Since I am a work from home mom it seems I am working all the time and in the process;

• I will grab a quick/fast breakfast
• Work straight through lunch
• Skipping snacks
• Trying to finish one more task therefore, eating a late lunch and end up eating something small since it will be dinner time soon
• Eating at my desk and in front of my laptop while reading emails
• Not getting personal things done or spending enough time with my family
• Working late at night and not getting enough sleep/rest

I realized I am not taking care of me. So now I am treating myself like a kid – like my kids. The rules we have set for them now also apply to me.

1. I tell my kids eat your snacks and drink lots of water

For me: I put my snacks and glass of water on my desk before turning on my laptop

2. I tell my kids no screen time when you are doing homework

For me: TV is always off when I am working

3. I tell my kids no eating meals in front of the TV/screen

For me: I turn off my laptop and eat lunch in the dining room

4. I tell my kids finish your homework and then play

For me: I finish all my day’s work tasks first before doing other things

5. I tell my kids no screen time between 5 pm and 8 pm

For me: My laptop is off and I do not check my phone during this time - this is family time

6. I tell my kids to go to bed early so they are well rested for the next day

For me: I make sure I get 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night

This year is all about #selfcare and so far it is working well.

Bonus tip:

We moms usually put us last on the list. Recently, I have started to purchase at least one thing for ME when we go shopping even if it something small like a new bottle of nail polish or a chocolate bar. A couple of weeks ago since my kids like to colour I bought myself one of those adult colouring books.J

What do you do for #selfcare?

Bhavishree

LWAB volunteer, mom of three and business owner

http://www.timesolutionva.com/  

Today I told a mom friend that her daughter's failure made me very happy.

If you read the sentence without the backstory, you would think I'm a mean mom.

But that's not the case, in fact, I would like to think I'm an open minded supportive mom that advocates for other moms.

So what's the story behind that comment?

This mom friend posted a beautiful picture of her daughter on Facebook, it was her progress report for her swimming class.

Along with the picture, she also wrote that she was a proud mama of her daughter passing her current swimming level, but not without having failed preschool swimming multiple times previously.

This made me smile and I immediately messaged her.

What made me smile was the fact that my fellow mama friend wasn't shy in sharing with others that her daughter, although passed her swimming level this time, actually had failed many times in the past.

My own daughter, is about to fail preschool swimming. Yes, a 4 year old kid can fail at that age, and that's perfectly ok.

Often times when we see and hear from other parents their children's progress in life, we only see and hear the good part. We see accomplishments plastered across social media, we hear praises louder than the town crier.

But what we don't see and hear are the bumps and bruises along the way.

By only seeing and hearing the good part, and omitting the bad, most of us inadvertently are made to believe that if there are bumps on the road with our child's progress, then there must be something wrong with them. Some might even go as far as think perhaps their child has a learning disability. Please note that I'm not in any ways dismissing children with learning disabilities, but for this, I'm referring to the "average" child in general.

The reality is, every child is different, and we shouldn't treat them like an assembly line.

Just because your child takes a little longer in mastering a certain skill, does not make your child any less adequate as a human being. In fact, persistence and perseverance is key in succeeding in life.

How many successful people do we know that simply "phone it in" to get to where they are today? I don't know any. All of the successful people I know, they've all had to keep trying over and over again until they got it, but they never gave up.

Allowing your child to fail and being ok with it is such a wonderful thing. They don't know it yet, but what you're doing is preparing and empowering them with the confidence to face a very competitive world in the future, and with pizzazz.

So yes, allow our kids to fail many many times, and don't be ashamed to hide it. Let's stand together in sharing it with other parents, so that another parent isn't crying behind doors because they think that there couldn't possibly be another child as inadequate as their own, and no, your child is NOT inadequate, they're merely finding different ways to learn, at their own pace.

Sandy Lynch is an entrepreneur, and mom to two girls.

My six year old has always been a picky eater. 

But I fear it’s getting worse.

