by Renee Tratch | Feb 15, 2021 | Beach, Fresh Air, Nature, Trails
Who’s up for a nature hike? I’ll be honest, rarely my kids. Now that they’re older, there seems to be more resistance to mom’s ideas, especially when it comes to going on a family hike. So on a super sunny winter weekend, I zipped east for a walk with a fellow Mom in...
by Renee Tratch | Feb 1, 2021 | Fresh Air, Nature, Road Trip, Trails
Once upon a lockdown, we went for a hike. Our winter destination was Crawford Lake, a beautiful area part of Conservation Halton less than an hour’s drive west of Toronto. This year-round park was spectacular in the snow with lots of outdoor space to explore and keep...
by Renee Tratch | Dec 12, 2020 | Best of Toronto, Gift Guide
This year’s holiday shopping is weird no doubt. While malls, and even worse small businesses are shuttered, the online version should feel as simple as a quick search and an even quicker click. But I have lost myself in an online rabbit role trying to find the perfect...
by Renee Tratch | Nov 12, 2020 | Fresh Air, Sports
The City’s parks have become our mainstay for staying sane and active as a family this summer and fall. And as the City continues to go through the various stages of COVID restrictions, it’s the great outdoors – one of the city’s great parks, trails, beaches and...
by Renee Tratch | Aug 14, 2020 | Best of Toronto, Fresh Air
So we’ve made it this far. Since we’ve last posted, Toronto and its residents have gone through Stage 2, Stage 3 and about a million emotions on how we’re suppose to navigate this new reality with our families. And now with a few weeks of summer left, we are bracing...
by Renee Tratch | Apr 30, 2020 | Indoor Play, Keep Mom Sane, Screen Time
So it’s been 4, 5, 6, 7 weeks of this new normal? I’m not counting. That’s just one of the ways I’m coping these days. School’s back in, or still out, depending on how much effort you and your kids are putting into the new online learning. As rules continue to evolve...
by Renee Tratch | Mar 19, 2020 | Parenthood
My go-to as a parent has always been go-out. Babies crying, toddlers melting down, siblings bickering? Get the heck out of the house. Go somewhere. Gather with friends. Playdate. Meet up. Drop in. Strength in numbers, right? Now as all our favourite go-to...
by Renee Tratch | Mar 9, 2020 | Art, Museum
Every kids goes through a magic stage, right? Well, you can revive or kickstart this phase by a visit to the Art Gallery of Ontario’s newest exhibition ILLUSIONS: THE ART OF MAGIC. While it’s not an exhibition just for kids, it definitely has elements that will wow...
by Renee Tratch | Feb 17, 2020 | Art, Beach, Free, Fresh Air
UPDATE: Noodle Feed (photo above) was removed. The Winter Stations — the annual art event where artists, architects and designers creatively take over the lifeguard stations at Woodbine Beach — is back. And this year’s free event presents four...
by Renee Tratch | Jan 25, 2020 | Art, Fresh Air
It’s that awesome of year again when the city lights up to help battle the winter blues. Or in Toronto’s case, the winter greys. This year the Toronto Light Festival presents 20 art installations that are brightening the city’s skies in the Distillery District. We had...
by Renee Tratch | Jan 12, 2020 | Indoor Play
This is not your average mini golf. PAR-TEE PUTT is Toronto’s newest indoor mini golf club. Located in the entertainment district, the bar boasts 27 themed holes (three nine-hole courses) and on weekends offers an all ages experience from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Outside of...
by Renee Tratch | Jan 6, 2020 | Fresh Air, Sports
There is a new game in TOwn. This winter Stackt Market, the shipping container market located at Bathurst and Front streets, opened Toronto’s first Crokicurl rink, an outdoor game where crokinole and curling collide. I’ve been wanting to try this out ever since I’ve...
by Renee Tratch | Jan 3, 2020 | Family Attraction, Fresh Air
Welcome to 2099. A new light and sound experience has taken over a portion of the Toronto Zoo this winter. On until April 2020, Terra Lumina Night Walk by Moment Factory is a 1.5 km trip by foot to the year 2099 and back with a series of installations featuring...
by Renee Tratch | Dec 22, 2019 | Free, Fresh Air, Skating
The little rink that popped up this winter in front of Union Station is one of the newest places to lace up downtown Toronto. And it’s worth the whirl. Located literally in front of the main entrance of Union Station, the cozy outdoor rink offers free public skating...
by Renee Tratch | Dec 2, 2019 | Museum
“Do we have to read everything?” says my 10-year-old as we entered Bloodsuckers: Legends to Leeches that just opened at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. Our family explores museums in very different ways. One like a pinball machine, the other beelining it to...
by Renee Tratch | Dec 1, 2019 | Gift of Experience, Giveaway
Thank you everyone who entered. The contest is now closed. We are giving away the gift of theatre! Enter for your chance to win a pair of tickets to one of Soulpepper Theatre’s performances of A Christmas Carol. The classic holiday story that follows Scrooge as he...
by Renee Tratch | Nov 30, 2019 | Giveaway
We are giving away the gift of music! Enter for your chance to win a pair of tickets to one of Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s performances of Holiday Pops, featuring the incredible soprano (and Toronto mom) Measha Brueggergosman with the TSO and a full choir. There are...
by Renee Tratch | Nov 27, 2019 | Gift Guide, Gift of Experience
Wrap up Toronto! It’s back – our best-of gifts that will have you exploring and experiencing Toronto with your families in TOw. Here’s what tops our list for giving the gift of experience. GIFT OF THEATRE WITH SOULPEPPER’S FAMILY FESTIVAL No doubt the Toronto...
by Renee Tratch | Oct 23, 2019 | Music
We have always loved the creative ways the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) has been inspiring kids in this city to experience classical music – from fun storytimes (we’re thinking of The Hockey Sweater with Roch Carrier) to wearing your costume to a concert (the...
by Renee Tratch | Oct 9, 2019 | Park & Playground
If you’re looking for someone to plan the destination for your next park meet-up up, we know just the guy. Andrew Moore, aka Danforth Dad has made it his (and his family in TOw)’s mission to explore Toronto through its many playgrounds. We’re talking hundreds of...
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