Parent Club Calendar

Canadian National Exhibition - August 15 – September 1

An Evening at the Chefs' Table under the stars August 16 at 6 p.m. If you are a foodie you'll love seeing Michael Smith (Food Network) live.

Hot & Spicy Food Festival, Harbourfront Centre

Rogers Chinese Lantern Festival, Ontario Place

Cirque Saltimbanco, Air Canada Centre

Corn Festival, Whittamore’s Farm (Markham)

Co-Sleeping; Good, Bad or just plain Ugly?

Thing 2 co-slept for a long time. It was never the plan. As with most parenting, plans have a way of falling down mid-flight. Famous now for childhood sleepwalking, early in life, Thing 2 was also quite famous for sleep vomiting (also projectile vomiting too - we are blessed aren't we?).

It was mainly when there was illness. A fever. A flu. A cough. Concerned about choking; Thing 2 did not sleep alone during an illness. It was tiring. It was messy. It wasn't too comfortable really.

Co-sleeping wasn't the plan. So the plan was altered. A vinyl covered foam mattress unfolds beside the big bed; a welcoming safe haven to any little one with a nightmare or illness. You can be near -- just not that near thank you. It wasn't hard to change the plan. The choice was le matelas or back to your own room. Le matelas has always been chosen.

Co-sleeping is a personal choice. Not my choice. (forget the bonding experience - I need a good night's sleep. We can bond at breakfast).

Sigh...the first bee sting

Ah, the first steps. The first word. The first bee sting?! OK, not a very nice first -- but yesterday we experienced the first bee sting of life.

Well, we now know - with certainty - Thing 2 does not have an Anaphylactic shock reaction to bee stings. Panic attack reaction - yes. HUGE panic attack. HUGE.

Thank goodness for TeleHealth Ontario - those nurses are fantabulous (1-866-797-0000). They asked if Thing 2 had a tickle in Thing's throat or chest. If there was difficulty swallowing. If the swelling extended past the wrist (bitten on the "not polite" middle finger).

The remedy was ice, a water + baking soda solution on a cloth, some acetaminophen to ease the pain and a lot of television.

Children's Summer Reading

What children's books should you check out from the library this week?

You could look for a few of the finalists for the 2008 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose: The Story of a PaintingBy Hugh Brewster with paintings by John Singer Sargent
Kids Can Press

“An outstanding information book... Beautifully written and produced, with a fine balance of illustration, biographical and historical detail and insight into the creative process, all through the viewpoint of a child whose humanity makes it true.”

Darkwing
By Kenneth Oppel
HarperCollins Publishers

“Darkwing continues Oppel’s reputation for creating textured, engrossing animal societies that win generations of fans. The exceptional writing is filled with descriptive details, emotive connotations and visual sightings that give a richly plotted, fact-filled glimpse into this prehistoric world.”

Elijah of Buxton
By Christopher Paul Curtis
Scholastic Canada

“Tears of laughter and sadness commingle as Curtis immerses readers in the daily happenings of the nineteenth century Ontario community of Buxton whose inhabitants are slaves who have escaped from the United States. This novel engagingly and dramatically brings to life a little known segment of Canadian history.”

Eye of the Crow: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His First Case
By Shane Peacock
Tundra Books

“Historical fiction at its finest! The plot, speculating on the childhood adventures of Sherlock Holmes, is well-constructed, fast paced and embedded with details. Superb characterization is accompanied by witty dialogue and the author’s love of vivid descriptive words.”

Please, Louise!
By Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay
Groundwood Books

“A gem of a picture book delighting in the warm relationship between brother and younger sister. Lively watercolours explode across the pages adding detail and humour to the powerful simplicity of the text. The words sing as they are read!”

Or you could check out the French-language finalists for the 2008 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award;

Chester
Texte et illustrations de Mélanie Watt
Éditions Scholastic

“Cet album humoristique est d’un concept innovateur. Chester le chat, personnage prétentieux et taquin, se joue de son auteure-illustratrice afin de ravir à la souris le rôle principal de l’histoire. Ce livre comporte une magnifique mise en abîme où… les souris gagnent!”

Farouj le coq
Texte de Badiâa Sekfali
Illustration de Jean-Marie Benoit
Éditions Les 400 coups

“Ce conte, issu de la tradition arabo-berbère, nous transporte dans l’intemporalité. Le récit avec une grande délicatesse et limpidité transmet de nombreuses valeurs; le respect d’autrui, la persévérance, la détermination, la bonté, la sincérité et la foi en un monde meilleur. Les illustrations de couleurs chaudes sont de véritables œuvres d’art.”

Le Mur
Texte d’Angèle Delaunois
Illustrations de Pierre Houde
Éditions de l’Isatis

“Ce conte moderne a une portée universelle. Il permet de voir la naissance et l’absurdité d’un conflit ainsi que les conséquences qui en découlent, pour soi et pour les autres. Les illustrations arrivent à transmettre, avec une luminosité touchante, l’hostilité que l’on retrouve dans le récit. L’ensemble permet de saisir comment une peccadille peut devenir un mur d’incompréhensions.”

La Petite rapporteuse de mots
Texte de Danielle Simard
Illustrations de Geneviève Côté
Éditions Les 400 coups

“Cet album tout en finesse raconte une histoire de tous les jours. Le thème difficile de la maladie d’Alzheimer est rarement présent dans la littérature jeunesse, mais l’est par contre de plus en plus dans la vie actuelle. Le texte, sensible et touchant, est porté par des illustrations évanescentes comme les mots dans la bouche de la grand-mère, elles savent à merveille transmettre les émotions. La complicité intergénérationnelle règne au cœur de ce magnifique album.”

Un cadeau pour Sophie
Texte de Gilles Vigneault
Illustrations de Stéphane Jorisch
Éditions La montagne secrete

“Une histoire réaliste tout en poésie, aux couleurs de bord de mer. Le texte et les illustrations s’harmonisent en une véritable ode à l’enfance et à la vie. Un cadeau pour tous. Ce livre transmet le sens de la continuité, l’importance de se souvenir, la valeur que peut avoir un cadeau…”

Parent Club - Our Special Olympic Athlete

You might remember that last week Parent Club had a post on the Olympic Games (yes, click that if you want to read it again). An important excerpt from that post is as follows;

********************************************************
Olympic information should be shared on Parent Club because it's good family entertainment. Sport, honour, victory & defeat mixed in with sportsmanship and competition, pride and courage.
********************************************************

These are, in my opnion, the building blocks for kids to learn how to play, work and live in the greater world. Therefore, Parent Club has agreed to sponsor a Special Olympics athlete to show our support to these very valuable athletes. There is no $$ exchanged for this sponsorship (meaning that Parent Club does not get compensated in any way whatsoever for our sponsorship).

Check out this video that Canada’s Special Olympics team has prepared; sending well wishes to Olympians and Paralympians.



Parent Club has already been paired up with a Special athlete. In the coming weeks (and months) we will introduce you to him (there you go a SPOILER already) as he trains for the World Winter Games in Boise, Idaho (February 6 to 13, 2009).