THINGS WE LOVED IN JUNE

Life is fleeting and this “Things We Loved” monthly series highlights some of our favourite things over the previous month and is a place to reflect amongst the hustle and bustle of busy family life.  This series includes products, family memories and even some sources of inspiration and lessons learned that swirl around this Mama’s over-thinking mind that need off-loading.  A place to get a little more personal, and be grateful for what’s come our way.  This edition features our favourites for the months of June and July. Thanks for stopping by.  Your support means the world to us.

1)      FAMILY FUN

June was jam-packed, but so memorable.  Aside from the excitement of end of school and some beautiful family celebrations, Allegra had her very first dance recital (insert tear-jerker, massive pride & joy!).  Being a former dancer myself, this was a bit of a dream come true seeing our one and only little lady twirl her stuff (equivalent to Andrew seeing his boys on the ice for the first time).  Not sure whether she’ll carry on her dance journey, and it really doesn’t matter.  Our only hope is she does everything with the same joyful spirit and fearlessness as she did on-stage for her first performance.

 

The big boys started Multi-Sport camp the beginning of July and are having an incredible time.  Having some routine in the Summer is kind of good for all of us.  They get pretty tuckered out by day’s end, and after dinner, we usually jump in the pool (which totally substitutes for bath time many nights – bonus!).  We opted to keep evenings and weekends schedule free this Summer for the first time in years.  It’s been so enjoyable.  The hockey season will be upon us before we know it, when hectic returns and the juggle gets real again, so some time to just go at our own pace has been so nice and necessary.

One perk of blogging has been the opportunity to attend events that are fun for the whole family.  The beginning of June we were invited to the Springfree Celebrate Summer event, and the kids had a blast bouncing around, hanging with Superheroes and tasting some new treats – the cookie dough dessert bar from Sweet Flour was yum-azing!

I also got to take the boys to the Toronto pre-screen of Spider-Man Homecoming with Sony Pictures Canada.  The vote was unanimous – it’s our favourite Spidey flick to date!

The VIP experience at Odysseo by Cavalia was another unforgettable time.  I’ve been wanting to see this production for a few years now, and the opportunity to attend with Tyler during Social Media week as a true treat.  Odysseo is unlike anything we’ve ever seen, or may see again.  Breathtaking and phenomenal. You’re not going to want to miss this one when it comes to your city!

 

Being a patriotic bunch, the build up and celebration of Canada’s 150^th Birthday offered some incredible memories.  We had a very Canuck-style celebration at home with close loved ones – BBQ, pool party and Maple Leaf everything (including the burgers), capped off by a tribute to Tragically Hip concert and fireworks at our local park.

There’s still so much to do beyond July 1^st to commemorate this milestone year for Canada, and you can find some good ole’ canuck family fun in my “20 Ways to Celebrate Canada 150” article on MomResource.ca.  #8 on the list is attending one of Canada’s top amusement parks, which we did in July to our favourite Canada’s Wonderland.  Andrew and I have enjoyed Wonderland since we were kids, had plenty of dates as high school sweethearts, and have loved bringing our young family to since 2009.  The Canada 150 décor around the park is fabulous and makes for great photo ops.

 

2)      CONNECTING WITH FELLOW DIGITAL CONTENT CREATORS

One of the things that keeps me pulled into blogging is the continuous learning piece.  Finding time to commit to furthering my skills in the digital content creator realm isn’t easy as a busy Mom, but I’ve fallen in love with this industry, see limitless potential, want to learn more, and have given myself permission to invest in myself and my desire to build my skillset in this realm.

 

The beginning of June I was invited to attend Strut – a 2 day conference in Niagara on the Lake for female digital influencers to come together, share knowledge, and give ourselves permission to strut our stuff.  I met so many brilliant women in the industry I had previously only engaged with online, and left feeling so inspired to implement some of the learnings from the event.  Letting loose in beautiful surroundings, sampling wines from Chateau des Charmes, and soaking in the energy of women who believe in genuine support over competition was such a treat.  Brands are demonstrating they value the voice of women to stand behind their products, and increasingly see the power and potential of the female voice.  It’s so empowering.  Sneaking away for a few days isn’t easy, but having the unwavering support of a man who values my growth and desire to learn as much as I do, and extended family who provides back up when we need it, makes investing in myself possible and I’m beyond grateful for it.

 

I also got out to a super fun night to celebrate with The GG Sisters at a scavenger hunt media night at Buy Buy Baby in Vaughan.  GG Sister Josie was expecting her now born baby Alessandro and it was a great night connecting with other female creatives in real life.  The GG Sisters have gorgeous hearts, and radiate positive, loving vibes.  I’m honoured to have gotten to know them better, appreciate their good vibes energy and desire to help other Mamapreneurs.  Check out my feature on them in our Mama Thriver series.  They are true gems and deserve all the love they get.

 

Mid-July I attended a blogger dinner at Lil Baci in uptown Toronto to meet up with a fabulous group of ladies I’ve loved connecting with virtually.  It was a wonderful night connecting, laughing and toasting to this crazy journey we’ve all taken in blogging, and sharing our knowledge and learnings with one another.  Community over competition at it’s finest.  If you don’t already, you should totally check out these fantastic women on their platforms: Kate of Emmetts ABCs, Andrea of Harlow & Thistle, Renee of MSCMommyLife and Erica of AnnaGeorgiana.

3)      THINGS THAT HELP US SIMPLIFY

Endless responsibility is inevitable with family life.  While the to-do lists and domestic demands will always be there, finding ways to simplify those things, and adding time back to enjoy family time has been a major focus around here.  The less time we have, the more I seek ways to preserve or expand it.