at playcafé – Dartmouth | City Mom Now Halifax

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Halifax needs more of these great play cafés!

The at playcafé is a fantastic café for work at home parents who want to get out of the home office, and entertain the kids, while having an opportunity to get some work done. The open concept of the play area which includes baby, toddler, and preschool/school-age play areas, makes it easy to keep an eye out while taking advantage of the free Wifi and sipping on a hot beverage or grabbing lunch. The highlight for kids being the climbing gym designed specially by at playcafé.

 

To read more click here

Filed Under: General, Halifax, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Stripped Down Running – Andrea Nair | a book response

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Stripped Down Running, by Andrea Nair is a book that covers a pretty hefty topic, yet easy-to-read – I finished this novel in tears. Not one to cry often, especially at books or movies, that says a lot. This book really struck a chord with me.

 

Having a social work/services background, I enjoyed the realism portrayed in Hannah’s situation and appreciate Andrea’s efforts as a psychotherapist to illustrate the experiences of a childhood victim of sexual assault.

 

Hannah is a character that you can’t help but like, even through her worst. As she began her journey of healing, I found myself making comparative assessments of how I live my life. While our lived experiences were vastly different, much of the process engaged by Hannah is the same process we all must go through to become whole. We must identify and face our inner demons on our own. No one can tell us what they are or how to overcome them, only guide us through the process and provide a safe place to land.

 

My favourite line of the book is near the very end when Hannah tells her close friend about what she has been through (once she finally figured out what happened that had been buried deep within her psyche). Taja tells her: “…That’s all you have to do. Wake up, show up, breathe and just see what the wind blows in.”

 

Never have words struck me so poignantly. It’s that whole “Let go, and let God” or the power of putting out into the universe that which we wish, but then sitting back and taking time to BE. What is meant to come, will.

 

You can purchase Andrea’s book here:

 

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

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Filed Under: 50BookPledge, Books, Reviews, West Nova Family Tagged With: ,

Imagine Salon and Spa – Bedford | City Mom Now Halifax

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The holiday chaos is fast approaching and you’re looking for a place to get prepared and rejuvenated all at once. Picture yourself walking into a salon where you are welcomed with cheer and immediately offered a hot beverage or glass of water, while smiling staff take your coat. Moms who are looking for a family-friendly full-service salon need look no further than Imagine Salon & Spa. A family operated business, Ian Marc’s Imagine Salon & Spa is worth the trip, whether or not you live/work in Bedford.

 

 

To read more click here

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

Halifax Therapeutic Massage | City Mom Now Halifax

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Moms know all about the need to relax but pampering themselves is often the last thing on our minds. Often when someone hears the word “massage” they think luxury. And while massage can be luxurious and relaxing, it is also therapeutic.

Heather Fairclough at Halifax Therapeutic Massage located at Harvard Street Healing Arts Centre  – knows this well. She is a experienced Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) trained in many different skills including: TMJ Dysfunction, trigger points, swedish massage, myofascial release, neuromuscular technique, joint mobilization and certified Hot Stone Therapy among others.

 

To read more click here.

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

Cafe Brea Espresso Bar – Dartmouth | City Mom Now Halifax

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Run by owner/operator Melita Scott, Cafe Brea Espresso Bar is an Italian-inspired cafe on Portland St., Dartmouth. The cafe is a great lunch spot, serving up fantastic coffees, desserts (including Schoolhouse gluten-free options!), soups & sandwiches, and more. Walking into the cafe has an immediate welcoming feel as regulars are greeted as friends.

For more click here

Filed Under: General, Halifax, Reviews, West Nova Family

Great local daily buys in Halifax with Team Buy

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Who hasn’t heard of group purchasing power or daily deals?

 

My first exposure to group buying power started two years ago with the launch of the locally owned daily buy site Team Buy Halifax! Suzanne Robinson launched her business with a frenzy and hasn’t looked back.

 

This summer she celebrated her second anniversary in business with a big party at the Halifax Seaport rooftop that included many of her merchants and business partners. I was fortunate enough to be invited. Suzanne is very excited about the direction Team Buy is headed in Halifax, and it shows!

The energy of this fantastic event was infectious. Great music and caricatures for entertainment. Hart & Thistle did an incredible job, as always, on the food. Propeller sponsored the event and provided a selection of their locally brewed beers that I love. I especially liked the Honey Wheat Ale.

