And along the way, I’ve developed some fabulous friendship through the ether. I’ve cultivated relationships and poured my heart to my readers, who have loved me and accepted me with open arms for the most part.
So, to thank you for this, I’m having a little giveaway:
Leave me a comment on this milestone post about your favourite MagzD post in the past 4.5 years.
Let me know what your favourite charity is as well, and in one week, I will draw a random comment. I will give $100 to that commenter’s charity, and $100 to the Canadian Cancer Society as well.
You know, just to say thanks for putting up with me. Xoxo.
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This post is a part of the Summer Blog Challenge (and I’m still down by two!!). Join the rest of us:
We’ve been home for almost a week, settling back in to this cold Alberta winter! After a week in paradise, it’s time to reminisce a little!
We left for Cancun on February 19. We had to be at the airport for 3:45am, so we scooped the bugz out of bed in warm footie pyjamas and set them in the car. They were all smiles and giggles, excited to finally be going to Mexico!! We got through customs quickly and changed them into their sundresses so we could get the party started
This was their first trip by plane. Not knowing how they would do, we did dose them with kids’ Gravol and Tylenol, and had our portable DVD players and LeapPads on hand. They did so well! They slept for a good chunk of the 4-hour flight to Houston, and we made our transfer with ease. They watched Lady and the Tramp on the way to Cancun, and we arrived just after 3pm!
My parents have a membership at the Palace resorts; they are a beautiful, luxurious chain that has ruined me for all other travel! We got settled in to our 2-bedroom Presidential Suite overlooking a gorgeous Caribbean Sea, with the kids’ pool just outside our building. After a few pink champagnes, and with flowers in our hair, we met up with my parents for dinner.
It was a long day, but the bugz couldn’t resist a night time swim on our first day in Mexico!!
We spent Monday getting acquainted with the resort, soaking up the sun and beverages, playing in the kids’ park and going for our complimentary manicure/pedicures at the spa.
We were up bright and early for a 6:45am (!!!!) swim on Tuesday. Leith went for his mani/pedi (no polish…lame!), and the bugz got sparkling glitter tattoos!
Tuesday was a day of adventure for us: Leith and I went parasailing at 400ft above the ocean! With a gulp and a prayer, we set off behind a boat in a sling-back chair and no seat belts, with our faith in the good Mexican safety standards – LOL! It was amazing, though – one of the top 5 experiences of my life, floating above the sparkling Carribean Sea. I expected it to be windy and bumpy, but it was peaceful, gentle and awe-inspiring. I’m so glad we went!!
We went to Isla Mujeres on Wednesday, which you can read about here!
Thursday was our day of spaaaah! One of the things I love about the Palace Resorts is their incredible spa experience. I had the best pregnancy massage at the Aventura Spa Palace on our honeymoon, and the hot stone massage at the Moon Palace was a thousand times more incredible. I actually fell asleep – a first for me! I was dizzy with relaxation as I left.
I was also able to experience the hydrotherapy, which I missed out on when I was pregnant. Hot tub, cold waterfalls, sauna/steam, Swedish shower, foot soak, all with cupfuls of hibiscus juice…I was nearly unconscious before I was even called in for my massage!
That afternoon, we kept our zen by painting a few ceramic souvenirs at a little hut by the pool:
On Friday, we made the most of a windy day by watching Poppa Rocky fly his super-cool kite on the terrace outside our room:
We splashed in the pool some more, and then went to have some family portraits taken. This was our first family photo shoot since the bugz have been around!! Long overdue… Another benefit to our membership? The photo shoot was included
Leith and I spent Friday night at a romantic lobster-and-champagne dinner on a terrace overlooking the ocean. It was warm, peaceful and perfect – an excellent escape for two parents who never go on a date!
Saturday was a day of wrapping up loose ends. I went for my (included) back massage, and Leith painted a thank-you gift for my parents.
We trekked the entire length of the resort, and then went for a fancy-pants Mexican dinner to celebrate our last night in paradise:
We also coerced a waiter into performing a special dessert coffee treat for us:
Sunday morning, we all woke up early to catch the sun rising over the edge of the sea. It was breath-taking, or as Kit-kat said: “More magical than true love’s kiss!!”
