I love Adele. I may not always love her music the way some people do – absolutely nothing against her, however I can only take her tunes in short spurts before I feel like I should be drowning in my own melancholy sea of tears – but overall, I really appreciate her, and the rawness that she is as a performer, and her bluntness as a human being.

 

I recently read the Vanity Fair cover article featuring Adele, which you can also read yourself here, where she discussed her battle with Postpartum Depression.

Like Adele, and along with thousands of other moms, I also felt a certain amount of pressure, the kind of pressure that told you it was a necessity to match and live up to the acceptable behaviours of what society's expectations were. The very purpose of me being born was eventually to have children, at least that’s what I was made to believe. Never mind that I was a feminist, and that I was an empowered woman with a very promising career in a predominantly male concentrated industry at the time. Yes, I was allowed to have all of that, but as long as I also pushed out at least a tiny human or two all the while accomplishing all the above.

Do I regret having my 2 girls?

Would you judge me harshly if I say “yes"?

I can’t speak for others, but I can very much relate with what Adele went through. As someone who lives with chronic depression, and have been most of my life, I have become fairly in tune with my own daily struggles, but when postpartum was added on top of it, the struggles were extra tough. Even for a seasoned individual who recognized most of her own relapses, navigating through each postpartum day was tough enough for me to feel deep regret of the choice I made in having a child during that time.

I had no problems discussing my "normal regular chronic depression" with anyone. Yet ironically, these daily regrets brought on by PPD wasn’t something I wanted to openly talk about in the beginning, because society has an expectation of us. 

The amount of pressure we face as women in being acceptable to society is already immense; add a newborn, and rapid fluctuating hormones, it makes new moms just that much more vulnerable.

Yet, the part of our brain that feels the need to live up to “expectations” stays strong, so we hide it. We hide what we are feeling, we think there’s something wrong with us. According to the checklist of the perfect life, we’ve pretty much clicked off most of it, so what the fuck are we crying about it?

Being a new mom for me was the very definition of juxtaposition. There was so much love for my baby, but I hated the life that I was living in.

I don't regret having my 2 girls, but when you are drowning in PPD, you can definitely feel that way, every single damn day.

I’m encouraged to see that Adele, along with few other prominent celebrities that have opened up about their PPD, is bringing attention to this subject matter. It also highlights the fact that there is still a huge need to continue to educate the masses and bring awareness and conversations on PPD wherever, whenever. Her PPD journey is our PPD journey too.

Life With A Baby is the very resource that focuses on making this dialogue easy for everyone. There is no shame in how you feel as a new mother, because we are not perfect, and we shouldn’t be perfect.

Let’s continue to make the topic of PPD more widespread, and into a common subject matter, the type of topic that gets acknowledged just like you would when you tell someone that you cut yourself, and you need medical attention. In order to do that, we encourage and welcome everyone to open up and share their motherhood journey, no matter how tough or easy the path is.

I’ve pushed 2 babies out of me, first one 5 years ago, and the second one a little over a year ago. I’m not a “seasoned mom” per se like some of my friends who’s got anywhere from 3 kids and up (yes, if you have 3 or more, you are a seasoned mom in my books), but I think I can safely say I’m not a “new” mom.

The latest “new mom” is my bestie. She delivered a healthy baby boy a little over 2 weeks ago, and mommy and baby are doing well. I’m busting to go see them (it’s happening sometime this week!), however, as a courtesy, I waited for the invite - don’t make me get up on the soap box for this, yes, it’s a courtesy thing, please respect that of the new mom, even if you feel you have a right to visitation because you are a family member/best friend/Justin Trudeau, wait for the invite! If no invite, then ask, but VERY gently!

I digress...

Being a new mom is challenging and stressful in every respect. You think you found your medical entrance exam challenging? You think being lost in a foreign country where no one else speaks your language is stressful? The way I see it, every challenging and stressful situation you’ve encountered in the past has been nothing but a small preparation for you on becoming a mother.

So to all the new moms out there, I want to give you all the tips on what you should look out for, what mistakes to avoid…

But I’m not, because it’s all been written already.

As a new mom, you are probably going to be reading a shitload of related blogs, articles, advice columns, anything from “30,000 mistakes new parents make” to “365 tips for the first year” to “60 million things new moms need to do in order to achieve optimal self-care”, etc, etc. Here’s the thing, I did almost none of it. It wasn’t because I didn’t care, or I didn’t want to, or I didn’t know. I knew, and I probably knew way more than I wanted to admit, but I didn’t do it, because I thought I would be ok.

