Disney Magic in Halifax!!!

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This is long overdue, and not for lack of interest. Disney really knows how to roll… and to sail! Disney Magic is one of their cruise ships and it stops right here in the port of Halifax! I was lucky enough to be invited on board for lunch and a tour with the lovely Angela. 

 

She treated us like the stars Disney always treats their guests. I’d been to Disney World and after being blown away by every little detail had high expectations. I was not to be disappointed!

 

The dining room was lavish and had exquisite food, drinks and service. We were treated to a fancy cocktail, and a lovely lunch including fabulous dessert. Throughout the meal Angela filled us in on the wonders of the Disney Magic, and other ships in the Disney Cruise line.

 

Guests are assigned wait staff who follow them throughout the ship to the many different options for dining. They ensure all dietary needs are addressed by the kitchen staff without guests having to repeat information.

 

This is the family vacation spot for all! Have you ever felt like family vacation is vacation for everyone but you, the parent responsible for everyone’s happiness? < or so it seems when no one else remembers the toothbrushes, extra undies, or swimsuits 😉 > I have returned form many a family vacation feeling like, now I need a vacation of my own. Disney has it covered, regardless of age. There are services available for children from newborn through to teens!

You could literally not see your children from morning ’til night, if you so wish! There are kids’ clubhouses where parents are actually not welcome past the doors! And the kids don’t want to leave – with science experiments, cooking lessons and art classes happening everyday, why would they? The only real drawback I see here < besides not actually spending vacation time together > is that I might not be able to drag the kids off the ship at ports of call to check out the local sights!

 

There are kids pool decks – equipped with water slides, a pirates playground, and an adults-only pool deck. There is scheduled entertainment, including exclusive screenings of Disney movies, family dance bar, and a spa & fitness centre!

Every detail has been considered to give the ship the Disney feel, from the magnificent entrance lobby, to the Mickey adorned funnel on the ship’s smoke stacks.


I must admit, I’ve never been one to consider a cruise as a vacation aspiration, but I do now! < Kids, momma wants a vacation too! >

Drop me a note in the comments below, or connect with me on Twitter @ceilidhontherun, email me at trish at ceilidhontherun dot com, or use my contact form!

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Filed Under: General, Halifax, Parenting, Reviews, Sponsored, West Nova Family Tagged With: , ,

Modern moms seek contemporary education and lasting connections| Win a free session!

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Mommy Connections Halifax

Mommy Connections program is now available in Halifax/Dartmouth

 

Halifax…There is a new Mom & Baby and Mom & Tot program in town, geared toward current trends and hot topics. Mommy Connections has arrived in Halifax and is changing the face of Mom & Baby and Mom & Tot education. Five new sessions run from September 17th to November 9th  at All Yoga (Dartmouth), Treehouse Café (Lower Sackville), Veith House (Halifax) and Otis & Clementine (Tantallon) – Mom & Baby; and Kiddietown (Dartmouth) – Mom & Tot , and the cost to register for Mom & Baby is $80, for Mom & Tot is $98 (includes a Kiddietown pass valued at $50+).

“Women like that Mommy Connections isn’t just about the typical mom & baby topics, but also incorporates new research, natural parenting and being environmentally conscious,” says Trish McCourt, Director of the Halifax Mommy Connections program. The new Mommy Connections Halifax Mom & Baby session focuses on issues like postnatal fitness and health, photographing your baby (Rebecca Clarke Emotive Photographer), nutrition for mom and baby, infant massage, family finances, the hottest mom and baby classes, communication and signs, post-natal yoga, and breastfeeding basics. At the end of the 8-week program, moms are encouraged to continue meeting and providing mutual support.

Mommy Connections started in November 2008 in Edmonton, Alberta with the sole purpose of connecting moms in their communities. “I was finding that a lot of families were unable to get into public programs because of a baby boom in Edmonton,” says Carol McBee, President of Mommy Connections, “and the more I talked to parents, the more I realized there was a need for something different–something that spoke more to modern families.”

Mommy Connections is now available in 24 communities in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia, and new locations are in the works. For more information on Mommy Connections, visit www.mommyconnections.ca/halifax.

