Fire Hall Tour

Any of your kids obsessed with fire trucks? My son is.  Every time we pass a fire hall he wants me to stop so he can see the fireman and the fire tucks. I never wanted to just randomly stop at one just in case they were busy so, I decided to contact the city to see if they offer any fire hall tours. To my surprise they do, and they are very popular! I had to book 2 weeks in advance and they only have certain days and times available so, I called a bunch of my friends to see if they were interested in doing a group visit.

Yesterday was our tour. The kids had a blast. They were so excited. As soon as we got there all the kids were greeted by all the firemen in the hall. Then they took them over to the fire truck and showed them all the tools they use in a fire or car accident such as an axe, hammer, jaws of life etc. They also showed them the fire hose and let each child hold it so we could get a picture. After that they let them all go inside the fire truck to look around.

 

Next they showed them they their uniforms. They explained all the items they have to wear when attending a call. I learned a few things myself. I didn't know they all have special alarms on them to press when they are in trouble. Did you? They also were telling the kids in case of a fire to never be afraid of them because they are there to help them.

 

 

Once the tour was over all the kids got a plastic fireman hat and colouring book to take home as a "Thank You" for coming. They also got group pictures with the firemen and on their fire truck.

 

 

 

 

If you are interested in booking a fire hall tour as well, contact your city or town to book a day and time. It's a lot of fun!!

H & M Studio Collection

Last night I got invited to pre-shop The Autumn/ Winter 2014 Studio Collection at H & M in Toronto. This high fashion collection was presented for the first time during Paris Fashion Week in February. It isn't available at all locations including the city I live in so, I was lucky I got to go to this private event and grab some pieces before everything was sold out!

Here are some of my favourites from the collection:

 

 

To see more pieces from the collection and to find a store nearest you visit http://www.hm.com/ca

Main Street in Unionville

 

Whether you are from the Greater Toronto Area or you're coming to Toronto to visit I would make a point to check out Unionville in Markham, Ontario. I never knew Unionville existed until I met my husband. When we were dating he would always take me to Main Street for lunch. Main Street is a beautiful little strip filled with unique shops and restaurants. If you have a day in your weekend free, it's worth checking out. During the summer they decorate the streets with huge hanging baskets filled with gorgeous flowers. Most of the restaurants have cute little patios to sit outside for lunch/dinner or just to have a drink.

 

We were there this weekend so I took some pictures:

 

 

 

If you are looking for a good place to eat, I would recommend going to the Unionville Arms Pub & Grill. Great pub food- try the Greek Salad because it's amazing! We usually eat on the patio. 

 

 

This place is a must! Old Firehall Confectionery. This is why I get a salad at the pub because I have to go here directly after. I spend about 20 minutes deciding on what to get because I want everything. I took some pictures of what they have to offer which explains why.

 

  

 

 

 

Today they have the Unionville Heritage Festival going on from 10-5pm if you wanted to go and check it out. They are going to have historic demonstrations, live music, horse- drawn carriage rides, historic guided tours and more.

 

For more information on Unionville visit their website:  http://www.unionvilleinfo.com/

Pottery Barn Kids Events!

 

 

 

I love shopping at Pottery Barn Kids. It's a bit pricey, but everything I buy from there is such amazing quality. When I was shopping there last week for some items for my kids rooms, I found out about a Halloween Event they are hosting, and a book club that takes place weekly at the stores. I thought I would write this short post for anyone who is interested that didn't know about it.

Halloween Carnival- Saturday, September 20th from 3-5pm

Get at least 2 uses out of your child's Halloween costume this year and come to this fun event! Watch your little ones enjoy getting their faces painted, doing crafts and playing games. There will also be some treats to munch on as well.
You need to call ahead and add your child to the list, so locate your nearest store here today!

 

Weekly Story Time- Every Tuesday from 11- 11:30am

Each week, Pottery Barn Kids hosts story time for kids of all ages. If it's your first time attending, they will give you a Book Club Passport. Each time you attend they will stamp your card. Once you have gone 5 times you receive a special gift!!

They also have special themes certain weeks as well like these:

Grandparents Day- Tuesday, September 2nd

The Day the Crayons Quit- Tuesday, September 9th.
For this day kids are invited to dress up in their favourite colour for the story. They will also have a crayon photo booth so be sure to bring your camera for a picture!

Visit the website for more information or to contact a store nearest you. www.potterybarnkids.ca

JOEY Don Mills

Sunday night my husband and I went to JOEY Don Mills to celebrate our 6 year wedding anniversary. The restaurant is located at Shops at Don Mills which is like an outdoor mall that has stores and restaurants. What I love about this outdoor centre is that it reminds me of the outdoor malls in the states. During the summer it's so nice to walk around and browse the shops before or after your lunch or dinner. Plus, JOEY Don Mills offers free valet parking unlike most restaurants in downtown Toronto.

 

 

 What's nice about JOEY Don Mills is that it's a kid friendly restaurant (we have been with our kids in the past) but this time we left them with my parents so we could enjoy a nice quiet evening together.

Being that we went on a Sunday night it wasn't that busy. I made a reservation just in case but we really didn't have to- we were seated right away. If you are going on a Friday or Saturday night I would make a reservation for sure. You can call them or make the reservation online.

Since we had been before, we wanted to make sure we tried some new things on the menu. We started with Sushi Cones- Tempura Shrimp, Avocado, Spicy Mayo and Tobiko. They were $4.50 but to die for! They were so light I could of ate 5!

Next we tried Lettuce Wraps. I LOVE lettuce wraps. If you have never had them before it's a must try. The main ingredients in these are water chestnuts, peanuts, crispy noodles and mushrooms. So low in carbs. They were $13 and for an extra $3 you can add chicken or shrimp. We added chicken.

 

We also tried the Japanese Gyoza which are pork dumplings. I am not too fond of dumplings but these ones were really good. They were so light and fluffy. I loved the hot mustard sauce that came with them as well.

For our main course, I got the Baja Fish Tacos. They were probably the best fish tacos I have ever had. Each corn tortilla was filled with basa, shrimp and guacamole. You got 3 for $14.50 and they were so filling. I think I need to move on because I am craving them now, lol

 

My husband got Ravioli with Sautéed Shrimp. It was very good as well. Each ravioli was stuffed with spinach and artichoke. Also added was prosciutto, tomato's and capers in a creamy sauce.  His meal was $21.50

 

 

Everything on the dessert menu sounded so good so I had to make room. Since I couldn't decide on what I wanted, I made my husband get a dessert as well so I could try 2 items on the menu. I got the Keylime Pie that had a huge dollop of Tahitian vanilla whipped cream on top, and my husband had the Bake to Order Apple Pie. This apple pie was so delicious. If you don't want to come here for dinner just come and get the apple pie! It was the best apple pie I have ever had. Each pie is hand-folded pastry with toasted almonds, and a scoop of  maple ice cream on top.  Both desserts were $8.50 each.

 

 

Overall, our experience at JOEY Don Mills was great! The service was amazing. Our waitress always came around and asked us how each course was. She always stopped by to re fill our waters and to see if we needed anything else during our meal. I hate going to a restaurant and the server just drops off your food and you never see him/her again. It definitely wasn't the case here. It's not just good food that makes me go back to a restaurant it's also the great service!

 

For a list of JOEY Restaurants in Canada and the US visit their website at http://www.joeyrestaurants.com/#!/stories/work

 

Photos courtesy of JOEY Restaurants.