Nothing bad happened, but listening to the news afterwards, you had to wonder if it was such a smart thing to do.

It was.

It’s not often that we can watch the “news” in real life, so I didn’t want to miss this opportunity – not only for my own curiosity, but also for my son’s sake. We drove down in the middle of the afternoon on Sunday to see for ourselves what was going on. We parked near the beautiful Distillery District – there were almost no cars on the streets – and walked down the Esplanade past the St. Lawrence Market until we came to the security area. Not much going on until we reached the intersection of Bay and Wellesley. This is what we saw there:

It was quite peaceful, actually, but there were lines of police blocking the road and behind them ranks of riot police in full gear. There appeared to be as many onlookers (like us) as there were actual protesters. A group of church ladies walked by singing a quiet song – clearly a non-violent bunch – and someone handed us a pamphlet touting the virtues of veganism. My son was highly amused by one large sign a young man was carrying that said: “stop protesting and start a business!”

Next we headed up past police check-points to Nathan Phillips Square where we ate a hotdog and watched the seagulls on Toronto’s real “fake lake.” Other than the smashed windows on the Starbucks just to our south, it all seemed very Toronto.

Just then an long, long cavalcade of cyclists rode by, some even tooting vuvuzelas. When we walked back past Bay and Wellesley, a number of these cyclists had stopped and were brandishing their bikes in the air, surrounded by clicking cameras. We passed numerous media people speaking into cameras, or microphones, or even their cell phones, but it really appeared at this point that there was not much of a story – at least not on this intersection.

We walked back to the car and chatted about the whole thing: why were people protesting, why was there a security fence, why didn’t the police want people to get near the fence, what was the G20 about anyway etc. We even figured out who Nathan Phillips was (Toronto’s first Jewish Mayor, among other things). We didn’t witness anything too dramatic, but at least we had changed the G20 from something we hear about in the news into something that was a personal experience.

This week, visitors to Black Creek Pioneer Village (the hosts of this very blog) will have a chance to get a experience something of the very first “Dominion Day” (as it used to be called) which was celebrated on July 1st, 1867. The Village is a recreation of that very decade in Canada’s history (the 1860s) so this is as good a place as any I can think of to enjoy our nation’s birthday.

One special feature which I think it would be lovely for children to experience: 30 New Canadians will become citizens in a public ceremony. That takes place at 2:30 in the afternoon. Be among the first to congratulate our newly-minted fellow citizens!

There will be wagon rides, also great fun for kids, games and activities, tours of the new Black Creek Historic Brewery, and lots of great food.

Kids learning about building at Black Creek Pioneer Village

Wherever you decided to spend it, we live in a wonderful country and Canada Day is a wonderful way to celebrate something meaningful with the whole family.

How do you celebrate Canada Day?

Sometimes all it takes is a walk to the park and shooting a few hoops. We had fun, and there was nothing to plan or organize. Especially now, with summer coming, whenever we can, we just take off after the dinner dishes are done and have some fun together.

A while back I innocently signed up for the “Clutter Control Club” Newsletter on the Canadian Parents web site (click on the link for “Clubs“).

I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

It turns out this is an intensive 28-Day program of epic proportions. And it’s pretty darned useful stuff, too. Basically, you get a new email every day with tips, encouragement, and specific steps to take that day. I’m sure many people will actually execute the whole program down to a “T” – and I’m sure it could pretty much change their lives to do so. But for the rest of us slackers, there’s more than enough useful advice to make a difference on the home front.

As a single parent running my business from my home (mostly), I have often felt overwhelmed by the work of managing the household – on top of managing my kids and everything else. Along the way I have noticed two things:

1. It’s a lot easier to keep a tidy house tidy.

2. I am a much better parent when the home is in order.

The first point is not a word play: it’s much less effort to maintain order than it is to create it out of chaos. I am an “inspired creative” type of person, so I have no problem creating chaos! But (ironically) the more order I maintain in my home, the effective all that inspired creativity is. It’s almost like my home is a reflection of my state of mind. Slowly but surely, I am learning to create and keep this order.

The second point is even  ore important. Your kids are only kids once, so naturally all of us parents want to make the experience and the process as positive and helpful to them as possible. “Positive and helpful” does not generally include things like nagging or arguing, but I find that’s just what I do when things around me are in disarray. It’s easy blame my kids for the mess – which may be true in a way. But of course I am the parent, so it’s up to me to create a constructive mood. That means guiding my children to what they could or should be doing, rather than blaming them for what they have not yet learned to do.

What can I say? An orderly home makes me a better parent.

Now back to the Clutter Control Club Agenda. Sometimes advice doesn’t need to be earth-shattering to be really helpful. One of my favourite things in the CCC is the “Sparkle Kit.” Basically, a “Sparkle Kit” is a carrier with all your cleaning supplies and equipment. Yes the name is cheesy and the idea is fairly simple, but it works for me. I have kept all the cleaning stuff in the kitchen closet – except for some of the bathroom cleaning gear, which is under the bathroom sink. Bad idea. Keep everything together and make sure it’s portable. It speeds up cleaning a whole lot and makes it much easier for my boys when it’s their turn to clean. there is a thread on the Canadian Parents forum called “What’s in Your Sparkle Kit?” It’s interesting to see what people include, and how they use their cleaning gear. And it’s awesome that people take the time to talk about this stuff with each other.

