Who knew that on a little North Pacific Island, aviation thrives and pilots abound? My son Ford and I had the opportunity to spend a day on Texada Island while learning more about the Texada Aerospace Camp for kids. This intimate camp runs from July 12 to 15, and space is always at a premium. You can read about our full adventure on FestivalSeekers here >>
As a parent coach, I spend a lot of time with moms. More often than not, there is one common thread: She is overwhelmed, exhausted and feels locked into certain patterns with her kids.
Does this sound familiar to you?
It’s a very common story but it doesn’t have to be this way…
Have you ever had this interior monologue?
How can it be Sunday night already? Where did the weekend go? I’m so tired. I’ve got so much to do before I get to bed. Every Sunday night is the same and every Monday morning I feel like I’m starting off on the wrong foot.
The term ‘bedwetter’ is so awful. You just can’t possibly get a positive vibe as the recipient of this label. Some words come with so much baggage, and this particular one should be stricken from the dictionary. We’ll get Merriam-Webster right on that. In truth, nighttime wetting is a completely separate issue from potty training. While a parent can train their child out of diapers, nighttime wetting is something that can’t be trained and must be outgrown. It’s an inevitable and common part of growing up and we want all parents to feel at ease during this phase in their child’s life.
Father’s Day is a great reminder of how important our dads are. Even as adults, raising our own kids, they have a place in our lives and taking the time to nurture that bond is crucial as we and our dads age. It can be easy to rely on the relationships we have built over time and go into autopilot with making connections, but there is so much we can learn if we take the time to listen to the insights they’ve gained since we spent so much time sitting on their knees. Taking the time to get to know the man our dads have become is a great way to learn more about ourselves and our own futures. My husband is a great dad and my boys are so lucky to have him. Let’s face it, dads are special.
We’re finally getting some warm weather and the farmers market is stocked with beautiful local produce. It’s salad season is what I’m saying.
I like to make this salad the night before I plan on eating it (when the house is cool) so I don’t overheat the kitchen and so the flavours can really meld. It’s a big, hearty salad that can definitely pass as a meal.
I’ve had many amazing role models in my life, but as far as parenting goals, there’s one person whose experiences have shaped my #motherhoodgoals more than any other. Well before I planned my own family, a co-worker (who became one of my dearest friends) saw her child go into crisis. It had started innocently enough. She told me later that if she’d known the symptoms of a diabetic crisis, she would have worried more. But, as a pre-teen, it was easy to dismiss some of the symptoms as related to a growth spurt.
If a mom sneezes when her kids are too busy playing outside to hear her, does it make a sound? Spring and summer are great opportunities to get out and play with your kids. It’s no fun if sneezing leaves you on the sidelines. They only want to play with you for so long before we become “embarrassing” and “no fun ever.” Take advantage while you can. Make hay while the sun shines, so to speak 😉 Speaking of hay, how about that hay fever, eh?
As a little girl growing up in East Coast Halifax, I used to glorify the United States. Why couldn’t Canada have outlet malls and Dr. Pepper? It never seemed fair, and Americans openly expressed the notion that we lived in igloos. Many didn’t realize that we shared the longest unprotected border in the world. I couldn’t find many Canadians who ‘made it’ on Broadway or in Hollywood. Was there a future for the little girl who wanted to be a musical theatre actor more than anything? I was as embarrassed as I was insecure.
Born in Creston, BC, Pascale Hutton studied fine arts at the University of Alberta. A mother of two young boys, Hutton has a huge amount of passion for nature, and constantly models a love of nature for her two boys, ages 6 and 2. On today’s Facebook Live, I talked about the interview and how I plan to do small things to help the environment with my kids in order to get rid of the helpless feeling I have since the USA pulled out of the Paris Climate Accord. It seems that Pascale and I are on the same page!
Families can be complicated. We love them, but they can drive us crazy sometimes/often/always. It’s nice to take solace in a Netflix marathon of families that make your family look relatively normal in comparison to whatever drama you’re currently dealing with. These are some great options if you are trying to get over the family get together blues:
