September was such a busy month for me. My breastfeeding guide, Milkosaurus, was released and my newest romance novella went on pre-order. My son and I spent September looking at preschools and boy are waiting lists long. I’m not sure what preschool we’ll wind up with but I know four hours a week will give him an exciting adventure without too much time away from home. It is so nerve racking finding a good environment that doesn’t break the bank. Often the school will look great but have too long of days or not be a good fit. October we find out which school he’ll go to and I am both excited to have a few a hours a week to myself and scared of if he will enjoy himself.
This last month has been a big reminder to have gratitude for my life and everyone in it. My main YouTube channel really took off with an extra 6 million more views than I’d normally be getting a month. Woah, and amazing. I so love my YouTube community and finding which videos and vlogs connect the best. September was a total blast for making fun videos and sketching out what vlogs I want to shoot this fall. The downside of having a viral video this month has been the increase in really rude comments.
Before I started vlogging I would have never believed a motherhood channel could get such nasty comments and often from men. I had to take a bit of time off moderating the channel because it was just disheartening. October is going to be about coming back to the channels with renewed energy and focus.
We traveled to Boston last month to see an old friend and it is the first time I’ve been to that city. What a great trip and fun way to see fall colors in New England. Seeing the leafs turn in New England has long been on my bucket list and it was thrilling and relaxing to get to see all the beauty of our big little country. Keep an eye out for fun fall tips as the weather gets cold here and the rainy days increase. Thank you so much for following along on my blog. I love seeing how many of you enjoy this site.
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Powell river is a pretty neat place on the sunshine coast. Take time to drive around the historic buildings and stop at the playground for lots of fun.
Bring a towel for picnicking on the lawn and a shovel and bucket for digging in the sand. My son and I had a great time just mellowing out after driving all over. He was ready for a fun playground and saw it outside the RV window. In fact we had to turn around because he was so excited by the playground and splash park. Pack shorts for frolicking little ones in the splash park with its own little mini lighthouse.
You can only reach Powell River by ferries, in fact it took us two ferries to get there and was well worth it.
Don't eat out, instead pick up food at one of the big grocery stores and take it to the park. You can lay in the sand and look out at the Vancouver island ferries. I thought this area was just beautiful and was a great place to stay for a couple days of relaxing and playing.
As spring creeps up on us winter weary mamas I thought a fun look at our camping trip in Northern Washington state would inspire a bit of planning for outdoors fun.
One of my great rules in life is that whatever you're doing is only as fun as the people you're doing it with. So bring along other parents to share in the joy of letting kids sleep on the ground, play in the dirt and walk till their little legs can't go any further.
Bring
Ergo Water Sunblock A good, lightweight travel towel
Breastfeeding while camping. You can easily breastfeed when you are out hiking and camping, just remember that you need lots of extra water. Pack a good assortment of high protein snacks. The best idea is to make some lactation energy balls with peanut butter, nutritional yeast, chia seeds, honey and wheat germ. These little power balls will energize you and make sure you have lots of milk while camping.
Panorama Point Campground
I love this area for its abundance of fun things to do with a toddler. If you aren't up for the dirt fest of camping you can always bring an RV to stay in while the family explores baker lake. There are lovely places to walk, the big baker lake to enjoy and lots of fun to be had the big group campfire pits with amazing views. Walk: with baby you can go for easy stroller rides around the campground. Watch out for bugs though, my son got bitten right on his poor little eye. If your little one like dogs strolling around the campground can be a great way to count all the different dogs out camping. As they get a little older you can baby-wear and hike. Once your little gummybear has gotten too big to comfortably babywear on a hike you can choose to go for shorter walks and discover all the plants, leafs and trees. Bringing your littles out into nature from an early age helps them naturally learn about their place in the great big world. Wonder is something that can never be taught too young. Kayak: I love our little 2 person inflatable kayak that can go as easily on an RV as a plane ride. Last summer my son and I kayaked in the San Juan Islands and it was a great beginners way to introduce a little person to safety and all the fun of kayaking in ponds and lakes. Swim: remember to bring your baby's life-vest so they can float with you in the water at baker lake. Fire pits and stories: for the younger set ghost stories may be too scary but stories of natural wonder and history are always fun for little minds to sponge up.