I also like the “Clutter Control System Five” (I even like the cool name. Does that make me a cleaning nerd?). These are the five steps to de-cluttering a room. I’m doing them right now in my office.

Step 1: Ask yourself this question: This room/closet/area is a space for….
Step 2: Then decide: based on your answers above, how you are going to set up your space.
Step 3: Sort
Step 4: Clean
Step 5: Organize and Containerize

Again, it’s not rocket science, but it helps to systematize the process.

What about you? How is the clutter thing affecting you and your family?  How do you deal with it?

A tidy corner of my office ... with roses from the garden.

Thanks, and kudos to Tracy Keleher, “maven and host” of the Clutter Control Club.

And speaking of making thing by hand (see previous post …)

In our family Fathers Day was a combined birthday celebration for yours truly, and we celebrated it a week ago, on the anniversary of my arrival on planet earth. We made crepes (a new crepe pan being one of the gifts) had a feast and then enjoyed sitting around the table in the backyard. I got nice gifts and one of the nicest had to be a creation from my eldest daughter.

She had intended to stop off at Yorkdale to get the gift on the way to our brunch (yes, I know, planning ahead …) but in a bizarre twist, her car was stuck inside the police tape at a crime scene (the tragic stabbing last weekend in the Bathurst/St. Claire area). the intended gift was a new Apple Mouse, but my intrepid daughter was not going to let a little police tape foil her plans, so she got out a needle and thread, and found some scrap cloth and a magic marker and .. voila! Dad got an Apple Mouse for for his birthday/Fathers Day. Even 24 year-old daughters can still make their own gifts.

The latest product from "Apple," courtesy of my daughter. It's tough to top that.

Nothing is better for children, than using their hands to make things or do things. Touching the materials you are working with is a great way to connect with the world.

Carding wool. That's what they had to do before the wool could be spun into thread. Kids can do this at the Village.

This weekend Black Creek Pioneer Village will be overrun with soldiers – Revolutionary War soldiers, that is. What a great outing for Fathers Day!

Battle of Black Creek - and you thought the vuvezelas were loud!

Today’s Globe and Mail has a little article called “Mommy, is the oil spill going to kill that bird?” (by Dave McGinn, “Parenting > Tough Questions”). The article describes a scene all parents of young children will be able to relate to. The kids see something in the media and then do what kids do: ask questions. It’s tough, of course when the topic is something upsetting for them. It’s even tougher if the subject is something which is upsetting for us as well.

McGinn quotes Beverley Cathcart-Ross, of Parentingnetwork.ca who points out some basic (but helpful) things like the importance of keeping answers short, and asking children what their questions are before we launch forth on a long speech – you know those speeches, the ones that have more to do with us and our concerns than those of our children!

It’s a timely article and I would like to expand on it a little. There is a real issue for children (and adults) in the disconnect between the real world world they live in, and the world on screens, print, and radio. Screens print and radio do a great service to us by bringing the world into our home, but they can also foster a sense of helplessness because it is very seldom that we can actually do anything about what we read or hear. This is one reason why it’s never a bad idea to limit the exposure of small children to the media. Trying to make sense of the world on TV, while they are still making sense of your immediate surroundings, is too much to ask of the very young. But totally isolating a child from the news is nearly impossible. They are almost certain to see heartbreaking images of oil soaked animals who are struggling to live. Pictures like that are hard to take for any of us.

So what is a parent to do?

Read more…

The World Cup kicked off today. The city is abuzz with excitement and flags from at least 32 countries can be seen fluttering from cars, balconies and whatever else people can attach them to. I caught the last 5 minutes of the opening game and watched South Africa come within a goalpost of winning. I was hooked and I realized this is going to be an exciting month.

What a great opportunity for families, too. This is an experience everyone can enjoy – and learn a something from.

1. It’s Real
This a rare moment where there is a connect for children between the media experience and the real experience on the street. It would be wonderful to take your kids (as I will) to watch on a big screen somewhere, just to feel the energy of the crowds. It makes it real and it makes it fun.

2. See the World
Teams from all around the world are competing. They look different, they have different styles of play. I know we’ll be talking about Africa a lot in our home, and lots of other things, too – like North and South Korea. We’ll see brilliant play from parts of the world we don’t hear much about: what do you know about Ghana, for instance, or even Denmark?

Added to that is the realization that many, many people from all of these countries make their homes right here in the GTA. What an eye-opener it is for all of us. What a great chance to learn a little about our neighbours.

3. Be Generous
Because we are such a mixed society, many of us have roots in many different places. It’s so lovely to hear the enthusiasm that people feel for their own background – and even lovelier that we can (for the most part) share it joyfully – often within the same family. Whenever someone wins a game, there is usually someone we know whom we can congratulate: a friend, a neighbour, an associate, a server in a restaurant (etc. etc. etc.). What a way to take the generous spirit of good sportsmanship to a global level.

What a lovely international experience. Turn on the TV (this time it’s good for you! ) or even better, take the kids out to someplace where the game is on and have fun! It’s a beautiful game – and it’s a beautiful world we live in.

Yesterday on Metro Morning (CBC 99.1 FM in case you’re not aware of it) they spoke about the conference for Dads (see previous entry for details). After the CBC  piece, host Matt Galloway mentioned that he didn’t know any fathers in his circle who were not fully involved and engaged parents. I think I agree. Isn’t it a given, in this day and age, that a father is as involved in the day-to-day of his children as the mother is?

So that begs the question: what is a dad? How is a dad different from a mom?