If it were up to her, she’d have nothing but cereal and milk for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

And on many occasions, she has.

At least she’s eating something, I tell myself. 

And someday it will get better.

Someday she will want to sit at the dinner table and eat what I’ve prepared.

I’m not the greatest cook, I’ll admit. But I wish it were just that. Her list of once-loved foods is dwindling down to just a few. 

She doesn’t even want her beloved pizza anymore. 

It’s getting to the point where I can count on one hand the amount of items my daughter is ok with consuming, leaving me to wonder what vital nutrients she might be missing and whether there is more to her picky eating than I realize.

According to one recent study, there could be.

Last July, the Journal of Pediatrics published a study that showed kids with moderate to severe levels of selective eating (“SE” as in picky eating) could be dealing with issues of anxiety, depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and that if the picky eating becomes worse, it could be an indication of worsening mental health issues.

I’ve often wondered if my daughter’s ADHD had anything to do with her picky eating and the authors of the study caution doctors to keep a look out for symptoms of abnormal selective eating in their child patients. 

“SE associated with impairment in function should now be diagnosed as avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, an eating disorder that encapsulates maladaptive food restriction, which is new to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition.”

That tells me enough to bring up the topic with the doctor at our next visit.

And what about any nutrients my daughter might be missing due to her selective eating? Should I be concerned? My daughter is on the skinny side, but her energy levels seem normal. But what about any long term consequences of not eating a well rounded diet?

I probably should mention as this point, that I am a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and have tried EVERYTHING to get my daughter to eat healthy. She’s like the princess in the childhood fairytale, the Princess and the Pea. She’s so sensitive and so attuned, that I can’t fool her with the least bit of anything remotely healthy in her food. Sprinkle some nutritional yeast on her popcorn and she will throw the bowl in your face; try and hide some zucchini in a double fudge chocolate muffin and she’ll sniff it out from miles away; blend some cauliflower into mashed potatoes and she won’t come near me for weeks.

So I give in and pour her another bowl of cereal.

Which makes this next story all the more painful.

One morning, as I was preparing her favourite meal, one of the cat treats got into her bowl by accident and when it hit her mouth, she wailed and spent the next hour gagging (as any one of us would I guess). But knowing how sensitive she is to taste, I can only imagine what horrors befell her tastebuds. 

On the upside, she ate a pint of strawberries as I told her they would work in removing the awful after taste.

And they finally did, thank god.

Not that I’m recommending you slip a cat treat into your picky child’s cereal the next time you’d like them to receive their daily recommended amount of vitamin C, but I have to admit, I did do a little happy dance that day. 

What Kind of Nutrition Do School-Aged Children Need?

What I learned in nutrition school was that though physical growth is slower in kids aged four to twelve, mental growth is happening a rapid rate, making receiving the proper nutrients all the more important.

According to Staying Healthy with Nutrition, children ages four to eight require 75 mg of vitamin C daily along with many more vitamins and minerals.

There’s about 7.1 mg of vitamin C in a medium sized strawberry.

How do I get my daughter to fulfill her daily nutrient requirements to strengthen a mind already affected by mental health issues? (Note: Moms that sell vitamins, DO NOT CONTACT ME.) She won’t even take vitamin gummies that taste like candy. She just knows they are loaded with fruits and vegetables.

Even though, as I’ve said, I’ve tried everything, sometimes, my efforts do pay off and I take my wins where I can. Here’s a list of what I do that might help you if you’re facing a similar situation:

Five Top Tips to Get My Picky Eater (and maybe yours) to Eat Fruits and Veggies

1. Put it out and back off.

I really should do this everyday, but you know... parenting. But when I do remember, it usually always results in at least one item being consumed. I’m talking about your classic fruit and veggie tray. I bought a round fruit and veggie plastic tupperware with a snap lid from Walmart for $10 and it’s great because I can cut up some colourful veggies, throw them in the tupperware, snap the lid on and keep it in the fridge for the week. If I remember to do this, I will take it out after school each day and leave it on the kitchen table. I put it out and then I back off. I don’t say a word and low and behold I’ll see my daughter, on her own, (I think that’s the key - empower her), come over and grab a couple pepper slices and carrot sticks.

