Fairy Door Spotting On Guelph Trails

Along the trail by the river, there are apparently little random doors that have been built into some trees along the trail.  Someone has taken the time to create a little alternate world, where fairies have homes with little doors that lead to them.

It's kind of a neat idea.

• You'll find the doors on random trees
• some places to find them include behind Lyon Park
• they supposedly start at the end of Audrey Avenue (take York Road)

more information to come as we gather it.

People have vandalized the doors in the past, but some good Samaritans in Guelph have gone out of their way to replace the broken doors, as well as add some new ones.

Springridge Farms in Milton for Easter

There is lots of fun to be had around Easter time.  One great venue is Springridge Farm in Milton.

Their Easter Festival Egg Hunt happens over 3 days: April 14, 15, and 16 from 10am - 4pm.  If you went on Friday, you might have noticed that it was really busy.  They open at 9, and the Easter Egg Hunt starts at 10 but they hit capacity by then.  Around 11,  the wait to get in was about 1.5hr.

For the egg hunt, the eggs are empty and then submitted at the end to get the candy (a widely used strategy).

As per their website:

Admission to Easter Festival is $12 per person, ages 2-92, and includes:

*Egg Hunt with the Easter Bunny
*Bunny Face Painting
*Easter Puppet Show
*Baby Animals
*Fun Farm Yard Activities
*AND MORE!

Dress appropriately for the weather conditions at the farm (boots are recommended for visiting the Fun Farm Yard in springtime).

So admission for a family of 4 with children over 2 years of age would come out to $48.  Not a cheap day out.  But still loads of fun.  Activities include slides, animals to pet, a large sandbox...

If your child is really young (say 12 months or under) they might not get as much out of it as they would in a year or so.

Amazing FREE Literacy Program for Kids 0+ Years

I only came across this program because I went to an Early Years Drop-In program where another grandparent told me about this great program called Action Read.  I was new in town, so I asked about what there was to do.  She told me about this great literacy program that would start up in September at the West End community centre.  There were other locations, but that was the closest one to the Early Years program we were at.

I went home to Google more information about the Action Read program.  I find their website incredibly hard to navigate.  I could NOT, for the life of me, find the locations where the various Action Read programs ran out of.  I still find it difficult to find the information.

For the sake of other new parents out there, or new parents to Guelph, here is a link to the Action Read site that I find most helpful.

http://www.actionread.com/get-involved/learn/family-literacy-program/

Here is the information for the remainder for this term:

*****from the website*****

January 23 – June 22, 2017

Join us for free literacy and numeracy programs! Enjoy story-time, number and language games, songs, rhymes, word play, puzzles, crafts and nutritious snacks. Gain ideas, tips and resources for early literacy activities at home. Caring and nurturing staff, qualified in Early Childhood Education.

Programs operate on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis in locations throughout Guelph. They are open to parents or caregivers with children ages preschoolers – newborn to 6 years. Register at the program site. For more information, or to check if a program is full, please call 519-836-2759.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday
West End Community Centre Parkwood Gardens Neighbourhood Group 21 Imperial Rd. 9:30-11:30 am	Brant Avenue Public School 64 Brant Ave. 9:00-11:00 am	Morning Westwood Public School West Willow Woods Neighbourhood Group 495 Willow Rd. 9:00-11:00 am	Kortright Hills Public School Kortright Hills Neighbourhood Group 23 Ptarmigan Dr. 9:00-11:00 am
		Afternoon “Kindergarten Readiness Program” *COMING SOON! NEW SITE* Immigrant Services 104 Dawson Road Start date to be determined shortly

Schedule last updated Jan 16, 2017.

*****end*****

If you want more information, please comment below and I'll do my best to answer any questions.  I am not affiliated with Action-Read, but I do love the program.

Gyms in Guelph

There are a few great places to get your exercise on in Guelph.

For some free fun, consider the trails to get your exercise by walking, running, or biking.

If you love the gym, here are a list of a few.

- StayFit (East End, known to be good value at about $10 / month)
- Goodlife Fitness (3 locations, if you have joined Goodlife before you know what you are in for)
- Movati (great classes, can be more expensive side)
- Fit4Less (located in mall)
- Orangetheory Fitness (South end)
- Studio57 (West End, boutique gym, expensive but offers services that other gyms do not) - closed as of April 2017
- Anytime Fitness
- YMCA (South-west end on Downey Road, can subsidize to those who qualify)

I have personally tried Movati, Goodlife, and Studio57.  All of them were great!

There are also some Yoga studios in Guelph, which I have not listed.

The West End Community Centre also has a small gym (free weights, and some machines) that you can use on a drop-in basis for a fee.

Also consider activities like swimming which you can do through the community centres on a drop in basis whenever their leisure swim times permit.

Moving To Guelph: Best Neighbourhoods for My Family!

This might be a controversial post, because really, what defines best?

Every family wants what is best for their family when they are looking for that new home to buy (or even rent).  For many, this list means
- great schools
- close to parks
- access to amenities

Lots of people will have their opinions about areas and neighbourhoods.  Opinions are opinions - good or bad.  Here are just a few opinions heard about various areas of Guelph.

