Sharon Beals was hired as Senior Vice President, Food Safety and Quality Assurance, and Dr. Huffman was brought on board as Chief Food Safety Officer. Their roles are to ensure that Maple Leaf is not only meeting strenuous food and safety standards but that they are also reaching heights that go above and beyond.  Part of the process involves daily listeria testing and what’s known as the 8:30am call, where the results of the testing are thoroughly reviewed and discussed.  Improved strategies through replacing $20 million in infrastructure, intensive cleaning practices, piloting new food safety programs, continually making improvements to their HACCP  (hazard Analysis and critical control points) program, and working towards their goals of becoming GFSI (global food safety initiative) and BRC (British Retail Consortium) certified are just a few of the first steps that they have begun.

Another discussion point was the fact that there are always new and better technologies for testing, but that listeria is everywhere – even our kitchen’s, however, it is up to us to ensure that it doesn’t have the opportunity to spread leading to infections and illness.  See the attached kitchen checklist and helpful tips provided by Maple Leaf at the bottom of this post.

Chantel Kowdrysh with Michael McCain - Take Note of the Winnie the Pooh Sticker. doesn’t matter what you do or how hard you try to hide it, there is always evidence that you are a mom! Thanks Ryley!

At the end of the session I was left with the belief that Maple Leaf Foods are sincere in their efforts and that they have been able to make considerable strides since the tragic events in the summer of 2008. Do they still have some ways to go? Of course they do, but really what company doesn’t?  As a mother of six children do I have faith in the safety of Maple Leaf Food products?  Absolutely.

As Michael McCain stated several times throughout the evening “we are not perfect.” True enough, nothing can be a 100% perfect, but it is comforting to know that the 24,000 workers at Maple Leaf Foods are certainly trying to be.

Chantel Kowdrysh  – The Six Pack Mom

Food safety tips to keep top of mind:

1. Keep hand washing soap in the kitchen so it is easily accessible and wash your hands with soapy warm water for at least 20 seconds prior to starting meal preparation and during any new stage from preparation to meal time.

2. Keep a clean kitchen. Keeping your kitchen clean and tidy can reduce the chance of bacteria build-up.

3. Keep raw foods separated from cooked and ready-to-eat foods to avoid cross-contamination.

4. Carefully monitor and check best-before dates and package integrity of perishable products. Do not keep products beyond expiration date printed on the packaging.

5. Keep separate cutting boards, utensils and platters for raw meat, poultry and seafood and for ready-to-eat/cooked foods.

6. Keep cold foods cold (4°C or below).

7. Keep hot foods hot (60°C or above).

8. Keep a working meat thermometer on hand to check the internal temperatures of cooked foods. Always cook meat to the safe internal temperatures.

Source:  http://www.mapleleaf.com/en/market/food-safety/familyfood-safety-plan/

Yikes It’s hard to believe it but it is indeed Summer Camp season in Mississauga yet again.  Of course here at Mississauga Kids we are dedicated to helping you find a camp that can meet your needs for safety and convenience with your child’s needs for fun and excitement!

There are a wide variety of Summer Camps in Mississauga available for your Mississauga Kid and here’s how to find them…

On our main Mississauga Kids website we have an article titled: Mississauga Summer Camps for 2010.  It is quite the list and continues to grow!  You can find both half day and full day camps there.  There are camps to challenge you child’s brain, and camps where kids will be able to try new sports or improve their skills in sports they love.

You can also check out Online Directory – YourFamilyDirectory.com. Just check under camps and you’ll find information on both Mississauga Day camps and even a few Ontario Residential Camps.  If you are considering an overnight camp you might like to read the article that was printed in our annual directoy this year.  Download a copy of the annual directory here.

Wondering what you should pack in your day campers back pack?  Mary Kay from Kids Inc Camp lets us know in her article titled: All the Right Stuff – How to Pack for a Great Day at Camp.

One of the fun things about my job is getting invitations to fun events like the this week’s preview of Harry Potter the Exhibition at the Ontario Science Centre.  I wrote a piece for Mississauga Kids about the exhibit, but in addition to previewing the exhibit preview attendees were treated to a Q & A session with twin brothers James and Oliver Phelps who play the roles of wizarding twins Fred and George Weasley respectively, in all of the Harry Potter movies.

I wonder if James and Oliver arrived in Toronto by flying car?