2. Zero in on what they like.

My daughter likes strawberries and broccoli so that’s what I offer her and sometimes she surprises me with a “sure, I’ll have some” response. I’ll offer her other fruits and veggies but she always comes back to those two so I always make sure to have them on hand for those rare times she has a craving.

3. Play games.

Not head games, but imaginary games and if she’s in the mood, sometimes it works. We have this thing where I’ll come over to where she’s sitting with some orange slices and pretend to be the voices of the oranges competing with each other over who gets to be eaten first. “Me! Me! Pick me! I bet she’ll pick me first!” I say in a variety of impressions. She seems to like this on occasion and play along and eat some.

4. Tell the neighbours.

Monkey see, monkey do. I found that if my daughter goes over her friends’ houses, she’ll eat the fruit and veggies their parents put out and do so happily. So I happily inform my neighbours and other parents that if they could put out fruit and veggies at snack time whenever my daughter is over, I’d really appreciate it since that might be the only time she gets healthy food in her that week. 

5. Bribe. Bribe. Bribe.

The experts say not to do it, but when all else fails, I resort to bribing. “Eat a few of these and I'll let you stay on the computer longer.” It’s not like it works all the time, but if it does, I’m happy to reward her with a treat for some health eating. Don’t we do that for ourselves after all?

Bottom line, you know your child best and what works. And I'm curious, what does work for you?

Patricia Tomasi is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post Canada. Visit her website at www.outoftheblueppd.com.

Hey Media & Parenting experts: Stop Telling Us We Are Doing It Wrong

When the Maclean's article came out this past January, (The collapse of parenting: Why it’s time for parents to grow up) I had to check in with myself. Am I, as a parent, doing it wrong? Are they talking about me? Because some of the behaviours described in the article are so generalized, I’m sure we can all see our kids acting in the same manner.

I look at my kids who choose to go outside and play instead of sitting inside glaring at their screens, who speak multiple languages, who are social, polite, and who love to try new things. But they are also four and eight years of age and have acted up at the mall or grocery store. I’ve had to walk out of a restaurant with them because they were having a tantrum.  NEWSFLASH: Kids have misbehaved throughout every generation of parenting, not just this one.

And I get it, the article isn’t addressing me. Chances are, if you met me and my kids, you would think I'm doing it right. Because you probably are all caught up in the “good mom myth”.  Even though you proclaim to not judge what a good mom is based on generalized behaviours, YOU DO.  Just search parents ruining their kids on Google.  You are judging us in articles every day!  I do get it, I am not the demographic you are talking to, but I'm the one you are reaching; the mom who is trying to be a better parent everyday, who reads books on parenting, who is looking for ways to raise good citizens.  This is who is reading your articles, and you are not helping. 

The parenting landscape has changed.  That is all.  Our mistakes and challenges on the journey are more visible to you – THAT is all.

Kids in one generation are not that much different from the other.  The styles of parenting may look different and may be more visible now, but just because you can see it more, that doesn’t mean it was not that way to some extent before.

So instead of making blanket statements on how much we are ruining our kids, and how wrong we are, write tips and strategies to help parents manage better.  

All this article does is make parents anxious while failing to reach the parents who are “doing it wrong”. The people who are reading it and worrying are the moms who are already doing enough and may now become worried they are doing it wrong.

We look up to you, the media and parenting professionals. We read your books, follow your advice and now we read from you how bad we are at parenting. 

 

Writing about it doesn't change behaviour, it's just another way of saying "I did it better than you".  

 

Tell us how to do it right.  Don't tell us how wrong we are doing it, tell us how to improve.

 

What are you doing about it? Are you providing parenting education?  Are you running support groups? If all you are doing is harping on the fact that we are doing it wrong, but doing nothing about it, offering no resources, YOU are a part of the problem. 

