While we may not travel the way we did while living abroad, I think we’ve been doing a pretty good job of going on little getaways since we returned home to Canada. We spent Christmas on Salt Spring Island, we’ve been to Victoria a few times, we visited the Sunshine Coast over spring break, we’ve made it up to Whistler, and most recently, we made it back to Harrison Hot Springs for a quick visit. Well, three out of the four of us did, at least. It was a bit of a strange couple of days with it being Father’s Day, Brad having to go up to the Okanagan to look at some houses {yes, we’re buying a house!!}, and having a trip to Harrison booked, but it worked out well and the kids and I had a lovely time {and even had a couple of surprise guests!}
Oh my goodness… Only two more days and it’s officially spring break! I’m not sure who’s more excited – Miss G or me. We’re going to work on getting some things done around the house, maybe go on some fun outings around the city, and best of all, get away just the four of us! Admittedly, getaways aren’t as elaborate as they once were {there’s no just looking at a map and picking a random nearby country to visit when you live in Canada}, but we’re finally getting a chance to better explore BC, and that’s a good thing too. Either way, my favourite part? Spending some time as a family away from our regular everyday routine. As awful as it sounds, it feels like the four of us really don’t have a ton of time to just hang out and enjoy each other’s company {which is definitely something I miss about living in Kuwait}. During the week Brad leaves for work as we’re just getting going, then there’s the morning rush, Miss G’s long day at school, and then Brad returns just in time to sit down to dinner. On a good night, there’s about 10 minutes of non-chaotic dinnertime, then B and I divide and conquer to get both kiddos washed and in bed for the night – me usually taking care of Sam and him Miss G. Most weekends, we spend one day around the house cleaning, taking care of laundry, and playing catch up from a busy week, and then on the other day we may go on a fun outing all together or split up one-parent-one-kid style in order to run errands and get things done. Either way, it’s just not enough time all together and that’s why I so look forward to our little getaways. No distractions, no chores, no daily routine to get caught up in.
After travelling all over the world with Miss G {hello 36 hour treks to and from Kuwait!}, a six hour road trip really isn’t a big deal to us. That being said, our little lady is a huuuuuuuuuuge talker, and sometimes you just need to have a moment of quiet {or a moment to talk to your spouse} while in the car. That, and sometimes our little Sam Jam just needs a moment of silence in order to fall asleep… Big sisters’ animated stories and ramblings are much too interesting to doze off to {obviously}!
Call us crazy, but this weekend {after only having been in Vancouver for two days}, we left our new house heaped full of boxes and bins, packed up the vehicle, and headed out on a weekend get away to Harrison Hot Springs. It had been years since I last visited, and Brad and Grae had never been, so we were all excited to check it out and spend the weekend just the three of us. Armed with the basics, we made our way out to Springs RV Resort… an absolutely stunning luxury RV retreat just an hour and a half from the city and just a few minutes away from Harrison Lake.
Today’s plan was simply to spend the day in Heidelberg’s lovely Old Town. We strolled, we looked at statues and cuckoo clocks, we visited toy shops and bookstores, and we stocked up on delicious treats from my very favourite store in the city – Lebe Gesund {seriously lovely and they ship worldwide!} Grae also got her first ever Shopkins and Trash Packs {thanks to older Kuwait friends teaching her all about them} and though I really don’t ‘get’ them {old, boring mom alert}, she’s pleased as punch. We finished off the day with a dinner of watermelon dessert pizza, so all is good in the world. ☺
Miss G and I recently upcycled some old, empty hand cream tins into easily portable ‘travel tins’ and they’ve been a total hit so far {despite not having travelled anywhere just yet!} Grae loves all things mini, and I’ve always got some kind of simple portable activity tucked into my bag for play on the go, so these little activity tins have been just perfect.
It’s hard to believe, but in exactly 23 days, we’ll board a plane and begin the long journey back to Canada. This means that I really should be focused on purging and sorting our belongings, but I can’t help it – I’m having fun creating little plane packs and travel activities for Miss G and her friends instead. ☺
While we spent some time at the Christmas market both yesterday and the day before, we really only visited one of many small markets around Heidelberg, and since today is the last day they’re open, we set out to visit a few of the other {further away} ones today. Getting all the way down to the furthest one definitely took a little bit of strategic planning since it’s nearly 3 kilometres from our flat and we chose to leave our stroller at home this trip, but Miss G’s been doing exceptionally well. Besides being carried or piggybacked by Brad for short bouts here or there, she’s walked everywhere we’ve gone with quite minimal complaints. The key? Lots of little pitstops on the way, plenty of {distracting} chat while walking, and setting out exciting destinations along the way as goals {the toy store, the carousel, the castle, etc.}
Woohoo! Christmas vacation is officially here and I couldn’t be more excited. After much debate, we decided to spend this year’s holidays in Heidelberg, Germany once again {and I’m so glad we did}. While it’s always nice to see new places, Heidelberg is pretty much perfect for us when it comes to Christmas vacation spots. Besides being beautiful and very Christmassy this time of year, it’s also quite an affordable European vacation destination. The weather is cold {just the way we like Christmas to be} but not too cold, the city is friendly and walkable, and rental flats are readily available. There’s an outdoor skating rink and several small Christmas markets, and you can walk around the city sipping on a warm glühwein day or night. Need I say more?
