Parenting Times chats with Dr. Stephanie Liu, the Canadian family physician and the Instagram star behind The Life of Dr. Mom (@thelifeofdrmom) about managing your child’s seasonal allergies Ottawa Parenting Times: What are seasonal allergies and what time of year [...] The post Little people, big sneezes appeared first on Ottawa Parenting Times Magazine ..read more

NORCs — naturally occurring retirement communities — allow older adults an alternative to seniors’ housing You may not realize it, but you probably have a NORC in your neighbourhood. That’s what Mary Lou Kelley says. Even after spending years as [...] The post Getting older, staying home appeared first on Ottawa Parenting Times Magazine ..read more

When her youngest son left for school outside of Ontario, our Happiness Formula columnist willed herself not to be overprotective. It’s paid off Whether it’s starting junior kindergarten, heading to summer camp, going to college, moving out with friends, taking [...] The post Learning to let go appeared first on Ottawa Parenting Times Magazine ..read more

Here’s what’s happening in the National Capital Region this back-to-school season   What: 37th annual Gatineau Balloon Festival Where:  Parc de la Baie, Gatineau When: Aug. 29 to Sept. 2 Why: Featuring hot air balloons so incredible, they have names [...] The post 12 Great Family Fun Events appeared first on Ottawa Parenting Times Magazine ..read more

A robust school extracurricular program has much to offer children and their families   If kids are gloomy about being back in the classroom this fall, hopefully they find joy in the school’s extracurricular activities. We should urge our children [...] The post After the bell appeared first on Ottawa Parenting Times Magazine ..read more

Knowing what he knows now, our Memoirs of a New Dad columnist writes a letter to his younger self I know you hate the whole “writing letters to yourself” thing. When your teacher asked you to do the same in [...] The post Dear Chris appeared first on Ottawa Parenting Times Magazine ..read more

Getting lost in the woods can happen to anyone, says outdoor educator Sonia Vani, and can be avoided if one puts thought into preparation     Sonia Vani has enjoyed a feeling of “belonging outside” since childhood. “My parents encouraged [...] The post A matter of survival appeared first on Ottawa Parenting Times Magazine ..read more

No matter how many times we send our children off for the first day of school, it’s never easy. As parents, we will worry: will my child fit in and make friends? Will she miss me? Will he get an [...] The post From the editor appeared first on Ottawa Parenting Times Magazine ..read more

How one Ontario family turned an accessible Halloween for one child into a Canada-wide goal to make trick or treating safe and open to everyone Editor’s note: This story is part of an occasional series, Families with a Cause. The families featured [...] The post Treats for all appeared first on Ottawa Parenting Times Magazine ..read more

A hyperlocal website has sparked the interests of history buffs everywhere. Sheryl Bennett-Wilson looks back The cover of Lost Ottawa. Photo Courtesy David McGee The internet was just getting started when Canadian David McGee was working at MIT in Boston in 1997. Even then, says McGee, “I wondered how it would change the writing of history. He returned to Canada in 2008 and was digitizing photos at the Canada Science and Technology Museum when he became responsible for the archival remains of the E.B. Eddy Company—a pulp and paper company and the longest-running industry in the history of th ..read more