In the beginning, I equated the tip of sleeping when the baby is sleeping with pulling an all-nighter studying for an exam, that I could simply remedy the following day with a large cup of coffee. By the way, I took up that habit only after my first born, I’d never drank coffee before. Nowadays I still don’t drink an actual cup of coffee, but I’ll drench myself in a coffee related beverage such as a cappuccino.

Then there’s the self-care thing. With my first born, I equated self-care as being high maintenance. I associated so-called self-care as just poor excuse for high maintenance women to go pamper themselves when they ought to really be looking after their baby.

I didn’t think any of the “new mom tips” were applicable to me, because I interpreted all of those “tips” as simply being a lazy, un-dedicated mom.  Then something happened, I got burnt out, very quick.

Pulling an all-nighter for an exam is one-off thing, but pulling an all-nighter for a baby, well, that’s an everyday thing…and pulling all-nighters everyday, that’s a recipe for disaster.

When I’m stressed, my muscles tense up, and when my muscles tense up, I start having headaches. Going for a massage helps relieve that stress. But I didn’t think I deserved it, because I thought I would be viewed as an inadequate mother if I admitted that I get stressed out spending the entire day loving my child. Not allowing your body to relax, again, is a recipe for disaster.

Within 2 months, I was a mess. I was moody, I was picking fights with my husband, I was yelling at my mother for making too much good food, I was just all around crabby.

So I started looking after myself, and it made a world of a difference.

I didn’t take care of myself as much as I should have when I had my first child. When I had my second child a year ago, I definitely took better care of myself. You could probably say I “milked it” for all its worth. I didn’t feel guilty handing off my newborn to my parents in order to go to the gym for an hour. I didn’t feel guilty handing off my newborn to them in order to go golfing for a day. I certainly didn’t feel guilty that my mother made most of our meals on a daily basis for almost a year. Nowadays, I’m not ashamed to tell others that I have help in the form of my mom and dad. They make sure me, my husband, and my 2 daughters were always well fed, well looked after, and well rested. To say we’re blessed is an understatement.

I recommend to every new mom to look after themselves, but if they are anything like me, they have to find out for themselves first hand that these tips are truly useful. If I were to do it all over again, I probably would have done the exact same thing, waiting for burn out before realizing I needed to make changes.

I understand that perhaps not everyone has the readily available help like I do, and I don’t want to just simply brush it off like “What do you mean you can’t look after yourself? Just get your mom to babysit or whatever”, because that would be me being a jerk mom to you. Instead, I would like to open up the conversation to fellow moms, we stand together in making sure we are well enough to run a tight ship. This is my dialogue in letting moms in my community know that I’m here for you if you need. If you are able to offer help to a new mom, I encourage you to do so. If you’re a new mom that needs help, there are fellow moms (myself included) that are loving and caring and understand what you are going through, and would be more than delighted to give you a hand, but you have to speak up. Trust me, we're all here for you and we'll find a way to support each other.

My best friend came back to Canada a month ago to have her baby. As I’m writing this post, she’s in active labour, but we’re not sure when she’ll officially deliver. She's much earlier than her actual due date, which she was originally told would be mid October. She’s trying to hold out until her husband arrives tonight, but who knows if she can or can’t, I highly doubt it, but you never know right? As my physician whom delivered my first child gently said to my husband back on October 30, 2011 at 11:05pm “The baby will come out when the baby is ready.” A statement which was in response to my husband's radical demand that our first born be dragged out, if needed be, prior to midnight, because he didn’t want a Halloween baby. Heaven forbid if he did, right? Thankfully, his “worst nightmare” didn’t come true, our first born was delivered at 11:35pm, with lots of time to spare!

I've spent this past month spent with my bestie, and I think and hope, that I’ve been the support she needed in her last leg of her pregnancy journey. We talked every day, and I spent as much time as I could with her. She asked a lot of questions regarding anything and everything. Some things I remember very vividly, as if it had just happened yesterday, then there were other things I’d forgotten. To be quite blunt, I’d forgotten a lot of being a new and expectant mom, and it wasn’t even that long ago!

As soon as I reconnected with my bestie, I developed “phantom pregnancy”, for real! Ok, so maybe I’m super exaggerating and just using it as an excuse to join in on the cravings, which, I did of course. No phantom pregnancy, just pure personal gluttony at play, but it was fun for the short time, thankfully she’s delivering today, I think.

