Family Fun at Courtyard by Marriott, Niagara Falls

Last weekend, our family hit the road to experience the newly renovated Courtyard by Marriott in Niagara Falls, just minutes from the main attraction itself.

We headed out on Saturday morning, and with a bit of a bathroom-break detour, arrived just before 1 p.m. Parking is right onsite, and the lobby was warm and inviting, with lots of cozy seating areas and a fireplace (I'm a sucker for a fireplace.)

I had emailed in advance and requested an early check-in, and our room was ready to go. We were in a "Junior Presidential Suite" on the 6th floor, and while that sounds very elite, the rates are surprisingly reasonable (it can't boast a view of the Falls, but how much time do you really spend staring out a hotel window? If it's a lot, I think you may be doing travel wrong.)

We had a king-sized bed in addition to a pullout couch in the sitting area, bathroom with shower, two-person in-room jacuzzi, and yes...a fireplace! There was lots of space for the four of us, and room at the desk for anyone who may actually need to do work while staying in Niagara Falls. While we were only there for a short stay, the complimentary WiFi, mini-fridge, coffee maker and safe are handy features of the room as well for those staying longer.

We took a quick walk to Subway for lunch, and then a drive down to check out the Falls. In nice weather, it would totally be within walking distance, and we would have wandered the touristy streets to show the girls, but it was a cold April day, and, well...you know me!

Once back at the hotel, the girls were very eager to enjoy the indoor pool (which was comfortably warm), hot tub and sauna. They also have an outdoor pool with a small side, which will be open when the nicer weather arrives.

I think my only complaint about the entire stay was that the chlorine was super high in the pool that day, which stung Frannie's eyes, and totally changed the colour of her bathing suit! For a minute, I actually tried to remember if it was some sort of trick-swimsuit which was supposed to change colour in water, as the difference was that major.

Waiting for the elevator after our "swim" (I use the term loosely, as my time was spent in the hot tub, reading magazines. "In Touch" and "Family Circle" balance each other out, right?) we noticed a TV screen welcoming special visitors...and we were on there! Nice touch. Plus, one of our local hockey teams, obviously staying in the hotel as well, was mentioned right after us.

Next we relaxed in the room for a bit, where the girls enjoyed their pretend play: "Let's be two moms who have babysitters and we came to a hotel!" They loved playing in the empty two-person whirlpool, which, let's be honest, might have seen more use had the kids not been there.

We enjoyed a fantastic dinner at The Keg, located right in the lobby of the hotel (there's also a T.G.I.Friday's). Cody was an attentive server, and was kind enough to compliment our well-behaved kids. (They were warned that this was a very nice restaurant and switching places by crawling under the table wouldn't be acceptable, but they're generally good when we eat out. You'd think they had practice.) The Keg's prime rib with garlic mashed potatoes is probably my favourite restaurant meal ever, and they even let me have hot fudge instead of fruit topping on my cheesecake. Perfection.

Back in the room, it was time for PJs and teeth-brushing, and we all climbed into the king bed to watch "Frozen" together on the flat-screen TV. Hubby (not at all a fan of children's movies, even the ones that are supposed to have another level for adults) hadn't seen it yet, and the girls were excited to share it with him.

After the last rendition of "Let It Go", the girls were sent to their pull-out couch, where Maggie was very quickly asleep, with Frannie not too long behind. She *may* have seen a bit of the Saturday Night Live that they show before the new Saturday Night Live, but oh well. Maybe she'll be the next Tina Fey.

We took advantage of the buffet breakfast served in The Keg on Sunday morning, then it was time for a speedy checkout before programming the GPS for "home".

Niagara Falls Top 3 by Maggie, age 5:

1. The breakfast buffet
2. Swimming
3. Seeing The Falls

Niagara Falls Top 3 by Frannie, age 8:

1. The warm swimming pool
2. The cool room
3. The amazing Falls

I would definitely recommend the Courtyard by Marriott Niagara Falls for families travelling to this tourist destination. I'm not sure what it looked like pre-renovation, but the whole place felt warm and clean, and we didn't come across a single staff member who wasn't friendly and helpful (and most had no idea I was there to review the place).

Disclosure: We were provided with a free stay the the Courtyard by Marriott to facilitate this post. Opinions are, as always, my own.

Kids' Party Roundup - Themes Galore!

Over the years, I've shared several party themes here at This Mom Loves (with LOTS of help from my themed-party-planning friend, Krista!)

