A simple travel product that works

Often, it's the little things that make a big difference when travelling. A friend just returned from a trip to Denmark with her two young children. She borrowed a Sunshine Kids Travel-Bag car seat bag from me and when I saw her today she sang its praises. Hauling 20 lbs of car seat around an airport isn't easy but this is a lightweight, convenient solution to many of the inherent problems. It also protects your precious car seat much better than the plastic bag option available at the airport check-in counter. The Travel-Bag is constructed of a heavy duty, waterproof and rip-resistant fabric and is sized to fit all car seats. I have many and I use them whenever I'm delivering car seats to customers and to store all my car seats. This is a simple travel product but it works well.

We rent them at Little Traveller for $8 per trip.

Lifesaver course

Next weekend I've organized a St John Ambulance "Lifesaver" course for myself and a group of friends. I booked a half-day course (8 am til 2pm) tailored to infant first aid because we are all parents with young children. There are 10 of us attending so it worked out at $28.50 each -- a very small price to pay for some potentially life-saving skills. (If there are 8 or more of you, the instructor will even come to your home.)
I'll post some feedback and insights from the course at the beginning of February.
For more info, visit www.sja.ca

Lily's BookmART Project

I just sent a royalty cheque to the Children's Wish Foundation of Canada for the first quarter of sales of Lily's bookmarks. It felt really good to be able to benefit their incredible program. They get $3 per bookmark. We had a great order at the beginning of January from a group of women entrepreneurs in Ontario. They donated a portion of their December sales to purchasing 43 bookmarks ("because, like us, Lily has entrepreneurial tendencies, loves to help others and is just darn cute!") That kept Lily busy for a while.

I'll be sending cheques to Children's Wish every quarter until Lily decides enough is enough. So far, she's still motivated and still drawing bookmarks. Her latest creation is a colourful caterpillar.

www.Lilysbookmart.ca
www.childrenswish.ca

Family fun in the Crowsnest Pass

I'm just back from a weekend at our cabin in the Crowsnest Pass. Most people drive through the Pass in a hurry to get to Fernie, but there's plenty to do. And at only 2.5 hours south of Calgary, the Pass makes a great weekend destination with kids. Here are some of the activities on offer:
- Ski at Pass Powderkeg in Blairmore for just $30/day for adults, $18 for chidlren, under 5s are free. Ski until 9pm most nights.
- Take the family cross-country skiing at the incredible Allison Creek area. There are miles of scenic marked trails from easy to challenging.
- Walk the Frank Slide interpretive trail and spend some time enjoying the brand new exhibits at the centre which, open 10 to 5.
- Hike (or snowshoe if there's enough snow) 30 minutes up the Miner's Path in Coleman to the frozen waterfall at the end of the trail.
- Warm up with a cup of hot chocolate at one of the wonderful cafes in Coleman. Don't miss the warm, sticky cinnamon buns at the Cinnamon Bear, the homemade sandwiches and soup at the Crowsnest Cafe & Fly Shop, or the ambiance at the Blackbird Cafe all on Highway 3 in Coleman. The Stone's Throw Cafe in Blairmore is another child-friendly spot for lunch.

If you discover a fun place to visit in the Pass, let me know. I'm busy compiling a comprehensive guide for families and welcome input of any kind.

Calgary special : Chariot rental

We have a special for Calgary parents on now until May 1. Rent a single Chariot stroller with bike and jogger attachments for a week for just $60 (regular $72). We also have an infant sling available for the stroller for children under the age of 1.

This is a great opportunity to take the little one out for a bike ride or to start a new fitness regime with baby in tow. The Chariot is fully enclosed so Junior will be snug. Or forward this post to a friend who is expecting -- they'll appreciate a chance to test drive the Chariot before making a commitment on which stroller to buy.

Chariot is a local success story. All of their products are designed and hand-made at the company's headquarters here in Calgary. Chariot builds child carriers with outstanding quality, safety, performance, and ease of use for active families. And they've been doing a heck of a job at it since the company began with two brothers back in 1991. For more info visit www.chariotcarriers.com.

Calgary to Amsterdam

Some welcome news for anyone planning a trip to Europe... KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Delta Airlines have announced they will offer nonstop service five times a week between Calgary and Amsterdam's Schipol Airport beginning May 3. These flights offer connections to more than 65 destinations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Gourmet meals for baby

I found the most incredible baby food in England this winter... Sadly they are currently only available in Canada via mail order from the UK (airberg-online.co.uk), but I've written to the the two companies to chivvy them along!

Ella's Kitchen (www.ellaskitchen.co.uk) is a range of tasty organic meals in handy pouches with screw-on lids. The food is minimally processed and includes only pure, natural ingredients. My favourites were Very, very tasty vegetable bake with lentils and Carrot, parsnip and apple puree. Fabulous flavours.

Plum (www.plum-baby.co.uk) also offers a great range of yummy superfoods. My 11-month old loved the Spinach, parsnip and basil meal which surprised me. And she also loved the plum, pomegranate and guava. The meals come in 100% recyclable polymer pots with lids.

Now, why can't ALL baby food look and taste as good as this?