The bombardment of questions she had for me, might have seemed like an annoyance to the outsider, because they were a lot of times the same questions being asked, but just in a rephrased version. I reminded myself that I was once in her super-tight-fitting-because-of-crazy-pregnancy-bloating-shoes too.

If you’re the type to be naturally anxious and carry a lot of worry, no amount of reassurance from anyone that’s gone through what you’re about to go through can help, and that’s because your journey is not the same as anyone else, not even your mom. Even if you’re not naturally anxious, being a first time mom makes you that way, why? Because you’re creating a human in your belly, that’s a freaking big deal, and I’m sure every mother wants it cooked “just perfect”! You also get anxious because you have no control over certain factors of your pregnancy, things like Group B Strep, Diabetes, etc…they all seem very scary, because they come with certain risks.

As much as I tried to answer my bestie her questions of what I went through, I would always gently remind her that she must not use my examples as benchmarks for what she will go through herself. I told her all I was doing was simply offering my totally non-medically endorsed opinions, and that she should consult a health professional if she’s ever in doubt.

Throughout the whole process, I also stress to her, that it’s ok to listen to others opinions, but they are just that, opinions. She asks me for my guidance and advice, and I tell her that my only advice is to not take everyone’s advice as her own if she doesn’t feel they are in line with her choices and thoughts. Other people’s experiences and life choices are not the ultimate answer or solutions to her questions. When her baby arrives, she will be in many situations where she’ll have to take a stand, even from her own mother.  There are no judgments needed in any situation. Yes, we each have our own opinions, but we are not to shame each other for the choices we make. Unless it is a safety issue, I’m in no position to tell her what she is doing is wrong. I’m merely there to offer my viewpoints, and that’s it.

I’m going to be an auntie tonight or tomorrow, either way, the only thing my bestie and her husband needs to know is that their child is perfect the way he is!

We spent three days and two nights at the Panorama Mountain Resort in the mountain town of Panorama, BC.  Situated in Purcell Mountains range with views of the Rocky Mountains it's approximately 3.5 hours from Calgary airport. Be sure to take the scenic route through Banff and Kootenay National Parks, there are many lookouts and places to stop for a picnic along the way.

The resort does an excellent job of making your stay enjoyable and having activities for kids of all ages. We were in a two bedroom suite with a master en-suite in the upper village. There were many kids activities in the kid's zone including bouncy castles, EuroBungy, and a rock climbing wall.

The gems of this place in summer is the pools!

The kids had a great time in the pools. The large main pool is kept at around 32% which made it comfortable for kids to spend a longer time in it. My kids spent most of their times going on the two huge water-slides that ended in the cooler pool.

You'll want to take the gondola up for an extraordinary Yoga experience - The Mountain Yoga program is a great way to start the day. Surrounded by the beauty and majesty of the mountains, it's hard not to meditate and be present in the moment. You'll also find many many hiking trails of varying intensity. Go up to the top and explore or just sit with a coffee and enjoy the view.

No matter where you are on the property, you can see that there is a lot of thought that put into the comfort of the guests. The village is designed in a way that makes it easy to get around. Life jackets are readily available by the pools. There are a lot of activities available throughout the day both free and paid, and it's clearly outlined which are free and which are extra costs.

Then there are little things in the rooms like the hooks around the fireplace for hanging cold ski wear, the family centre with various games and DVDs, and a TV in every room so we could all choose what we wanted to watch. There were lots of little things that made a huge difference.

Our favourite family activity was a walk along the river followed by the family smores and sing-along party. Many places of tried to do this activity and Panorama Mountain Resort has perfected it. The cost was only $2 which gave your a plate, napkins, and all the supplies you need to make your smores. There were staff and volunteers available to help the little ones and also controlled and maintained the area around the fire. I like that the activity had a specific start and end time and was structured. The staff and volunteers were very friendly and did a great job of getting the kids involved in the sing-along.

This was one of the most relaxing places we visited on the trip. Once we arrived and parked we didn't use our car again until it was time to leave. The village has a great variety of restaurants, retail shop, pubs and cafés - everything you need.

As much fun as we had in summer, their peak time is actually winter. I can't wait to go back and explore this beautiful and relaxing resort with the family for a winter wonderland getaway. Take a look at their website for winter packages, and you'll see what I mean.

We absolutely loved that we didn’t have to leave the room if we didn’t have to. This would be a great place for a honeymoon, or special event celebration. It really is like Valentine’s Day every day at Couples Resort.

