Thursday, July 27, 2017

Thankful Thursday


We are on a pretty awesome road trip so there is a lot to be thankful for (jobs with the freedom to travel in the summer, a van that can take us, enough money to go, kids healthy enough to travel, good friends that take us in etc). That said, this will be a bit different. 

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Dear Parents of Little Ones

Dear Parents of Little Ones,

I had heard about parents being able to sleep in until 8:00 AM but never imagined our energetic and loud early risers would ever let us. Let me tell you, we are here now and it is amazing! You are probably happy if you get four hours in a row, or maybe being able to sleep until 6 AM, but let me tell you, your time will come.

Siblings walking in Sooke

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday

Every week I include ten things that I am thankful for. This week is going to be a bit different, are you ready?

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Hiking Joffre Lakes

Have you wanted to hike Joffre Lakes? It's been on our list for a while and we finally had the chance to do it–the kids were at the grandparents and the sun was out! The drive to Joffre Lakes is about three hours from Surrey which is quite the commitment but there are many beautiful places to stop along the way (Shannon Falls, Brandywine Falls, Whistler etc.) 

Joffre Lakes Upper Lake
Upper Lake at Joffre Lakes Provincial Park

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

How to Teach Your Child to Self-Regulate

{I am not a psychologist and my experience with kids is being a mom (foster and bio), teacher, and someone who enjoys reading books and take classes to learn. I recently read the book Self-Reg: How to Help Your Child (and You) Break the Stress Cycle and Successfully Engage with Life and wanted to summarize some of the helpful points in case you don't get around to reading it. My advice would always be to see a professional (counsellor, doctor, pediatrician, occupational therapist) if you are struggling with your child and think that there could be something more going on.}

The more I learn about how to deal with children's behaviour, the more I realize how little I know. Two of our children have a relatively easy time calming themselves but one does not.

When I say "calm", I don't mean being quiet or still, I mean feeling tranquil and at peace inside

You can't tell someone to "calm down" and have them suddenly say to themselves "Ah yes, now I feel a deep inner peace". Also, when most parents want their kids to calm down they likely mean "please sit nicely and don't yell" but we want to look a step further. Dr. Stuart Shanker's book  Self-Reg: How to Help Your Child (and You) Break the Stress Cycle and Successfully Engage with Life provides key information and insight into this topic of self-regulation.

Monday, July 17, 2017

Me-Time for Moms

Who needs "me time"? Everyone! Whether it's being consumed by work or family or both, a little time for yourself is just what we often need. Netflix surveyed moms and found the various reasons why they need their Netflix shows and I would say that I most agree with two of them: Get peace and quiet to decompress alone and take a break from daily routine. Gary's breaks usually involve games like Star Wars Commander or watching sports.


According the survey, 58% of moms are sneaking TV "me time" throughout the day in a variety of locations from laundry (that's me) to making dinner (sometimes me) to walking the dog (not me–we don't have one but I don't think I would do it while outdoors).

Thursday, July 13, 2017

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday time, friends! I'm getting a bit tired of this routine so I wonder if there's a way to spice it up and keep it fun to write – ideas?  That said, this is what I am thankful for this week:

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Vancouver Island Road Trip for Active Families

We live in a beautiful province and appreciate that by hopping in your car (and sometimes on a ferry) you can experience so many natural wonders that beautiful B.C. has to offer. Our ten day road trip on Vancouver Island included stops in Parksville, Strathcona Provincial Park, Tofino, Sooke and Victoria. Our goal was to explore family-friendly hikes and nature in a variety of forms.

Abaord BC Ferries with kids
Aboard beautiful BC Ferries

Being that our trip started on Canada Day weekend,
BC Ferries reservations were a must and so simple to do online about one month in advance. We took the Tsawwassen to Duke Point terminal and enjoyed some sun on the top deck and played cards inside. I love being able to walk around especially with our upcoming road trip. Our first stop was less than an hour from the ferry terminal in picturesque Parskville!

Thursday, July 06, 2017

Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park

Our family recently had our first adventure in spelunking otherwise known as cave exploration–what a unique and incredible experience it is! Established in 1971, Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park is located 12 km off of Hwy 19 just north of Parksville. There are three caves that are open to the public and you are able to venture on your own for about 20 meters into each of those caves, just be prepared with headlamps and/or flashlights! The path is well labelled and I recommend stopping in at the information centre before heading out to see where the location of each cave is.

Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park

Thankful Thursday: Campground Edition


We are currently on a beauitful road trip adventure on Vancouver Island. This week's list of five thankful items comes from site #16 from Bella Pacifica Campground in Tofino. I am thankful for:

Wednesday, July 05, 2017

Travelling with Netflix

For the past five days we have been on the go exploring Vancouver Island. Our kids have been spending hours playing at the beach, skimboarding, hiking new trails, and even spelunking! My Fitbit has us getting 15,000-25,0000 steps a day!  Here are some of our adventures from the past few days...

Beach at Tigh-Na-Mara
Searching for sea anenomes and sand dollars at Tigh-Na-Mara