Enter to win a free session or scrapbooking kit!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Contests, General, Parenting, Scrapbooking, Sponsored, West Nova Family Tagged With: , , , , ,

Celebrate this terrific mom with me!

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This post is part of YummyMummyClub.ca‘s support of the Dove® Celebrate Mom Contest. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. This post reflects my personal opinion about the information provided by the sponsors. You can nominate inspiring moms here: www.celebratemom.ca.

I’ve always been a big fan of Dove campaigns. Their past campaigns always stuck with me and I love what they are doing now to promote girls’ self-esteem. The Dove Self Esteem Fund has researched what has the greatest impact on girls’ self esteem and found it to be the real women who are positive role models in their lives. This contest is a great way to celebrate moms who are doing this everyday.

 

Ever since I signed on to do this blog post I’ve been struggling with who to nominate. My mom was one of those fantastic women who lived her life just as she wished and could genuinely say she had no regrets when her time came to an end far too early. I’ve been trying to live my life according to a philosophy of making my dreams happen, one day at a time. And so I spent a great deal of time trying to discern what other moms I know who live according to similar philosophies.

 

I recently wrote about another mom award and how I really wished that the finalists would include moms who have faced everyday motherhood challenges, have shown their way of finding their happy place, inclusive of all the challenges, accepting that there is no true balance, but that if we can live with the happy chaos and be our own bliss, without attempting to be supermom.

Naomi MacKinnon is a very dear friend of mine, although I must admit to being guilty of not staying closely enough connected over the years. Naomi had the same relaxed approach to childbirth and impending parenthood as myself and another dear friend of ours who were all expecting at the same time. She makes being a mom look easy, is focused on her children and her role as a mom.

 

Since her children were born, Naomi has made raising her fantastic kids her life’s work. She has shown them and other girls and women in her life that whatever works for your own family is the best choice for you. And when it comes to girls that can mean studying Marine Biology at university, becoming an early childhood educator, and then eventually choosing to become a stay-at-home mom.

 

I struggle to remain focused the way Naomi seems to. Her kids always seem to be at the forefront of her mind and activities for the day, whether she’s playing games with them, baking for/with them, or vacationing on annual camping vacations with family and extended family.

 

She has three beautiful children, two girls and one boy. One of the things that has always stood out to me was how fantastic Na was at displacing that gender role stereotype. All of her children played together at Barbies, outdoor skipping games in the campground, etc.

 

 

Visit http://www.celebratemom.ca by September 4th to nominate a mom who’s an inspiring role model to women and girls in the Dove® Celebrate Mom Contest. Four inspiring women will win $2,500 for herself and $2,500 to be donated to the charity of her choice. And check out more stories on YummyMummyClub.ca about amazing role model moms:

http://www.yummymummyclub.ca/family/mummy/celebrate-a-mom-in-your-life

 

 

 

Drop me a note in the comments below, or connect with me on Twitter @ceilidhontherun, email me at trish at ceilidhontherun dot com, or use my contact form!

I invite you to subscribe to my blog using one of the options available on my page (email, rss, Google Connect, like my page on Facebook, etc.)

If you enjoyed this post, please do like/share it. You can do so using the easy share button below!

 

 

Filed Under: General, Parenting, Sponsored, West Nova Family Tagged With: , , , , ,

Experience PEI

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Did you know there are more than 30 golf courses on Prince Edward Island? If I were a golfer, or at least had a golfer in my life, this would probably really excite me. 🙂

An invitation to experience Prince Edward Island ~The Gentle Island~ on the Halifax waterfront turned an unsuspecting evening into one of the most fun experiences I’ve had in my favourite/home city. And now I have locked in PEI as one of my family vacation destinations for the near future.

Being from Nova Scotia, it’s not the authentic island experience that attracts me so much, or even the coastal drives (I’d actually really like to cycle the Island coastline one day), but the rich farmland of the Million-Acre-Farm right next to the coast and of course the theatrical experiences of Anne of Green Gables to share with my 9 & 11 year old girls.

