Kids & Company Blog

Posted on: Wednesday December 12th, 2012

Posted by: Lisa Ruscica

With the winter weather upon us, our days have been a little grey. I thought we needed to add a punch of colour to our day. At a recent Kids & Company event we served Rainbow Fruit Kebobs and what a hit they were! These kebobs add a splash of colour to any food spread…. [read more]

Posted on: Friday November 30th, 2012

Posted by: Victoria Sopik

Kids & Company, Canada’s  leading corporate sponsored child care company has set in motion preparations for a potential Ontario elementary school strike. We have rented additional space to accommodate the expected increase in need for corporate child care services as part of our guaranteed full-time, part-time as well as emergency back-up care to employees of our… [read more]

Posted on: Friday November 9th, 2012

Posted by: Lisa Ruscica

On October 31st our sites were brimming with happy, excited children dressed in their Halloween costumes and enjoying a day of special activities. Nationally, Kids & Company hosted a “Creepy Crudité Competition” for our Staff to put together a fun creature using fruits and vegetables for the children’s afternoon snack. We had an overwhelming response and posted the amazing creatures on Facebook selecting a winner from the number of “likes” they received. I wanted to congratulate all the imaginative entries because the children LOVED their yummy healthy afternoon snacks.

Posted on: Tuesday November 6th, 2012

Posted by: Victoria Sopik

When my children were younger, Halloween was one of their most anticipated holidays. From carving pumpkins, to making costumes and painting faces, we always had a fantastic time. Come Halloween night, I would usually volunteer to stay home with the youngest and hand out candy to the adorable trick-or-treaters, and my husband would take my brood around the neighbourhood to fill their pillowcases with treats. As much as my kids loved candy, I did my best to ensure that they did not overload on sugar. After they returned with their loot, we would sort through the piles to make sure everything was safe to eat. I would usually allow my kids to indulge on that first night, and their consumption was much more controlled in the days to follow.

Posted on: Wednesday October 24th, 2012

Posted by: Victoria Sopik

Power struggles are such a common occurrence with children of all ages for so many different reasons! You would think after the age of five or so they would taper off, but I’d have to say to this day I still experience power struggles… even with my oldest child!

One power struggle that is common for parents is the clothing dispute. Whether it’s your three-year-old daughter who insists on wearing a Christmas dress with rubber boots in the middle of July, or your four-year-old son who refuses to get dressed in the morning, clothing can be a tough one! When my eldest daughter was three years old, she decided that she was going to be picky about her clothing. In fact she decided not to wear clothes at all, and there was no way I was going to get anything on her. This was definitely difficult for us, as the number one rule in power struggles is to ignore the situation and not to engage in the battle.

Posted on: Saturday October 13th, 2012

Posted by: Lisa Ruscica

This week, try a fun alternative to your family pasta dinner, use a spaghetti squash instead! It is a good idea to expose our families to something new, different and easy for dinner.

Spaghetti squash is an oblong seed bearing variety of winter squash that can range in colour from yellow to orange. The orange varieties have a flesh that is bright yellow or orange because of the high carotene content. When raw, the flesh is solid and similar to other raw squash but when cooked, the flesh falls away from the fruit in ribbons or strands like spaghetti. Spaghetti squash contains many vital nutrients including folic acid, potassium, Vitamin A and beta carotene. It is also low in calories, averaging 42 calories per 1 cup serving.

Posted on: Tuesday October 9th, 2012

Posted by: Victoria Sopik

Whether or not to use a pacifier to soothe your baby has been a longdebated question for parents and pediatricians. There have beenstudies that suggest that pacifier use has health benefits for babies, including the reduction of SIDS in babies who use pacifiers. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Institute of Child Health and Human development recommend using a pacifier at night because of this.

Posted on: Tuesday September 18th, 2012

Posted by: Victoria Sopik

Eating and nutrition is definitely a hot topic among parents. Many always wonder, is my child eating enough, are they eating a wide enough variety of food, are they getting the nutrition they really need? What I’ve experienced is that all children (and people for that matter) are very different. In my household, we always had many different meals and food arrangements going on.

Posted on: Friday September 14th, 2012

Posted by: Victoria Sopik

Once again, the summer has flown by, and as I enjoy the final few days of August, I am also gearing up for September, which is a busy month for most moms. Five of my eight children are going “back to school” next week, ranging from grade ten to law school. Given that I have gone through this process many times already, here are some of my tips for the transition back to school.

Posted on: Tuesday September 4th, 2012

Posted by: Victoria Sopik

One question I’m often asked is, “do you love playing with children?” Although this may come as a surprise to most, my answer to that question is “no.” I do have a special love for babies, nursing, cuddling and playing with them, but I have never had much of an interest in “getting down on the ground,” or playing house, cars, school, etc. I have always felt more of a pull in the direction of nurturing and loving them and I’ve left their playing and learning to be developed through each other and school.