(I just found this in my drafts file as I was travelling by train this week with my kids. My older daughter was sleeping on the train when Ainsley asked me to tell her a story from my childhood and I quickly remembered going to African Lion Safari every single year until I was in high school. It is such a memorable backdrop for so many of the times I spent with my Mom and brother, that I knew when I was a parent I would also take my kids to see this awesome destination. This is a story I…
Canopy River Tubing is the subject of this photo essay today. At the end of a brilliant day spent zip lining and swimming with dolphins, Payton, my 12-year-old, at that time, had the chance to tube down a river in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The excursion was at Canopy River, and it was a solid two hours adventure. Highly recommend. More about that later. Together we travel often as a family but this was one of our first ever Mother – Daughter Trips. Wordless Wednesday is a photo meme. Link up your recent photos, or a photo that is meaningful to…
When the mosquito jellyfish bit me I stopped short a moment, treading water, breathing and wondering what just happened. Am I hurt? Did I imagine that? Should I bail? I am far from an adventuresome swimmer. In fact, truth be told, I almost drowned once in a wave pool. Michael Phelps, I am not. But my kids swim beautifully and are well on their way to summers filled with pool parties and maybe even jobs as lifeguards. Today I am snorkelling in Yelapa, Mexico with my daughter and some travel bloggers. Living the life, admiring the view until this happens….…
This summer I am trying my hardest to trick my brain into forgetting summer math. June plus July plus August equals my three favourite months. Summer is fleeting, especially in Canada. It’s a blink-and-you-miss-it-kind-of-season. Time flies, but summer time well that’s like a Concord whipping by at breakneck speed. how many more weeks do we get to enjoy this beautiful weather? How much more time off school? How many more summers with my kids at home? Only 6 more years and one will be in college or university. That’s tween Mom math. Summer math. In my experience, the only way…
Mad love for Mexico any time of year. It is always a reliable family trip and affordable as well. But the public art and the food tours this last time sealed the deal for me. Check out this funky mural in Puerto Vallarta Mexico. This was a quick tour through a very funky hotel inspired by Frieda Kahlo. It is in the old downtown area not far from the flea markets and the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta. The colours were magnificent and we might not have stopped if not for Raj. But sometimes when a…
Let’s start at the beginning. I have so much to share about our mother daughter trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. There’s the time my 12-year-old zip lined high above a Mexican canyon of sorts and then rappelled down the side of a mountain and swam with dolphins. But, you will have to wait for that. This is the story of our resort. The place we ate and swam and hung out at the beach and collapsed fast asleep. The CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort and Spa, was located less than a ten minute drive from Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport Puerto…
This past week Payton and I spent some time in Puerto Vallarta. One morning we went to Dolphin Discovery and we had time to interact with dolphins. It was a fun morning and it was a special few days with my oldest girl.
Sending kids with special needs to camp is never simple. You have to vet camps hard to find one that might be capable of handling your children. Oh I know most make mention of inclusive policies and such. But, I have seen how this works in practice sometimes and it doesn’t. So, forgive me while I hold my breath and pray that this camp works this time. This morning, I woke fingers crossed and holding my breath. Today I have both kids at camp. No fires to put out. No demands beyond work. No calls from the camp stating: “What…
This was 11. This was 11. The year you grew maybe an inch in height. Not so much really compared to all the years that came before, but then again who really measures growth in inches? Eleven was the year you faced camp, for the first time on your own. A week with friends and it was glorious, or so I am told daily as the camp countdown begins another year. This was the year you finished grade six. The year I had to pull you out of school for two whole weeks because of a terrible fit between you…