Recently I’m spending most evenings on my own I decided to take a chance and invite a new friend I’d only just met to join me. Lucky thing I seem to find like-minded adventure seekers to share my time with!

 

We arrived as Chef Corbin Tomaszeski of the Food Network‘s “Dinner Party Wars”, “Restaurant Makeover” and “Crash My Kitchen” was introduced and he explained how we were going to have an interactive food experience cooking with a team rather than sit and listening to him as he demonstrated “How boring would that be?” But just to make things interesting, he insisted we switch partners with someone else in the room since we could/did cook with our guests all the time! I looked at my guest, we gave a little chuckle. So much for talking over our food and getting to know each other better! Chef Corbin is very entertaining. We had a lot of laughs as he described such things as his nocturnal racoon-like wife who is expecting twins in just two weeks, and “hiding” his mom’s rice under the rim of his plate as a child. He had us prepare and taste 3 different dishes that each included lobster and fresh vegetables that will be plentiful during PEI’s Fall Flavours festival, which Chef Corbin will be a part of.

photo provided by Tourism PEI

After the food demonstration and tasting ended, we moved outside to the Courtyard of the Lower Deck. I love the summer experience of Halifax waterfront, and it did not disappoint. The weather was perfect. There was more food and great musical entertainment from PEI. 2011 ECMA winner Meaghan Blanchard started us off with her spectacular voice while we ate more tasty PEI treats and had a few drinks, then Paper Lions came on. Their music was a complete change from Meaghan’s and every bit as wonderful.

photos provided by Tourism PEI

 

photo provided by Tourism PEI

We mingled with the other guests had lots of great conversation, then left with a big gift basket filled with PEI delights! I’ve already devoured everything and didn’t even share. I guess I’ll have to restock when we visit.

 

I can’t wait to spend time getting to know the National Park of the Island, where the whole family will be able to enjoy the activities we love like cycling & running, hiking and swimming! There’s even a 75km challenge we could participate in for the 75th anniversary, if we get there before October 2012!

 

Filed Under: General, Health & Fitness, Parenting, Sponsored, West Nova Family Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Can a 21st Century Mom find a Balance?

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A Mommy Connections Halifax guest post:

After meeting with Karine Ewert of Today’s Parent magazine, I got thinking about what it means to be a 21st century parent. Karine was in Halifax appearing on the CTV morning show talking about just that. How are the challenges of today unique from previous generations? How are they similar?

 

Karine pointed out a lot of things that are unique to today. Striving to achieve a balance, while trying to do it all and be good at everything, cannot possibly be manageable. There really is no perfect balance. We once fought for the right for women to enter the workplace, but I’m not sure it has been entirely to our benefit. There is a real struggle between the stay-at-home-mom and the working-outside-of-the-home mom to reconcile their choices often under societal pressure. For some the answer is to hire a nanny, for others, it’s child care centres, for others it’s working part-time or maybe even working from a home office and bringing in a child care provider part-time.

 

When I was at home with my children I often felt guilty for not being a strong feminist in the workplace, and when I was at work I often felt guilty for not putting my children/family first. We do this to one another. We hear it in the voices of those on the other side of the fence, judging us for making the choices we made. We need to cut ourselves a little slack. It is only possibly to achieve the balance we seek if we give ourselves a break. Let’s not strive to be all-things. Lets strive for the happy chaos, as Karine put it. The thing is – that which makes one mom happy is not going to be the same for every mom, and that is okay. It is as it should be.

 

I shared with Karine my desire for a Mom of the Year award to go to the everyday mom. A mom who is struggling but somehow finds their happy place by simply accepting things for what they are. She agreed that the best we can do as Moms is for us all to recognize that we are doing our best. To take joy in the everyday moments and to celebrate that we’re parents. Not all of us get to be. We have to remember that we’re all going to have bad days – some days are just easier than others.

 

There is still time to nominate the mom in your life for Mom of the Year. Deadline is July 8th though, so act fast!

 

There is also one day left to enter to win $50 or $25 in Walmart giftcards on my previous blog entry: Mom of the Year vs Supermom.

