HRM Parent Blog

A relaxing weekend away from home with friends in a cozy cabin = bliss.

Last week was one of those crazy weeks - you know, where it's all go-go-go but nothing seems to get done? Knowing that we'd be enjoying our weekend at a cabin at Milford House kept me going all week, but not any more organized. Friday morning was a frantic packing fest, combined with finishing off the March enewsletter and sending it off about ten minutes before we left for the weekend. But after the 2.5 hour drive, we arrived to this:

and this:

and this:

This was our third visit to Milford House, and definitely not our last. Already we are plotting our return. It was, however, our first winter visit. For those of you not in the know, Milford House has three winterized cabins - the rest of the charming cabins are closed from mid-October to mid-June. And they really are charming - the insides are rustic, but not *too* rustic, and are all situated on a lake, each with a fireplace, a porch and a small dock (perfect at other times of the year for searching for frogs and launching a canoe). The main lodge (not opened in the off-season) has a dining room serving breakfast and dinner, a library, and a small children's play area with games. The winterized cabins are self-catering, but the rest are not. Each one does have a fridge and various dishes though. Most people seem to bring a camping stove for meals, eat at the lodge, or go to a nearby town to find a restaurant. We've done a combination of these and it works quite well. I definitely recommend the cabins farthest away from the lodge as possible, if you are looking for a cabin-in-the-middle-of-nowhere experience without *actually* being in the middle of nowhere.

For our friends it was their first visit to Milford House, but judging by the email I received this morning, I don't think it'll be their last:

We had a wonderful time also, the place was perfect. I just LOVED the fire...it made me realise how long it's been since we sat around a fire and lazed and chatted! The cabin overall was perfect and the surrounds was amazing. It felt like a goodbye to winter and hello to spring!

We really couldn't have asked for better weather. Saturday was sunny but cold enough to still feel like winter - perfect for walks in the woods and fun in the snow:

And Sunday teased us with spring and masked crusaders:



Definitely a wonderful, wonderful weekend.

For more information on Milford House, check out their website. Have you been to Milford House? Or where is your favourite relaxing family getaway? Please feel free to share your experiences in the comments below.

This is a guest blog post from Penelope Kuhn, who runs a local business specializing in photo illustration using children’s art work. Thanks Penelope for sharing your thoughts with us!

One of the most impressive things about my daughter is her lack of inhibition when it comes to creativity. This raw unfiltered expression is very common in young children. I too want to be as free and uninhibited. Watching her has inspired me and given me something to strive toward!

At times I catch myself trying to ‘control’ some of her creativity; fortunately, I’ve become more self aware of this stifling behaviour and usually catch myself. Below are some ways you can help your child expand their natural curiosity and creativity. The overall objectives are to a) focus on the process, not on a final product, and b) to try to see art everywhere (as a way of life), but DON’T label objects, try seeing things in terms of form, light/shadow, colour and texture.

Focus on the process, not the product: Your child's piece de resistance may not look like much of anything to you, but her/his methods and artistic experimentation allow him to expand his creative thought process. MaryAnn Kohl, author of Discovering Great Artists and 15 more award-winning books about kids' art says, "Children who feel free to make mistakes and to explore and experiment will also feel free to invent, create, and find new ways to do things." Focus on the child and the process of what they’re creating. Ask your child questions about the process, but not the result. To a child, it doesn’t matter. Just playing with the paint might be their only goal. Studies on early childhood education have also shown that creative play in the early years pays dividends in adulthood.

Freedom: Allow your child the freedom to create their OWN art without giving them your expectations (or assistance). A child who creates freely learns to enjoy and benefit from art, and becomes more self-confident in their abilities to do all sorts of things (not just art). A brown blob might not be what YOU expected, but the child who created that blob is a proud and confident child indeed.

Show it off: Display as much of your child’s artwork as possible. Never allow your child to see you throwing away their artwork. If you can, mat or mount the work (even if it’s a brown blob). Hanging her creation on the fridge, on a bulletin board or in your office is all it takes to build your child’s creativity confidence.

Ideas for stirring the creative juices 

• Make a story board for a play.
• Make musical instruments.
  