For some reason it seems like the birthday party season ramps up in spring, so I thought it would be the perfect time to share a roundup of different party ideas.

My First Party Post, with some miscellaneous ideas for activities, food (cupcake cones were a bit hit!) and loot:

The Polkadot Party (from Krista)

The Military Party (this one is thanks to my friend Trina, who thought I needed some more masculine ideas!)

The Pajama Party (Krista) Don't you love the cake, decorated to look just like her daughter's bed? I *may* have copied this idea a couple of years later!

The Back-to-School Party

I planned this one as a way for my daughter to get to know the other girls in her JK class (and yes, that's a pencil and eraser in the cupcake!)

The Jumping Party (Krista)

This theme is perfect for a party with a bouncy castle!

The Rock Star Party (Krista)

A Pinterest favourite, this one's a "hit" with little performers!

The Purple Party (Krista)

This could be modified to work with any favourite colour!

The Butterfly Party

I planned this one myself, and it was pretty darned themey, from the decorations to the crafts to the loot bags...and of course the cake. Fine, I didn't make that...

The PC Cooking School Party (at Loblaws)


I was extremely pleased with how Maggie's fourth birthday party was run...so pleased that I chose the same location for Frannie's seventh!

Happy party planning!

P.S. If you've posted about a themed birthday party, please feel free to leave a link to your blog in the comments section. We love new ideas!

Spring 2014 (Yes, it's here) From Hallmark - With Giveaway!

My latest Hallmark "Press Pause Panel" box has arrived, with all sorts of selections for spring celebrations like Easter and Mother's Day.

Some of my favourites:

"Cheery Chick" with light (special $14.95, MSRP $29.95)

This one is going to be a hot-ticket item in my classroom raffle this month! There's a miniature scene inside this detailed egg, and when the button is pressed, the scene lights up.

Itty Bittys Disney Plush Mickey and Minnie (MRSP $6.95 each)


The class gave this cute little set to a student who was leaving us to move to Manitoba. We're hoping that they help her to remember the girls and boys who will be missing her here at our school!

Pics 'n' Props Baby's First Holidays Activity Kit (MSRP $35.99)


As soon as I saw this, I knew exactly who to save it for - one of my best friends who has another bébé on the way! It comes with an album and tons of fun props for staging photo ops to commemorate all of baby's first holidays (Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, Easter, etc.)

Magnetic Memo Board Burlap (MSRP $24.95)


When my Hallmark goodies arrive, I always try to share the wealth with my students and friends, but this item is going to be for me! I love the colour of this beautiful memo board, which includes a satin ribbon for hanging and a set of 6 cute patterned magnets for displaying notes. I have a whole drawer full of pieces that I'm saving for my "dream office"...some day!

One lucky This Mom Loves reader will win the Cheery Chick With Light (pictured above). All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below letting me know you'd like to win! (Make sure there's a way for me to contact you.) This giveaway will have a quick turnaround, and will close on Sunday, April 13th at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Good luck!

Disclosure: I was provided with the above items for review purposes. Opinions are, as always, my own.

School Roundup: March 2014

It may have been a shorter month because of the March Break, but we still had lots happening. A few highlights:

Language (Grammar)

Teaching parts of speech has never been easier. I've been using "Shrek Forever After" Mad Libs, and the kids love it. We sit at the carpet, and I ask for whatever parts of speech are needed (noun, adjective, etc.), which the kids volunteer. This is so much better than worksheets or drills. They are motivated to remember what each type of word is, because they want to be able to add to the funny story. When I read the completed text, with all of their contributions, we all have a great laugh!

Language (Writing)

This month the students wrote well-developed paragraphs about their March Break, as well as sweet goodbye letters to a student who was moving away from our classroom, both of which were very personalized and authentic forms of writing. (I don't know who invented the phrase "choice within structure" but I love it.)

Language (Read-Aloud)

I had never read the book "Holes" by Louis Sachar before (though of course I had heard about it) and I saw it on a list of recommended Grade 3 read-alouds. I'm so glad I  signed it out of the library, as we're all really enjoying it. What's that? You say there's a film version as well? I had no idea!

Religion

I've shown one of my favourite Religion resources before (Bible Story Puzzles) and it's coming in very handy as the kids learn how to navigate the Bible and find particular passages. They've already done a group challenge called "Old Testament Matchup", and next month we'll tackle "New Testament Matchup".