Some things to consider:

·         We are your children, the generation of parents who did it "right" have children who are more prone to mental health challenges than any generation before - so stop telling us how well you did.

·         We are trying to do it right.  We are trying to do it differently than the way you did.  The execution may be flawed in your opinion but we have much less freedom with parenting that you did.

·         We are parenting in a time when people call the children’s aid society or the police when a mom leaves her child at the park alone.  So try to remember that we are parenting in a completely different world than the one you did.

·         We are parenting in a time when the parents are being blamed for everything, whatever happens, it’s the parents’ fault.

·         You put a lot of pressure on us that we will ruin our kids.  In every article, in every conversation, you say how the generation today is worse than the one before, which is scientifically incorrect.  There have been many changes and a tons of things we are also doing right.  Even for your standards, you have to admit we are doing a lot right. 

Stop being so judgmental, superior, and sure that you know the right way to parent.  Every generation will make mistakes.  How lucky for you, the generation previous to yours didn't have the ability to reach the masses and guilt YOU into feeling like you were doing it wrong.  

Everyone talks about the labour.

 

When I found out I was pregnant with our first child back in 2011, it was a surprise. In fact, I didn’t even know I was pregnant until I’d past my first trimester. Right off the bat, we were “behind” schedule with the baby planning. We also got married, moved, etc, which is a whole other story to be shared another day.

 

We took part in pre-natal classes, and it was very informative. I knew right away that I would want to bypass all the water-soaking, yoga-ball-bouncing, home-birthing options. Epidural please!

 

When friends and co-workers found out, all of a sudden, there were stories to be shared. Even strangers that you’d met for the first time, they had their stories too. These stories were all focused on the same topic: labour.

 

So in my head, my biggest worry was labour. What if I can’t handle the pain?  What if I can’t get my epidural quick enough? Worse yet, what if the epidural doesn’t work, like it didn’t for Aubrey in accounting?

 

The day came, and the labour itself was so uneventful, when people ask me “How was it? How did you handle the pain? Did you go natural or epidural?” I just focused more on the fun part of “My husband almost got smacked by my doctor because he demanded that she deliver this baby in 45 minutes because he didn’t want a Halloween baby!” Because in reality, and I cannot speak for others, the labour wasn’t that horrible for me. 

 

Everyone talks about the labour.

 

But now that the labour is done, this is where it gets real.

 

I knew from the get go I wanted to breastfeed. For me, my knowledge of breastfeeding was “Well, I got breasts, just shove the kid’s mouth on my boobs, and that’s that!”. This was my first child, and everything I knew either came from other people’s mouths, or the pre-natal class. First hour postpartum, nurse comes and assists me with breastfeeding, I’m told “Put baby’s mouth on your nipple and keep her there.” Over the next 12 hours, I make attempts to feed my child. I gained insight that colostrum was what’s coming out of my breasts, and that it’s all the baby will need for the first day. I squeeze into my finger and I feed little droplets into her mouth. This assumption of “automatic born instinct “ for my baby wasn’t happening, why?

 

During my stay, a lactation consultant came to visit me. I’m told I have a flat nipple, so I’m given a nipple shield. The shield was awkward, and falls all over the place. Then I’m told my nipples were too big, so squeeze it into a sandwich so that my baby can grab it into her mouth better.  The hospital where I stayed had a recommendation of not discharging a mom that is choosing to breastfeed until she’s actually showing she’s capable. Being a former actor, I guess my performance was convincing enough for them to give me the go ahead to go home, because I certainly was not properly breastfeeding my child.

 

Once home, the next 24 hours would be the most tormenting for me. My baby cried non-stop. I would put her on my breast whenever she cried, and she’d nurse and then fall asleep, but then she’d wake up shortly after and cry again. I was emotional, when she cried, I cried. My husband asked me “Maybe she’s hungry?” and I would cry again because I’d just fed her, or so I thought, and I refused to believe she was indeed hungry. Finally her unstoppable cry took us to the emergency, because I thought something must be medically wrong with her. One of the nurses took one look at the both of us, and said to me “I think she’s hungry”. She left, and within 2 minutes came back with a bottle of formula.

