Capturing your Family in Photos

Baby Basics west Toronto was lucky enough to have a visit from guest speaker Hope Hanson, from H2Photo.  She gave us some great tips on how to make the most of your family photographs.  Following is a guest blog by Hope covering some of the items we discussed.


A Couple of Quick Tips and Ideas for Your Photography!

Besides your camera, the most important tool in taking wonderful pictures of your family is your manual. That will explain to you all the fabulousness of that tiny piece of electronics. Spend some time (like mom’s have enough time to sit down with a real book), but at the end of the day, it will make a real difference in your photography.

Try and remember what you are capturing – if you are trying to capture the cherry blossoms in the spring in High Park, fill your image with the pinks and whites, and have your family be a small part of the image – however if you are capturing that beautiful dimple on your daughter’s cheek, then fill your screen and your image with her smile.

If you are looking at taking your photography to the next level, start practicing taking your camera off the automatic mode. Doesn’t matter if it takes you a while to get the “perfect shot”. Once you are able to use the Aperture – Shutter Speed or even Manual mode, you will find that you will make the pictures that you want. There are lots of great resources out there to use – one of the best is a website called Clickn’ Moms http://www.clicknmoms.com/ Even look up videos on YouTube. There are a couple of great places to take a few classes include Henry’s Camera.

Also, there are a couple of things that you need to remember. BACK UP BACK UP BACK UP. Years ago when you processed your film, if you lost your negatives, you had the actual prints. Some easy ways to “back up” is to never delete your memory card. SD cards are relatively cheap now and you can purchase enough “memory” for probably pennies a day.

The next thing to remember is to PRINT – with the way that technology changes, if your baby’s pictures had been on a floppy disk, by the time they would be in high school it would be next to impossible to retrieve those images. If you had printed them, they would be “safe”. You can even store them in a nice box until you have time to place them in an album or if you are more ambitious scrapbook – but mostly, make sure that you can see them!

And most importantly – don’t wait until you have your hair done, lose a few pounds or get a new top to be in the pictures WITH your children. Your children will look back a the pictures 10-20-30 years from now and see you – the woman that they love and adore IN their lives and not just behind the camera. Go to the big box store just so you can be IN the pictures – do whatever it takes so that years from now your children will have the pictures of you to go along with the fabulous memories you are creating now!

By Hope Hanson
H2PHOTO.CA

Fun Toronto adventures for your family this weekend!

We live in possibly the best city in the entire world, and there is certainly no shortage of fun things to do with your family.  Check back here often for some of momstown Toronto's tips for family fun in this amazing city of ours!

Looking out the ferry window!

The Toronto Islands


A trip to the Toronto Islands is like an escape to cottage country, a county fair and a yacht club all rolled into one!  The ferry ride is fun for the whole family, and the kids will love the anticipation of the ride over.  It is also stroller friendly, and you can even take over bicycles if you take the Ward Island Ferry.

The Swan Ride on Centre Island.

Once you arrive, there are so many options for fun!  Centreville of course springs to mind with its rides and amusement park atmosphere, but there are so many other things to do as well.  Centreville's rides really are a lot of fun however, especially the 1907 carousel and the log flume ride.  Let's not forget the Swan Ride, a favourite with many children!

Hi Franklin!

The Franklin Children's Garden is a lot of fun to explore, with all of your favourite Franklin characters.  It's an interactive garden for kids and families on Centre Island, inspired by Franklin the Turtle, the celebrated series of books written by Paulette Bourgeois. The garden is divided into six sections where children can enjoy gardening, storytelling, and visits with seven child-accessible sculptures from the Franklin the Turtle series.

A hug for Goose

If you'd like to take a trip down the less-beaten path, then I would highly recommend taking the ferry to Ward Island with your bicycle.  Bring along a picnic for lunch and enjoy it near a splash pad.  One of my family's favourite things to do on the Islands is to bicycle through the streets where Island residents have their homes.  It has such a cottage feel, and there is a great little community park with a play structure.  Here is the website for the Toronto Island community for more details:  http://torontoisland.org/. 