I love that kid!
After breakfast, it was time to say goodbye to Poppa and Grammy. We headed back to the airport for a looooooooooong day of travel back to the frozen north, with warm memories of our first real family holiday
I’m still counting! I wasn’t as disciplined about journalling while I was away, but I was able to list off a few dozen things to be grateful for that will be lifelong memories
109. Midafternoon naps
110. A puppy sleeping in my lap
111. How hard they try to be good, amidst so much change and excitement
112. Chocolate popcorn and movie night in our jammies
113. Snuggle puppies and snuggle bugs when I’m exhausted
114. When they actually eat their lunch without complaint
115. An incredibly moving video that spoke to my heart
116. Running away my frustrations (as opposed to running from them)
117. Skyping across the distance, so we can parent together
118. Some rest while they watch a movie (who knew a new puppy would be so exhausting, lol!)
119. Texting with my sister, laughing together
120. Bedtime playlists on my phone
121. Chronicling a month of small photo moments
122. Fresh cinnamon bun dough, rising in the oven
123. The return of my sweet bugz, after three days of monster-bugz
124. Knowing he’ll be home in just a few days
125. A reliable, mature babysitter
126. Getting to yoga to clear my head, even just once a week
127. Homemade dinners with my parents and sister
128. Time to let them do a little craft
129. Baking Valentine’s day cookies for daddy!
130. Beautiful baby (toddler)-wearing photos and videos from this past summer
courtesy of Cosy Baby, Happy Mommy Inc
131. A clean bill of puppy-health
132. His early return home, and spending the day with my 3 valentines
133. Successful new recipes; good food to feed our souls
134. When they actually eat all their dinner!!
135. Whispering in their ears while they sleep
136. Over-eating, blessed with too much instead of too little
137. A day to myself with someone trusted to watch my bugz
138. Fearless faces smiling as they dive into the water
139. Time to get last-minute things ready without interruption
140. Snuggles with my Gracie before the breeder picks her up for the week
141. Free puppy-boarding, and getting to spend 10 days with our family
142. A very restful, quiet night!!
143. That our lives have been so blessed to allow us to treat our girls to this vacation
144. A week in paradise with my family
145. Snuggling with a sweet cinnaminnie Chiweenie when I get home
146. Watching the sun rise over the ocean edge
147. A full bank account when we get home, and leftover US$ to deposit
February 2012 single-handedly felt like the longest month in a long time! We booked our winter holiday back in August, so the last 3 weeks of our 6-month wait was torture
We found a wonderful babysitter, and the bugz also spent a day at their old day home
Leith actually started our homemade wine kit that has been sitting downstairs for 14 months
March is here, and we have lots of excitement written into our calendar! I have more blog posts about Mexico to write, and a photo-a-day challenge to complete. I can’t wait
Remember when I started the February photo-a-day challenge? Ya…that didn’t happen as planned. See, life happened around February 17or so, and I fell off the wagon! But I’m here to finish it up, and to try again for March!
Day 13: blue
We baked cookies for Valentine’s day, and this was a modge-podge of the blue in my blue kitchen
Day 14: heart
Our V-day cookies, and a special Starbucks cup – perfection
Day 15: phone
No new messages! Amazing, really – our land line is a hotbed of constant telemarketing promising to “wipe out our debt completely!!” I have no idea who it is, because we only get half the message, but I get a least one (and up to FOUR!!) of these messages daily. And our only debt is our home and car. Seriously. What National-Do-Not-Call list????
Day 16: something new
Eyelash extensions! I am in love, and completely addicted. I’ve only worn a little blush since February 16 because my eyes just *POP* now!
Annnd here’s where I fall off! So, in the spirit of getting back up, I present to you the list of March photo-a-day subjects, courtesy of Fat Mum Slim
But I’m not one to totally give up, so here’s a couple that happened to be taken on the right day:
Day 23: your shoes
Who am I kidding? These were my shoes in Mexico!!
Day 29: something you’re listening to
The laundry. It’s calling my name…I’m ignoring it!