Physical Education

Once Spring arrives (or gets close) I allow each student to take a turn being "Teacher For The Day" in the gym. They must provide a warmup, and share a game that we don't usually play in class which will keep all students active for our 20 minute period. I assess each child for Oral Communication and Physical Education, and the other children provide peer feedback at the end of each period as well.


Math (Fractions)

We just finished learning about fractions (one of my favourite Math strands!) and as a culminating Math/Art activity, the students designed their own Fraction Sundaes (perhaps inspired by my Baskin Robbins days?) The only requirements were that they had to include at least three different fractions (not just three different flavours, but numbers of scoops as well). They did a fantastic job!

The Happiness Project: April (aka, Lighten Up, Kate!)

For the month of April, author Gretchen Rubin's "Happiness Project" goals had a theme of "Lighten Up: Parenthood".

When it comes to life in general, in some ways "lighten up" SO applies to me, but in other ways it really doesn't.

I'm a serious person, but that doesn't mean I'm not joyful. I think of myself generally as positive, optimistic and cheerful (though I certainly have my moments). But when it comes to work vs. play, I know "light" isn't a very good descriptor for my style. The thing is though, another one of Gretchen's mottos is "Be Gretchen", which I would interpret as "Be Kate" (you get it, right?) and Kate is an organized, productive, goal-oriented kind of gal. Nothing wrong with that, if you're Kate.

But.

I have to remember that lightening up isn't just about me. This month's theme has to do with parenting, and while I am very light and breezy when it comes to worrying about homecooked meals, daily baths, helicopter-parented projects and double-digit extracurriculars (none of which happen) I definitely don't have a light and playful attitude with my children enough of the time.My husband is much better than I am at the teasing and tag, and definitely takes the lead when it comes to April Fool's Day jokes. Two years ago, he gave them boxes of Smarties on the way to church, and when they opened them they found stones inside. Since that day, the rest of us continue to imitate Maggie's response when we are displeased about something: She turned her head to the window, nose in the air, with a very miffed "Hmmmff!" sound. (The real Smarties were waiting in baggies; he's not cruel!) Last year, he covered the girls' bedroom doors with newspaper while they were asleep, which amused them greatly as well. I figure it's safer to let him be the "bad guy" - that way, he's always their target!

Exhibit one for the defense (proof that Kate can indeed be playful):

Gretchen's goals for the month of April were:

• Sing in the morning. This I do, and not (just) in the shower. For years now, I have woken my daughters up with a song that I learned when I first took baby Frannie to a community "Mother Goose" program. We also have a special good night song, which my mom used to sing to us on occasion when tucking us in, and it stuck. I asked Frannie if perhaps we should share the lyrics here on the blog, and maybe even an audio clip or two, but she said no, that they are our special songs and they wouldn't be as special if all of my readers knew about them. So there you have it. I have to admit that there are both mornings and evenings that I (for just a moment, I swear) begrudge the thirty seconds it takes to sing to each girl. We have to get up and moving, or they need to be tucked in so I can get on with my evening. But looking into their eyes and giving them my undivided attention in those moments is a wonderful way to ground me and provide perspective to bookend the day with love and joy. If Daddy (who is actually much more musically talented than Mommy) is on wake-up or tuck-in duty, he puts his own spin on the songs...which may be best described as "Chewbacca inspired".

• Acknowledge the reality of people's feelings. Maybe I don't think my daughter should be hungry, scared, embarrassed or have to go to the bathroom again, but good parenting means affirming what my child feels (though not necessarily solving the problem - if it exists - in that moment). 

• Be a treasure house of happy memories. Sure, I purge tons of stuff (I've been called unsentimental for not renting out the storage units that would be required to hold baby clothing and preschool artwork) but I do hold on to memories for my children. I still print off photos and keep old-school albums (arranged chronologically, of course) as well as bins of very select souvenirs from their childhoods (a couple of items of clothing, favourite books, a blanket, a souvenir magazine from William and Kate's wedding, important stuff like that) and file folders of first locks of hair, swimming certificates and report cards. Our beloved babysitters recently gave the girls binders that hold souvenirs from each grade, and I'm letting them be in charge of filling in the writing prompts and selecting work to be saved. They don't have to look perfect. Right? Another memory idea I have adopted is displaying old holiday photos with my seasonal decorations. I have a set showing our family's Halloween costumes over the years, our Christmas photos, and even St. Patrick's Day and Easter memories. Bringing them out once a year is a fun way to keep the memories alive.