The Rectory Cafe patio

When you're ready to sit down after a long day exploring the Islands, venture over to the Rectory Cafe, possibly my favourite patio in the city of Toronto.  It's like a secret garden oasis, and the staff is super friendly. The food is super yummy too!

This just scratches the surface of the fun waiting for you on the Islands!  Why not visit this weekend and check them out for yourself?



High Park

Colborne Lodge

New York may have Central Park, but we have a serious Canadian contender - High Park.  If you are looking to escape into a little piece of wilderness in Toronto, then this is your destination.  Playgrounds, splash pads, hiking trails, ponds, sculptured gardens, restaurants and snack bars, swimming pool, tennis courts, a nature centre, Colborne Lodge - the list goes on and on.

To get there, take the subway to High Park on the Bloor line and walk south into the park.  There is also free parking in the heart of the park.

The Jamie Bell Adventure Park

A day in High Park isn't complete without a trip through the High Park Zoo.  From the Grenadier Cafe, walk down through the zoo, visiting the many animals en route to the Jamie Bell Adventure Playground.  It is a beautiful park and was actually designed by local children when it was originally built.  My kids' favourite feature is the 'walkie-talkies' that allow to talk across the playground.

If you are a dog-owner, the park has an amazing leash-free zone, which is fun for kids and adults alike.  You can explore the trails and open space with your canine friend.

Climbing a cherry tree in High Park

And did you know that High Park has a Children's Garden?  It is a wonderful adventure to explore the flora and fauna in the park. If you're lucky enough to visit in the spring, High Park's cherry blossoms are famous around the world. 

If you haven't had a chance to explore High Park, I urge you to go soon.  This park is a beautiful place to escape to for a hike, an afternoon or a day.

Family-Friendly Fitness Studio in East End of Toronto!

Some of you have already been out to Beaches Fitness for the Baby Basics Program, and some of you have been able to come out and do a few classes... for those of you who still not had a chance to check out the new family-friendly fitness studio in the Kingston Road Village, this is your chance!  Come out, check out the studio, try a few free classes and join in the Children's Party!  The Kingston Road Village Spring Festival is on Saturday, June 2nd and Beaches Fitness has lined up a day of fun for everyone!

Beaches Fitness is a family-centric fitness studio for everyone.  With classes that suit all levels and personalities, you will for sure find a class that you love!  Most of the classes are kid-friendly, so even a parent can find time to take care of themselves!  The 800 sq ft group fitness studio is open to a large lounge and play area, so the kids are never far away and they can socialize and play with the other children while you work out!  Currently, Beaches Fitness offers Pilates, Yoga, Circuit Training, Pre-Natal Classes, Mom Fitness, Stroller Fitness and Zumba, as well as many 30 minute Power class options.

This Saturday is the Kingston Road Village Spring Festival.  Beaches Fitness is proud to be part of the Kingston Road Village and is excited to offer free classes and a Children's Party all day!  Come on out and try a few classes, there will also be some great specials offered for everyone that attends the Beaches Fitness Community Launch Party between 9am - 5pm on Saturday!

There will also be a few give-aways for some lucky attendees!

For the younger infants, I do have a built-in baby-sitter... but, she is not quite old enough to be left in charge yet.  She is a great helper though and loves to sing to them and bring them toys from the baby toy baskets.  With bouncy chairs, rocking chairs, exercausers, play mats and a swing, there are a ton of ways to keep the younger ones entertained and safe.  As for the older children... well, they have a kitchen, train table and tons of toys to keep them happy through-out the class.  For most of the toddlers, the best part is joining their parent for the cardio bursts and running along side the adults!

For more information about the studio, feel free to check out the website or email Sandra anytime!  Here is a quick run-down of next Saturday's schedule...

9am - FREE Core Strength Vinyasa Flow Yoga

10:15am - FREE Kids Yoga

11am - FREE Children's Party - Games, Crafts and Fun!

1pm - FREE Zumba

2:15pm - FREE Power Core

3pm - FREE Intro to Pilates

4:15pm - FREE Power Circuits

***Please make sure you let me know you are with Momstown Toronto... there will be a special give-away just for Momstown Members!***

Looking forward to meeting a lot of my new neighbours!  See you out there!!!

Sandra