They say they were coaxed into trying out for the roles by their mother with the promise of a day off of school to attend the auditions… the rest is history.  I was impressed with how nice they both seemed.  I imagine answering the same questions over and over can get a bit tedious but they were charming non the less. I asked them a question my friend Elizabeth suggested:  If you could have any of Fred and George’s inventions in real life what would you choose.  James (Fred) said he favored the biting tea cups.  Oliver (George) said he’s enjoy having the puking pastilles to pass off on some of his classmates.   (I think if I’m invited to tea at their house I’ll bring my own cup and cookies.)

James and Oliver Phelps who play Fred and George Weasley in the Harry Potter Films.

You might be surprised to find that one of their favourite scenes to shoot was the Yule Ball.  They enjoyed dressing up and the festive nature of the shot was enjoyable.  They were also asked what artifact from the upcoming Deathly Hallows films (Parts 1 and 2) they think should be included in the exhibition.  They both said they really liked the costumes they worn in the final wedding scene, but that was all they would say.  They kept mum on who was marrying and who was marrying whom.

Here are some fun facts about the exhibit:

• There are 40 characters and 19 creatures represented in the Harry Potter Exhibition.
• All of the elements in the exhibit that are designated with artifact cards are original pieces from the film series. (Including the chandelier! Be sure to look up!)
• It took organizers 3,200 man-hours to set up the exhibition at the Ontario Science Centre.
• The smallest piece featured is Cho’s Yule Ball earrings.
• There are 17 wands featured in the exhibition.
• There are 25 robes featured in the exhibition.
• All of the music played throughout the exhibition is original from the film series.

The Harry Potter Exhibit at the Ontario Science Centre comes highly recommended by this delighted fan!

9:35pm March 27th, 2010

Before 8:30pm

I have been retweeting tweets from WWF Canada (@wwfcanada) on Earth Hour 2010.  One night during dinner, after one such retweet, I mentioned it to my kids about participating.  In a house with a large high def TV, 7.1 surround sounds, cable box,  PSP, PS2, PS3 and of course my Blackberry, how could we disconnect for 60 whole minutes without killing each other.  The boys jumped onto this idea and could not wait until Saturday night.

So, Saturday is here and we are preparing for Earth Hour 2010.  The first thing we did together was go to the WWF Earth Hour site (www.earthhourcanada.org) and registered so we are counted in.  After registering, there is a mosaic, listing all the Canadians who have registered and mine is listed below.

I went and downloaded the Facebook application (http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=401651865972) and changed my profile picture for Earth Hour 2010.  I also checked out the Blackberry application (but I did not install it and you will read why later on).  I also looked at the supporting Earth Hour by adding a twibbon to my Twitter avatar (http://twibbon.com/join/Earth-Hour).

After dinner, we decided to get the flashlights ready, make sure we have enough candles and the games and paper we will need for our 60 minutes of darkness.  With a few minutes before 8:30, we will be turning off the TV, stereo, cable box and laptops.  I had my Blackberry in my hand to send/check Earth Hour tweets but son #1 said “You have to turn off the Blackberry too”.  To which I replied, “Its ok, it runs on battery so not using up any power, so it does not have to go off!”.  My son, always with a comment said “But you will have to use power to charge the battery that was drained during Earth Hour!”.  So, off went the Blackberry.

Earth Hour 2010 8:30pm to 9:30pm EDT

The time is here, we are now in darkness, for the next 60 minutes.  We started by the boys each writing a letter to their grandfather in BC.  We thought of things to say and  put the letters into envelopes and addressed them.  The boys also love paying card games, so a little Crazy 8’s also helped entertain us.  The boys are both also into Go Go Crazy Bones, armed with their bag of bones, we played and played.  The 60 minutes went by surprisingly fast.

Us playing Crazy Eights

Us Playing Go Go Crazy Bones

After 9:30pm

With the lights back on, we are now getting ready for bed.  This was the best hour I have spent with the boys in a long time.  It proved to all of us that we do not need a lot of power to keep ourselves entertained, safe and happy.

I hope everyone reading this had a great Earth Hour as much as we did.

Jeff Gignac

@jeffgignac

According to Wikipedia:

In most of Canada, Family Day is a statutory holiday  occurring on the third Monday in February. This corresponds with Presidents Day in the United States. In the provinces of Manitoba and Prince Edward Island, the statutory holiday on this date is instead termed Louis Riel Day and Islander Day, respectively.

And…

After Dalton McGuinty’s appointment as premier was supported by the election, McGuinty advised the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario   David Onley  to establish Family Day on 11 October 2007, with the first being observed on 18 February 2008. Its creation raised Ontario’s number of public holidays to nine per year, Unionized workers whose collective agreements do not yet include this holiday will continue to work on Family Day.

