Eat a Kangaroo!

It's only November and I am sick & tired of making sandwiches for school lunches. My kids aren't sick of the food fare...as quite honestly, I think the sandwich is just a means to get to the pudding I have been putting in the lunch boxes.

So I invited the kids to help me create something new. Kangaroo pockets (homemade pizza pockets). We set up an assembly line with various chairs, step stools and bowls. Yes, half-way through I had to get physical with the sauce lady as she was trying to squeeze in on the cheese girl -- but invention comes with certain battles...we all know that. With the sauce lady back on her chair and me in between -creating a safe zone for the cheese girl we were cooking! The kids had a great time assembling the pizzas. Of course, when they came out of the oven the sauce girl refused to even try eating a kangaroo. But the cheese girl enjoyed them and voted to put them in the lunchbox for the next day. One victory - one setback...in the lunchbox problem.

To make Kangaroos;

Pre-heat oven to 350C

One package of ready made pizza dough (in the bakery section of your supermarket)
Pizza sauce (we used our homemade spaghetti sauce bc I knew the kids would eat it)
Mozzarella cheese
One egg (to brush on the rim of the pizzas to make them stick)

Separate your pizza dough into many separate balls. Roll balls until circular and pizza-like. Spread sauce, sprinkle cheese and brush egg wash around the exterior. Fold and pinch the dough together (in a kangaroo pouch type of form). Place on baking sheet. Bake according to the pizza dough package instructions.

Another Toy Recall - Aqua Dots

Toronto-based toy manufacturer - Spin Master is voluntarily recalling Aqua Dots. A similar product made by the same company was recalled in Australia earlier this week.

The problem with Aqua Dots, is that apparently, if a child eats the beads - a chemical (used to produce the beads) turns into gammy hydroxyl butyrate (GHB - The Date Rape drug) internally. The toxin can make a child comatose, obstruct airways and potentially cause death.

Though there are no reported injuries in Canada, three Australian children were sent to hospital suffering side effects such as drowsiness and seizures.

Should this toy be in your house, take it out of the playroom immediately and call/visit the website below.

Healthy Canadians - Government of Canada Toy Recalls

This Weekend...

Looking for something to do this weekend?

Here are some sales you can do on your own, with a friend or as a date with your spouse.

Baby & Toddler show at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Esprit Factory Warehouse sale. 6900 Airport Road at Derry, Mississauga. (up to 80% off)

William Ashley Sale62 Railside Road (Lawrence & Vic. Park). (up to 90% off)

Samko/Miko Warehouse Sale. Two locations. Click on link.

Johnson & Johnson Warehouse sale. See left sidebar.

Parent Club Holiday Gifts - Handprints - Part 1 of Series

Is anyone else in the Parent Club starting to think about holiday gifts? As promised, we give you Part 1 in our series of Parent Club Holiday Gifts. This is a point & click, personalized gift idea for family, teachers or hostess presents.

HAND PRINTS

You need;

A hand print of your child's hand
scanner/or printer
local print shop or photo centre

Timeline: 1-3 weeks

Start off making a hand print (this can be difficult if your child likes to squish the paint on the paper). Optional; write your child's name and age at the bottom of the artwork.

Either print the hand print or scan it to create a jpeg.

Point & click. Through a print shop you can create greeting cards with the hand print as the imagery. At a store, like Staples, you can order on-line. The cards come with envelopes and work out to being about $1/card.


At your local print shop, you can have the hand print jpeg put on coffee mugs, mouse pads or t-shirts. Again, you can point & click during nap time.

Hand prints are fun to make and fun to give. Check out the comments regarding other handprint ideas.

Toy Recalls

Did you hear about the Fisher Price toy recall today? Do you ever check the toy recall lists to see if any beloved toy in your house might be a risk to your child?

The Government of Canada continuously updates their TOY RECALL site. This site also has a food recall page - good to know.

The government's web page also gives a detailed product description, the identified hazard and the corrective action. However, before you start to check any of this...take the toy in question out of the playroom.

Repair kits are usually sent - free-of-charge - to the consumer with directions on how to repair the toy at home.

With the holidays coming up, checking the Toy Recall list is a good way to keep yourself consumer-savvy.

Nov. 11, 2007

You will find on the left sidebar - a listing of Remembrance Day ceremonies for the Toronto area.

City of Toronto ceremonies will take place at;

East York Civic Centre

Etobicoke Civic Centre

North York Civic Centre

Toronto Old City Hall

York Civic Centre

Historic Fort York/
Garrison Common Cemetery

Kew Beach Cenotaph

Queen's Park at the Veterans' Memorial

Swansea Town Hall

Coming Soon...

Parent Club is writing a new series on family friendly holiday shopping.

Do you hate going into the malls with kids, snack & strollers? Do you plan how many stores to hit before kid-meltdown? If you answer yes -- then these articles are vital for you to read!

We will cover point & click shopping, gifts that keep giving, and amazing ideas for the grown-ups in your life.

All mall-free!