 

I was mortified, in my mind, I’d made the decision that I was going to breastfeed, and no formula was going to taint my newborn child! But as the nurse begins to put the bottle into my baby’s mouth, I can see it with my own eyes that it was exactly what she needed, food. She was starving!

 

When we went home, my husband went straight to the local store and came home with a 6-pack of pre-mixed formula. I was angry, but I was at the point where I didn’t know what else to do. So I accepted the fact that she was going to have to be “dirtied” with formula. But I wasn’t going to give up on my mission to breastfeed. Before leaving the hospital, I’d been given a pamphlet and number to call to schedule to meet a lactation consultant. So that’s what I did. At this time, my breast began to feel engorged, but I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t properly breastfeed my child, so what am I to do with this milk that’s coming in? My mother, who didn’t breastfeed us, because she medically couldn’t, also didn’t know what to do, but she asked if there might be a way to collect the milk, like we do with cows. Thanks to the internet, I quickly discovered breast pumps.

 

I pumped and collected into a bottle then fed my child. This was a great temporary solution until I met with the lactation consultant, then all will be good! Or so I thought.

 

I met with the first lactation consultant 2 days after being discharged. We worked on techniques on how to hold my baby, and squeezing my nipple into a “sandwich”. This was all new to me, so I patiently followed. I’m given these techniques to go home to work with. I schedule another appointment for 2 days later.

 

I go home, everything I learned goes down the toilet. My baby smells my breasts and she starts crying, it’s like she’d been deeply offended by them. I see her being offended, and my hormones goes into hyper drive, I start crying. I continue to pump and feed her from a bottle, but not without a good 15-20 minutes of tormenting my baby in trying to get her to suck from my breasts.

 

Next appointment, I see a different lactation consultant. Same thing, nothing changes, again with the “sandwiches”.  I set up another appointment for a few days later.

 

I go home, again, same thing, I’m now getting very frustrated.

 

Everyone talks about the labour.

 

Why did NO ONE ever tell me breastfeeding would be so bloody hard?!?!?!

 

I’m at a point now where my nipples are cracking, and I’m bleeding. It’s so hard. I’ve never experienced pain like this.

 

Everyone talks about the labour.

 

Give me my labour experience 100 times, just take this breastfeeding pain away!

 

Next appointment, I see yet a different lactation consultant. This time however, is different. This lactation consultant notices something different. She noticed my child. She put her finger in her mouth, then looked at me and said “I think she’s having difficulty using the proper muscles to suck. I need to make a referral for you to see a fellow LC colleague, she specializes in more complicated situations like this.”

 

What did you say?

 

From the get go, we knew milk supply wasn’t the issue, because I’d begin flooding the clinic office as soon as I unclip my bra. I should have bought into Johnson & Johnson shares for their disposable breast pads. We knew my baby had trouble pulling my nipple out, because I had flat nipples, but that was what the nipple shield was suppose to do, to aid in these situations. I didn’t know there would be such a thing as my baby not knowing what to do.

 

So there began a journey of what became in my opinion the toughest task I’d ever had to do. I worked closely with my lactation consultant 1-2 times a week, for 10 weeks straight. My baby “graduated” at 12 weeks old and was finally able to feed exclusively from my breasts, and she continued to breastfeed until she was almost 2 years old. For the first 12 weeks of my baby’s life, I pumped exclusively. First, she didn’t know how to suck. Second, the ratio of her mouth to my nipple was off, she was too small, so she had some growing up to do. Third, she suffered from severe reflux, so it made feeding that much more difficult. Had I known that was going to happen, I would have invested in the double pump, instead of the single. My routine consisted of pumping, feeding her a little from the bottle, then putting my baby on my breasts to “practise” before she got mad, then we’d finish off with the bottle. I was very fortunate to have my mother with me at the time, so she was a big help in terms of looking after me, and my husband.

 

Everyone had their opinions on my decision to do what I did. Some criticized, some praised. Some had the audacity to make comments by saying “You’re an idiot, just give her formula and be done with it.” I’m not saying formula is forbidden, in fact, without formula, many infants would not survive. However, I didn’t have a supply issue, and it’s a known fact that breastmilk is the better choice, so if I have it, why not use it? While working with my lactation consultant, in the back of my head, I was prepared to have to pump exclusively for however long it was going to be. I made up my mind it had to be at least 6 months. I didn’t think we were going to be successful at it, but I persisted to keep going, and giving my child an opportunity to grow and learn. Eventually she mastered it. I wish I knew how difficult breastfeeding would be from the get go, because I think I would have been more mentally prepared for it. 

 

Our second child was born back in August 2015, and this time around, I was mentally prepared. For medical reasons, my baby had to stay for 48 hours after delivery. Once again, she wasn’t capable of breastfeeding, and I was ok with that. We fed 2 meals of formula, because of the engorgement waiting time, and the exhaustion in having to squeeze my milk into a spoon, then feeding it to her at the hospital. As soon as I went home, I busted out my breast pump and made an appointment to see a lactation consultant. We ended up having to be referred back to the same specialist and she sure as heck remembered me.

 

Second time around, I was much more relaxed. I knew my baby would need to grow into my nipples, so we practised, until she was 10 weeks and finally mastered the art of breastfeeding.

Nowadays, whenever a friend or a fellow new mom is expecting, I don’t care to talk about the labour much, because that’s what everyone will be talking about anyways. I want to talk to the mom about whether she wants to breastfeed, and if she does, I want to offer the support that she is going to need.

 

There’s a study out there that shows a significant amount of new moms give up on breastfeeding after only a few days. I think if there’s more focus on the resources available, perhaps more moms would feel the support in making the attempt. That’s not to say the mom needs to pull her hair out and go into insanity to do breastfeeding only, but that if it’s a possibility, at least let’s explore that possibility.

 

Everyone talks about the labour. Someone should talk about breastfeeding.

We are giving away a 4 pack of passes to Disney On Ice 100 Years of Magic.  Tickets are for the MARCH 17th show at 7pm.  Enter below for your chance to win. 

About the show:

Grab your Mickey ears and get ready for the ultimate Disney experience at Disney On Icecelebrates 100 Years of Magic! Be charmed by a cast of over 50, with Mouse-ter of Ceremonies Mickey Mouse, sweetheart Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Disney Princesses including Cinderella, Rapunzel, Ariel, Snow White and Tiana. Relive the magic of Disney’s Frozen with Anna, Elsa and the hilarious Olaf as they discover that true love is the greatest magic of all. Sing-along to over 30 unforgettable songs including “Let It Go,” “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” and “Hakuna Matata.” Exciting moments from Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Disney’s The Lion King,Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and more will leave the whole family with memories to last a lifetime. Show off your moves at the Disney Magic of Healthy Living dance-along pre-show inspired by the Disney Healthy Living commitment as the celebration of the century skates into your hometown!

First Step:  Tell us what you love about Disney by commenting below.

Second step: Enter here : a Rafflecopter giveaway

We spent a few glorious days at Blue Mountain Resort.  As luck would have it, it snowed right before we arrived so we got a chance to enjoy fresh powdery snow.  Toronto is having a bit of a warm winter with no snow so this was a real treat.   I was happy to be invited back to Blue Mountain resort, we were there in the fall and loved it.  If you have ever wondered what Blue Mountain Village is like in winter, I’m here to tell you it is a dream come true.

As we were travelling with our two little ones, whose mind change quickly about what they want to do, it was important to us to have lots of options outside of skiing.  To be honest, I became a bit of a chicken after having kids and have not been on skis or a snowboard for over 8 years.  I am happy to report that Blue Mountain Village did not disappoint!

