Family Vacation:)

I am so happy that we were able to take a family vacation just after Ewan's birthday. Although Alan and I have both been off work more this year with the arrival of Isla, it was a much needed getaway! We decided to make this vacation all about Ewan since he has had to adjust to so much with the his baby sister. And so without a doubt, meeting Mickey Mouse would most certainly make his dreams come true! We left for Florida just after Mother's Day and spent a fantastic week just steps from the Magic Kingdom where we could see Mickey each and every day.


Although the trip was a lot of fun and it was incredible seeing Ewan's face when he met Mickey and all of the other characters, it was also a very exhausting trip. In fact, it took all of last week for all of us to recover! Three years old was a magical time for Ewan to meet his beloved Mickey, but it was also very overwhelming for him. And the tantrums he had were bigger than anything I've seen! We learned very quickly to shorten our trips to the theme parks and to spend either the morning or the afternoon relaxing by the pool and splash pad.

By far the best part of the trip was that we had planned a character meal each day - so one of our meals would be hosted by a group of characters which meant we could sit and eat while the character went from table to table to meet the kids and take pictures with them. So much better than waiting in line to meet them! Besides meeting the characters, Ewan also loved seeing the Mickey Mouse clubhouse show live at Hollywood Studio's as well as the Lion King theatre show at Animal Kingdom.

And how did we manage with an infant - just fine! Isla was quite comfortable in her sling or stroller and woke and napped as she pleased. It was an ideal time to go before she starts wanting to be put down and move around on her own. And Disney caters to all ages, so she was welcome on any of the rides that Ewan was able to enjoy.

It was really a great trip and we made so many wonderful memories. Here are a few of my favourites:)

Happy 3rd Birthday Ewan

A letter to my Ewan,

Happy 3rd Birthday Ewan! You are a smart, well spoken little guy with quite the sense of humour. You love being the centre of attention -whether you are dancing, singing or playing an instrument or simply telling a story. You exude confidence and sadly, for me anyway, have no problems leaving your mommy as you participate in your independent activities, such as gymnastics and swimming. You have an incredible memory and you love 'reading' stories to everyone. You are very big into music as well as letters and rhyming words. You also love your electronics and have begun a new passion for photography. Your favourite way to pass the time is definitely outside with your dog - exploring the yard, working in your garden and collecting rocks - and chasing the dog with your lawn mower. Your second favourite activity is playing chase with your friends, you absolutely love playing with friends. You are still such a cuddly boy and we still snuggle in bed as you fall asleep each night. You can never give enough kisses to everyone and will always fill the silence with an I Love You to bits and bites and pieces.

It has been such an incredible year with many changes and you have taken them all in stride. The biggest change being that you have become a big brother and you love this role so much. You are so kind and gentle (most of the time) and simply love watching your sister and teaching her things. She has an amazing smile that I am sure she got from you.

We love you so much and are so proud of the little boy that you are growing into. We cannot wait to see what this year hold's for you and to see your personality continue to unfold and grow.

Back at work with my baby!

I have now been back at work for 3 weeks running the Play & Music classes. It has been really wonderful getting to see everyone again - children, parents and the staff at A Gym Tale, while still being home with Ewan 3 days a week. It has been a really nice transition back to work and I am still feeling rested and energetic.
 Although Isla was just over two months old when I came back, which is still very young, it is really nice to be working part time as opposed to jumping right into full time work like I did with Ewan when he was 4 months old. Isla is with me each day at the classes in a sling and I feel like it has been working really well. Yes, we have had a few rough classes where Isla has not been happy, but overall I feel like I am able to still offer a quality program for parents and their children. And there is absolutely nothing better than being able to bring your children to work with you. That is the number one perk of owning my own child friendly business. It really would be wonderful if more work places could be accommodating to children or even offer child care at the work place. Don't get me wrong, some days I would love just one child free hour at work where I could be super productive, but for the most part it is a blessing to have them with me at A Gym Tale.

 I also have to give a huge THANK YOU to so many parents and grand parents who have offered to hold Isla when it is obvious that she does not want to be in the sling. YOU have saved me in those moments! Just when my stress levels are beginning to sky rocket because my 3 month old baby just doesn't understand that there is only 5 minutes left in a class, lol, one of you have stepped in and cuddled her while I finish the class. Maybe I should start advertising free drop-in play time for anyone who wants to cuddle my baby! Let me know if you are up for the job!

Isla is now 3 months old! I cannot believe how much faster time seems to be flying by with my second baby! I am trying to soak up every moment of it! Here is an updated picture of Isla -

And one of Ewan playing in the late April snowstorm?!

I hope everyone enjoys some snow fun today!

Good things happening at A Gym Tale!

So I have written about it on Facebook, but I can't stop going on about the new front entrance at A Gym Tale! It is just so wonderful! And so spacious with so much space to sit down - and not just on child sized benches - adults can sit now too!
Alan came up with a fantastic layout, that really does not take up much more space at the centre. I think it will be beneficial to everyone to sacrifice some space from the eating area to the front area (and yes, I realize an ideal solution would have been to rent a bigger space from the outset, however rent is so ridiculously high in Barrhaven that we really had to work within the constraints of 4000 sq/ft). Alan and the contractor did such amazing work and did it all over the Easter weekend. A huge thank you to both of you!

Pick up and drop off times must be so much more relaxed and on weekends parties will be able to both arrive and leave without fighting over space. Guests should be entering A Gym Tale excited to be there as opposed to being frustrated over the lack of space. I kind of just want to sit in the front entrance and listen to everyone be amazed by the space or even just sit with them since there are so many benches!

Other exciting news is that A Gym Tale was listed in April's Today's Parent magazine as one of the best indoor playgrounds in all of Canada. It was such a surprise and honour to be recognized. Alan and I pride ourselves on creating a unique space and programs / birthday parties that focus entirely on fitness. With the Pirate Ship & Castle playground and the gymnastics area there is no room at all for any video games / arcade that is seen in the majority of indoor playgrounds. We are so excited to be mentioned in that category.



So stop by to see me at A Gym Tale on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday to say hello during Drop-In Play or anytime for a quick peek at the renovations!

On Turning 30

So today is my birthday and I am now 30 years old! I know many people are terrified to turn 30 (especially Alan - he turns 30 tomorrow, I know its weird that our birthdays are 1 day apart) but I am really excited about it. I feel like my 20's were a lot of hard work - a lot of fun along the way too - but I feel like I really worked non stop through university, post grad and opening up a business to get where I am today. Now to be fair I also got married, bought my first home and had 2 children - so there were many incredible milestones along the way - some of the best moments of my entire life I am sure. But I feel like at this moment I am comfortable and ready to enjoy my life and really begin living more in the moment. I am so happy with the family that Alan, Ewan, Isla and I have become and I love that our home really fits us and our needs. I also feel like I have the time and energy now to devote to friends and family as well as to my health. I am also relieved that I am not always two steps behind at A Gym Tale anymore and that I really enjoy going in to work. Alan and I have been able to bring on incredible staff that make it possible for us to enjoy being at A Gym Tale without feeling overwhelmed.

I am hopeful that the coming years will bring many great moments as well as challenges to continue to push myself. I am also thankful to my husband Alan, my family and my friends who have helped shape my life to what it is today as well as to the community who have helped to make A Gym Tale the great place it has become.

Spring!

Today is officially the first day of Spring and what a beautiful day it was! It has felt amazing to have such warm sunny days over the past week. I have a sense of relief that I actually made it through the winter that I haven't felt before - maybe it was being pregnant, the sleepless nights with a new born or just starting to go stir crazy spending so much time at home as opposed to going out to work every day - but it has felt like the longest winter ever.

The spring weather has brought with it long walks with the baby and dog while Alan chases Ewan on his bike, afternoons spent at the park, play dates, ice cream in the evenings and today even using the bbq for dinner! It is the most perfect way to spend the last week of Alan's leave from work and my second last week away from A Gym Tale. The spring has also brought about a new routine as I am gearing up to go back to work and with all of the spring session registrations to keep Ewan busy now that he does not spend 3 days a week at A Gym Tale! I am very excited to be coming back to A Gym Tale part time to run the spring Music & Gym classes. I cannot wait to meet so many new families and to catch up with families that have been doing the past several sessions of play classes. I am also very excited to get the chance to see Ewan participate in his own classes (ones that I am not running!). Since Ewan is turning 3 years old early May I have been able to enrol him in swimming and gymnastics classes that he will do on his own now. This feels like a major milestone to me - I am really going to miss doing the classes together  (although we do have a music class we will do together), but it is also so exciting to see my little boy growing up before my eyes. I do not think he will have any trouble going on his own - he is a pretty confident and outgoing little guy - but I am still so nervous for him! 

For anyone looking to add an activity to their Spring routine, I believe there are still a few spaces in the New Magic, Wee Wonders & Gym Stars programs. I will look forward to seeing everyone in a few weeks and I hope you are all getting a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather!

Creating a daily / weekly rhythm

Now that I am at home 7 days a week I am having a hard time creating a structure to our day and I am the type of person that does need structure to feel organized.


When I was working Ewan's schedule of where he goes was the same every week, but I think a lot for him to remember as no two days were ever the same. Our schedule before Isla's arrival: Monday's he comes to work with me from 8:30-11:30 and then my mom picks him up and takes him back to my home until I get there at 4pm. Tuesday's he is dropped off at my mother in law's and I pick him up at 1pm. Wednesday is again work with me and then picked up at 11:30 by my mother in law until I pick him up at 4pm. Thursday's my dad goes straight to my home, so they can have a morning together and I get home at 1pm. Friday's he is at work with me and we both leave at 11:30. Saturday's are gymnastics with dad until I finish work at 11am, and Sunday's we try to do nothing at all but spend a quiet day at home. It has been a busy schedule for him to keep track of! I am very lucky that I have so much family so involved and to be honest it also saves on having to make the time to visit everyone as they are all a part of my son's week. 


But now that I am home all day I do want to create a regular routine for us. The only structure currently set up for the week is that Ewan will still visit his Gran on Tuesday mornings when Alan goes to work, gymnastics on Wednesday mornings with dad and skating with his Grandpa on Thursday mornings. But quite often I find that we are struggling to even make it downstairs by 9am for breakfast - how I ever made it to work for 7:15am every morning I really don't know! I would like to have a regular flow to our days, but every day still seems to be all over the place. And is Ewan ever a handful when we do not have a plan for the day! Even when I am back to work part time in April, we will still have a lot of time together at home, so I am looking to find a routine that we can keep from now until September really.


So how do you structure your daily or weekly routines? Is each day more or less the same structure or do you just go with the flow? 

Isla already adores her big brother!