 

 

And Suzanne cut the cake with flare!

 

The variety of businesses represented at the party made it clear to me how hard Suzanne works at getting out there and making it known what she does. I have taken advantage of many great deals and have never been disappointed. 🙂

 

Suzanne talks about Team Buy with passion and energy. She’s excited about what’s coming and dedicated to keeping the local presence, and working with community members to promote local businesses. Team Buy is my first go to for fantastic deals in Halifax, have you given it a try yet?

 

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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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: , ,

The Great Ford Escape – Halifax Style

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Family travel, whether it be for vacation, everyday use or otherwise has a huge bearing on the type of vehicle one drives, especially IF driving something built for purpose use. I’m a big believer in living within your means, especially when it comes to environmental impact. My family has chosen to live in a relatively central urban location. There is some commuting time required, but we have worked to minimize the impact of that as much as possible. We live near a couple of bus routes. We are walking distance to a number of amenities, especially the ones we most often frequent. We drive a small, compact fuel efficient car. There are occasional times when it doesn’t quite meet our needs, a bike rack and a roof-rack will usually accommodate these. However, if we really need to we can rent something short term for specific use. It’s less costly and lowers our carbon footprint.

 

I recently traded in my three year old car for a Ford Focus hatchback. It’s a zippy little car with just the right amount of space for my family of three. Most families I know drive mini-vans and SUVs to truck their children, groceries and recreational equipment around.

 

Last week I got to spend some time getting up close to the 2013 Ford Escape.

 

Ford hosted an Escape for a day in Halifax. A number of bloggers, news and media writers were invited to spend a day driving and learning about the fun that is built into the Escape. I was partnered up with a car blogger, so we had rather unique perspectives on the vehicle. Kevin, CarDriven.ca had a real appreciation for the specs of the vehicle and shared some insights with me during the day. He was also a lot braver than I when it came to testing what the Escape could really handle on the driving course! 😉

The first thing I noticed as we cruised along the highway was just how much roomier the interior was than I expected. It really felt like we were in a big luxury suburban. Although I’m not sure how much of that is relativity – my Focus IS a little smaller. 😉 We got to test out all of the features that the Escape may come loaded with. Including opening up the massive moon roof. I think I got a little sunburned once we discovered that.

 

The Escape is really comfortable especially for longer road trips. Road noise was minimal and the handy navigator showed us where were at all times! Obviously these features aren’t just important to someone with children. A couple with a dog traveling across the country, or seniors making their annual trek to southern hospitality… It was an unusually warm July day in Halifax, so we tested out the very effective Air Conditioning – after just a few bungles we had cool dry air blowing and keeping us cool. The separate controls were a nice bonus given I liked the temp about 2 degrees cooler than Kevin did. We didn’t have to end the day frustrated with the complete stranger who became a friend during our Escape for the day. 🙂

 

Once we arrived at Peggy’s Cove we had an auto lift-gate challenge, where we all had to race to load a lobster pot into the back of the escape using the hands-free auto lift. Kevin & I came in second. As Kevin noted, the other team must have been on steroids.

After a tasty lunch of chowder from the Sou’Wester restaurant we headed back into the city to Exhibition Park. It was my turn to drive and I thought it would be nice to turn off the AC, open the sun(moon?)roof right up and roll down the windows since we had no highway driving ahead of us. As we got closer to the driving course at Exhibition Park I started feeling nervous. I am a big wimp when it comes to testing limits! They want me to put the pedal to the metal, then slam on the brakes? They want me to accelerate rapidly and swerve through pylons? Wha?!

 

First we got to test out the park assist feature – which I’d experienced once before, but not while I was behind the wheel. It is pretty cool to have the car park itself while controlling only the gas and brakes.

 

Then to prepare us for the driving course we had a wii Fit ski slalom challenge. Turns out I suck at this. Actually, I already knew that. 🙂

 

Kevin scared the crap out of me on the driving course, well not actually true – but it was fun to let him believe so. I suspect he was more scared when I got behind the wheel! 😉 However, he was kind enough not to get video evidence of my wimpy attempt on the slalom.

