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.

- 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

White Pantsuits Optional...
What to wear when traveling with a baby or young child...

- guest post by Corinne McDermott

There are a couple of travel stories about me as a toddler that are often repeated in my family. One is how when we were in Scotland, I dumped a chicken dinner on my mom’s lap when she was wearing her white pantsuit. Another is how on a plane one time I spilled a full glass of orange juice on her lap while she was wearing her white pantsuit. Now that I’m a parent and a traveling one at that, I have a question, “What on Earth was she thinking wearing a white pantsuit?”

My uniform is typically black from head to toe, and while that can disguise a multitude of problems, when you’re with an infant it only highlights various slobbers and the kind of goo that only a baby can create with a cracker. After arriving at various destinations feeling less than fresh, I’ve learned enough to feel confident sharing my travel attire tips.

Layers aren’t just for cakes...
On any given travel day, you could go through as many as 3 different climates, and the plane offers its own temperature variations as well. If you start out with a few light layers, you can remove as needed. Bringing along a few changes means you can add or subtract as the thermometer dictates, and maybe even get away without a full outfit change should baby spit up or have a diaper failure. Try to avoid cardigans or sweaters with zippers, you’ll have to remove them going through security.

Shoes blues...
Everyone in your family needs to remove their shoes when going through airport security, even family members who are wearing them for fun instead of function.   Have everyone in footwear that’s easy to get on and off, and if possible, have baby wear outfits with built in feet to avoid keeping track of yet another item.

Think flight patterns...
Multi-coloured patterns can hide a multitude of messes (including the aforementioned cracker goo), so even if you’re not really clean, you don’t look messy. Keep this in mind for babies and little kids as well. In a pinch, diaper wipes work remarkably well at taking out stains.

Save pyjamas for cats and bananas...
Was it Paris Hilton who popularized wearing pyjamas on the plane? I guess I’m old school, but I try to dress up a bit for air travel and the same goes for my kids. For a really early start, I’ll put them to bed in the (comfortable but cute) outfit they’ll wear on the plane, and my travel clothes are those that feel like stretch pants and sweats without actually being them. Not convinced? Note that you’ll never be upgraded on a flight if you’re wearing flip flops and sweatpants. A bit of effort CAN go a long way if you’re lucky.

Corinne McDermott is the founder of Have Baby Will Travel, your online guide for travel with babies and toddlers. For more information or to connect with her please visit www.havebabywilltravel.com or www.twitter.com/hvbabywilltrvl

Another guest post this week - who has time to blog with Christmas prep in full swing?! Thanks Corinne for contributing this article!

Maybe staying at All-Inclusive resort is the only way you travel. Maybe a stay at an AI is your idea of Hell. However, if you’ve got young kids, staying at an All-Inclusive resort is definitely an easy way to get away. So if it’s the only way you roll or if you snagged an amazing deal you just couldn’t pass up, here are a few tips to make the most of your All-Inclusive vacation with little ones.

Eat And Be Merry...

Once you’ve checked in and found your bearings, make note of all the restaurants and snack bars and their hours. Hungry kids aren’t happy kids, so as long as you always know a way to get them fed you’ve got that battle won. Pack a few plastic bags or containers to keep snacks handy as well. Fruit from the breakfast buffet is a great mid-morning snack and an extra roll snagged from lunch can keep the wolves at bay if dinner’s going to be a little late. Pack a few favourite snacks from home as well, as munchies can be somewhat lacking at times.

Get Tip-sy

Although most resorts claim that tipping is included, a few extra dollars here or there makes a big difference to the people working there, so we always budget an extra $100.00 to give away as tips. There’s no need to be overt about it, but a buck or two at meals, at the bar and for housekeeping will keep you in good karma and good service. We’ve never felt as though tipping was expected, but we tip at home, so why not on the road?

Be Creatures Of Habit

Traveling with babies, toddlers and small children often means that spontaneity is out the window, so those late, lingering dinners are history for now. Chances are you’ll turn up at the dining room for supper at the same time every night, so try to find “your table“ for the week and stick to it. More than likely, you’ll have the same server (resort staff usually work 6 days a week) who’ll be very happy to see you again if you followed the previous advice regarding tipping. It was nice to enter the restaurant every morning for breakfast and then again in the evening to find “our table” with drinks and highchair at the ready. With larger resorts that offer many options for dining this may not work, but if your kids are picky and you find a place that suits, I’m willing to bet that’s where you’ll be eating for the week!

Unless you’ll be out exploring every day (again, unlikely if you’re with little ones), you’ll also find “your spot” at the beach and at the pool, and you’ll probably find that staff working in those areas look out for you too. Hit the beach early and you’ll probably avoid the dreaded towel game – loungers or palapas “reserved” by towels by guests who never materialize. If you’re by the pool you’ll probably be wanting the unpopular shaded areas, so your chances of getting a sunbed are better.

As with any kind of vacation, All-Inclusive resorts have their pros and cons. If you’re traveling with kids, they’re definitely an easy option, and can offer great value if you’re on a budget.

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

Our last guest post of the week is from Corinne McDermott, founder of Have Baby Will Travel. And I agree with Corinne about a ferry ride and it feeling like you are really going somewhere, though with our vacation this year and a 5-hour ferry ride (to the Magdalen Islands) we really are going somewhere! We will do a staycation another time! :)

So let's say you live somewhere that claims to have four seasons but actually only has two – Winter & Construction… and let's say you have family that actually lives somewhere that lots of people travel to for fun in the sun... any guesses as to who does the most traveling?  Exactly! And such were our plans to take off somewhere in the summer and visit the fam down South once the weather turns bad. But guess what? They actually want to come North – and visit us! So it looks like we'll be doing the hosting for a change and it's time to try this staycation thing that everyone keeps talking about.

I'm determined to NOT spend the entire week thinking about chores and odds and sods that need doing around the house, so we've set aside day #1 to get our usual roster of stuff done. And as anal as it sounds, we've pretty much plotted out our whole week's activities and meals (weather permitting for the activities) so we don't have a chance to laze about a bit too much in the mornings and end up not doing much all day.  

The nice thing about hosting family from out of town, is that they'll be seeing things with new eyes. Even though the agenda is our usual haunts, we know that satisfaction is guaranteed and few surprises mean we can enjoy our outing AND our time with family. We would have loved to book a cottage for a few nights to give them a taste of our beautiful cottage country, but that will have to be another summer.

So where will we be "going" on our staycation? Certainly The Toronto Zoo. We can't wait to check out the new Tundra exhibit – and we've missed the polar bears! Next stop – Centre Island. The city's been on strike for the past 6 weeks, and a highlight from last summer has had to be put off until now since the ferries weren't running. I LOVED Centre Island as a kid (something about that ferry ride makes you feel like you're really going places) and I'm so glad my daughter loves it too. I think it's just charming enough for kids from the land of the Amusement Park to enjoy as well.

Last thing on the agenda is a farm. We haven't decided which one just yet, but there are a couple near to the city that we can explore. It's cute how this was on their wish list of places to visit when they come, a real-life farm is hard to come by when you live where most people go on holiday.

Am I a bit disappointed that we're not going away? A little – but I haven't got the baby's passport yet so we couldn't go far anyway. What I'm most looking forward to is spending time with my family, and my extended family.

Corinne McDermott is the founder of Have Baby Will Travel, your online guide for travel with babies and toddlers. For more information please visit www.havebabywilltravel.com or send a message to info@havebabywilltravel.com