My Husband, ever the cynic, loves to joke about this holiday.  “They should call it:  Please Oh Please Vote For Me and I’ll Give You a Day Off in February Just Like the American’s Have Day.” Which refers of course to the above paragraph.

My 16 year old son does not care how it came about.  He does not care why it came about.  He does not care what it is suppose to celebrate.  He is however delighted that he can sleep in and does not have to go to school.

I however find this newly generated holiday quite interesting. It is interesting to me that the holiday also arrives close to Valentine’s Day.  When I was young and in love Valentine’s Day was all about doing romantic stuff with your boyfriend and dinner out and roses and candy.  I’m older now, and still in love, but once you have kids past the age of 2 it becomes more about them.  You find yourself hanging heart shaped cling-ons on the big glass patio door.   You make heart shaped pancakes for breakfast.  You help them fill out the little Valentine’s Day Cards for their class.  Rolling Family Day and Valentine’s Day up into one long weekend Family Love Fest is certainly an appropriate way to go.

The first year it was held it seemed no one knew quite what to do with themselves.  That is slowly changing as families and businesses start to  form new traditions.  The City of Mississauga has really stepped up to fill a void.  Many of the usual fun places to go will be closed that day, but it is the perfect day to set aside to get out and get active with your kids.  If you check our website you will find an article with some great ideas on Family Day Activities in Mississauga.

As we explore this new holiday families will begin developing traditions of their own.  Our family went up to the cottage  for the last 2 Family Days.  It is more like luxury camping in the winter.  There is no running water.  We bucket water up from a hole my husband drills in the lake so we can flush the toilet.  We do have electric heat, the refrigerator, stove and the tiny TV that is not hooked up to cable all work.  We read books, play board games, and force our son to watch old black and white movies.  (Because of this he knows that:  “Badges?  We don’t need no stinking badges!” is not an original Cheech and Chong line, but actually comes from the 1948 movie “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” with Humphry Bogart.)

This year however we will be staying in Mississauga.  My son is taking his WSI (Water Safety Instructors) course with the city and needs to be in town Sunday afternoon.  And that’s okay!  The Olympics are going to be starting that week and we are going to love watching those on our high def TV in the city.  So I think I’ll cook up something yummy for dinner (TBD) and I’ll take some time to make a home made chocolate cake with white icing in my heart shaped cake tins.  It’s going to be a cozy relaxed Olympic Family Valentine at our house!

What does Family Day mean to you?  What will you be doing?  If you leave us a comment about Family Day below AND fill out our contest form you’ll be entered to win a Playdium family prize pack of 4 X 160 credit Playcards valid anytime!  For rules and additional details check our Mississauga Kids Contest Page!

On Friday night Dec. 11 I had the pleasure of attending a VIP Opening night event at Taima Zone one of 4 new indoor playgrounds in Mississauga in 2009.

WOW! They have done a fantastic job building this new large, bright, clean facility.

Some features include a quiet nursing room, large party rooms, a dress up area, a stage for little performers, a special room that doubles at a space for Zoomba Fitness classes as well as parties, a cafe and a huge indoor climbing space with a faux rock climbing wall!

I’m posting some of the pictures below!

Taima Zone Nursing and Changing Room - Mississauga

One of Taima Zones Large Party Rooms in Mississauga.

Mississauga Indoor Playground Taima Zone features a fun dress up area!

A soft place to tumble... at Taima Zone in MIssissauga

Taima Zone's Fitness Room

Ready to race down the slides at Taima Zone in Mississauga.

The Cafe at Taima Zone, and yes... there is internet access!

Ready for Cake?

WELCOME TO MISSISSAUGA TAIMA ZONE!

If you’ve been following me on twitter you know I was recently sent a Tassimo maker by @TassimoCanada as part of a contest they were running giving out these nifty gadgets to people who tweet and blog so we could try them out and let you all know what we think. Being new to getting booty from blogging I was pretty excited. How cool is it to receive free stuff so you can let people know what you think? Do people even really care what I think? Hmmm. Actually I guess some do… let’s hope this revelation doesn’t go to my head.

Anyway, it arrived a few days before my father and his friend Lucy arrived for a visit. So I set it aside to wait for them to come to help set it up and try it out. That way I could get feed back from 3 generations for this review! I did open the box and it arrived with a variety of coffees, expresso, latte, chia tea latte, and some twinning teas. I was a bit bummed there was no hot chocolate. So I did pick some up at the grocery store. (Tis the season right?)