 

Once we completed the accident aversion simulation we headed back on the road to Cable Wharf, where the Mar was waiting to take us on a boating excursion in the harbour! It was a lovely day for a sail, though I was disappointed not to see the sails raised on our trip. 🙁 But who can complain really about being out on the water in the sun, with lots of tasty munchies?

Upon our return the day was completed with a meal at Murphy’s Restaurant. Scrumptious appetizers were ready for us, including scallops and mussels. We ordered refreshing drinks and many at the table experienced the treat of Atlantic lobster. I went for more scallops since I’d been treated to lots of lobster just days earlier at the PEI experience. 🙂

 

When I see a Ford Escape now, I will be reminded of fond memories of a fun day spent with great people!

 

I look forward to getting to know the Escape even better when I get to drive it for a week!

 

 

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.)

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

The Book Thief – To Be Read pile – 50BookPledge

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The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

Unfortunately this book came up at a time when I was stretched thin and unable to remain focused. This was a book club read, but I was unable to finish it in time for our monthly meeting, and I didn’t want spoilers as I was really enjoying this read. So I missed out on food, wine and chit chat for June.

 

It’s such a great read, which I picked up intending to read with my children soon. The appeal for me is in the portrayal of life during the Holocaust from a perspective rarely heard about. Not only do we learn more about what it was like to be someone sympathetic to the cause of Jewish people during this time, but we also learn about how words were used to tear people down.

 

It was uplifting still, to become engrossed in the family (and extended family) life of the characters. To see how, even what was not necessarily a conscious decision to stand up against the Nazis, was still a dangerous choice… to simply stand for belief in humanity. What a terrible lesson to learn early in life: that showing compassion and caring for those most unfortunate is punishable and will turn many friends against you.

 

Through Liesel and her friendships we get a grasp of life and its lessons. Liesel is a likable character who has had a lot of tough breaks, beginning with being placed in foster care after losing her brother to illness during the train journey to the foster parents’ home. She grows to love her foster father especially, who shows her that the true compassion he has for her extends throughout life even to the Jews who are targeted by the Nazis. Her best friend Rudy is full of mischief and keeps her grounded in what childhood they have. Her Jewish friend Max teaches Leisel an appreciation for life even in both of their difficult positions. I especially like the relationship formed with the mayor’s wife who in her strange way encouraged Liesel’s love of books.

 

 

 

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: 50BookPledge, Books, Reviews, TBR 2012, West Nova Family Tagged With: , , ,

Leaning into Sharp Points – 50BookPledge – Book 11

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Leaning into Sharp Points ~ Dr. Stan Goldberg

practical guidance and nurturing support for caregivers

This is a response that is long overdue. Not because I read the book long ago and didn’t write it, but because I received a complimentary copy from the author to read and review back in March. It’s not a difficult read from the standpoint of its writing, nor is it overly long, I simply had to put it down a couple of times because the topics being covered were more difficult for me to read than I’d anticipated at the time. From a grieving perspective, I simply wasn’t where I thought I was yet as I began reading.

 

I did not have an opportunity to research what it is to be a caregiver before my role as a participant in my mother’s care had come and gone. Her time requiring our care was ultimately short and left no time to consider what it might even mean for those us who cared for her.

 

Dr. Goldberg has a lot of experience in a multitude of ways with the topics of hospice and caregiving. He has written a book for caregivers that addressed the caregiver’s role and what they need to know from a personal perspective. It’s written such that as a caregiver of a loved one I can know what to expect and have some inkling of how I might handle specific situations as they arise. He approaches the topic with care and concern. His sensitivity for the intimacy of this relationship comes through clearly.

 

While I found the book especially relevant for those providing long term care of a terminally or chronically ill loved one, pieces of it were relevant even in the short caregiving relationship I had with my mom. What I found might be especially useful for caregivers is the practical information provided. Such as a short description of what active dieing looks like, or how to approach problems with memory or changes in personality, such that the impact on how we provide care to our loved ones can be as positive as possible.

 

I would happily recommend Leaning Into Sharp Points to anyone faced with the decision to care for their loved one. I hope it can bring the kind of guidance and support that Dr. Goldberg intends by it during one of the most challenging times that may ever be faced.


 

Filed Under: 50BookPledge, Books, Cancer, Reviews, West Nova Family Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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