What do do

There is so much to do on the resort from Crock A Doodle, to walking around the picturesque village, to Plunge!  If you love to treat yourself at the spa you have to stop by Iwa spa which provides a variety of treatments from massages to Ganban’yoku ( Gan•Ban) volcanic rock therapy.   It was my second time doing the Gan•Ban  therapy and I always notice that I feel much better afterwards.

If you already like snow, this is the place that winter dreams about.  Let’s say you want to go away for a few days and you are not big into skiing but want to try, this is the place to do it.  I was very impressed with the quantity and variety of the rentals available.  From snowshoes, to ski boots, to snowboards, to helmets – this place has got you covered.

To ski or not to ski

Between the four of us, there was no question that hubby would be spending a lot of time on the slopes. He used to be a ski patrol and his ability and mine are like polar opposites.  For him all he needed to hear was that we were going to Blue Mountain for a few days.  Me? I love snow and winter, but since the kids you would find me trekking through the snow on snow shoes, or gliding along on cross-country skis. I did not see myself downhill skiing again.   What changed? Lessons.

Lessons made a HUGE difference in my comfort level and confidence.    My body naturally remembered certain things, and others I needed to work on again.  Now I can’t wait to get back out there and even look forward to being able to ski with hubby next year.  I’ll be continuing my lessons to improve my skills.  

I’m going to talk about safety for a minute. If you have little ones I know you agree with me how important their safety is.  Sometimes though, we don’t always apply the same rules to ourselves.  I liked that Blue Mountain Rentals have a strict approach on safety for everyone doing lessons.   So much so that they even offer rental of helmets for the whole family.   I was speaking with the staff, and was told that all individuals doing lessons must wear a helmet. Since the 4 year old was doing lesson separately form the 8 year old. I felt comfortable knowing that the staff was following all the safety protocols and I could focus on my own lessons.

Personally, I liked that there were sufficient lockers, and was very impressed with the ski valet offering.  No need to go back and forth to your room to store your equipment.  We left our valuables in the lockers while on the slopes, then left our gear with the ski valet and could go to lunch, or the spa, and back on the slopes. I loved the seamless process that the combination of lockers and ski valet provided.

Where to Stay

There are quite a few options of places to stay at Blue Mountain Resort, the most luxurious of course is the Westin Trillium House.  A long with the view, comfort, and elegance of the Westin Trillium House, it is also conveniently located with everything you need accessible without having to step outside if you didn’t want to.   Oliver and Bonacini, which I think is the best restaurants is located located on the main floor of the Westin, and Plunge! is accessible with access off the third floor.  Iwa Spa, the slopes, and the village is less than a 2 minute walk.

In my opinion, the next best place to stay in the Mosaic which is located right in the village.  There are no restaurants in this building, but there is one attached to to it, and there is  an indoor and outdoor heated pool.  Best part? It has indoor access to Iwa Spa.

The Inn is the most economical option, and also houses Jozo’s Bar, the Pottery restaurant, and has an indoor pool.  The inn is about a 10 minute walk from the village but with the ease of the shuttle getting around in seamless, and you don’t ever have to drive after checking in if you don’t want to.

The people

The people at Blue makes the experience even more wonderful.  The customer service is excellent!  The best part is everyone treats you like making your day amazing brings them joy.   And this is not the only time I noticed this.  We were there last October for a conference and had the same service.

Above and beyond

It wouldn’t be a trip without some hiccup right?  Well hubby and I had a bit of a misunderstanding about picking up our 8 year old.  They were running late with snowboarding lessons for the 4 year old and I had to get to the spa for a treatment.  I thought we had agreed for him to get her at the spa at 12:35.  My massage was booked for 12:30, what’s five minutes right?  I go into the massage and come back out an hour later, and she is STILL there.  The staff at the spa didn’t just ignore her, or interrupt my massage to let me know she had not been picked up. Instead they gave her a little manicure and tea, and a cookie. They did not have to do this. They chose to allow me to have a relaxing experience and much needed massage, and also chose to make my daughter feel good, and not be bored for an hour while she waited to be picked up.