• Decorate play clothes for a play.
  
• Come up with your own language, verbal and written.
  
• Play with a felt board - make characters/objects out of felt and tell a story.
  
• Design your own game.
  
• Start a story with your children, and let them finish it.
  
• Make books from magazine clippings and let your child dictate the text (if they’re too young to write).
  
• Make edible art from your food or desserts (pudding painting with food coloring is a blast).
  
• Play the concoction game (let children make their own concoction with their choice of ingredients and have them name it).
  
• Make art out of garbage or recyclables.
  
• Take special trips and record your experiences with photos, art, or words.
  
• Have your kids place photo(s) of themselves, friends, or family/pets in a scene that they create (photo illustration).

The Princess Tea Party is an afternoon of everything princess (and pirates!). This annual event happens each year on Mother's Day and is a fundraiser for the Children's Wish Foundation. Includes a tea party, stage show, princess parlour, entertainment, Silent Auction, lots of princesses and fun, fun, fun. Not to leave the boys out there is also a pirate portion of the event as well! Arrgh matey!

The fun is on Sunday May 9 at the World Trade & Convention Centre. The draw bridge opens at 1:30pm and closes at 5pm. The last we heard there's only 170 tickets left, so get your tickets now. $35 per person. For tickets or more information call Lisa at 468-3044.

- guest post by Corinne McDermott, Have Baby Will Travel

It’s been almost three years since I started Have Baby Will Travel, and in all this time I’ve been a total cheerleader for family travel. My goal with the site has always been to inspire and motivate new parents to travel with their babies and toddlers, and I think a big part of the motivation comes from hearing stories from other traveling parents.

The last trip was my 4-year-old daughter’s 8th and my 9-month-old son’s 3rd. Other than the usual hassles of a giant pile of luggage and figuring how to make sure both kids are fed and occupied on the travel days, it went off without a hitch. Come to think of it, the very first trip we took with our daughter also went off without a hitch, but I was still a very stressed out new mom who wanted to make sure we got to our destination in one piece physically AND mentally, and enjoyed ourselves once we were there.

But when I think of that first trip, that’s not what I remember. I remember how she kept dozing off in odd places during the first couple of days. I remember her squeals of absolute joy as she hit the beach and crawled in the sand for the first time. I remember her pointing at a cat and saying “cat”, and pointing at a dog and saying “cat”.

Much like childbirth, you just kind of forget the bad stuff. Like how I cried out of sheer exhaustion and frustration when she wouldn’t nap and woke at all hours during our first few days. Like how out of sorts I felt until we established our “vacation routine”. Like how I panicked when I realized the pasta with tomato sauce she was greedily eating had shellfish in it, and I hadn’t yet introduced her to that yet.

As my site nears its 3rd birthday, it’s a wakeup call of sorts for me to not forget where I came from. That first trip was tough, and as much as it’s easy to forget the bad, it’s important not to. I don’t ever want to seem smug or glib about the troubles and hassles involved in getting from point A to point B with a baby in tow. They’re real and they exist and I think being prepared is half the battle.  

And also just like childbirth, it’s totally, totally worth it.

Corinne McDermott is the founder of Have Baby Will Travel, your online guide for family travel with babies, toddlers, and young children.  Connect with her online at www.havebabywilltravel.com or www.twitter.com/hvbabywilltrvl

Thanks to everyone who entered our giveaway of three family day passes to fun-filled Aplaydia. Everyone was so enthusiastic which made this giveaway even more fun! I hope you all get a chance to go, but for now, the lucky winners are Jennifer Munro from Lower Sackville, Laura Hennigar from Halifax, and David Redwood from Halifax. Congrats! Your passes will be mailed out to you very soon!

For those of you who didn't win, please remember that Aplaydia is a member of the ABC Family Card and is offering $2 off regular or toddler admission when you show your card. This discount can be claimed over and over again all year round! You can buy an ABC Family Card online here, or at selected businesses around the city - including Aplaydia! Cards are only $10 and valid for all of 2010 at 50 businesses around the city and online. 

 Thank you Aplaydia for sponsoring this giveaway!