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Find out what Family Friendly events are happening in the KW area! Have a something great in the KW area that you want to get out to thousands of local parents? Then email fostermcdonald@rogers.com
KW Titans Basketball Game at Kitchener Aud at 2pm New
Year’s Eve (afternoon) Celebration!
Buy one adult bowl ticket, get a second bowl ticket free.
Buy online or in person at the Activa Box Office (at the Aud) using the promo
code NEWYEAR
It will be an all-ages basketball party featuring
halftime show by Erick Traplin, a Family Dance Off, Fan Contests, Craft Corner,
Player Autographs and of course an exciting basketball game! It looks like Titus The Titan is ready to show off his moves!
Waking up bright and early on the weekends to
watch cartoons is a fond childhood memory for many. Kitchener’s New Year’s Eve
party will take you back to those carefree days. The Rotunda will transform
into a world of animation taking you down memory lane featuring the Mystery
Machine from Scooby Doo and the Flintstone’s vehicle plus so much more!
• Canadian Toy Con • Retro arcade • Live entertainment • Cosplay • Vendors selling collectables • Countdown to 2018 with the mayor and members
of council • Skating outside on Carl Zehr Square • Vehicle displays inside the Rotunda (Mystery
Machine and the Flintstone’s vehicle) https://www.facebook.com/events/392848807814961/
Waterloo Events
Waterloo rings in
2018!
Free public skating
RIM Park, 3:40 - 5:30 p.m., sponsored by Tim Hortons. DJ on site.
Family celebration
Waterloo Public Square, 6 - 9 p.m. Enjoy fun tunes, children's
activities and entertainment, and a special early New Year celebration at
9 p.m.
Wonders of Winter in Waterloo Park Canada’s 150th Birthday, will end
the year with a massive firework display at 7:30 pm on New Year’s
Eve. Don’t miss it! http://www.wondersofwinter.ca
Cambridge Events
Cambridge – Hespler Arena
Hespler Arena, 640 Ellis Road
Join us to celebrate a new year with
some skating! The City offers wrist bands for an hour of skate time . Only one
skate time per family. Doors of the Hespeler Arena, 640 Ellis Road, open at
4:45 p.m.
Activities to keep everyone entertained
off the ice include:
We'll start with the Disclaimer –
Yes, we did receive complimentary excursion, but this just means we're able to
offer you a chance to tell you all about it!
While most in Canada were celebrating a White Christmas with
lots of snow, I was celebrating Christmas in a different part of the world. This year I spent Christmas at the Las Brisas
Resort.Las Brisas is located in
the region of Huatulco in the province
of Oaxaca in Mexico. Last year my Brother and his family spent the Christmas Break
there and this year my Mother and I joined them for their return trip to the
resort. I am still dreaming of the warm
sun as I am writing this post. Everyday was around 30 degrees Celsius (day or
night) and there was not a drop of precipitation in sight, making it the
perfect destination to escape from the cold temps we experience in Canada.
Did you know that Huatulco is a direct flight from Toronto? When
our flight touched down, a pre-arranged shuttle picked us up from the airport
and brought us right to the lobby of Las Brisas Huatulco. Because we have been
on the plane for several hours, we headed to the buffet right after check
in.They had a delicious selection of
both local and international favourites as well as libations to refresh our
palate.After that quick meal it was
getting close to dusk so we did a quick tour of the resort.Being that the sun was going down it was the
perfect temperature to walk around the area.
What Happened in Huatulco
We went back to our room to unpack and freshen up for the
evening festivities which included another trip to the buffet, some resting in
the lounge and an evening show.
The next day we got up as the sun was rising to go on a bird
watching tour that is provided for free to those staying at Las Brisas
Huatulco.My Mom loves bird watching and
was able to find a few new birds to write in her bird book at home.We also got to see many of the different
plants located on the grounds of the resort. Once returning we booked our four A LA CARTE restaurant choices for the
week.
I also found a screen listing all the activities available during
our stay and I took pics so that I always had the schedule handy, but you could also download an app that list all the different things to
do.While we didn’t attend all of the
activities, between myself and the 5 others in my family we covered most of the
choices.
In addition to the ones listed you could also snorkel, kayak,
and paddleboard on the selected beaches (they have 3 beaches for different
levels of activities) or head to the squash, tennis or basketball courts near
the pool area (there is a main pool, a sport pool and an adults’ only pool on
the grounds). Plus, they have a full soccer field on site (which was used for a
different purpose on Christmas Eve, which you will learn more about below).