 

Drop me a note in the comments below, or connect with me on Twitter @ceilidhontherun, email me at trish at ceilidhontherun dot com, or use my contact form!

I invite you to subscribe to my blog using one of the options available on my page (email, rss, Google Connect, like my page on Facebook, etc.)

If you enjoyed this post, please do like/share it. You can do so using the easy share button below!

 

 

 

Filed Under: Childcare, Contests, General, Parenting, Sponsored, West Nova Family Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Mom of the Year vs Supermom?

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To understate things, I’m not particularly fond of the supermom myth. I don’t know many moms who are. Yet our society continues to perpetuate the idea that moms can and must do it all.

Women fought for the right to be in the workplace, yet didn’t relinquish any of the traditional roles moms have played in households very well. We have this idea that we must strive for everything. We must be successful career women. We must be dedicated self-sacrificing moms. We must be able to manage it all without complaint or even asking for help. Supermom is superhuman. She does not exist!

When I see a contest/award like the Mom of the Year, my immediate reaction is excitement that we are recognizing moms for all of the hard work they do in the toughest job on earth! Yet, my social conscience quickly jumps in with the BUT… but how does this award NOT perpetuate the supermom myth? How do you choose a mom of the year, without highlighting everything that a supermom is? If I had my way, I’d see the award go to an average mom who is struggling like the rest of us to make everything work, but has found a happiness in her role that has flown over to her family. I want a regular everyday mom to be made an example of to the rest of us. We all have our challenges and in each of our own situations, it is likely the toughest thing we’ve ever faced.

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Karine Ewert, Editor-in-Chief of Today’s Parent magazine, and one of the judges selecting the Mom of the Year. Our conversation could probably fill 20 posts, and there will be a couple of more to come, but I really wanted to learn how a woman who clearly gets that the supermom expectation is doing a huge disservice to moms is going to approach her role in selecting this award.

The first thing Karine told me was how she wished EVERY mom could get an award. All 13000+ nominations, all 9 million plus moms in Canada. This made me smile.

It was so refreshing to hear her speak of the challenges with making time for date night, struggling to get kids to bed (and stay in bed), getting to the office on time, managing the taxiing of the children day in and day out. If the Editor-in chief of a leading parenting magazine struggles with these things, then we all must. The key is that she has found her happy place. She emphasized that it really wasn’t about finding balance, but about being happy. Karine is a self-proclaimed work-aholic, because she loves her job, and would dedicate every moment that she had to it, if she could. Yet, she says the same about her time with her children.

We all have an inner battle going on about preserving our “self” while still being a selfless mom. The stories that have already been submitted in response to Wal-mart’s call out for nominations have been overwhelming. Taking the time to read just a few reminds you of how important the job of being Mom really is. And they reminded me of how moms often put everyone else first.

Even in discussing the wonderful philanthropic aspect of this award it came to the surface. Wal-mart is presenting the Mom of the Year with a $10,000 prize to spend as they see fit, as well as $100,000 to present to the charity of her choice! Each of the other seven top nominees will also receive $10,000 and an additional $10,000 to present to the charity of their choice! As soon as this was mentioned, I pointed out how the moms who are selected will likely feel better about being selected for such an honor knowing they can do something for others with it.

There is still time to nominate the mom in your life for Mom of the Year. Deadline is July 8th though, so act fast!

Wal-mart has generously provided giftcards for our readers to be entered to win too!

You can enter below for a prize of either $50 or $25 from Wal-mart Canada. Deadline to enter is July 7th!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Drop me a note in the comments below, or connect with me on Twitter @ceilidhontherun, email me at trish at ceilidhontherun dot com, or use my contact form!

I invite you to subscribe to my blog using one of the options available on my page (email, rss, Google Connect, like my page on Facebook, etc.)

If you enjoyed this post, please do like/share it. You can do so using the easy share button below!

 

Filed Under: Contests, General, Parenting, Sponsored, West Nova Family Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Reflections on motherhood

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Yesterday’s workshop at Chester Art Centre with Kate Inglis gave me lots of food for thought regarding self-portraiture as a means of meditating on particular emotions, and on photography & storytelling.