We all gathered around to open the thing up and get it running, The one I received was a silver one and it had a special filter in it to help purify the water. I filter my city water at the kitchen sink as well. So I guess processing the water twice should provide us with amazing results? Now I think my first mistake was leaving this to the men of the house to set up. Men love to read and follow directions right? Yeah… you get the idea. Three men, three generations, and all of them sure they know what to do. It was comical. In the end I had to take over and insist they read the directions. It took about 45 minutes to get the thing running. Those of us who were of legal age had had a glass of wine… or two… so it might have gone a bit smoother if we weren’t all so, um jolly?

My 16 year old son says I should make sure I tell you all that if you are going to give one of these machines to a grandparent you should set it up for him. I pointed out that that was ageism. He replied “Call it what you want but unless the giver wants to find it sitting in the garage under a layer of dust next time they visit they should help set it up.” He has always been a pragmatic lad.

Once it was up and running we all enjoyed a variety of teas and coffees and even hot chocolate. I’m not really a coffee drinker but my Dad and husband really did enjoy all of the coffees. Lucy, my father’s friend, can only drink decaf and she was quite impressed with the quality of the Maxwell House decaf that came with my samples. Lucy is a self declared Luddite but even she learned to run the Tassimo once it was up and going.

Once it is up and running it is pretty easy. Select the flavor and put it in the machine and press a button. Some products like the chia tea and the lattes have 2 disks. So you do one and then the other. It is easy to refill the machine, it has a hole in the top so you don’t even have to lift the big lid up.

The machine is fun. It is very nice to be able to brew one cup and the quality of the coffee is very good. I liked the chia tea, but the hot chocolate was kind of watery. I think it is better when you make it yourself with hot water and can add extra mix. (Of course it is MUCH better if you make it from scratch with milk!) They offer only Twinnings brand tea, both Earl Grey black tea and a green tea. I thought they were fine, but I prefer Tazo teas and they don’t have a partnership with Tassimo Canada yet. Tazo is working with them in the US so I will remain ever hopeful!

I also like to have a large variety of tea flavours to choose from depending on my mood. If I wanted a mint tea, or a chamomile I had to return to the traditional method. It seems to me a lack of variety might be a concern for this brand of single cup brew machine. A friend of mine, Belinda, has a Keurig machine that she swears she couldn’t live without. I checked it out online and they do seem to have a larger selection of flavors. Hopefully Tassimo will catch up.

Another concern is the disks. To be honest I have not calculated the difference in cost but I am fairly sure it is bound to be more. The impact on the environment is something to consider as well. It is fun to have all these different flavors to choose from but I’m having trouble storing them! If I’m having trouble storing them I am forced to consider how much space they take up… both now and after I need to get rid of them. They are most certainly not compostable as tea bags and coffee grounds are.

Since I have one I expect I’ll enjoy it for a while, or at least until I get frustrated with all the boxes of disks cluttering up my kitchen!

OH! The great folks at @TassimoCanada did send me three $20 off mail in rebate coupons! If you live in Canada and you know you are going to buy either a Tassimo Model T45 or a T65 leave me a comment and I’ll email you back to get a snail mail address so I can mail you a coupon! Sorry this offer is expired.

It is being reported in the Mississauga News that the Salvation Army has issued a warning to the residents of Mississauga regarding a door-to-door Santa Scam.

On Tuesday Nov. 17, 2009 complaints were received about a man dressed as Santa going door to door soliciting money donations for the church’s annual Christmas Holiday fund raising campaign. This man is NOT authorized to collect donations for the Salvation Army.

“It’s not good, is what it is,” said Capt. John Murray, who believes tough economic times are behind the scam.

“Desperate times, desperate measures … some (people) are trying to take advantage of people to put money into their own pockets,” he said.

It is important to remember that the Salvation Army does NOT go house to house. They do collect donations through a direct mail campaign, a Santa Schuffle Fun Run and the traditional Christmas Kettles located in Mississauga Malls and stores.

Donations are also accepted online at www.SalvationArmy.ca or at 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800 725-2769)

We at Mississauga Kids find this crime to be especially despicable. Santa comes to your door and asks you for money for a good cause in front of the kids and you have to turn him away. We suggest you say something like: “Santa it is lovely to see you and we will be delighted to make a donation to the Salvation Army but we are going to do it online this year, or at the kettle at the Mall when we’re shopping for Aunt Betsy! Say good night to Santa kids you know he is very busy and has other people to visit.” Then call Peel Region Police to report the incident.

If you are looking for places to see the real Santa in Mississauga this year please check our website www.MississaugaKids.com.