So, yes. March photo-a-day, on the way! Keep watching
Unlike our last trip to the Mayan Riviera in 2007, we only ventured off the resort once during our stay at the Moon Palace. On Wednesday morning, we hopped a ferry to Isla Mujeres for a day on the Island of Women.
Kit-kat was learning the all-inclusive habits at a young age...
Our tour included a bunch of extra-cost activities that weren’t appealing, both because of the cost and because we had two 4-year olds who decided that listening was for the birds. Instead, we caught a cab to the main shopping area and rented a golf cart. With my dad at the wheel, we explored the tiny island ourselves for 4 sunny hours. I tried my hand at drive-by photography, and was happy with the beautiful shots I came home with:
On our tour, we stopped by a turtle hatchery to see turtles of all shapes and sizes.
These are not turtles...
They also had various creatures to hold and touch, as my mom discovered (to her ultimate horror!):
Mom and the urchin - I held one too. They're soft, but pokey...like a hedgehog!
Whatever lives in a conch shell...this is the laugh of horror. She's dying. LOL!
On this trip, I committed the ultimate baby wearing faux-pas: I did not bring a single carrier with me to Mexico!! Lo and behold, this happened in the heat of the day:
Lugging 35lbs of unconscious preschooler was hell on my arms. Panic was setting in when I decided to MacGuyver it up, and channelled my inner Natasha, Erin, and Kim. My dad bought me 2 woven beach wraps from a street vendor, and we quickly fashioned them into a make-shift carrier! While it wasn’t comfortable for longtime wearing, it worked in a pinch and I was really stinkin’ proud of myself!!
We wrapped up our blissful island day with a handful of fresh coconuts. We paid 80 pesos each to have a coconut hacked open with a rusty machete so that we could drink the milk through a straw. The vendor then chopped them open so that we could eat the meat inside. It was a divine experience!!
It was an incredible day, and if you are even in Cancun, I highly recommend you take the ferry across to Isla Mujeres. It is a (safe) side of Mexico that you don’t see in the resorts or on the Cancun hotel strip. There is a 40km/h speed limit, and the whole island is saturated in relaxation and bliss
What a great subject on a sunny February day We were running around, picking stuff up for our new puppy, waiting for the breeder to call us to say she was home. With nothing left to do but wait, and two sleepy bugs in my backseat, I pulled off the highway and sat in my car to read for a bit. The long afternoon sunshine was beautiful, out in the country, away from the noise of the city:
Day 9: Front door
We have 3 doors leading into our house: a glass door for the sunporch, a screen door, and our storm door. It’s a lot to bump and shove open when your hands are full and your keys are at the bottom of your purse!
Day 10: Self-portrait
A little puppy had a rough night, and I wanted a nap. I bribed my kids to sleep with a pyjama/movie night so that Gracie and I could do this:
Day 11: Makes you happy
I love to cook. I love to try new recipes and ideas. Some are great, some are disasters. And most of them, my kids won’t eat
So, when I find two recipes that turn out fabulously, AND my kids gobble them up? Well, that makes me happy indeed!
Day 11: Inside my closet
With Leith always on the road, there is always a significant absence of clothing in our house. When all the clothes are actually washed, folded and put away (!!) and I see these empty hangers, it makes me miss him even more…
I missed one day in the challenge: A Stranger. We didn’t go anywhere that we would see a stranger, other than to Bikram…and I felt awkward about snapping photos of my fellow yogis in the change room
Instead, I swapped it out for a later photo in the challenge. We won’t be home for Day 24, so I snapped a photo for that one instead:
When we moved to The Acreage, I swore up and down that we would not have any concealed cupboards in our bathrooms. I was tired of my toiletry-hoarding. Instead, we have an open shelf in each bathroom, and an open shelf with baskets under each sink. All of them are full of stuff I hoard and never use…ah, well.
Day 5: 10am
This one happened by complete fluke! I hadn’t looked at the day’s challenge, but happened to be taking photos when I was making these delicious banana flatbreads at 10am. Score!
Day 6: Dinner
There is too much yummy food in my life some days! Dinner didn’t even make it to presentation stage – it was so tasty, we just nom’d it right off the pans:
