My Little Man is 4!

It is so hard to believe everything that has happened over the past four years. How my life changed in every way with the arrival of Ewan Xavier Braveheart Wyllie (yes, that is his full name for real - you can thank Alan for that!) and the speed at which this tiny little person grew and changed to become the little man he is today. Ewan is an outgoing, loud, energetic little boy who loves to make everyone laugh and has the most wonderful imagination and desire to learn about everything. Ewan's smile is contagious and his sweetness makes me melt, all the while his stubbornness and persistence can push my patience further than 24 children all together at nursery school! I am so proud of the person he is becoming and I am so excited to see his personality continue to unfold.

Birthday's are a big deal at our home. We began the day by waking up to Ewan opening a small gift and then a birthday breakfast where he found the whole downstairs fully decorated with balloons, streamers, and banners. We then went to Nursery School and had a little celebration with cupcakes. Afterwards we headed back home for nap time and then opening the big gift - this year was a pedal bike. Ewan LOVED his bike and thanks to the balance bike he has been riding for two years, he picked up riding the pedal bike within two days! We then ended the day with a birthday dinner - his choice was roasted ham, pancakes and raspberries - yum! (It actually was a delicious combination!)

The next day Ewan had his party (friends in the morning and family in the afternoon). We usually take party planning and entertaining to a whole new level - we can't help it,  it is one of our passions - we did use that passion to create a business that hosts and celebrates over 1000 birthday's a year! Unlike what you may think, Ewan has never had a party at A Gym Tale - we figure since he already spends 4 days a week there that he deserves a break. Ewan wanted a dinosaur theme - so the decorating included a dinosaur foot print path up to the house with dinosaur crossing signs along the way, dino balloons, banners and streamers, and themed snacks (dino claws (bugles) and dino bones (pretzels). We had his friends over to see some crocodiles and tortoises (closest we could get to real dino's) followed by pizza lunch, a brachiosaurus cake once again made by the wonderful Piece of Cake Ottawa. 

Afterwards Ewan gave out his 'loot bags' - thank you so much for all of your wonderful ideas on Facebook. I finally decided on making dinosaur tails for each of the kids - I fell in love with the idea on Pinterest - and just had to do them - all 20 of them!!! I more or less didn't sleep for 10 days before the party trying to get them done - this was not my best decision - Alan was thankful that he was in Houston for those 10 days! But I absolutely love how they turned out and I loved seeing all the little dino's running around!

Yes Isla insists on wearing her tail forward facing;)

It really was two wonderful days of celebration conveniently followed by Mother's Day, which left me spoiled and pampered!

What special birthday traditions do you do with your family?

Chasing the ever-elusive goal of balance

Once again I have not written in some time. And this time it is not because of a teething baby (thankfully!) Although, maybe this is worse because I am the cause of my own lack of free time. Sometimes, all of a sudden, I have a thousand great ideas come to me - and then I decide to do them all. Which obviously does not leave much time for anything.

Take my house for example, dishes have not been done in so long that we no longer have any utensils. At first it was just no spoons, which we just used forks instead - it makes eating cereal in the morning more of a game with the kids. But then we had no spoons either. No problem, we just drank our soup out of mugs. And then had to use the same mugs for milk, because, well there were no other cups left either. I may have to do the mountains of dishes tonight if we are to consume anything at all tomorrow.

After the mountains of dishes, I must face the piles of laundry. We are at the point where no one has any clean underwear tomorrow - that is the last straw and means laundry must be done. It is actually amazing how long we have lasted. Alan wouldn't dare ask about any dress shirts for work, he just quietly moved into his summer wardrobe - and look at today's weather, it is perfect timing! Ewan wondered why he no longer had any pyjama's but then quite enjoyed wearing summer t-shirts and shorts instead - he said he would dream about the beach. On Saturday, I even had to resort to wearing my ugly lulu lemon pants to work - the ones that should have been tossed because they have been worn almost weekly for 7 years, but I just cannot bring myself to toss lulu lemon pants - and thank goodness, because yesterday I had no other options. So, laundry is next on my to-do list.

Now, you might ask where Alan is during all of this - don't worry he has been kept busy with the never-ending spring yard maintenance checklist. With the added pressure that he is travelling for a week and only gets back the day before Ewan's birthday party - which, hopefully will be held outside (there is no way I can let anyone in with the condition of my house right now!) so everything outside is a priority.

