The pressure on a mom is unlike anything I believe. There is the old motivational quotes about diamonds being coal that did well under pressure. They turn out to be these beautiful things because so much pressure has been put on them.
I don’t know about you guys, but I think I would settle for a pretty rock found on the beach instead of a diamond. Worn smooth by the ever changing flow.
As women we have come so far. Even from just a hundred years ago. A Beyonce says in the song We Run The World, “we smart enough to make the millions, strong enough to bear the children, then get back to business.” Now I’m not one to argue with the Queen B herself of course, but this is the exact problem.
So much pressure to do it all.
We should be great mothers.
We should be awesome kick ass business runners.
We should be gorgeous.
We should have clean homes.
We should be patient, kind, loving, understanding and strong.
We should be amazing cooks and bakers.
We should be top notch crafters.
We should be able to mend worn clothing, sibling rivalry and broken hearts
This fun run is about having a good time (adult or with the kids). There are 10, YES 10 bouncy castle obstacles to go over in this amazing event. Instead of racing for time I would suggest trying to be the slowest possible myself. (More time on the bouncers am I right?)
So grab a friend or spouse for date night, or the kids for something fun to do and enjoy one of the most fun races!
Recommend bringing:
Water
Sunscreen
Bug spray
Playful attitude
Check out the course below and regular asked questions in the FAQ section of their site.
Ah the communal potluck. Whether it’s a backyard BBQ or a group camping trip, summer potlucks are great. Everyone pitches in dividing up the workload PLUS you get to try all kind of different things! We picked our top 5 favourite summer potluck recipes for you next get together inspiration!
This weekend two of the Alberta Mamas went on a road trip down to Calgary for some fun in the sun. We teamed up with Spruce Grove Hyundai to take the Sante Fe XL for the ULTIMATE test. A road trip with four kids!
Deanne and I packed up our 4 kids aged 9, 7, 6 and 5 and headed to Calgary’s Calaway Park and then to the Abbey Centre in Blackfalds. This of course meant that we need stuff for walking around the grounds, but also stuff for a day of swimming and such outside.
Yesterday I was able to attend the University of Alberta Botanic Gardens (formally Devon Botanical Garden) on a field trip with my daughters school, and I got to see the EPIC Aga Khan Garden being finished up. The website says that it is set to open “In 2018”, but as I was talking to our guide she said it is schedule to open in just a small 4 weeks! Leaving us lots of time to visit the beauty in it’s botanical glory over the summer!
Image taken from the University of Alberta Botanical Garden website.
Did you know that Cinco De Mayo is the celebration of Mexico’s victory over the French dating all the way back to 1862? Modern day Cinco De Mayo in America also usually celebrates Mexican/American culture. Albertans are great at celebrating all cultures, so fiesta on!
This is a pretty basic guacamole recipe. I think having a good basic recipe is a great start and then you can add your own flare from there! (I sometimes add curry powder!)
Alright people. Mother’s Day is coming May 14, 2023. You are getting your fair warning.
On top of this warning, I’m going to help you out.
This is what your wife/partner/spouse REALLY wants for Mother’s Day. I asked my mama friends on Facebook, our contributors, and friends in person. (I happen to also be a mother!)
What Moms REALLY Want
And the theme I have concluded is: we want to feel appreciated and cared for.
The way we appreciate and care for others. I don’t need to tell you how hard Moms work. The mental workload, physical workload and social pressures can be seen on our faces most of the time, if not found in multiple blog posts and sappy commercials.
In all honesty, we just wanted it to stop. For one hour, one spa treatment, one day or weekend.
Many moms joked about just “wanting to be alone” or “doing whatever I want”. And it’s not because we don’t love motherhood. It’s the opposite in fact. We love it so much we give it our all. We worry, cry, hold strong, kiss boo boos, console, laugh and are squishy because we love it just so much.
All we ask, is that we feel someone is doing the same for us. For one hour, one spa treatment, one day or one weekend.
Free Gifts for Mom on Mother’s Day
We are all for cute hand made mugs (actually I would really love another) and flowers (they DO brighten the days following our “one special day”), but we NEED time to fill our cups again. Recharge. THAT is what we are really asking for.
A clean house, that we didn’t clean, hear complaining about or have to clean up after tomorrow.
Time alone in the bath without hearing “Mommy, what are you doing?” through the door.
An outing, with or without mom, planned as something fun with the kids. That we had no hand in figuring out. We want the joy of our kids having fun – without us planning it.