They were even in the process of creating a pickleball court for an upcoming Canadian Tournament that would be
happening soon. All of these activities were free of charge for the hotel
guests. The majority of the activities mentioned
had activities staff participating along with you so they could help you along
the way.They are very friendly and the
more activities you attend they start to recognize you.In fact, one night after the activities staff
performed the evening show, they sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY song to my Mom in both English
and the Spanish.
Between the shows, cooking lessons, sports, dancing and
experiencing all the different restaurants on site, you will also find time to
wind down and relax on the beach or near the pool. Doesn’t that sound like a
fun vacation? Well that’s not all that happened while we were there.
My Green Christmas in Huatulco
We had big plans all day on Christmas Eve.It began with offsite
excursion by SUNWING (please note excursions are additional cost).This tour was called THE REAL MEXICO.Our tour guide Saul took us to the local
villages to learn about the local culture.It began at a Botanical Garden where the owner and Saul guided us through
the various paths showing us all the different berries, fruits and herbs that
the use to stay healthy in that area.Many items are made into a tea, but what I loved most was the LIME-MANDARIN
fruit that they made into a refreshing juice.
We also learned how to press tortillas.As you can see in the video below, my tortilla
making skills could use some work.
Then we had black beans and tortillas for lunch along with
homemade salsa sauce to fuel up for our next stop.
After we left the garden we headed to a local artisan
workshop where the owner created woven tapestries from sheep’s wool and used local
products to create dyes for the wool.Once
the wool is prepared the weaver creates these pieces of art with the help of a
manual loom.My brother’s family really
enjoyed this as they have a family loom in their home.To commemorate their day, they purchased a
table runner that represents the TREE OF LIFE.
Our last stop on the Sunwing Excursion
was at a Cactus plantation.There we learned
what kinds of cactus are best for eating.We tried raw cactus and then we were treated to a cactus themed lunch
that included tacos and cactus salad.
Each one of these places had a little area to honour their family
members that passed just like the story in the COCO
movie. On the way back to the resort we stopped at the LOOKOUT to see the beautiful
scenery.We could even see Las Brisas
resort in the distance.
Upon returning to Las Brisas I stopped to cool off by dipping
my toes in the warm pool, but then it was time to get ready for the Christmas Celebration!In Mexico they have their big Christmas
dinner on Christmas Eve.At Las Brisas
they “bring it” when it comes to Christmas dinner, which is also part of the
all-inclusive package. The soccer field was transformed to an extravagant
outdoor dining area complete with a stage and dance floor.
After dinner the activities staff performed a Christmas show
which included OLAF coming to sing about what snowmen do in summer! It was such
a cute touch for the Green Christmas I was experiencing.They go all out to make sure your Christmas
Eve is memorable.Santa even came by to visit
the children.Many people come back to
Las Brisas year after year for their Christmas celebration.We met a man and his daughter who were attending
the yearly event for the SIXTH TIME!
After we were full from dinner and tired from dancing we
went to bed and when we awoke on Christmas Day I had a surprise for my
family.I gave them all BABSOCKS
for Christmas.Many of our readers know
that we are the co-chairs for MOVEMBER
KW and on Movember 1st this year I was at the BABSOCKS popup.This year BABSOCKS partnered withMovember
and I thought this would make an amazing gift for my family members that would
easily fit in my suitcase.We can now
say BABSOCKS made it all the way to the beaches of Huatulco Mexico!
Boxing Day meant that my holiday was coming to an end.My flight back to Toronto had me surrounded
by snow once again, but my heart is warm with memories of Las Brisas Huatulco!
We'll start with the Disclaimer – Yes, this is a sponsored post, but this just means we're able to offer you a chance to win too! Enter the contest at the end of this post!
Winter Safety Tips
Keeping yourself safe outdoors in the winter can be challenging,
but if you dress properly and take precautions, winter can be filled with lots
of fun activities.
One of the best tips we have learned over the years is WALK
LIKE A PENGUIN when on slippery ground. Basically, it means feet pointing
outward, small steps and use your arms for balance like in the video below.
While outdoor winter safety tips are important, indoor
safety is important as well. Safety Tree
wants everyone to practice indoor safety and has some upcoming classes to prepare
kids for this.
WINTER BREAK SAFETY TREE CLASSES
Looking for a fun and informative way for your kids to spend
Christmas Break and March Break? Take a look at the variety of Safety Tree classes
available in 2018.
Is your
child prepared to take the first steps towards staying home alone? The Home Alone Safety for Kids program helps children
gain confidence to and skills to stay at home alone successfully
My Safe Life is a personal safety program created for children 7 – 10 years.
Children learn life skills that will keep them safe and make caring and
respectful decisions in their everyday lives.