EAST END
- biggest complaint by most is the lack of amenities
- not as close to grocery stores
- lots of families live in the area
- a bit cheaper than other areas
- lots of new builds, new homes
- has access to trails and good parks
- once amenities are built, the area would be really great for families

SOUTH END
- Popular school: Rickson Ridge Public School
- Harts Village: Builder Terra View has built houses there that are 5-15 years old ranging in 1500-2900 sq ft
- lots of families BUT lots of students too - ask around the neighbourhood to see who your neighbours are

- close to amenities: movie theatre, gym, great restaurants, grocery stores, parks,
- close to the 401 which is great for commuting to neighbouring Cambridge, or even to Milton, Mississauga, Toronto, etc
Cons:
- Apparently, there are more and more students living in the area.  While students aren't a bad thing, they give a different feel to the area.
- getting congested with all the new builds

DOWNTOWN / CENTRAL

Streets to consider:
- Westmount Road
- Exhibition Park (area)
- area known as "The Ward"
- London Road

- close knit community
- closer to downtown
- family friendly


WEST END

Schools in area
- Taylor Evans
- Mitchell Woods

Streets to consider
- Rochelle
- Elmira Road
- Stephanie Drive
- Imperial Road / Paisley Road, Elmira Road

- Lots of amenities
- Close to Zehrs and Costco!
- Close to the West End Community Centre, and Fire station
- close to new boutique gym, Studio57 (but expensive membership! at $60+ / month)
- relatively new area
- family friendly, diverse
- easy access to the Hanlon (highway that takes you to the 401)
- closer to Kitchener/Waterloo if you have to commute to there
Cons:
- area of the west end known to be "bad" is along Willow Road, between Dawson Road and the Hanlon (highway 6)
- generally a lower income area, but if you live here it's not that "bad" - but it is the reputation that the area has

NORTH END
- closer to Guelph Lake and trails

OTHER THINGS TO NOTE
There are lots of new builds going up all over the city, but mostly along the perimeters.  Some builders include
- Fusion Homes, http://www.fusionhomes.com/
- Terraview, http://www.terra-view.com/
- Reid

The outer edges of the city are more suburban, so consider what your personality type is and waht it is that you are looking for.

There is one mall for the area: Stone Road Mall.  The rest are plaza type places, or big box type places.

Find a good realtor!  It is in their best interest to help you since it will reflect on their ability.  Tell them what you are looking for (downtown feel? suburbs? good school ranking? new house?) and they should be able to put it all together given your budget and get you what you are looking for.

However, this page is supposed to give you some insight, as that is exactly what I was looking for but could not find very easily!

If you have any more information to add to this post, please feel free to comment below!

Helium Balloons at Dollar Tree on Silvercreek

I'm getting ready for a birthday, so I'm on the hunt for party supplies.

I checked out the Dollar Tree store, which is right beside the No Frills on Silvercreek.

They have foil helium balloons for $1.40 !!  That sounds like a pretty good deal to me.  They have some character balloons at the moment.  Their stock varies.  Some shapes and characters include:
- pink heart
- stars (blue, white, other colours)
- happy birthday
- Elsa and Anna
- Paw Patrol
- Minnie Mouse
- Disney Princesses

These are just a few.

The other thing I asked about, which I found interesting was that they do not fill up latex balloons!  Good to know!

And what if you bring your own foil balloon?  The fill cost is the same as buying a new balloon...so you would probably just want to buy the new balloon.

Have you found any great finds for party supplies?

Driving To Downtown Toronto From Guelph, Your Options

There was a time when I drove in Downtown Toronto a lot.  I had my parking spots scouted out, I knew my one way streets.  I knew where I was going, and the best streets to take to get there to avoid excessive traffic or obstacles.

That being said, driving in Downtown Toronto can be quite STRESSFUL to even a seasoned driver.  So if you are planning a trip from Guelph to Toronto to go to the ROM, or Ripley's Aquarium, or the CN Tower, you might just want to take a moment to think about how exactly you should get there.  What mode of transportation is right for you?!

Are you taking the kids?  How old are they?  Are you bringing strollers?  How long will you be staying?  These are all questions you should consider when assessing the best transport mode for you.

DRIVING

The big advantage of driving right into the city is that you will have your vehicle there at the end of the day.  Your kids can nap all the way home comfortably.  You can leave things in the car and come back to get them if you need to (e.g. extra clothing, cooler with food, etc.)  You can turn the air conditioning on, and you will be guaranteed a seat!  If  you are travelling during rush hour, the TTC can be packed with people.  When you are travelling with kids and strollers, this can be less than ideal.

Finding a parking lot can be difficult, and parking is rarely cheap.  What you might save on is convenience and time...well, you might only consider it convenient if you don't mind driving in downtown city situations.

DRIVING + GO TRAIN + TTC

Drive to Oakville and take the GO Train.  The ride is about 45 minutes to downtown, and it goes directly downtown to Union Station.  Tickets aren't cheap though.  About $17 for an adult, $7 for a child.  The trains are relatively frequent.  The advantage is that you will probably avoid the bulk of the traffic along Highway 401, and most definitely avoid traffic downtown.

DRIVING + TTC

You can park at a few TTC stations (such as Yorkdale, Downsview, Wilson) and take the subway the rest of the way into downtown.  Parking at some of these stations does cost you, but it is likely cheaper than paying for parking at a lot downtown.  You lose some of the convenience factor of having your car nearby in a parking lot downtown.  But you at least have it for the drive home, and for when the kids might zonk out more comfortably.