Here I am trying to capture my reflection on motherhood and what it means to me. I think I started getting the process of making a self-portrait, but am still really working on how to get to the depth of emotions.

Self-portrait

 

Raggedy Ann has been with me since birth, or at the very least my first few days of life. Looking at her stitched up neckline, her ratty clothing and her floppy arms reminds me of how much love my mother shared with me. Her expressions of love in the little things (and big things) she did for us, including rescuing my raggedy doll from a heartless purge attempt by someone after a move. 😉

Raggedy Ann

 

I have a small collection of things that remind me of mom & Nanny that I keep handy for when I need their comforting maternal love. Placed on a shelf next to my reading chair. Sometimes I need only glance in that direction, while others I cling to that little bear trying to breathe in the essence of those two amazing women.

Mothers breathe life into their children, mold them and guide them, nurturing their very being. Only mothers seem able to see right into the soul and really know who their children are. There is an ability from early on to distinguish bits of personality that may be nurtured but never stamped out. Through a mother’s love children become people in the wholest sense of the word.

Soul of a Child

 

 

Filed Under: Gratitude, Parenting, Photos, West Nova Family Tagged With: , ,

Mom in my memories

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Growing up, a forces’ kid, things never stayed the same for long. It was so for my parents too, each air force kids, and then mom becoming a mountie’s wife. Mom knew the life of change, and embraced the adventure we were on. We knew no other way, and thanks to mom, we accepted it as it was. Our constants in our lives, were our parents, and each other. My siblings and I, especially in our early years were close.


Every summer spent on the road, either traveling to a new home, or traveling for the joy of it. Living out of tents, campers, and trailers. We were each others’ closest companions for more of the time I can recall, than we were not. We helped each other make new friends everywhere we went. We were happy, friendly kids. We had the love of our parents and the confidence to do anything we set our minds to, thanks to mom and dad.

 

Mom’s role varied over the years from stay at home mom, to working mom, and back again, depending on where we lived and what the needs of us kids were. My sister and I never experienced daycare. We played with the neighborhood kids and went to mom and tot exercise classes together. Our first home was a country bungalow in rural Nova Scotia. Where our closest friends were our immediate neighbors, who have been like family ever since, even with all of the miles that were placed between us for most of our succeeding years. Mom kept a constant contact with those who were dearest to her.

 

My Nanny and Grampy, my auntie, my uncles and aunt, friends who we came to know as extended family. She wrote newsy Christmas letters and made the most of every phone call. I have vivid recollection of mom’s voice chatting animatedly and her laughter filling the room. Our travels always took us to the home of some special friends/family, and often included lasting friends joining us at campgrounds. Mom treated their friends’ children like her own, and their friends did the same with us.

 

Mom always belonged to a crafters’ guild of some sort, from Stitch n Bitch, to co-op craft store and art association. I always think of mom with handwork on the go. Her mediums varied like the places we called home. Needlepoint and machine sewing, painting and dried flower arrangements. When I think of mom, I think of beautiful craftsmanship and her appreciation of the life surrounding her. Mom wanted to share her skills with us, yet didn’t recognize herself as an artist until her later years.

 

Mom volunteered at school activities and became a leader at brownies and guides. When we started home economics studies in school, I already knew all of the basic sewing and cooking skills. I was encouraged to follow my heart in so many directions with gymnastics and skating and reading and writing. I went on long hiking camp-outs that most other parents wouldn’t have considered their children ready for. Mom gave me a long lead to explore my interests and learn new things, while still keeping me well within her watchful eye. She fostered independence and responsibility in me.

 

When I look at the photos I made of mom’s creations and her joys, I am struck by her appreciation for life’s beauty. When I walk into hers and dad’s home I feel embraced by her, even in her absence. The objects and creations that I photographed all come from that place. They are all things that I wanted to capture for the rest of my days in memory of mom. As a reminder of the love she showered us all with.


 

Filed Under: General, Gratitude, Parenting, West Nova Family Tagged With: ,

Win a Mommy Connections Halifax class and Bonus CM Scrapbooking prize pack!

