Time Warp

The funny thing about kids is they force you to see time in a whole new dimension. The days can be long, but the years are so short. A ten-minute car ride can seem an eternity but an hour nap is never long enough.

Luckily there are some parents who have taken the bull by the horns (so to speak) and are striving to make life easier and more fun for mom and dad (ahem)—especially on those days that seem just a tad too long. Not surprisingly, as parents themselves, they are simply filling what they see as a void in our kid-centred society.

Meet Lucy Benayon, SavvyMom to Benjamin (3) and Liam (3 months), owner of The Orange Dot Parenting Centre and dancer/fitness guru. Lucy felt the need for a supportive environment, a place where moms could go and learn, work out and bond with each other after the birth of her first son. The Orange Dot was born out of this desire and now moms can sign up for her popular prenatal education classes, her postnatal Butt Kicking classes (while the kids play) or the brand new Staying Alive classes. The space is clean, fresh and inviting- the perfect respite for a sleep deprived mom and busy toddler! And here’s some news you can use! The Orange Dot is running a March Break special—free classes for moms and kids from March 12–16. Hurry now and book your classes online!

Looking for a place to be creative, just play or hang out with other parents and drink coffee? There are two brand spanking new venues to check out. Their doors just opened last week (we got sneak previews) so get there soon while the toys are still shiny!

Just Ducky is only one week old and is already all the little duckies in the ‘hood are talking about it. Drop in and let the kids run around the large play facility or create something special in the studio room—also used for classes and birthday parties. Founder Nancy Schmeler (job description: Mother Goose) has put together a fabulous line-up of instructors coming in for art, drama and music classes. (We happen to know the music teacher and she gets a big savvy thumbs up.)

Kid Club calls itself a family event venue—a unique space specializing in themed performance birthday parties (how does Survivor, Spy Kids or a video-taped dance party sound?) with plans to expand its offerings by the end of the month. Morning programs for pre-schoolers and after-school programs for the older kids will be available by the spring. Chris McElcheran, owner of Kid Club (and dad to two daughters, aged five and two) sees an opportunity to develop a loyal group of community members by offering a $99 membership with benefits like discounts for parties. There is nothing exclusive about KidClub though—anyone can party there—especially if you are between the ages of three and eleven.

We’ve heard it said that “if kids didn’t nap, nobody would have them”, and there might be some truth to that. But you might as well have as much fun as you can while everyone is awake.

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