Tales of Mommyhood Camping Adventure - Part 3

Tales of Mommyhood Camping Adventure - Part 2


When we woke in the morning, we did the usual morning routine. Then Mr. K and I went on a short hike (we had started one the night before, but we did not finish the trail, and we both wanted to). It was so peaceful.

what I look like when I wake up after such little sleep

Back at camp, breakfast preparations were underway. Pancakes, bacon and fruit.  While this was happening, we took down our tent and packed up the car. I cannot recommend the pop up tents enough - seriously. 10 minutes, and that included the time it took me to fight with the thing to get it zipped up in the bag (the longest part of take down). Once we were packed up, we sat on a bench looking out at the lake.  We had breakfast with friends, and when breakfast was over, we cleaned our dishes and then the 2 of us found our way down to the beach. It's not a HUGE area, but it is lovely.

Tales of Mommyhood Camping Adventure - Part 2

READ: Tales of Mommyhoods Camping Adventure - Part 1

Once the tent was set up, we were able to relax and enjoy the afternoon. We spent some time looking at the water, chatting with the other campers, and Mr. K enjoyed spending some time whittling a stick (he earned his knife permit a few weeks ago, and wanted to put it to the test). Unfortunately, one of the other campers had a minor incident and ended up needing a few stitches :(

Tales of Mommyhood Camping Adventure - Part 1

This past weekend I did something for the first time. Ever. I went camping. Yep, 38 years old and never been camping before.

Mr. K joined Beavers last year, and did some camping with them, and more this year with Cubs. It's an activity that he REALLY seems to enjoy.  I decided that since it is a passion of his, I should probably share it with him at some point.

Ways To Bring Your Family Closer Together

photo credit: Mondays with Mac Photography

Ways to Bring Your Family Closer Together

Time goes fast. One day you have an infant, and the next thing you know they are getting on a bus and starting school. You blink, and all of a sudden they have their first job, and then seemingly out of nowhere - they are moving away to pursue post secondary education.

Beach Day!

Summer is almost over, and with soccer taking up so much of our time in July and early August, I wanted to make sure we made the most of the last 2 weeks of summer. We headed to Brockville at the beginning of last week, and I planned a beach day with some friends for later in the week.

Summer Fun Day Trip

This summer has been so busy with camps and soccer, that we didn't really have time to do a lot of fun stuff. We swam, the kids played with friends (Mr. K had a number of nerf fights over the last 8 weeks), there were sleepovers, and lots of time with grandparents.  With school starting back after Labour Day, I wanted to make sure we got in at least one fun day trip.

Our Brookstreet Hotel Family Staycation

Summer vacation is now upon us, and we wanted to do something fun with the kids.  We aren't able to go away on a week long vacation at the moment, but we wanted a quick getaway.  The Brookstreet Hotels B Family Package is just what we were looking for.

A chance to have a night away in a hotel, the kids eat dinner free at Perspectives restaurant.  Access to both the indoor and outdoor salt-water pools (with the weather we have right now, this is perfect), 4 passes to play mini-golf at Blackbird falls, re-usable water bottles that are free to fill at both onsite restaurants, tokens for the arcade and cookies and milk before bed (what kid wouldn't LOVE that!)

The kids have been with us to the Brookstreet once before, and have been asking ever since to go back.  We decided that we were going to surprise them.  We packed our overnight bags and loaded them in the truck without the kids knowing and then we headed out.  We told them we were going for an early dinner, but nothing else.

Lovely king size bed for the four of us 

Multi-Generational Travel Destinations

Creating memories while traveling is something that I wish everyone had the chance to do.  We have traveled with the kids and hubby's parents twice - both times to DisneyWorld.  There are so many other places I would love to visit, and for the kids to visit.

Paula at Thrifty Mommas Tips has put together a list of five places that are great for traveling with different generations!

"Multi-generational travel can be wonderful. Enjoying life long memories with everyone in the family from grandparents down to grandchildren is something that not every family gets to do. Although multi-generational travel can be fun, it’s sometimes difficult to find destinations that appeal to everyone. That’s why I’ve put together 5 great multi-generational travel destinations in the southern U.S."

Click here to continue reading the article.

Have you traveled with your family? What is your favourite destination?

Fun Family Adventures in Nassau, Bahamas

Growing up I always dreamed of visiting The Bahamas - I thought it would be a wonderful place to relax on the beach with drink in hand.  It's not a place I ever thought of taking a family though.  My friend at Tales of A Ranting Ginger has an article with activities great for families.