The website does not do justice to how stunning the property really is. We were in the Masters and even though I checked out the pictures on the website I was stunned and thrilled with the actual reality of it. The rooms in the Masters are equipped with a steam room, indoor Jacuzzi, and your own private outdoor Jacuzzi overlooking the lake. I LOVED the privacy that this allowed.

The only reason we did end of leaving our cozy room was the service. We really enjoyed the dinner service. It was great to see the hubby all dressed up; a rare sight really.   Last time he had to follow a dress code was at a friend’s wedding a few years ago.   It was a great opportunity for me to get all dressed up too. Even though we go out frequently on dates, we both put in the extra effort here and the feeling was almost glamorous. It certainly added to the magic of the night.

Dinner, as to be expected, was scrumptious! Currently there is no corkage fee so you can bring your own wine. We brought our bottle an hour before our reservation and asked the Maître d’ to open it so it could breathe a bit before dinner. If you plan to bring red wine with you, I’d recommend you do this. The staff is incredibly accommodating.

 The location was absolutely perfect! The resort is a 5 minute drive from Algonquin Park. If you love to ski, this is just icing on the cake. The resort has a great relationship with the park and provided us with permits for entering and parking. 

 

They also have everything you can think of to make your winter getaway amazing. They had skates, skis, snowshoes – they even had clothing. So if you didn’t bring your snow pants, or winter boots all you have to do is go to the activity centre between 8 and 5, and they’ll get you whatever you need.

The staff here all take great pride in helping you with whatever you need to make your stay wonderful.

Our first impression was that this place is stunning! Our last impression upon leaving is that this place is magical and we both still feel this way. We cannot wait to go back!

For more info on the Couples Resort, check out their website: http://www.couplesresort.ca

A few weeks ago, my almost 5 year old made a statement one afternoon:

“Mom, my tooth hurts.”

The statement didn’t mean anything to me at that very moment, because she’d made similar statements such as “my bellybutton hurts”, “my fingernail hurts” or “my hair hurts” on a daily basis, all without any indication that she’s in actual pain.

So I simply said to her:

“I’m sorry to hear that, is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”

She said:

“Nothing”

And that was that.

That very evening, my husband and my daughter came to me and showed me that one of her bottom tooth was loose.

She was going to lose her tooth, my girl is growing up.

This actually had me in a little bit of a panic. Not yet 5, and she’s about to lose her first tooth, was that even normal?

I took the query to our sister Facebook Group “Managing The Motherload” and asked whether it was “normal”, and the consensus was that it is a tad early, but it happens. I emailed our pediatric dentist just to be sure, and they also confirmed that it was ok, but if I was indeed worried, I should make an appointment and have them take a look.

Following day, my daughter didn’t eat much breakfast, because she said each bite was a little bit painful for her, so I let her be.

We proceed to head to her summer day camp, and I dropped her off, kissed her good day, and went about my day.

I came back at 4:00pm in the afternoon to pick her up, and as soon as she saw me, she came running at me, with the widest of smiles.

There, I saw, right in front of my eyes, a gap.

She’d lost her tooth that day.

That was quick!

Well, any concern of whether I needed to take her to our pediatric dentist was no longer a concern, because there was no tooth to be had for examination anyways!

I don’t recall losing my baby teeth that quick, I’d remembered each darn thing would linger in my mouth in what seemed to be an eternity before my father had to intervene with his mighty muscles (or what seemed like mighty muscles at the time), and pulled it out for me. Mind you, I don't think I was as brave as my daughter, I was always very squeamish with them.

So naturally, I wanted to know how she lost her tooth.

The response I got was not what I had expected:

“Oh mommy, I just put my fingers right in there and pull it right out, like this!” She proceeds to do a very dramatic re-enactment of how she did it.

I said the only thing that I could think of when she told me what she did:

“Oh wow, you go girl!”

You go girl indeed!

That night, we put her tooth under her pillow, and the tooth fairy paid her a visit with a brand new toothbrush, and $5.00.

Since her first tooth loss weeks ago, she’s been knocking at the other tooth. I guess her determination paid off, because for the past 2 days, she’s come to me, mouth wide open while wiggling at it madly. That tooth, if it wasn’t meant to be lost for a while, was certainly expedited by my daughter’s obsession. Last night she spent a good half an hour trying to pull it out herself. Tonight, she’d spent over an hour trying to pull that thing out. Finally, I told her to go see her grandpa downstairs for assistance.

So she did.

He gave it a bigger wiggle, and she put her hand back in there, and pulled it right out.

Once again, she’s ecstatic with how she’s pulled that thing out.

She gave it a good rinse, and put it under her pillow.