What I have I been doing?

Well, one of my grand ideas was to start all of my garden veggies from seed. I thought it would be a great learning experience for Ewan and we would get a longer growing season. I definitely forgot how much time and space this project takes. I have now turned my bathroom into a greenhouse.

My second plan was to make a lot of Isla's summer clothes as well as a beautiful picnic blanket that I found on pinterest - I must never go back on pinterest! I then made the mistake of going to Fabricland and going on a shopping spree. So all of these wonderful projects are sprawled out over my basement.






I also asked on Facebook for some ideas for Ewan's loot bags for his dinosaur themed party. I was given some really great ideas. But then I found the most amazing idea of all! If I can pull it off, which may require me not to sleep for the next 10 days, it will be the perfect addition to the party! It is top secret right now, I will post pictures later if it all works out.

Lastly, I decided to start running and train for some races. I ran my first 5km today and although it was tougher than I thought it would be, what an incredible feeling to cross the finish line! Even better was having my family there to cheer me on as I came around the last bend. Ewan was so proud of me! I plan to continue my training with 3 runs a week, including the one at A Gym Tale on Tuesday's at 1:15 - which was also wonderful to run with so many amazing women this week.

To add to all of these projects, I have to update my First Aid and CPR training. Although very important, the thought of spending the next 3 nights from 6-10pm doing this course is really not appealing at all.

So, after all of this wraps up, I will blog again - in about 2 weeks or so! I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather, that is hopefully here to stay.

Ewan and Isla loving the backyard play time!

Making time to care for yourself - join us for a run!

I had mentioned several weeks ago in a post that I had begun working out as part of a new year's resolution with the hope of beginning to run again. Since that time I have in fact continued my training twice a week with the TRX (did I mention that I really love using this to work out with - it makes for such a smooth, fast, full body workout that you can take anywhere!) as well as running again.

I had forgotten how much I really enjoyed running and the energy it leaves me with for the rest of the day. My goal is to work up to a 10km and so I have signed up for several races to keep me motivated over the next 6 months. I am presently registered for the Manotick 5km run in a few weeks, the Spartan race in June, and a 10km run in the Fall - there are actually races almost every weekend - it kind of gets addictive! As you can see once again, I have trouble doing anything in moderation and I tend go to the extremes with new interests -  I actually almost signed myself up for a triathlon! But balance - I am trying to keep a sense of balance without letting any one thing take over all of my time.

With my new found motivation to run I have also been chatting with Katie from Fit Mom in Barrhaven and we are throwing around the idea of a free 5km group run on Tuesday afternoons beginning at 1:15pm - yes, I said FREE. You will also have the option to drop off your child (3 years and up) at A Gym Tale while you go for your run - if there are younger children you are more than welcome to use a jogging stroller and bring them along - there is nothing better than living an active lifestyle in front of your children. The Drop Off Play will be $8 per child and they will have the opportunity to be active themselves on the Castle and Pirate ship while you go for your run.

The tentative start date would be Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013. The run would begin at 1:15 and the Drop Off program would open at 1pm if you are in need of care during the run. We are proposing a 5km route and experienced runners or new runners are more than welcome to join us. Katie is a wealth of running and fitness knowledge and will work specifically with the new runners -  no one will be left to run on their own. My hope is that being around other runners will inspire and motivate more parents to continue leading an active lifestyle or to encourage people to try running as a new form of exercise and to show their children how they are leading active lifestyles themselves. I am also really looking forward to getting out and meeting some new running friends!

If you think this may be of interest to you or someone you know please comment or send me an email - this is a free community event that Katie and I are looking to host so we are trying to get a sense if the interest and timing is right before we finalize the plans.

Spring is in the air - kind of... Camp Registration!

Spring is here (except for the blizzard outside) and there is plenty going on at A Gym Tale! I just haven't had the energy to write about it all! Poor Isla is getting her molars in and is sleeping for only 1-2 hours at a time - the joys of a teething baby!

We had a very successful March Break camp week! We filled every space available and had absolutely wonderful groups of kids all very excited and eager to participate in the games, gymnastics obstacle courses, art, special visits and of course the pirate ship & castle. It was a week to remember for all of us.

Registration for the summer camp program has just begun and we have so many events planned! It will be full of even more special visits - superheroes, princesses, crocodiles, snakes and more. We will also be venturing outdoors on Tuesday's for water balloon fun and parachute play and exploring for nature elements for art activities. Each week will feature a new theme from Jungle to Dinosaurs, Princess & knights, superheroes, pirates, sports and pop stars!

If you are in need of child care for the summer - look no further, we will keep the kids active and engaged in a variety of imaginative and creative activities. And the childcare discounts are the best across Ottawa! This year A Gym Tale is also offering pre care from 7:30-9am and post care from 4-5:30pm.

If you are home with the kids, but looking for a few special days out  - A Gym Tale offers single day options for both half and full days. So you can make the camp program fit your schedule without saying goodbye to the kids for a full week at a time. You can spread the fun out all summer long.

Registration time is underway for just about all programs running at A Gym Tale. If you are looking to keep the youngest of guests busy (children 3 months - 3 years), the Spring session of the Gym & Music programs will begin on Tuesday, April 2nd and there are still spaces available in each of the classes. These classes are a wonderful way to spend some time with your little one and let them explore their physical capabilities with jumping, climbing, tumbling with ever changing obstacles, themed songs, parachute play and always ending with bubbles!

Nursery School registration for September has also begun and the mornings are quickly filling. There are 5 spaces remaining in the morning program and afternoon spaces are still available.

For students attending Jean Robert Gauthier, Mary Honeywell, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and Michaelle Jean - there are still 3 spaces remaining in next year's Before and After School program running from 7:30-5:45pm.

We are looking forward to seeing returning guests and meeting many more new families! Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or to book a tour of A Gym Tale!

Making and keeping resolutions

Once again this year, I put being active and getting fit as one of my top resolutions in making the time to take care of myself.  Yes, I know, I have been told by many that I am in shape, however, for me  getting fit is really more about a state of mind and how my body feels. For the past few years I have really felt like I am always one step behind and oh, so tired all of the time. I have also relied heavily on chocolate and caffeine to get me through my days. I am well aware that it is a vicious cycle of not having enough energy to work out and then continuing to feel lethargic because I am not working out.

So this year I decided to take action and make some real changes. To begin, I started making going to sleep at a decent time a priority and getting at least 7 hours sleep - which is a dramatic improvement from about 5 hours sleep. I also booked a personal trainer for several sessions to give me the motivation needed to get myself out of bed in the morning. It is too easy to fall into the trap of saying that I will work out later or that I should sleep that extra hour since Isla woke up during the night. I never end up working out later - at this time in my life there is never time during the day with the kids and I am exhausted by the end of the day and the gym is the last place that I want to be. And, truthfully, when I work out in the morning it gives me more of an energy boost than the extra hour of sleep or any caffeine or sugar rush would ever provide. And that is the push that I needed.

I now remember how amazing, healthy and self confident that I feel after a work out and I carry it with me throughout the day. I am more conscious of the food I am choosing to eat - fruit and veggies become much more appealing as opposed to craving muffins and chocolate (which don't get me wrong are still very appealing, but I feel better about eating those types of food since I have also had fruit or veggies along with them). I am also making an effort to be more active with my family - like choosing to go skating or get outside to build a snowman - things that before were just too much effort! I also like the example it sets for my children. It is very important to me that my children grow up to lead healthy, active lifestyles and the only way that will become engrained within them is to live it as they are growing up.

The personal trainer that I have to thank for providing the push that I needed is Katie Squires from Fit Mom in Barrhaven. Katie has an amazingly inspiring story of how she came to reach her present fitness goals. She is a certified trainer and runs multiple marathons a year - so a great resource if you are interested in training to run. I consider myself fairly knowledgeable when it comes to fitness training and I was really only looking for someone to get me out of bed, but Katie has done so much more. She has introduced me to new training tools to achieve the goals that I had - I now love the TRX and I am inspired to begin running again. She is so fun to train with and one hour feels like minutes. I now have a whole new training routine and so many new exercises to push myself to a whole new fitness level.

In order to try and keep up these changes I have tried to remain realistic. My goal is to train two days a week. Right now that is all the time that I am able to commit without feeling overwhelmed. So far, I have also been able to fit in a run once a week without feeling the stress of not enough time.

