Frugal Fun Ottawa Newsletter
April 2010
Easter - April 4, 2010
Frugal Fun at Home
Kids love to decorate easter eggs, and there are many ways to do it! The Amazing Moms website lists a dozen ways to decorate your easter eggs, from making your own food coloring dye to sponge painting eggs. If you don't want to deal with the mess that using food coloring entails, check out no dye easter eggs, which are decorated with tissue paper instead. I've also noticed easter egg decorating kits at various stores; I'll be looking out for them after Easter, and if I can find one on sale I'll buy it and put it away for a rainy spring day! If you don't want to use real eggs, you can make this adorable duck using a plastic easter egg, or skip the eggs altogether and create an easter bunny using an envolope or a baby food jar (this craft also has examples of other adorable animals, including a chick, perfect for easter!).
Photo by StSaling, Flickr
Maple Sugar Season - Mid-March to mid-April (approx.)
It's spring, and the sap is running. But going to the sugar bush can be expensive, especially with kids! I have a few suggestions for having frugal fun at the sugar bush: - Save money on gas by visiting North America's only urban sugar bush, which is right here in Ottawa. The sugar shack is right in Vanier's Richelieu Park, at 300 des Peres Blanc Avenue. You can enjoy Maple Sugar Fest from April 8 to 18. April 17th is family day, when kids can enjoy inflatable structures, Snow Dogs, Little Ray's Reptile Adventure, face painting and trolley rides from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.. For a sweet treat, enjoy taffy on a stick for $2.00 per stick. Click here if you'd like to see the complete Maple Sugar Fest program.
- Frugal Fan Michelle emailed me about Fulton's Sugar Bush, located in Packenham. Fulton's is open for the spring season until April 25th. It's a bit of a drive from Ottawa, but unlike many other area sugar bushes, it offers free admission and parking, as well as free access to various nature trails, free children's play areas, and horse-drawn sleigh rides for $2.00 per person. Most activities run daily from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and you can view a complete list of their spring activities here.
Caffeine, Kid Kaf, and a contest!
 Going out for coffee is not easy when you have young kids. My one-year old tries to escape the stroller whenever it's standing still, and my three-year old likes to chat with everyone she meets, even if their nose is buried in a book. So when Frugal Fan Jennifer emailed to tell me about Kid Kaf, I had to check it out. Kid Kaf is a kid-friendly coffee shop located at 3825 Richmond Road in Bells Corners, where parents with young children (0-5 years old) can enjoy a specialty coffee and sweet treat while their children play in the secure, enclosed play area. Kid Kaf's menu also includes healthy options for the kids. (You can view their menu and price list here.) Admission to the play area is free for children under 11 months and is $3.99 for children aged 11 months to 5 years. If you'd like to enter to win free admission for two children to Kid Kaf, simply email me at newsletter@frugalfunottawa.ca. The winner will be chosen at random on Friday, April 16th and contacted by email. Good luck!
April Frugalink
I've been following a blog titled "The Daily Asker" for a while now. The blog's author set out to ask for something every day for a year. Her year of asking is over, and her latest blog entries have summed up what she's learned and what she's gained ($4,579.39!). Her focus wasn't simply on saving money, but as she found out, it does pay to ask. If you'd like to learn how to flex your asking muscles and save some money, this blog is a great place to start.
|
Welcome Wagon Bridal Showcase
April 11, 2010
Southway Inn Ottawa
Doors Open at 1:00 p.m.
Grand Prize: $400 Zinzi® necklace from The Wedding Jewellers
Free Admission!
Enjoy five hours of deeply spiritual music sung by Chorus Ecclesiae and the Symposium Choir. Drop in for a while or stay the whole evening. Admission is by donation.
Congratulations to Vickie, who won a spot at one of The Mud Oven's March Break morning camps!
I'm working on a great new contest, so visit my contest page soon for details.
|
Connecting to Facebook