Rumour has it that the tooth fairy shall come by  tonight with a toonie, and a new tube of toothpaste.

She's certainly been very determined with pulling her own teeth out.

I just hope she has the same type of determination for life in general, as she does her teeth!

Surrounded by the Rocky Mountains, in the Kootenay Rockies, British Columbia this relaxed resort lies on natural hot springs. The resort is named after the town and is located 1.3 km from downtown Fairmont Hot Springs.

While it's not a luxury resort it is very comfortable and offers a variety of room options including Honeymoon Suites and the Family Suites. The suites come with free Wi-Fi, mini-fridges, and Keurig coffeemakers. Some have kitchenettes, balconies, TVs, fireplaces and/or whirlpool tubs. There are also cottages and cabins with pull-out sofas.

Our room was on the main floor in the 400 section which was wonderful because we could walk out from our back door and access the pools, the ice cream shop, or the cafe. It was very close to the guest pool and had easy access to the other restaurants. The kids enjoyed playing on the grass or running over to purchase their ice cream.

As its name implies, Fairmont Hot Springs Resort is home to natural mineral hot spring pool. The pools here are considered to be the largest in Canada and filled with naturally heated mineral water. While in the pools, you are treated to stunning views of the Purcell Mountains range.

The feature that I liked most about the pools is that there are three different pools with different temperatures. The kids loved swimming in the pool that was 32°C, while I enjoyed soaking in the hotter pool at 39°C.  The pools are also huge, and there is even a diving area.

The three public pools are open to everyone, but if you want a bit more privacy, or you are visiting for a couples retreat, you can spend your time at the guest only pool.

Since it's such a busy family resort and hundreds of people flock to the pools everyday, I wanted to find out more about how the pools are maintained and where the water comes from. I had a guided tour of the resort, and one of the managers explained the water starts at the top of the Fairmont Mountain Range, the water originates as rain or snow and seeps into the Rockies. As it heats up, the mineral water is eventually forced back up to the surface at a much higher temperature and Fairmont Hot Springs Resort collects the extremely hot (up to 48°C) water in collection boxes above the pools. This water in then mixed with cooler natural spring water to get it to the lower temperatures in the pools.

Traveling as a family, I loved that this resort had something for everyone. We saw lots of families with older kids, a few wedding parties, and couples getting away without the kids.

I loved that Fairmont Hot Springs Resort totally get family travel. They understand that when traveling with young children, the adults also want to feel like they are on vacation. I love the fact that they offer a kids camp at a reasonable rate, so that the parents can enjoy the facilities such as a day of golf, spa, or some of the excursions offered.  There is also a base camp with bouncy castles, regularly scheduled organized crafts, treasure hunts and bingo nights as well as ongoing amenities such as mini golf, volleyball, tennis and equipment rental.  Happy kids makes for ecstatic parents. 

If you love to golf, this is your paradise. Fairmont Hot Springs Resort has three golf courses, The Riverside, The Mountainside, and a family course called the Creekside. They also have a golf learning centre and a huge driving range. According to the resort, they have an average season of over 200 days.

We had the pleasure of playing the Mountainside which was a real treat. The juxtaposition of the mountains on one side and the river on the other made playing on this course a dream. In fact, I would pay just to walk around on the course, who even need to golf, just grab a drink and go for a walk - it's that stunning. If you have never golfed in The Rockies before, and you get a chance, go for it.

The spa at Fairmont Hot Springs is a hidden gem on the property and worth a visit. I had a Pedicure & I purchased the Thai Massage while there (luckily, they were able to fit me in) and received fantastic service. The massage was so relaxing; I fell asleep. My esthetician was very professional, and my pedicure was a full spa pedicure including paraffin wax.

I also checked out the Sauna, Hot & Cold plunge pool, and I looked in at the gym. Had I not been gone most of the day after golfing, lunch, and the spa services I would have stayed longer in the private guest pool, but I thought the kids would have missed me. I got back to hear about their day which they were still excited about and then ran off to the pools with daddy. They wanted to go back to the camp the second day, but we had a full itinerary. It's not often that my kids want to spend an entire day at a kids camp while we are on vacation.

