Chromilo Amin

Quick tip for new baby stroller owners: Do not inflated your deflated stroller tires at a gas station air pump. The reason for the above tip is to avoid the uneccessary expense of replacing the entire wheel because of a tire explosion which was so strong and extreme that it shattered the rims. It cost me $40+ to purchase a new wheel at Phil&Teds which I could have easily spent on manual tire pumps instead. The maximum recommended is 22 PSI for baby stroller tires and using the air pumps at the gas station makes it hard to estimate that unless you use a tire gauge. The tires exploded while we were at a food court, while we were immobile and kids weren't even seated in the strollers. It just popped and caused everyone to look because it sounded like a gunshot. Glad nobody got hurt from any flying wheel rim debris.

This is the second year we have donated to Samaritan's Purse www.samaritanspurse.ca for the Operation Christmas Child program. Here was last year's post talking about what we put in the box http://www.chromiloamin.com/2011/11/donate-to-operation-christmas-child.htm . It's always a worthwhile cause to donate instead of just buying family gifts during Christmas. Don't know about you but that always stresses us out. We will drop off one shoebox filled with toys, clothes, and school supplies for a 2-4 year old girl. As usual, we have also included a monetary donation on top of the $7 fee to cover shipment charges for the shoebox. Here are the items my wife was able to cram into the box this year. Can I just publicly say that she is awesome at all this especially under pressure. It's too bad the kids were already asleep when we put this together because they would have enjoyed preparing the gift box which contains: - Lion plush toy - Toothbrushes - Bars of soap - Cray...

I didn't know arts & crafts for a kid's birthday party could be so much fun. That's what my kid tells me after attending a friend's birthday at 4Cats Arts Studio in Whiterock. For activities, the kids colored with crayons and molded clay into picture frames that they later took home with them (see Star Wars Jedi characters Master Yoda and Luke Skywalker masterpieces). This was followed by healthy snacks which was all part of the package from 3:30pm-5pm. And here is a famous quote from Yoda if you are looking to try out the studio for your next birthday party: "Do or do not. There is no try." (4Cats Arts Studio, 1195 Johnston Street, Whiterock, BC; 604.560.5300; http://www.4cats.com/whiterock )

This is a continuation of my post linked here http://www.chromiloamin.com/2012/10/where-to-get-little-mermaid-ariel.html . As you know, we went to Party City in North Vancouver BC to try and find some Little Mermaid party supplies for my little kid's birthday. We didn't find any at that location so we thought the Burlinglington, Washington location would carry a lot more because any licensing restrictions the Canadian counterparts had would be lifted, or so I thought. The US store didn't carry any more stock. We concluded the following when it comes to getting your Little Mermaid party supply fix: 1) Order your supplies online at http://www.celebrateexpress.com and have items marked as US-only delivered to a friend who lives in the US. Ask said friend(s) if they could ship the package to you and be eternally grateful for their help. 2) Go to Disney Store at Metrotown Burnaby http://www.metropolisatmetrotown.com/stores/disney-store for the rest of your Ariel party supp...

This is actually posed as a question because I don't have the answers. It's my little girl's birthday soon and we are planning a Little Mermaid (Ariel) themed party. However, I realized it was very hard get this specific Disney character shipped to Vancouver, BC. We usually order our birthday party supplies from Celebrate Express ( www.celebrateexpress.com ) and am able to get some supplies like balloons and banners with Ariel printed on them but am unable to order invitation cards, party favors, or table cloths with same Disney character. Why is that? It can't be a licensing limitation because everything should have been barred if that was the case. My wife found this store in North Vancouver called Party City ( www.partycity.com ) and she said that they sold the Little Mermaid birthday party supplies so we decided to head out there this past weekend. They did have Holloween supplies with the Little Mermaid character on them but no birthday party suppl...

I'm talking about swimming lessons at the local YMCA. We received the kids report card last week after they completed the L'il Dippers 1 - Bobber swim program. Their report cards show tasks completed and not completed. For this set, it appears they completed everything required to move on to the next set. Well done. Their teacher Ryan puts in these nice comments on the report: "Hey K. Great job this set. Your floats are looking good. Remember to stick your legs all the way out when you do a float. Excellent job putting your head in the water and blowing bubbles. Keep up the good work. " "Great work C. You did a spectacular job doing your back floats, they look really good. Remember to keep your legs together when you do a glide. Keep up the good effort." I'm also really happy with their progress, especially because they are no longer afraid to jump into the water. They did get sick a few times and started throwing up in the pool at o...

Like most parents, I'm sure you have gone through a list of local music schools in your area trying to figure out which is best for your child at that age. Most of the information I had were from people I take the bus with, other parents at school, and of course searching online via Google. We had to choose between group lessons lasting 2+ years or private lessons as expensive as $22 every 30 minutes. We were able to narrow it down to the following local music schools: - Carillion Music Academy (located on King George and 72nd Ave) - Tom Lee & Music (located on 152nd Street and 100th Ave) - Long & McQuade (located on 104th Ave and 138th Street) - Music 'N' Motion (located on 148th Street and 60th Ave) And here are the deciding factors in order of importance for us: 1) Non-conflicting schedules with existing children programs/activities; 2) Accessibility through public transit if held on weekends; 3) Non-stringent fee schedule that do not require c...