We spent most of our day today in transit, and let me say – Miss G is a total trooper. Not only did she let both Brad and I sleep on the plane for a little bit {while watching part of Frozen, albeit, but hey – sometimes you’ve got to take what you can get}, but she also sat sardined in between bags on a very tightly packed train, transferred to train number two without an issue, and then walked for at least a half hour or so in the rain to our flat {well past her bedtime} while commenting on how walking was really good exercise for your body. We arrived to our lovely little flat, checked it out, and then promptly put our girl to bed for the night. We did run into the upstairs neighbours who {very kindly} let us know that they’re having a party tonight, but with any luck, we’ll all get a good sleep and be ready to explore Heidelberg tomorrow morning. Here’s hoping!
Well, after 30 hours in transit, only 6 of which Miss G spent sleeping, we arrived home in Canada this afternoon. {WOOHOO!} So how was travelling alone with a 3 year old for over a day? It was alright, actually. We skipped bringing a stroller along and didn’t use our hotel voucher during our 9 hour layover, but we did come prepared with lots of activities and yummy healthy snacks. The first part of the journey, the part that happened during the middle of the night from Kuwait to Germany, was a little rough. Grae was tired, I was tired, and the full service that took place after we were up in the air wasn’t all that helpful. After landing in Frankfurt, however, things began looking up. We roamed the airport in pajamas, found some great play areas, pulled out a bunch of activities, and got a nice lunch. We started our next {9.5 hour} flight to Calgary with a 3 our snooze for Miss G, which meant that I got a much needed break and some time to recharge. We arrived in Calgary to a 2 hour wait in passport control, but by then, we were too excited to be home to let that get us down.
I feel like Miss G and I have been making homemade gifts like they’re going out of style lately {and I love it}. This most recent one is exactly like the portable activity kit we gave her little friend Evelyn on her second birthday, only this one contains slightly different activities – things we thought a busy 3 year old would enjoy. Now obviously the activities included in this kit are not just for boys {in fact, Miss G has already announced that she’d like the activity kit I’m making her to be exactly like this one} – it’s just that we gifted this particular kit to her little friend who happens to be a boy.
Gracen’s little weekly play date buddy turned 4 today, which called for another homemade gift. Like almost all of our expat friends here in Kuwait, he and his family will be headed home for the summer shortly, so we wanted to make him something he could easily take along and hopefully use during the journey back to Canada. Since he and Miss G play with LEGO pretty much every time they’re together, we figured a portable LEGO kit would make a great gift.
Another birthday party means another opportunity for Grae and I to come up with a fun, homemade gift {which we love doing}. This time around, we decided we’d put together a tinkle trunk filled with fun dress-up costumes and accessories similar to what Grae has in her dress-up station. We were really excited about the idea until we realized that the birthday girl is headed home to the States just a few days after her party. A tickle trunk simply wouldn’t do. After some brainstorming, we opted for something she could bring along on her travels – a portable activity kit! Our goal was to keep it as compact and lightweight as possible, while cramming in tons of fun {and quiet} things she could explore and play with during her travels. Here’s what we included…
Shortly after waking up, we decided we’d get ready and head out to the Eiffel Tower nice and early before the crowds made it there. We still hadn’t decided whether or not we’d go up, but we thought we’d play it by ear and decide once there. {When planning the trip, I knew I wanted to take Miss G to see the the tower, but going up didn’t seem that 3 year old friendly given the long queues and general crowdedness. That being said, after talking with a friend, I was wavering based on the fact that it may be a once in a lifetime for Miss G. Brad, on the other hand, wasn’t interested in the least. We went up during our trip in 2008, and though it is truly breathtaking up there, he figured it wouldn’t be as exciting for Grae. That and he figured that this was fairly certainly not going to be the only time she visits Paris in her lifetime.}
After a 4:30 a.m. wake up call from Miss G {and a couple of hours of quiet time thereafter}, we brushed our teeth, threw on some clothes, and headed to the little bakery on the corner for some fresh bread treats. While Gracen chose a baguette aux noix, Brad and I opted for a regular baguette (so good!) and we headed down the street to our local park. The blossoms were prettier than ever and we had the place to ourselves, which was a perfect way to start the day.
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