• Take time for projects: I've written a few times about how I pride myself on being efficient. As I said above, my photos are put in albums in order, done. When I received a scrapbook as a gift for Frannie's birth, I felt overwhelming pressure to actually put together something pretty and fancy - which I did, and I'm glad to have it - but that doesn't come naturally to me. With her First Communion coming up soon, she is required to make a banner at home, which will be displayed in the church on her special day. Some parents take several trips to Michaels, agonizing over how to plan and create the perfect banner. Parents like me go online and order a kit. We will take time to assemble it together and Frannie will have (almost) total creative control, but I'm not going to even try to be "one of those moms". It doesn't matter to anyone else, so why should it matter to me? (That does not apply when it comes to any issue of neatness and organization, in case my husband should be reading this, ready to throw my own words back at me.)

How about you? Do you need to "lighten up" when it comes to parenting? Do any of these goals resonate with you? Do you have any thoughts about Gretchen's book in general?

If you missed it, you can catch up on the rest of my series here:

The Happiness Project: January
The Happiness Project: February
The Happiness Project: March

My Walmart Spring Shopping Challenge #GeorgeKids

Just the other day I was thinking about how Frannie is lacking in fancy clothing, and has worn the same dress for the last two Christmas and Irish concerts, as well as public speaking competitions. So the timing was perfect when I was contacted about a Walmart Spring Shopping Challenge - put together a new outfit for under $50! Could I do it? At Walmart, of course!

I decided to shop alone and surprise the girls with some new purchases. When I arrived, I headed straight for the girls' section, on the hunt for George items (with Walmart's Kids Quality Guarantee - see below). If I wanted to stock up on casual Spring staples, I could have picked up several outfits comprised of $4 tees, leggings or shorts, but I was set on something more formal.

My eye was immediately drawn to a rack of beautiful Spring dresses ($18), with little shrugs on top (making them school and church appropriate). Outfit for Talent Show and Easter Mass, check!

Frannie also needs a pair of white shoes for First Communion, so I took a peek in the shoe department and found a beautiful pair for $18, again by George, which will also look perfect with the new dress. My mom might not be impressed that they have a little bit of a heel, but the child is 8 years old with a size 3 foot - I can't exactly find her baby shoes anymore! And it is a very special occasion.

After making both of these selections, my total was only $36, so I added one more adorable Spring outfit for Frannie (which I'll show you in a minute), rounding me off to exactly $50! (Am I a skilled shopper, or what?)

I do feel a bit guilty making all of these new purchases for my older daughter, but little Maggie gets hand-me-downs from a few different family members and friends, so she truly doesn't need much. However, swimming lessons start next week and I realized quickly after we arrived in Montego Bay that her swimsuit collection has seen better days, so I added one more item to my cart.

Here are my purchases, for the $50 challenge:

Plus the extra item I threw in for Maggie ($12 for a licensed character swimsuit):

The happy model:

Thanks for the fun challenge, Walmart - and for helping me get my girls ready for their Spring adventures!

Disclosure: I was provided with a $50 Walmart gift card for the shopping challenge. Opinions are, as always, my own.

Efficient Organization: My Clothes Closet

After the overwhelming response to my "Efficient Organization: The Filing Cabinet" post (thanks so much to that person who commented!) today I am sharing with you how I keep my half of the walk-in closet organized and running efficiently. (Hubby is organized too, but I'll leave it to him to share his strategies someday if he wishes. He loves to joke about his plans for his own blog, "This Dad Hates".)

• Since our home was custom-built, I was lucky enough to be able to determine how I wanted the closet divided. This is super-helpful, as people use space differently. For example, I have very few long dresses, so I only designated a small amount of space for hanging long items. I have one rack for hanging short items, split between tops and bottoms, and I use shelves to organize sweaters, t-shirts/tank tops, and gym/comfy clothes.

• Just this year, I invested in matching hangers (the thin space-saving ones) for all of my hanging items. It really did open up some space, and there's something very visually pleasing about having them all the same. (I think I paid about $50 to do my whole closet.)

