Saturday, August 27, 2016

Chadsey Lake Trail {Abbotsford, B.C.}

Gary and I were looking for a two hour hike in Abbotsford and several people recommended Chadsey Lake Trail on Sumas Mountain–how had I never heard of it before?  Sumas Mountain has so many mountain biking trails and also some great hiking ones too!  There are many starting points for this hike and we decided to drive as far as we could up to the upper Sumas Mountain Parking Lot so that we just had a 2 km hike each way.  There are longer hikes but this one was very well marked and a great distance for us and our timeline.

Friday, August 26, 2016

A Family Trip on the Lakes & Trails Circle Route in B.C.

Recently we went on a one-week road trip that originated from Surrey, B.C. and had stops in Williams Lake, Quesnel (Barkerville), Prince George, McBride, Tete Jaune Cache, and Kamloops–the Lakes & Trails Circle Route.  The goal of our trip was to explore nature on family-friendly hikes, experience Barkerville, and visit friends.   Our driving days ranged anywhere from two to six hours and overall we really enjoyed this route–especially the side trips to Jasper and Wells Gray Provincial Park.  My one tip would be to stop at the Information Centre in each town you'd like to explore; you can pick up maps, ask for tips, and just see what they have to offer (like wifi!).

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Thankful Thursday


What a week!  We came home from a gorgeous road trip on Tuesday and I will post about it soon, but for now, here are a few things that I am thankful for this week:

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Top Six Activities for Kids in Barkerville

Barkerville Historic Town & Park is a National Historic Site which originated during the Cariboo Gold Rush when William "Billy" Barker discovered gold in 1862.  At one point, Barkerville was the biggest city north of San Francisco and west of Chicago–this is wild when you see how long it takes to get there and how seemingly remote it is!  It is the largest living- history museum in Western North America and we recently spent the whole day there as a family.


What were the top six activities according to the kids (ages 4, 7 and 10)? 

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Beat Bugs: All You Need Is Love {Netflix Giveaway}

Just a few weeks ago a new Netflix original series came out: Beat Bugs. This show is family-friendly and contains many songs made famous by the Beatles. Season One has 13 episodes and includes uplifting stories with fun, music and adventure following five child-like amusing bugs: Jay, Crick, Walter, Buzz and Kumi.  I wasn't sure what my kids would think but they devoured the first two episodes.

Monday, August 15, 2016

Six Ways Kids Can Give Back to Their Community

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We have lived in the same home in the city I grew up in for over ten years now.  One of our goals for our three kids is to teach them to love others around them; whether it's our next door neighbour or someone struggling across the community, we want them to be aware of the various needs and feel like they have the tools to contribute to a solution.  If our kids are physically helping us with an activity or just watching us contribute, there are many things we can do to demonstrate love to others.

What are six ways that kids can give back to their community?
  1.   Be neighbourly.  We live in row homes and therefore our front yards are small and connected. It takes no time at all to cut the surrounding neighbours' lawns and as a recipient of this act, we know it's so appreciated!  Our oldest son has started cutting the lawn and now he knows the work that goes into it and can give the neighbours a helping hand. There are many other ways to be neighbourly such as collecting their mail when they go on holidays or inviting their kids to join our own in a road hockey game.                                                                                            

Friday, August 12, 2016

Bowen Island Day Trip Adventure

Feeling the need for a trip away from my lovely kids, I asked my friend Leah what we should do and she replied with "I've never been to Bowen Island" and our day trip adventure was born.  We parked our car at the Horseshoe Bay terminal and walked onto the ferry–just $12.35/person for a return trip. 

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Day Trip to Othello Tunnels {Hope, B.C.}

If you are looking for a change in scenery, a great day trip from the Lower Mainland is heading out to Hope, B.C. to explore Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park more commonly known as Othello Tunnels. The tunnels were designed by Andrew McCulloch and constructed in 1914 as part of the Kettle Valley Railway. When do you ever get the chance to walk through granite of this magnitude–such a unique experience!

Monday, August 08, 2016

Lakes & Trails Circle Route (B.C. Road Trip)

We had an awesome Northern BC road trip in the works but we had to alter our plans due to our foster child's current situation so enter Plan B:  Lake & Trails Circle Route from Destination B.C.


Where Did All My Patience Go?

The other day Gary and I spent a good hour watching videos from when the boys were little. What are some things I noticed other than how cute they were? I had so much energy and patience for them! I feel like Nya got the worst deal in that I've been "momming" for 10 years now and I'm older and I'm tired and there's more kids and I don't have the patience that I used to.

Friday, August 05, 2016

Backpacking With Young Kids {Golden Ears Provincial Park}

Gary and I love backpacking. Since having kids we haven't been able to go often and have been eagerly awaiting until the kids were old enough so that we could all go together. When would they be old enough? I wasn't sure! I never imagined taking a four-year-old but after seeing what she could do hiking wise recently, I knew that if we found a relatively easy trail, she could probably do it. After asking around, we decided to try out a 4.5 km hike to Hiker's Beach at Golden Ears Provincial Park.

Wednesday, August 03, 2016

A Solution for Heavy Periods: Endometrial Ablation

**Warning: This post is about periods and surgery. There are words like vagina, uterus, blood and mucus. You've been warned!  I share this to offer an option that I didn't even know was available until recently. Please talk to your doctor as I am not a medical professional.**

All my life I have struggled with heavy periods also known as menorrhagia. I didn't realize that mine was exceptionally heavy when I was younger; I thought that everyone needed to double up on protection and suffered with painful cramps and diarrhea. I would have to get my mom to pick me up from school, spend hours in the bathroom at night, and always worry about leakage. Yes, lovely memories. When I started using a Diva Cup several years ago, I realized just how heavy my period was. You are able to measure your flow and I found that in the first day alone I had over 2 oz of blood loss which is the equivalent of a full period for most women.

Endometrial ablation

Tuesday, August 02, 2016

Are You Happy?

What do you want most for yourself? Your kids?  Is it to be happy?  This seems to be the answer for so many.  I recently watched the documentary Happy on Netflix and just a few minutes in started taking notes–I found it fascinating.  In our society, we often hear about the importance of money and our image connected to the belief that this will bring happiness.  Do you want to know how much money and how we look actually affects our overall happiness?