Pack:
Life-vest: is vital for a good time to be had around water. Little ones can run fast and fall in so come prepared and teach them to love their fun water vest. Hats: As a certified glow-in-the/-dark pale girl hats are top of my list to keep from sunburns and heatstroke (and yes, I have gotten heatstroke below 70 degrees). Bug spray and candles: there are a number of bugs, my son got eaten up. Pack two big candles for dinners outside so you wont' be eaten alive
I love fall in Bellingham, there is an endless stream of crisp-air filled outings to be made. The salmon run around Bellingham is such fun for a little toddler. My son said fishies for the first time while watching them and was ever so happy to sit, breastfeeding and watching the fish jump through the air.
It can be pretty chilly while watching fish splash so bring an extra layer and a warm blanket for covering small legs while in the stroller. One of my favorite ways to see the fish is to forward-face your little one in a baby carrier so they can safely look around while you explain things. If you go during the afternoon you can bring warm snacks and hot apple cider to tide over small bellies between meal times.
Check online for fun and informative educational talks along the water's edge. Older kids can learn a lot more and you can sound smart when you recite back your newfound knowledge.
Be prepared ahead of time and look up some great facts so you and your little one can bond over conversations and fish.
What is anadromous? Salmon are and it means they're born in fresh water, hang out in the salty ocean as adults and head upstream to freshwater to spawn their babies.
There are about nine species of salmon that you can buy in stores. Salmon can weigh up to 110 pounds! You can tell the age of our tasty friends the salmon by counting the number of rings on its ears.
Visit Morro Bay for a relaxing couple of days. My son loves watching the birds as the tide pulls out and I love walking from the RV campground into town and back with the stroller. Stop for a milkshake as you wander around and just enjoy the area.
I love how different Morro Bay feels to the rest of SoCal and yet how close it all is. As you leave town don't forget to nibble on some doughnuts.
I love my hometown's many lovely areas. Santa Barbara is a pretty awesome spot for raising a little boy. He's spent his first years crawling, naked on the beaches and eating too many avocados.
The rose garden across the street from the Santa Barbara Mission is a lovely spot for photos and picnics with a toddler. My son is bit enamored with petals and likes to try and pluck all the roses so I do have to watch him like a hawk so that he can't get to them but he loves sniffing the scents.
We had a really lovely pelting of misty rain and got quite wet while playing in the roses. California is in a deep drought so it was nice to see some moisture. I always suggest you pack extra lotion for Santa Barbara because of how drying it can be on your skin.
Having a toddler means having the magic of newness in your life every day. A new color of flower, a raindrop in your hair or the awe of just being wild and free. These are the magic of life with a toddler.
Winter with a Toddler
As the winter really gets here my son and I are excited to see what fun things we can do in the snow or chilly rain. I wanted to share some of our December photos to help inspire you to get outside even when it's cold.
I know my son is wild whether I let him play outside or not but our days have a more focused energy when we both play outside and get fresh air. A big part of being a mama is not getting our little ones to behave a certain way but to focus their natural character and help them be happy day to day. Getting outside and having fun together helps my son focus his wild toddler energy into playful fun and not bored anger.
Bring a big scarf and warm gloves no matter the temperature this winter. They are always life savers for keeping little ones happy. Also, if you need to breastfeed while out in the cold a big, warm scarf will keep my breasts and tummy from freezing. I've done some good vlogs on cold weather breastfeeding on my Patreon as well.
Make sure you apply sunblock, I know my son and I have very fair skin and we can burn even on a cold day. Snow reflects a lot of light!
Toddler in the Berry Patch
Family is what matters in life and I love my big, crazy gang of a family. When uncle moose visited us we went berry picking. Boysenberry, Marion Berries, Blueberries and more means my freezer is full of fruit and my heart is filled with the awws.
Get everyone coated in sunblock before you leave for the berries or little excited gummybears might just run off without sunblock on. Bring extra water; both for drinking and cleaning up sticky little fingers. Diaper wipes are a must or you will look like you've just killed a train load of bunnies. |
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