With spring feeling like it is around the corner, I am excited to get outside soon and begin running again. I have joined a team and I am now registered to take part in the Spartan run. I have never done a run before, so this is a little out of my comfort zone, but I think it will help keep me motivated and I am excited to try something new.

What inspires you to remain active? Or what fitness goals do have for this year?

Amazing kids clothes & a Drop In Play Fundraiser!

I do not often promote products unless I truly love them, and I have to say that I am very impressed with the Peekaboo Beans clothing line for children 6m-14yrs and the fact that the sales of the clothing (from this particular stylist) will in turn help raise funds for the Red Balloon Project is another added bonus.

A mom who has been a long time guest at A Gym Tale, one of the 'originals' from the old Gym Tale actually, brought both the Peek A Boo beans clothing line as well as her photo project to update the CHEO cardiology waiting room to my attention in January. After trying a few pieces with Ewan and Isla, we all fell in love with the line!

If you are a fan of Lulu Lemon clothing; it is no secret that the majority of my wardrobe is lulu wear, than you will absolutely love the Peekaboo Beans clothing for kids. It has many of the same qualities that make the lulu clothes so popular - style, comfort, easy to move and play in, amazing quality and thumb holes - really which kid wouldn't love thumb holes! The company promotes the benefits of play and imagination for children and creates quality clothing that kids can really move in and that will withstand even the hardest play. An added bonus is the ease with which kids can dress themselves. Without needing to worry about buttons or snaps and easy to pull on pants, they are ideal clothing pieces for preschoolers and children going to kindergarten. Likewise, children with sensory issues will love that the clothes have no tags and the fabric is super soft - even the pickiest kids will love them. 

A Gym Tale is proud to be hosting an evening of 1/2 price Drop In Play on Thursday, March 7th from 6 - 7:30pm, where the proceeds of the Drop In Play will go towards the Red Balloon Project AND you will have the opportunity to shop the new Spring / Summer line of the Peekaboo Beans collection while the kids play! Again, even if you are not interested in shopping, the Drop In play proceeds will still be going towards a great project. 

I absolutely love this photo of Ewan, thank you Elizabeth Fulton Photography!

Happy Valentine's Day!

It has once again been a little while since I have written - even though there are so many things that I have been hoping to write about. I guess a teething baby can really consume a lot of time and limit what can be done while in your arms!

We have also been spending quite a bit of time preparing for Valentine's Day. Now that Ewan is really starting to anticipate events and holidays I try to work in more themed activities around the house leading up to the day. Many of the ideas are very simple and easy to work into even busy schedules. I am still very much trying to work in more memorable moments in our family life to add special little memories, not just rely on big events.

Some of the Valentines Day related activities included making some pink, peppermint scented, sparkly play dough. Play dough is always a huge hit with Ewan and all of the nursery school children as well. I have been loving adding pipe cleaners as well as baking tools when the play dough is out - the children really get into making more sculptures instead of just breaking the dough into a million little pieces! The peppermint scent and colour also helps to create an activity that incorporates all of the senses. My favourite recipe uses 2 cups of flour, 1 cup salt, 2 tbsp of oil, 4 tsp of cream of tartar, and 2 cups of water; mix over medium heat until it sticks together and then knead (that is also when I add the scent and sparkles).

Together Ewan and I also made Valentine's to give out to all of his friends at school. We came up with a few ideas, but our favourite was making crayons. These turned out really well and were very simple to make. A Gym Tale has an abundance of broken crayons so we capitalized on that and peeled them and continued to break them into little pieces. We then sorted them by colours and then put them into heart shaped moulds and baked them at 275 for 15 minutes and then let cool. Ewan and Isla have both been having a great time colouring with their set of hearts.

We have also been reading books about friends and Valentine's Day - curious George is once again the favourite book, but Love You Forever was also a close second.

Tomorrow morning we will be celebrating Valentine's Day with a pancake breakfast, red streamers decorating the kitchen and a little gift. I have tried to stay away from chocolate and candy treats, so instead I bought them each a new book. Isla has a rhyme book and Ewan the new Oliver Jeffers book - This Moose Belongs to Me. If you have not read any books by Oliver Jeffers, they really are fantastic books for preschoolers - Ewan loves his stories, the characters and pictures. 

If Alan and I are lucky we will get the kids to bed early and enjoy dinner for the two of us and a glass of wine.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day!