• Here's my biggest tip when it comes to purging unused items: whenever I wear something, I return it to the end of the rack/pile. For example, at the end of the day, my pants get hung up on the far left of the closet, and the sweater I wore placed at the bottom of the far right pile, and items get shuffled along. At the end of each season, it's very easy to see what has been worn and what hasn't, and therefore what can be painlessly donated. This system also helps me to add some variety to my wardrobe because I can make an effort to choose items I clearly haven't worn in a long time. While putting together this post, I noticed exactly where my themed Halloween shirt from Old Navy is hanging, and it's pretty fair to assume that anything to the left of that hasn't been worn since October, and is ready to be culled from my winter wardrobe.

• I also live by the rule that you've heard from every other organization junkie - one in, one out. While it doesn't always happen on the same day, I try to generally get rid of (by which I usually mean donate) an item for every new one that I bring into my closet. When I have a few new pieces coming in (perhaps Christmas gifts or the result of a back-to-school shopping spree) I force myself to take the time to weed out as many items, so that my closet never becomes overstuffed and unmanageable. (We do the same thing with the girls' toys, but I'll save that for another post.)

• Speaking of seasons, I have my wardrobe streamlined enough that I keep everything (for all four seasons) in my closet. Shorts get moved up to the top shelf (on top of my wedding dress) after their disappointingly brief season of use is over, and trade places with heavy sweaters, which tend to get much more airtime. Other than that, most of my items can be worn year-round, and I'm actually making more of an effort to repurpose clothing as much as possible. A lot of cute short-sleeved tops look great with blazers in fall and spring, for example, when it would be far too cold (for me) to wear them alone. (Well, not alone, exactly. There would always be bottoms. Just to be clear.) My bedroom dresser holds socks, underwear, and swimsuits, but everything else is right here in the closet.

• I wrote about my jewelry organization once before, but here is the photo of my "Little Black Dress" which hangs on the closet door (earrings are stored in compartments on the back):

• I recently put up a small rack on the back of the door for belts (and by "I", of course I mean my father, who is still always willing to do odd jobs for me, even though I'm unable to bat my eyelashes through text. Or is there a way?) The rack will only hold about a dozen, which gives me incentive to keep my selection pared down. Until Christmas, the only belts I owned were black or brown, so my friend (and next-door-teacher) spiced things up with red, green and grey ones as gifts!

• Because our walk-in closet is right beside our ensuite, we use wall space in the closet to hang our towels and bathrobes, 

• All shoes are kept on the shoe racks at the bottom of the closet, although we have a large shoe storage unit on the landing in our garage where we keep the items we wear on a regular basis. (How I wish it could be the sandals and flip-flops instead of the boots.) There's no way I am showing you a photo of anything out there at this time of year, though. Things are always kept "organized", but in March, there's just no way to keep everything clean! (Same with my car. Living in the country is never good for the outside, but this winter is killing the inside too.)

• The only laundry baskets in our home also reside in this closet, one clearly for darks and one for whites. I'm in there constantly, so I can see pretty quickly when one is full, and throw a load of laundry in the washing machine. Once the girls are old enough to do their own laundry (I'm giving Frannie a couple more years) I'll get them similar baskets for their own rooms.

• I only keep things that belong in the clothes closet in the clothes closet. That might sound obvious to some, but those who have their wrapping paper, garden tools and soup cans stored in their master bedrooms should pay attention.

• As a random note for those people who think that I get rid of things a little too ruthlessly and am completely devoid of sentiment, I would like to share with you two other items that have a special storage place in my closet, in a box of mementos: 

See? I'm not completely cold and heartless when it comes to meaningful material items!

I also have to say that when the members of our Student Government selected "80's Day" as one of our Spirit Week themes, I was actually glad that I had kept a pair of retro earrings that I wore for an 80's party years ago (my cousin hosted the party and included an accessory in every invitation - neat, right?) This is the sort of thing I would normally give away after the fact, but for some reason I held on. However, worst-case scenario would have been paying a couple of bucks at Ardene for a new pair, which wouldn't exactly have been the end of the world.

To wrap up with some exciting closet-related news: while in the process of writing up this post, I realized that my dress selection could probably use some attention, so I'm happy to announce that my personal stylist, Lisa McLatchie, is on the job! (She visited my house to do a Wardrobe Makeover and also helped with a Coat Intervention.) I'm sending her pics of me wearing all of my questionable dresses, and she'll be responding soon with her kind yet ruthless professional opinion, which of course I will share with you here! Looking forward to that!

How do you keep your clothes closet neat and organized? I'm always thrilled to get new tips! If you've done a closet-organizing post, feel free to leave your link below - I'd love to check it out!