Our Weekend Getaway . . .in the backyard!

A look ahead on the calendar and there was an entire weekend with no plans and the weather forecast was warm and sunny . . . it was the perfect set up for a weekend getaway!

We announced to the kids that it was going to be a family weekend and they excitedly ran upstairs and packed their stuff. Minutes later Tinkerbelle, Cinderella and Mickey Mouse suitcases bounced down the stairs filled with all their favorite possessions ready to go. They were off!

Our 3 kids ran out the back door, suitcases in tow, jumped into the tent . . . and unpacked! Our weekend getaway was to our own backyard!

You may be thinking, what kind of getaway is that? Well, if you plan it right, it can be the best getaway! And by plan, I mean don't make any! That was the hardest part. For 2 days we did not go anywhere in the car. No groceries, no playdates, no visitors, and not even a trip downtown to visit our local music festival that we love.

We were determined to stay together, close to home and do all those things we never seem to have time for! And if you know us, that meant getting out and being active with our kids . . .from home!

We got on our bikes and did a couple loops of the neighbourhood and even did a lap around the park in our running shoes! Then we floated the rest of the day away in the pool. We set up the tent, kids decided who was sleeping where, they got all their bedding and far too many stuffed animals and played in the tent while Dad and I read under the gazebo. We fired up the bbq when hungry and brought out the frozen drinks and popsicles when thirsty.

When it got dark we sat around our fire pit and roasted marshmallows before retiring to the tent with popcorn and a movie on our computer!

We all fell asleep in the tent watching the stars above in our own backyard . . . it was pure family vacation bliss.

The next morning happened to be Fathers Day and the kids couldn't wait to put on their "our dad rocks" shirts and get their homemade gifts for Dad to open in the tent. After our traditional waffle breakfast we all hopped on our bikes again and rode to the park with our tennis racquets.

We finally had time to play tennis as a family and even spent time swinging on the swings after we got tired of chasing tennis balls.

It was a perfect weekend because this busy family of 5 decided to not be so busy. No one ran errands, no one needed chauffeuring to birthday parties, no one had anywhere to go. Our cars stayed parked, our laundry stayed dirty, our grass stayed long, our phone went unanswered. We had coffee outside, cocktails in the pool, and popcorn in the tent . . . and the 5 of us hung out together.

It was definitely the one of our best family getaways . . and we will be booking that camp site again really soon!!

Have you tried a weekend getaway at home? Would love to hear about it!

Making Memories

At 6:30 this morning when the alarm clock went off I could see the fog out my bedroom window. I knew it had rained over night, I knew the trails we were about to hike would be full of mud and the rocks we were going to climb over would be slippery and wet. I knew I was going to have to drag the kids out of bed early on a Saturday, I knew my 5 year old would be too tired to hike the whole way, I knew my husband still really wasn’t feeling well, I knew we were about to get wet and muddy . . . and I knew my friends and their families were waiting for us.

So up we all got, put on our splash pants and rain boots, packed our muffins and extra water, ignored the fog and the rain and we met our friends at 8am for a 3 hour hike in the trails. Eight adults, 11 kids. We slide, we sloshed, we jumped mud puddles and waded through new mini lakes. Every small breeze sent a shower down on us as the weeks of rain fell off the leaves high above. Kids ran ahead, kids fell behind, kids fell over!

We saw mushrooms and mud, chipmunks and birds,

worms and water . . . everywhere! One thing we didn’t

see, was the view. Hiking the escarpment here you get

treated with breathtaking views . . . all we saw was fog.

But we walked, we talked, we laughed and a few little

ones whined, but overall we made a great morning out

of an otherwise soggy day.

When I looked outside at 6:30am, I didn’t feel like getting out there. I had lots of reasons to stay in bed. But I knew there were memories to be made out there. Things to experience out there. Fun to be had out there.

Many times my motivation for all the work I know its going to take to get somewhere, is the memories that are going to be made on the way there and once we get there. My kids are going to remember hiking in the mud and looking out over the cliffs at the fog and they are going to remember the friends we were with and the family time we had . . . even if they complained the ENTIRE hike back. . . I know they will remember this morning!

Despite the weather, the time, the fog and the excuses; getting outside and living your day is guaranteed to make some memories. Hope you enjoyed your day today!

Who Is This Mom?

How did I get here? Who is this person these 3 little blonde girls call "Mom". I'm a Mom?! Wait a minute . . .no . . .she can't be turning 5, you can't be turning 9 and how are you 7 already. . . I haven't done all that cool stuff I was gonna do with my kids 'when I became a mom'! Waaaaaaaaait!!

Anyone else find themselves in a bit of disbelief after the fog of diapers, sea of formula and never ending cycle of crying, sleepless nights, sickness, feeding, changing, holding, exhaustion, depression, loneliness and just the round the clock full tilt survival mode slowly fades away? You all of a sudden realize I am being a Mom NOW . .but not the Mom I thought I was going to be. . . .

The Mom I was going to be "when I became a mom" was a freakin awesome Mom!!! She was going to wake her children gently from their slumber in their clean matching sheets and guide them downstairs where the table is set, the juice poured and the french toast still steaming beneath the fresh maple syrup. The Mom I was going to be "when I became a mom" was going to spend the day while the children are at school baking cookies and making dinner from scratch, was going to be home with the younger children and do colour matching charts and work on reading and spelling together. After school all my children and I were going to enjoy cold milk and warm cookies and scrapbook all our awesome times together. We were going to have quality family time after dinner and play board games and be a cozy warm family in front of the roaring fire.

Not sure if I should laugh or cry !! 3 kids in 3 years, a husband who first travelled a TON and then started his own company when I had my 3rd baby means I was on my own and covered in vomit or poop for the first 5 years of motherhood. I barely remember it - except that it was hard and I was overwhelmed pretty much all the time!! No colour charts, no cosy by the fire. The last 3 years of motherhood I have tried to reclaim me. I sleep in as much as possible so every morning is a horse race to beat the school bell, kids fend for themselves for breakfast (see previous blog post!), I sometimes remember to read their agenda let alone homework, the younger kids at home get ignored in front of a princess movie while Mommy works all day on her computer trying to catch up. Laundry sits washed and folded in baskets for weeks waiting to be put away. Scrapbooks haven't been started EVER for for one child and barely touched since 2006 for the other 2. After school we shove down a banana and race to activities, dinner is created in under 20 minutes from something frozen deep in the freezer and after dinner we are too busy doing dishes and making a big deal about all the toys everywhere that no one sits down to enjoy anything! Even weekends get filed up with other kids birthday parties, play dates (cause they never see their friends from school-huh?) and running in circles to accomplish the tiniest home repair.

This is reality now. This is motherhood now. This is my family now. And I am being a mom now. Not the Mom I thought I was going to be, but my kids think I am awesome and I am loving who they have turned out to be. I must be doing OK.

Perhaps somewhere between the race to school, the friends on weekends and the mess of toys everywhere in my house we will get to bake cookies, to scrapbook and to sit by that fire as a family. Until then, I am happy being this Mom. And so thankful I have tomorrow to be my kids mom again, horse race and all!

Are you the Mom you always wanted to be? Or are you even better?!!!