Walt Disney World Fastpass Worthy Rides

The idea behind the Fastpass is to pre-book a time range to arrive and ride a particular attraction. You have a 1-hour time frame to show up in, and the cast member at the gate will scan your band to see that you have arrived at the correct time.  The Fastpass system is completely free to use, and is pretty simple once you get used to it.

There are 2 gates when you approach the ride or attraction. Standby and Fastpass. If you have a reserved Fastpass, you go to that line. *MOST times, you can walk on to the ride, or have a very minimal wait.  Standby is a regular line.  There will be a time above the sign letting you know the approximate wait time.

Travelling To The Florida Keys

Florida is pretty much the only travel destination I have been to.  I stayed in Kissimmee for 2 weeks in high school, spending time at some of the theme parks in the area and hanging out by the hotel pool.  Other than that, I have only been to Disney (3 trips).  I have often thought about visiting the Florida Keys (ever since hearing the Beach Boys song "Kokomo" when I was a little girl) - I just haven't made that happen yet.

My friend Sandy from Canadian Blog House had a chance to visit earlier this year, and it made me want to go even more.

March Break Staycation At The Brookstreet Hotel

We kicked off March Break with a staycation at the Brookstreet Hotel!  We wanted to do something fun with the kids, but going away wasn't an option - the kids are off school this week, but hubby still has to work.  We decided that a short staycation was our best option.

Walt Disney World Vacation 2015: Epcot #disneyside

Sunday morning we took the monorail over to Epcot.  Mr. J really wanted to ride Spaceship Earth, so everyone went on that while I had a look through a gift shop.  We headed over to the Character Spot for photo's with Mickey, Minnie and Goofy.

Walt Disney World Vacation 2015: Magic Kingdom #disneyside

We are home!  We left Ottawa on January 30th and headed to Orlando.  We were met at the airport by Disney Magical Express and dropped off at our hotel.   We arrived earlier than check in, so our room was not ready.  We headed to the Contempo cafe for lunch and afterwards were able to get into our room.  My in-laws rented a 2 bedroom suite at Bay Lake Tower.  It is part of the Disney Vacation Club, and there is a sky bridge that attaches it to the Contemporary hotel.  Staying at Bay Lake was a quick walk to the Magic Kingdom (about 12-15 minutes with the kids, or 7 minutes if it was just the adults).  We were also a quick walk to the contemporary to catch a monorail or bus.

Planning A Walt Disney World Vacation

We have been home for a week and are trying to settle back into routine.  It's been a little difficult as Mr. K has been sick with a tummy bug most of the week.

I am writing up individual posts about the different parks and our experiences, but wanted to write a post about some of the services you can take advantage of while visiting Disney.

The Pirates League #Disney

One of the activities that I wanted the boys to experience while we were at Disney was The Pirates League.  Boys and girls (moms and dads too if they want) can transform into a Pirate or a Mermaid. There are a few different packages to choose from, ranging in price from $29.95 - $79.95 - depending on which you choose.

Tips For Flying With Small Children

Before leaving for Disney, I was a little concerned that the kids would get bored and not behave on the flight.  I knew that if they were kept busy, they wouldn't have a chance to get bored and therefore their should not be any fighting.

Photo Credit: Cathy of Cathy Thinking Out Loud

Wordless Wednesday: Disney Pirate

This week's Wordless Wednesday post is from our Disney Vacation! Mr. J had a great time turning into a Pirate at The Pirates League.

Photo Credit: Disney Photo Pass Photographer

If you want to read about our experience, you can check out the post I wrote about The Pirates League.

Our #Disney World Family Vacation

We arrived home from Orlando on Saturday afternoon.  I wish that I could say it was a completely wonderful, magical vacation - but to be perfectly honest, while we had fun, it wasn't the best trip. The kids, 4 and 7, don't get along at home, and it was even more apparent while we were away.  To be in a hotel without their things, stuck together for the majority of the day made for 2 little boys that fought more than normal.

Planning Next Summer's Mini Getaway

Every summer I take the boys to visit my aunt and uncle at their cottage. It’s approximately 90 minutes from our house, so it makes a very easy day trip, and sometimes we do it two or three times in a summer. We pack the car with everything we need for the day (puddle jumpers, snacks, swim suits, sunscreen and pj’s for when it’s time to come home).