.@TeddyOutReady: February 2013

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Vaughan WinterFest 2013

Vaughan WinterFest 2013

This month we were excited to attend Vaughan WinterFest 2013, after last year WinterFest we were sure that the City of Vaughan organized lots of family-friendly activities for Vaughan residents.
The event took place at the North Thornhill Community Center just across the street so we were ready to spend a day there.

It was cold day but we did not feel that with all the entertainment happening outside and inside the Center. We started with the outdoor Amphitheatre stage show, where Kobbler Jay: The Eccentric Juggler presented his fancy tricks, involving the audience in his performance and scaring me by juggling with sharp knives and fire managing technique. Bounce Entertainment cheered up the audience the whole day with nice moves inviting all to join them.

 photo 050_zpsf3e6c7c2.jpg  photo 042-1_zps9f5d8001.jpg  photo 021_zps947704c8.jpg  photo 056_zpsd2aa8f13.jpg

Then we decided to go inside to see what is going on in the Center, lots of services presented their displays and information ranging from Viva public transportation, community to sport training.

Teddy was excited to participate in Pizza Nova’s pizza making workshop, fun same as last year.

Pizza making workshop1 Pizza making workshop2 Pizza making workshop
Also met our old friends from Star Wars, Teddy spotted them right away.

Star wars

Then we headed out to explore Tim Hortons Midway Zone and take some rides; pose with real firefighter truck, met Caillou, Alex the Lion, Strawberry Shortcake and Om Nom at the Outdoor Gazebo.
 photo VaughanWinterFest2013 Firefighter Truck

It was really busy day filled with fun and excitement I wish we participated in all the activities. The best way to spend a winter day with Community!

Ice Figure ice work Tim Hortons Midway Zone
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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Teddy at CBC Live on the Road

Teddy Red Carpet

Last month we attended CBC Live on the Road in Toronto to meet the CBC stars of news, radio, sports and television. It was exciting opportunity to meet the guys from TV in person. And since Teddy is a big fan of Kids’ CBC and CBC News Toronto at 5, we told him he was going to meet MammaYamma and Patty first and then his old friends Anne-Marie Mediwake and Dwight Drummond.

Patty Teddy MammaYamma

When we arrived to Sherway Gardens mall at noon that day it was already filled with fans waiting to meet CBC celebrities, the line for Television Stars was already formed two hours in advance. First Teddy was excited to play and pose with MammaYamma and Patty on the Pop-Up Red Carpet, then we went to sign autographs and take photos with Stars of CBC Radio and News including Dwight Drummond, Anne-Marie Mediwake, Heather Hiscox, Reshmi Nair, Tom Power, Nora Young, Terry O'Reilly, Claire Martin (Weather Lady).

Anne-Marie Dwight CBC
It was nice to talk to them too as they are all quite friendly, funny and easy-going and named Teddy a young CBC fan, which was cute, he really is one of them. After meeting with CBC News Stars Teddy decided to try himself as a newscaster reporting Breaking News, and since he couldn’t read the news at the CBC anchor desk, MammaYamma helped him with a report. Then Teddy presented his final addition to the news - ABC song.

MammaYamma Teddy MammaYamma Teddy MammaYamma Teddy MammaYamma Teddy

So it was really great day filled with activities like meeting TV celebrities and being a star even for a while. We did not stay for the Stars of CBC Television autograph signings because line up was quite long and waiting with a toddler was not a good idea, we only spotted Mr.D and took our picture with Peter Puck, our final shots.
Peter Puck
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Thursday, February 7, 2013

Phineas and Ferb: The Best LIVE Tour Ever!

 photo Phineas and Ferb

Phineas and Ferb series received special attention by our family since everyone got a role in it, including adults. Name a character and I can tell you who is like one in our family. We have our own Phineas, Candace, Perry, Dr. Doofenshmirtz etc . And Teddy got Ferb's role for being smart and laconic.

Phineas and Ferb

Last month we were lucky to attend Phineas and Ferb: The Best LIVE Tour Ever! At Rogers Center. After attending other Disney shows we saw lots of kids in costumes so this time we decided that Teddy can wear his Pirate costume to the show to feel that special excitement all kids have when attending Disney shows.

 photo Phineas and Ferb

So Teddy was very excited to watch and recognize the familiar characters plus he knew all the songs. The plot was about making the last day of Phineas and Ferb’ endless summer vacation special ( this wild childhood dream everyone has at the beginning of school year).

Phineas and Ferb

It was great combinations of dancing, music and interactions of TV and live scenes, we watched with interest and love it till last minute. From tech point everything was perfect: media, sound and sync.

Phineas and Ferb

During the intermission we walked around the Center, Disney products there are overpriced and the choice was limited. It was not big news for us after reading the reviews. Anyway we wanted to buy Teddy something but there was not any T-shirt of his size except with Candace (this was not a good choice), so Teddy received Ferb toy and was so happy to get it, the only thing he is still asking why Ferb has only four fingers.

So overall it was a nice show to attend and we enjoyed it a lot, now waiting when Phineas and Ferb will make for us another amazing machine.
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Friday, February 1, 2013

Planning a cheap family vacation

Plane Teddy

People who love to travel are often eager to pass on that love to their children. However, it is much different travelling alone, or even as a couple as compared to travelling as a family. The price tag associated with travelling with a group of people is often enough to make some people stay home. By making a few small concessions and following some words of advice it can be easy to plan not only fun but cheap family vacations.  

Choose your hotel wisely: Accommodations can carry the brunt of your holiday travel budget. However there are several ways to make your hotel budget stretch further. Firstly try to book a hotel room that can be suitable for a larger group. If your children are smaller, a room with two beds may be sufficient. As the children grow, you may consider booking a suite, which will provide everyone with ample room for privacy but will still be more affordable than two rooms.Many hotels offer additional perks for the people staying in them. If possible to look for a hotel with free shuttles, or offering free parking. Free continental breakfast is now offered through many hotels, and is a great way to save money feeding your family.

Cheaper meal ideas: As mentioned previously, free hotel breakfasts are a very economical choice to save some money while travelling. Why, pay for an extra meal if you do not have to?When exploring new areas, it is important to bring plenty of snacks and beverages with you, so that you are not spending money on foods that are not meals. A spend dollar here and a dollar there, for all the family members, can quickly add up to an expensive vacation.When on a budget, instead of going out for lunch to a restaurant try visiting a local grocery store which will not only offer you some healthy food options that are quite a bit cheaper than restaurants, but will also expose you to the local culture.

Investigate the family pass: There are plenty of places that offer a cheaper family plan to encourage the patrons with children to come and visit. Family passages can be found in many places with public transportation as well as entrances to attractions such as theme parks or even national museums and art galleries. If you are thinking of booking a visit somewhere, be sure to enquire if family pricing is available.


When in doubt go all inclusive: The all-inclusive vacations seem to perfect for a family vacation. They are extremely affordable and they do take all the worry out of planning a stay in a foreign land. Since your package includes the flight, shuttle to hotel, the hotel and all your meals and drinks, all the money you have to bring are just for any additional fun activities you may want to do such as shopping. Many resorts offer free and fun activities for children, which allows their parents to have a little bit of time to enjoy themselves.
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