Things to think about: timing, transportation, the weather, food (lunch, snacks, etc, and try to hit most of the four food groups!), water, appropriate clothing, sunscreen, hats, shoes, coats.
Ideas: a trip to the park, bake together (and clean up the mess!), go for a bike ride or a walk/hike, meeting up with other Dads and playing an organized sport together (moms can cheer from the sidelines with a Dad-and-kid packed picnic!).
Take the mental workload for a day. We want to step outside of our very big roles and feel safe to unload it onto you.
The mundane tasks, the grand tasks, and everything in between.
We don’t need fancy gifts as reminders we are good mothers. We want you to show us that you KNOW we are good mothers. Show us by walking in our shoes.
What Moms Say They Want
Andrea (Kids aged 12, 9, 7, 4) – “I would love to have my whole house purged and cleaned. And the support to do so.”
Allison (Kids aged 9, 7, 4) – “I’d love for my husband and kids to acknowledge the fact that they understand that I am the only reason the house is not falling apart.”
Patricia (Kids aged 28, 25, 23) – “Time. Time with my children.”
Holly – “I’d like a day where I could do whatever I want. Show up for a homemade meal with cake that I didn’t make.”
Erin (Kids aged 11, 10, 8, 5, 2) – “Hot Coffee and no obligations time to do what I want before family time.”
Poom (Kids aged 7, 5, 2) – “To pee in peace. Without interruption.”
Alli (Kids aged 2 and 1) – “I’d love a day to myself, no kids needing me for something. A day where I could go get pampered and then enjoy a quiet meal that I didn’t have to cook.”
Jenn (Kid aged 4) – “Time alone! An overnight stay in a hotel, spa day, just some me time!”
More Ideas for Mother’s Day Gifts
So you REALLY want to buy something for Mom? Among these requests a lot of Moms asked for
Family photos
Family rings
Family necklaces
Spa day
Massage (a great idea if money is tight and you have them covered by benefits – just book it and take care of the kids – maybe clean house while Mom is out!)
Facial
Cleaning service
So all these request to me say, “I want some time to myself, reminders of my family, because this is the best job in the world and it will all make me better at it.”
This Mom’s Dream Mother’s Day
In case anyone is wondering. My ideal day would go as follows:
Wake up whenever I want. (which is usually before anyone else). Have coffee. When the kids wake up they wake up my husband before even coming downstairs.
Breakfast is made for me. Pancakes or french toast.
House is cleaned while I bathe.
My husband takes the kids out for lunch and something fun all afternoon. While I literally do whatever I want.
Meet them at family’s house or a restaurant for dinner with all family to celebrate our mom and all moms in the family.
Family snuggle time on the couch.
Watch a sappy movie with wine after the kids are in bed. Sleep. The end.
We all just wanted to feel fulfilled, appreciated and respected. That’s it.
Save your money.
Give us time.
Jen is a yoga teacher, fitness enthusiast and health blogger over at www.BitchinJen.com
In today’s new economic world where there are more and more people working from home, doing contract work and basically overall entrepreneurs, work health benefits is the one thing I’ve noticed a lot of people talking about lately. So we teamed up with Alberta Blue Cross to chat about the benefits of benefits and shopping for them.
2.5 years ago my husband lost his long time stable job. A story many of us went through this past recession. Many people lost their jobs and in turn lost their benefits. Some maybe even noticed, but personally I used them a lot! I got massages and saw my chiropractor regularly. As well as saw a physiotherapist after injuring my shoulder! My kids went through a few month spurt there of sickness after sickness requiring antibiotics and other medicines as well.
Since then, my husband went back to work after 9 months of being off, for about 4 months. The business we had created in the time he was off from his job had started to take off and our family made the decision that entrepreneurship would be our full time life.
Between his business and my contract work, we no longer had any employer health benefits.
Sound familiar?
We saught out some advice from Blue Cross under their Individuals and Families plan. We were able to pick out a plan that worked for our budgets and projected needs.
Getting benefits was really important to me, not only to get some help with dental cost, but as an assurance that I needed to take care of myself.
If you’ve read any of my other posts or know me, you will know that I am all about self care. Taking care of ourselves, helps us take care of others (family, friends and so on), but also keeps us healthy in more ways than one. When we take the time to make sure we are healthy we are:
More efficient
Boosting energy
Helping with sleep
Combating and preventing future disease
and my personal favourite, we are generally happier!
If you are shopping around for benefits for your entrepreneur/working from home/contract life, or maybe you need top up from a spouses plan you can Contact Blue Cross and they will get back to you pretty quickly!
