Family Fun - Week 14

Our New Year's resolution was to do at least one family activity or outing, just the five of us, every week this year. This is week 14 of family fun.

Spring is very slow coming to Ontario this year. The grass, trees, and plants still seem really lifeless. This makes for a great time for gathering cool sticks - clearly an eight year old's point of view. So we did a hike for this week's family fun. We have often walked along the mill race trail in St. Jacob's but always starting in St. Jacob's and going in a single direction. This time we started in St. Jacob's and went the opposite way. The kids loved being beside the river and spent a long time throwing in rocks and sticks and walking out on logs and generally getting wet and muddy. The trail is wide and would be perfect for biking, that's now on the list of future family fun activities.

We checked the temperature before we left, 12ºC, but we didn't account for the wind. It was so windy. Fiacra and Ailbhe seemed oblivious, Finian didn't mind too much, but Connell was freezing. Perhaps he shouldn't have listened to his wife making fun of him for thinking about wearing his winter coat in 12º.

New House

We got the keys to our new house today - it has been a long wait! We signed the agreement of purchase and sale in June so a really long closing period. As Connell, Finian, and I were pulling up to the house, Finian said "This my new house. I sell my old house." I sure hope so, our current house goes on the market on Tuesday.

I was showing a friend around the house and she spotted a mourning dove on her nest just beside the deck. I had walked past at least 10 times without noticing her. Fiacra took these photos and added the effects on my phone. It will be fun to see the eggs hatch and watch the baby birds. 

 It was a beautiful day today. Spring has hopefully arrived. It was forecast to be 19ºC, the kids were really hoping it would make it to 20º. We go for ice-cream the first time it hits 20º each spring. Thankfully, it didn't get to 20º - there was no time for ice-cream today!

We are still preparing our house for sale. It will be a busy week!

Family Fun - Week 13

Our New Year's resolution was to do at least one family activity or outing, just the five of us, every week this year. This is week 13 of family fun.

Our family fun this week was pretty low-key  - an Easter egg hunt. Connell and I are pretty tired from the constant house prep. (Recently checked off the long list is packing up the basement. Everything in our basement is now packed and ready to move.) So, thanks for that, Easter Bunny, we appreciate it.

In our house, Easter Bunny hides various eggs all over the sitting room, the kids search and when all have been found, they merge them and then divide them up. Finian had such a good time searching for eggs, that Fiacra and Ailbhe kept re-hiding eggs from their baskets for him. Just before lunch, Finian said to Fiacra "go and get the Easter bunny to hide more eggs." So we had another hunt for him. Since Fiacra and Ailbhe don't actually eat many eggs, there was no shortage of eggs for hiding. The candy they got for Christmas is in a kitchen cupboard, mostly untouched, their Easter candy has now joined it. They still enjoy getting it, I guess it's a bonus they don't really eat it, unless I eat it!

Family Fun - Week 10

Our New Year's resolution was to do at least one family activity or outing, just the five of us, every week this year. This is week 10 of family fun.

Before we went to France, we visited the Westfield Heritage Village for their maple syrup festival and really enjoyed it. It was 9ºC on Sunday (3 Sundays ago now) so a perfect time to go again. We had a fantastic time, my favourite family fun so far. Finian is at a great age for outings now, he is curious about where we are going ("Where we going Mummy?" times 100), and wants to do everything once we are there.

The heritage village taps their maple trees and makes maple syrup 3 ways, as the Native Canadians made it, as the early settlers made it, and as it is made in a current small scale sugar shack. There are people in costume reenacting so it really holds the kids interest. This is a bumper year for maple syrup in Ontario, yum!

The Native Canadians heated the sap in hollowed-out logs using hot rocks.

The early settlers heated the sap in big cauldrons over fires that they kept burning day and night.

This is the modern way, the sap goes in the top where all the steam is, and the maple syrup drips out the bottom. We tasted it, so good!

Westfield also has historical buildings, a trading post, general store, print shop, bakery, church, and more, all staffed with people in costume reenacting various roles. We plan on going back again during the summer.

Family Fun - Week 12

Our New Year's resolution was to do at least one family activity or outing, just the five of us, every week this year. This is week 12 of family fun.

Spring seems to be coming very slowly this year, so we are ready to take advantage of any signs of it we can. It was 4ºC and sunny on Sunday so we decided to go for a hike for family fun. There is still a lot of snow on the ground, we knew it could be wet and muddy but that's a bonus for Fiacra.

We went to Synder's Flats and hiked/climbed trees/picked up sticks/walked on dubious ice for 2 hours. As we were walking back to the car, Fiacra said "this was awesome" and I agree wholeheartedly.

We did do week 9 and 10 family fun, I just haven't had a chance to write them up yet. They are on my list for this week. We move house 3 weeks today, we are all excited.

Family Fun - Week 9

Our New Year's resolution was to do at least one family activity or outing, just the five of us, every week this year. This is week 9 of family fun.

We scrambled a little this week, thinking of something to do. It's that odd time here, not quite winter enough for winter activities, not quite spring enough for spring activities, or should I say for mud-free spring activities. We thought about going bowling but the bowling lanes close to us were booked up. Then I remembered the art gallery. Once a month the art gallery hosts a Family Sunday, with at least 3 art activities for the kids to work on. The activities often tie in with the current exhibits. Perfect!

After the art gallery, we went to Balzac's for hot chocolate. It was so quiet when we walked in. There were at least 10 other people there but no-one was talking. Fiacra and Ailbhe were completely oblivious to the silence and chattered away at their usual too loud volume. Connell and I felt a bit awkward but no one seemed to mind the kids. In fact, when Fiacra asked, "Why does that sign say Red Demon Coffin?", many of them laughed. (It actually read Red Diamond Coffee).

Fitness Goals - Week 7

My hip was still sore after running on Sunday, so I went on the bike trainer on Tuesday instead of running. I love having the bike trainer as an alternative to running if it's really icy, or I have a bad cold and don't feel up for a run, or as in this case a sore hip. I watch a show on the laptop when on the bike trainer, usually The Amazing Race.

Runs

Tuesday no run.

Thursday 6am 0ºC  53 minutes. I was really surprised when I came outside to a new layer of snow. Snow at 0ºC coats everything, so pretty. The skunks woke up today. I could smell one close to home as I was leaving, and later Tyandra and I saw one just ahead of us about to cross the road. I thought it was a squirrel so would have kept running, but Tyandra thankfully, has keener eyesight. 

Sunday 7am 0ºC feels like -2ºC 42 minutes. Spring has come in the past few days, there is still a lot of snow but it is starting to disappear. I could smell a skunk again as soon as I came outside. A resident skunk would not help us sell our house. It's time to switch to spring running clothes, I just need to find them!

I have been stretching my hip a lot and it feels fine now.