Photo courtesy by Fairmont Hot Springs Resort

The ability to book our excursions right from the hotel was very convenient. We were booked into the Columbia River Kayak tour with the kids. Hubby & I were in our own kayaks, the 5-year-old went with one of the guides, and our 9-year-old was in her own kayak, this was not her first time in a kayak on her own, but the longest she was in a kayak on her own. The 5KM river tour was a little different from kayaking on a lake because of the currents, so we were glad to be with a guide. We all got some tips and lesson about kayaking on a river, and our 9-year-old was a champ. It was fun to do this activity with her, and she her feeling confident about trying something new, and while allowing her to be independent.  The BC Rockies Adventures team were all wonderful, they were very experienced, taught us about the area, and pointed out wildlife to us along the way. I feel so much more comfortable going out on a kayak after this experience.

Photo courtesy by Fairmont Hot Springs Resort

While we were there for a summer vacation, I could see that this place would be a wonderful place to visit in Winter. The Rockies is a popular winter getaway and I wanted to find out about visiting with the kids for some snow therapy. The slopes are geared towards families with little ones, and they also have the only tube park in the valley. Considered to be the "most exciting ten seconds in the valley." According to Fairmont staff, over 3800 people have slid down the track last year, and they take pride maintaining the slopes, putting in over 80 man hours per week maintaining the slopes to provide safe, exhilarating and fast tubing experiences.

In all, there are eight restaurants, three golf course, a ski area, a tube park, a spa, a business centre and free parking. I highly recommend heading over to the restaurant by Mountainside golf course to indulge in their huge $5 breakfast.

This was our first visit to Alberta, and we decided to explore, Canmore, Banff, and Lake Louise before heading to British Columbia for the remainder of our 20 day trip.

We started our trip in Canmore which is approximately 81 kilometres west of Calgary and is at the southeast boundary of Banff National Park. It is located in the Bow Valley within The Canadian Rockies and approximately drive to Banff National Park.   While in the past, Canmore may have been seen as the place to stay if you can't get a place in Banff, it is it's own destination and a better spot to stay than Banff, if you are planning to explore some of the popular sites in the region.

There many reasons to choose to stay in Canmore including better prices, awesome restaurants with stunning views, 360 degrees of mountains, and relaxing hikes at the base of the Three Sisters peak, really the list could go on. 

The primary reason for us was most of the excursions are based in Canmore and so the flow from activity to activity was much simpler especially with young kids. If you didn't pick up a discovery pass, then you don't have to worry about having to pay the park fee for Banff National Park every time you drive through.

We rented a condo from Solara Resorts; it was a one bedroom with full kitchen and pull-out bed in the living area. We went based on the location and we got exactly what we wanted.

Where to Eat:

Murrieta's in Canmore is a great spot for dinner. Awesome atmosphere and great service. We tried a few different items from the menu and everything was delicious. I'm glad I opted for the scallops. Hubby had the beef, which when you are in Alberta, how can you not. Great place for families, or a special occasion.

The Range is a great spot for lunch; they make an prepare their all their food, except for the bread. My favourite was the quinoa salad, the kids loved the Alberta Beef sandwich.

Things to Do

There is a wide variety of things to do in Canmore and Banff National Park. Below is my list of family friendly activities that gets you out in nature exploring the beauty of the mountain which are still very safe to do.  A good idea is to pick up the Discovery Pass not only is a great price, it also reduces the amount of time you have to spend in the line waiting to purchase a park permit.  Everyone entering any of the National Parks needs to have a permit, even if you are just driving through.  

Rafting

We knew we wanted to do a boat tour and researched all the different

options out there. We went with Canmore River Adventures because it's a very easy and safe float trip on the gorgeous Bow River. The tour itself was about 45 minutes on the water, just the right amount of time to hear a bit about the area and take in the beauty without the kids getting bored. The guide was great with the kids and even allowed them to row for a bit.


The morning of our tour it rained a little, but nothing can take away from the beauty of the mountains. I loved that Canmore River Adventures had rain jackets for everyone on board along with the other essentials. A great feature is the pickup and drop off from your hotel that is included in the price. They are very flexible with customers, if we wanted to, we could have changed our tour to a sunnier day, but we opted to keep our original plans. As the say "if you don't like the weather in the mountains, just wait a few minutes." Besides, it's the Rockies, it's gorgeous no matter the weather. 


Helicopter trip

The excursion of a lifetime!

We knew we wanted to do a Helicopter tour while visiting the Rockies, and researched online all the various tour operators,  we went with Alpine Helicopter. The have a lot of different options, we did the 30 minutes tour.

The Mount Assiniboine Glacier Tour which rises to 11,870 feet along the great divide is a must-do if you are visiting Banff, Canmore or the surrounding areas. We were treated to an up-close view of the Three Sisters Peaks, Beautiful glacial lakes, and stunning views of the mountain. The colours of the Spray Lakes in the Goat Range are unbelievable . On the way back we got to see views of the Bow River and the Town of Canmore. The highlight of the tour is the surrounding glaciers and icefalls and of course the Gloria Glacier.

