Ottawa: The Savvy Guide to March

Don’t get too ahead of yourself just because the shops are filled with summer clothes. It’s almost March and you have a few more solid weeks of winter to slog through before the tulips pop up.
Here’s the monthly guide for March. Look forward to March Break, St. Paddy’s Day and the opportunity to enjoy the last of what winter has to offer (not to mention the fact that spring is around the corner)!

DO
Start thinking about summer camps, spring soccer registration and summer vacation plans.
Why? Because now is the time—and you don’t want to drive an extra half an hour away for games because you missed the deadline for the local league. (We’ve been that parent and it is a drag.) Remember to sign them up with a friend—it helps with the carpooling and they have way more fun.

GO
See the exhibits at the Canada Agriculture Museum that re-open for the season on March 1.
Why? Not only is this a sure sign of spring (bringing with it the cutest, tiniest newborn lambs, goats and piglets you’ve ever seen) but it means you can once again rest on the sidelines while the kids clamber in and out of the John Deere simulator. For more information, visit their site.

PLAY
Let’s Be a Tourist—whether you are planning to stay in town or you are travelling this month. Get the kids involved in deciding where you are going to go, get out the map, search the web together and make a plan.
Why? Let them think they get to choose once in a while (but just once in a while)!

GET
A Water Heater Blanket (we tried this one and we’re feeling very savvy.)
Why? Your bills have skyrocketed this month, haven’t they? This will keep them down, trust us.

So bring it on, March. We made it through February (and childbirth, don’t forget). We can handle one more month of Old Man Winter.