During this time my 4 year old had fallen asleep in the room and hubby couldn’t leave to pick her up. I still had one treatment left. Rather than me getting dressed and bringing her to the room, one of the staff members offered to bring her over to the room so I could do my treatment.  Again they did not have to do any of this. They did not owe me anything – it is just one of the experiences that show just how much everyone at Blue Mountain Resort is focused on making sure you are having a great time.  I am so grateful to the staff at Iwa Spa turning what could have been a very unpleasant situation into something that was the highlight of my daughter’s trip.

Things to make your visit easier

With everything there is always room for improvement.  If you are planning to use the rentals,  do yourself a favour and enter your information in the computers before you line up.  And you must enter your information each day.

When to go

If you can manage it, I recommend a Sunday or Monday start and ending mid-week.  I loved the fact that we avoided the crowds on the hill for lessons, and  we avoided traffic both ways.  Going mid-week adds a bit more relaxation and comfort to the trip.   Hubby & I took a day off work, we pulled the kids out of school for two days and it was the best decision for us.  Oh, and the prices are a bit lower mid-week.  That's a win/win for me.

Whenever you do go, relax and enjoy! Blue is that awesome-sauce that makes winter even more fun. 

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We arrived on Prince Edward Island by way of the Confederation Bridge, the longest bridge in the world, an impressive 12.6 Kilometres and connects the Eastern Provinces of Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.   We stopped at Gateway Village, a great spot to learn about the history of the island, map out an itinerary for your trip, speak to a local travel counsellor, shop, have lunch, and of course have some more delicious cows ice cream.

After Gateway Village, we drove to meet John from PEI Coastal Tours and Experiences at Greenpark National Park and prepared for our clam digging experience.  Having never dug for clams before, we were taught the different ways to properly dig, the different types of clams, what to look for, and how to position the shovel so that we do not damage the clams.

John had a tool that he used to measure the size of the clams. Any that were too small were put back in, which is why it’s important to know how to position the shovel to avoid hurting the clams that are thrown back in.

After digging for about an hour we had enough and it was time to cook them up. YUM!

The park has gazebos that can be rented out ahead of time.  Jon had thought of everything and we had a designated gazebo to prepare lunch.  Along with the fresh steamed clams, we had potato salad, fresh bread, homemade blueberry pie and cake for dessert.  Clam digging is the ultimate family activity if you go to Prince Edward Island. It's off the beaten path, something different than the usual excursions, and memories that will last you a lifetime.  The warm salt water, red sand, and the warm sum led to a perfect day.

The park is equipped with washroom, lots of parking area, changing area, and a playground where the kids were able to play after lunch before we headed back in the car for our trip to the West Point Lighthouse.

The West Point Lighthouse Inn is the most unique place that we stayed on our entire 22 day trip.  The property itself has a museum, a 1500m board walk along the dunes, the gorgeous West Point Beach, access to Cedar Dunes Provincial Park, and of course the lighthouse.  There are not many lighthouses that you can actually sleep in!

This area is absolutely breathtaking, the scenery from our windows throughout the day were like paintings.  On top of the awesomeness of sleeping in an actual lighthouse, the ability to walk the beach at dawn and sunset when it’s secluded gave the feeling of waking up in a picture perfect postcard.

The beach at the Lighthouse Hotel is perfect for young children and is shallow for a long stretch, No waves, beautiful red sand beach, and life guards on duty.  The beach is open to the public, but we found it was only busy between 12 and 4pm, after that it was just hotel guests.  This hotel is definitely one of the places you MUST visit if you go to Prince Edward Island.

We fell in love with Prince Edward Island, and can't wait to visit again.  If you are looking for a great family vacation that will truly give you the feeling of calm, peace, and family bliss, I highly recommended Prince Edward Island for the whole family.

Do you bake with your little one?  What is your favourite thing to make together?  What is the first thing you would make together if you win.

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