We were all in awe of the beauty of the Gloria glacier, and you will be too. Our guide took is close enough to the glacier it felt like we were standing directly on it, you can see the crevices in the rocks, and you get the feeling that you can reach out and touch them.

This tour is great for couples and families alike. Our kids were so excited they kept talking over the microphone. The look of pure joy on our son's face is priceless to us. I'll never forget this experience.


Banff  Gondola

This is a fun excursion and great way to get to the top of Sulphur Mountain where you can experience six stunning mountain ranges.  The Gondola is a modern, fully enclosed four-passenger cabin. Once at the top, you can take the easy ridgetop boardwalk to explore more.  

It's an easy and seamless way to get to the top to enjoy the views without the hassle. Highly recommend this excursion if you are traveling with young children, or for anyone who does not want to tackle the 3-hour hike up to the top.  Then all you have to do is enjoy the Incredible views and try to spot wildlife. Be sure to say hi to the resident mountain goat when you go. 

Banff Hot Springs

Banff Upper Hot Springs is a public hot spring located in Banff National Park with reasonable rates. It's an outdoor pool offering beautiful views of Mount Rundle. Combine this activity with the Banff Gondola since they are in the same location.

This is a nice spot to spend few hours with the kids; the water is warm, and they have a nice shallow area for kids. If you are out and about and don't want to bring a lot of things with you, they offer full rental services including towel, swimsuits, and lockers. Because it's a public pool, and a very popular spot, the lines can get long. Consider going during non-peak times.

Moraine Lake 

This place is a gem! You must visit if you are in the area, in fact, even if you are far away you must drive there. It is just stunning. When you get there, be sure to go to the top of the hill and look down on the river, that is the only way to see and capture the stunning colour of the water.

You can either climb the rocks at the front or if you are feeling less adventurous and traveling with little kids, you can take the scenic trail path towards the Consolation Lakes Trail. From the lower parking lot, cross the bridge over the outlet stream and continue to Consolation Lakes. Follow the Rockpile that passes through a quartzite boulder field it's a very beautiful and easy way to get to the top.

If you have to choose between Moraine Lake and Lake Louise, I highly recommend the first one. It is a hidden gem.



Lake Louise

Known for its turquoise, glacier-fed Lake, and the impressive Victoria glacier, there is something for everyone. From canoeing across the stunning emerald coloured lake to various hiking trails to the beautiful Fairmont Chateau, it's easy to see why so many people flock to Lake Louise throughout the year. A word of caution, if like me, you expected to be out in nature taking in the beautiful view and enjoying a bit of solitude in this area. You will be sorely disappointed. This is a very, very busy destination. It will be difficult to get a parking spot; it might be difficult even to get to the destination. It might be full from the morning, or it may be closed because too many people already there.

One of the easiest ways to actually get in on the day and time that you want is to hop on one of the shuttle busses that they offer. Yes, it's costly. Yes, you have a car and could drive, but to avoid the frustration of driving around and around trying to find a way in, the simplest thing to do is pay for the shuttle bus.

The train

This was the best free fun on our drive from the town of Banff to Lake Louise. There were lots of people lined up along the side of the road waiting for it to pass and snapping pics. It's definitely the longest train we've ever seen. We decided to use this as a perfect spot to stop for a bit and have a snack. The highlight for the 5-year-old was watching this train go by.

We recently had the opportunity to visit The Fern Resort in Orillia for a two night getaway.  

Upon our arrival, we were able to go on a tour of the grounds and check out what facilities were at our disposal since it was an all-inclusive resort.  There were plenty of things to do for both young and old.  One building housed a theatre and a disco with a DJ.  For those that required child care, it was pretty much offered the whole day and even into the late evening if it was pre-arranged.  Although we didn’t require it as our child is ten, we’re sure this service was very much welcomed giving parents a chance to enjoy some child-free time which included spa and massage services. 

Among the children’s activities our daughter could try were rock climbing, pedal carts, bicycles, trampolines, nine-hole mini-putt course, and swimming in any one of the three pools available….two outdoor and one indoor.  Hot tubs were also available just around the outdoor pools.  For the more adventurous and older kids, zip-lining was available.  For water adventures, there were paddle boats, canoes, and even something called “zorbing” - the child goes into a large, transparent plastic sphere which then has air pumped in…when ready, the child could “walk on water” as she is pushed out a short distance into the lagoon…all the while, the ball is being held by a rope by one of the staff just in case the child decides to walk/run a little too fast and take off into the lake!  There were also opportunities to fish where staff would provide you with a make-shift fishing rod with a line/hook and a small piece of a cut-up worm.  You could see the tiny perch and minnows from the dock and shoreline and would just drop your line into the water to try and snag one.