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Mommy Connections HalifaxHelp spread the word to moms & moms to be and win a free class ($80 value) for yourself or a give it as a gift! *Class Gift Certificate is eligible for Mommy Connections Halifax locations only.*

As a bonus, when @MommyConnectHal reaches 300 followers and our Facebook page reaches 300 likes a prize pack of photo memory keeping supplies by Creative Memories valued at more than $100 will be thrown in.

Mommy Connections Halifax introduces you to programs and services available within your community. Our classes provide a unique learning opportunity as well as a fun way to bond with your child and other moms in a social environment.

Each week’s class features a discussion lead by a local expert followed by social time for mom and baby. This allows for a unique bonding opportunity with your little one while still fulfilling your need to obtain information and be social with other moms experiencing the same challenges, fears and excitement.

We provide educational and social connections for the modern family before baby and beyond!

There are weekly door prizes and each registrant receives a free swag bag full of samples and discounts from local businesses.

For more information contact Trish at trish@mommyconnections.ca

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Contests, General, Parenting, Scrapbooking, Sponsored, West Nova Family Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Overcoming the isolation of parenthood

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Mommy Connections Halifax

Since recently losing my mom to cancer, the isolation that can accompany being a mom is all the more poignant to me.

 

I may not be a new mom in the general sense anymore, but I am new to being a mom of a tween, and will be new to parenting a teen, maybe a university student, or a bride, etc. And I remember all too clearly the feeling of isolation of being a new mom.

 

Like many new moms today, I didn’t live near my mom or mother-in-law. Sure I could pick up the phone and call my mom when I needed support, but it wasn’t the same as being able to sit down over tea, with her in the room seeing the joy, the frustration, the desperation, the inexplicably devote love, or outright helplessness on my face. As moms we try to be all. We expect to be able to inherently know what needs to be done. When those first few challenges come along, we feel like failures when we can’t just figure it out. It can be a truly isolating experience, whether it be facing struggles with nursing, sleep issues or perhaps with colic.

 

The challenges often leave moms feeling like failures who just can’t do our jobs. My daughter and I had a great breastfeeding relationship from minute one, then suddenly after several weeks she was crying hysterically every time she started to nurse. For days I was so frustrated and upset trying to figure out what was going on. I’d cry while I attempted to nurse my baby who’d until then been so easy and happy. Then after a bit of research figured out that my milk supply was very plentiful and would let down fast and furious as soon as she latched on. It would flood her and she’d choke trying to keep up. I learned a tip that if I manually expressed a little before sitting down with her, the “pressure” seemed to ease off and a steadier slower flow of milk allowed her to keep up. We found our balance and everything settled down, however not without a great deal of beating myself up over it and feeling very alone through the process.

 

I am a well-connected mom when it comes to family supports and services. I have worked in the field and know where to look. Yet, I found it challenging. I know there are other moms out there who struggle as I did, or more so.

 

I want to use my own experiences and education/background to help other moms feel less isolated. I spent a lot of time researching programs and options to start my own business and/or resource connecting moms to one another and the resources and supports that families want/need. I recently decided to start my own chapter of Mommy Connections here in Halifax/Dartmouth. As I spend time getting to know potential partners in the community I am more and more excited about the potential to meet my greatest passion of connecting moms and helping families to become better informed and empowered to get their needs met.

 

What could be better than joining a group of moms who are learning about and engaging in what our community has to offer, before we actually need it? Imagine becoming well-acquainted with moms in our own neighborhood(s) who are experiencing many of the same feelings of joy, excitement and frustration! And imagine knowing exactly where to find that shop that carries those fantastic natural/safe bottles or diapers; or new mom’s yoga class; etc.?!

 

If you are or know of a new mom or mom-to-be in Halifax/Dartmouth area; or if you are or know of a business interested in connecting with moms please follow/share http://www.mommyconnections.ca/halifax to connect!

Mommy Connections

Filed Under: Advocacy, Parenting, Sponsored, West Nova Family Tagged With: , , , , ,
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