Does
your teen enjoy being with kids? The Red Cross Babysitting Course will provide the training
they need to supervise younger siblings or other children in a safe and
responsible manner. Safety for Independent Living was created to help youth
and adults with developmental disabilities feel safe in all their usual places:
home, work, school, online and in the community.
Do you see a course listed that someone in your family would
be interested in? Click the highlighted links above to get all the info.
Remember to check the dates and locations to ensure you are
registering for the correct course.We
also think that this could make a great gift for Christmas!
We
are giving away a FREE SAFETY TREE CLASS! Just enter the Rafflecopter contest
below (it may take a minute to load) and be sure to leave a comment at the
bottom of this post with your best winter safety tip for a chance to win (NOTE when commenting below it is best to be logged into your google account. After you click publish, it may take up to one minute for your comment to show. Please wait for it to publish before clicking anything else)
.a Rafflecopter giveaway
Last night was the moment we all have been waiting for. The KW Titans had their first win of the 2017-2018 Season! Over 1000 fans were there to watch all the action and support the KW Titans Toy Drive. With addition of new players making their debut at the THE AUD and an appearance by SANTA, the WIN was the perfect way to wrap up the this gift to the community!
Want to see what else the KW Titans have in store for their fans? How about 3 tickets for $30 ?!?!?
The KW Titans Stocking Stuffer
The KW Titans Stocking Stuff is a great deal! You get tickets to the games on Boxing Day Dec 26th, Dec 28th and New Year's Even Dec 31st for $30. Yes all 3 games for $30
on the left side of the
screen, under the image, where it asks for the Promo Code type in HOLIDAY and click the GO button. The screen will now have a button in the top right corner that says TITANS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL. Click the Find Tickets Button. A new screen will show up. We suggest clicking the PURCHASE BY PRICE tab and then you can pick the $30 ticket seats that work best for you.
Back in October we had posted about the upcoming Drayton
Entertainment production of HONK! The Ugly Duckling Musical.Last night we had the opportunity to see the
show that we had heard so much about.The performance was filled with vibrant colourful backdrops with the
characters portraying what can be best described as barnyard animals in everyday
outfits.These elements transport you to
the farm’s duckpond filled with birds, fish, frogs and a cat or two. Together
they tell the story of The Ugly Duckling.Many are familiar with the fable that “cries foul” on bullying and in
this case, it is told with actual fowl. You
can learn about some of the important lessons learned in this musical by
watching the video below.
We believe that HONK! The Ugly Duckling Musical will spark
important family conversations about topics that are so important today.
Get Your Tickets Before They Are Gone!
HONK! The Ugly Duckling Musical is running from now until
Christmas Eve.Make sure to grab your
tickets today!
Tickets are $46 for Adults and $27
for Youth under 20 years of age. Tickets for groups of 20 or more and
select Discount Dates are $37. HST is applicable to all ticket prices.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.draytonentertainment.com/honk, in person
at the Box Office, or by calling 519-747-7788 or toll free at 1-855-DRAYTON
(372-9866).
$5 Titans Tickets When You Support The KW Titans Toy Drive
Click The Image Above And Print This Colouring Page
Bring an unwrapped toy or donation to the December 13th KW Titans game and get in for $5 that night! The KW Titans are supporting the Salvation Army Toy Drive on Wednesday December 13, 2017 and with your donation of a toy or monetary gift you are able to purchase same day game tickets for $5.
PLEASE NOTE: This promotion is only available on December 13th with purchase of tickets IN PERSON that day at the box office (not valid for online tickets).
This promotion begins when THE AUD Box office opens at 10am on December 13, 2017 for the 7pm game that night.
We think this is a great opportunity bring the gang and help out a worthy cause at the same time!
UPDATE: There have been questions both on twitter and facebook about the tickets that can be purchased per donation. This is the response from the KW TITIANS twitter "Hi there! It's at your discretion. You can bring one toy per person or one for your entire family. All donations are appreciated!" You can see that info at https://twitter.com/kw_titans/status/939181306121928704
Hi there! It's at your discretion. You can bring one toy per person or one for your entire family. All donations are appreciated!
Please check all the links listed as info tends to change without our knowledge. We also suggest you go through the full list as some act...
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PLEASE READ BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO POST TO THIS PAGE>>>We're always looking for low cost (MEANING $20 OR LESS PER FAMILY) & especially Free events in th...
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Moses
WMRC
WMRC
AMCC
RIM Park
Karl Homuth Arena
Hespeler Memorial Arena
Dickson Centre
Galt Arena Gardens
Woolwich Memorial Centre
West End Community Centre
Exhibition Arena