Our room had two double beds and was adequately sized including a television and fridge.  I guess there was an assumption that our child was a baby as upon entering our room for the first time, there was a crib in the middle of the floor.  We quickly told the front desk to remove it just in case it was meant for another family who did require it.  Bathroom was fully stocked with everything you would expect:  towels, shampoo, soap, hairdryer, etc..

In the dining room, we had a pre-assigned table where we would sit for all meals during our stay.  We had the same server for all of our meals.  For the Saturday lunch we did have the option to join a BBQ outdoors but on the condition we advised the server ahead of time of our intention.  Each meal also had a simple buffet which was more for the hungry young ones.   We pretty much always ordered off of the menu which was at our tables each time we arrived to dine.  Dinner options always included salads, soups, burgers, pastas, steak, and fish.  A small variety of desserts were available as well.

For Friday evening entertainment at the theatre, there was a magician performing.  We missed his performance due to a very large thunderstorm that rolled in just around the time his show was about to start.  The show went on as planned and from some people that did go, the show was enjoyable.  Saturday evening had a puppeteer which we did catch and the majority of the kids seemed to enjoy it.

Thoughts on our stay:

Pros:

·         Plenty of things to do for the kids

·         Child care offered throughout the day and night

·         Evening entertainment/shows which catered to both young and old including a disco

·         Dining options were not just buffet style – could order off a menu and get table service

·         Coffee also available outside of the restaurant just off of the reception area

·         Swimming towels available both at front desk and poolside*

Cons:

·         Rooms needing some upgrades as visibly you could see wear and tear especially in the bathrooms and on the patios

·         *Although towels were said to be available poolside, they really never were – always had to get the towels from front desk

·         Dining room servers appear to be students working at the resort over the summer – the inexperience in serving showed and at times there was lack of attention

·         Food quality was ok but not great – for the kids, they should have no issues – but adults would say quality is as good as any sit-down,  pizza/pasta restaurant

At this was our first time at an all-inclusive resort north of the GTA, it would be good to try another similar resort which offers similar amenities for a comparison.  Overall, it was a nice getaway and would recommend it to families.

Have you ever been in a love bubble? Have you ever made dreams, and wishes, and plans in this bubble only to wake up to a different reality?

For five years my husband and I lived in a magical place where unicorns existed, and it was sunny every day. It was in this love bubble that we discussed what life would be like once our baby was born.

When I met my daughter, I immediately fell in love with her. Here was the baby my heart had wished for, and all I wanted to do was to love her and protect her from ever being hurt.

And then - a thought crept in. It was a small thought, but it was explosive. " what if something happened to her?" And immediately a fear that I did not know existed was born within me.

That fear would be the beginning of something that pulled me deep into a very dark and lonely place that I had to fight with all my might to climb out of.

I was in labour for 3.5 days in the hospital before Katelyn was born. It was a rare complication. It was traumatic, and scary, and exhausting. This exhaustion coupled with a fierce fear that developed out of an intense need to protect this baby resulted in intrusive thoughts.

The fear was real and hot and immediate. A lactation consult mentioned to me that I made be experiencing Post-Partum Depression (PPD). Me? No way! PPD was for moms who were sad and didn’t want their babies I thought. This couldn’t be me. I love my baby.

But as much I didn’t want to believe it. It was true

I loved my baby so much I was scared someone would take her away from me. I loved my baby so much I spent a whole day on the first floor of my house because I had an irrational fear that I would fall down the stairs with her. I loved my baby so much; I was worried I would die and wouldn’t be around to protect her. I loved my baby so much I feared almost everything. I ceased to see myself outside of being a protector for my precious baby, and I started to lose myself.

And then I got help. And my perspective on love and fear changed.

Instead of worrying about all the things that could happen to my baby, I started enjoying her. Instead of worrying that something would happen to me, and I wouldn't be around to protect her, I started focusing on my own self-care. Eventually, I was able to let go of the fear because it was only real in my mind.

The most important thing I did, and you can do to beat PPD is to ask for help, know you are not alone and know that you too will thrive.  A list of resources can be found at Postpartum Depression Resources