Urban Suburban Mommy

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And then it was HIGH SCHOOL!

Posted on by Posted in The Struggle is Real, Urban Suburban Mommy .
First day of school Fall 2012

It was just his first day of kindergarten. KINDERGARTEN! I’d worried and stressed about the right school. I’d checked out all of the local options and lost a lot of sleep trying to make the right decision.

I landed on an alternative school that was run by the public school board in our area. With its outdoor program and left-leaning values I was sure this was a perfect match.

And it was, for quite some time.

I put in time parenting my baby, nurturing, growing, daycare, school drop-offs, concerts, plays and field trips. I was class parent, student council member, made costumes and cakes and sent in treats for parties, bake sales and movie nights.

And now it’s over.

He graduated from Grade 8. My Little Bunny has reached the next level. He can roam free on his own without supervision. He makes mature, sometimes wildly inappropriate jokes. He might just be a bit smarter than me, I’m ready to admit it.

And I need to stop calling him Little Bunny. (Out loud, anyways, in my head I will NEVER stop!)

When I was pushing the boundaries of teenagerdom my mom realized she wasn’t done with having little bunnies around, and at 35 she had my sister. My parents were definitely considered “older” but having more children in your 30s wasn’t terribly uncommon in the ’80s.

As good girls did in the ’60s, my mother got married at 21 and had me – her first – at 24, with my brother following along 2 years later. By the time my parents got around to having #3, my brother and I were old enough to help with the new kid. We diapered, and fed, and babysat and helped with it all.

But that’s the thing with starting a family at 40-ish. By the time I realized that I wasn’t done with baby bunnies, my body was like “sorry sistah, that mall has closed.”

There would be no second act, no time to add one more. In your 20s and 30s it’s more often an active decision you make about whether to have more baby bunnies, but when you start pushing 50, it’s not terribly likely that you have any say in the matter. Even looking into adoption, while there is no upper age limit, the hoops can get harder to jump through. And as any 40-ish parent knows, the ‘grandparent’ comments do start. Babies at 50? I know people who have had surprises at 50+, and the ‘grandparent’ comments just don’t stop.

So what I’ve been wondering is, do we “late maternal age”-ers hold on tighter? Because we can’t extend the baby time, do we impose our emotions on our young adults? I feel like I’ve had to work extra hard to loosen the reigns and lengthen the leash and let them fly on their own. I even romanticize those days of extra bedtime stories and snuggles, looking back longingly – when, in actuality, I just wanted them to go the f#$% to bed most nights, and was exhausted beyond all reason by the time their nighttime routine was complete.

Last day of school Summer 2022

We went to his Grade 8 graduation and I loved every minute of it. I love that he didn’t want to fall in with the troops and get formalwear, because it’s just not him. I love that he rolled with it and went for me, even though he didn’t see the big deal about grade 8 graduation. I loved all of it.

What I didn’t love was accepting it all. He’s no Little Bunny, he’s a big kid. A teen. A high schooler. He’s making his own decisions and cooking up his own plans.

At 50 with children that are really starting to flex their independence, I have this constant feeling like I’ve got handfuls of sand. The more I try to hold onto them and keep all the moments and memories of sand wrapped up safe and tight, the faster the grains of sand slip through my fingers and into the past.

So onwards and upwards to high school, but I’ve decided that he may have to put up with me calling him Little Bunny just a little longer.

Car seats: How safe is safe enough?

Posted on by Posted in Mommy Approved .

Car seats.

Ok, I admit, I have an unfair advantage because I have four kids and a grandkid. I’ve seen them survive falls, fires, bullying, getting lost, getting left behind at the store and all the stuff that kids face.

Of course that doesn’t mean my heart hasn’t leapt more than a few times.

Another confession though is this. It makes me angry how much the world preys on the fear instinct of moms, especially new moms. Don’t we have enough to worry about without having to stress over being a mom who trusts their child to a death-trap car seat?

Here’s a little encouragement.

Car Seats are Safe

All car seats sold legally in the United States (and Canada – and many other countries) are subject to meeting federal safety standards. The standards are updated and tend to get more restrictive over time.
And the standards are effective. The CDC says the number of deaths in children under 12 decreased by 42% between 2002 and 2011.

They also say that 9,000 children died during that period.

But if you dig into accident data (not just the CDC estimate), a couple of things are apparent:
– A large percentage of children who die in accidents weren’t buckled at all – Duh!
– Incorrect installation of car seats is a far bigger risk than inferior car seats

That’s why the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) dedicates their reviews of car seats to “usability” factors. They know that injuries are primarily caused by misuse and installation problems, so equipment that is easier to lock, clip, buckle, connect, carry, etc. is much safer.

Don’t Stress Out

Even the lower-end infant and convertible car seats are safe. They may not be the most comfortable, have the best features, be the easiest to use or fit right in your car – but if you install them correctly and buckle the kids up correctly, they are safe. That being said, there will always be a “safer” product. Not always, but often, the more expensive seats have more safety features.

These include:

– Extra side-impact protection
– 5-point harnesses
– Steel frames
– Anti-rebound bars
– Extra layers of padding
– Different technology for energy absorption
– Easier and more reliable latching, straps and buckles

And the list goes on and on…

Maxi-Cosi just introduced the world to the first car seat with built-in airbags, the AxissFix. And there is also a car seat that is completely inflatable.

Don’t Stress, But Do Do These Things

Stressing is actually unsafe. But while you are busy not stressing there are a few things you should do to keep the kiddos safe.

(Don’t roll your eyes)

– Don’t text when you are driving
– Don’t drink and drive
– Don’t drive recklessly – (do drive “wrecklessly”, get it? I just made that one up)

Seriously, this kind of thing is statistically a much bigger risk than buying the wrong car seat.

So, For Car Seats:

– Do look for easy-to-latch and buckle seats
– Do find a nice travel system that makes it easy to transfer car seats from home to car to stroller
– Do keep your child in a rear-facing seat until they are age two
– Do make sure the kid can breathe in the car seat (careful with thick winter coats, it’s highly advisable to remove outerwear and get the straps snug to your little one’s body)
– Do consider a convertible seat so that you don’t have to buy an infant seat and forward-facing seat separately

Another “do” is to take pictures of messes instead of crying over them. It’s really fun to collect “kid
disaster photos” and share them on Facebook! (Ok so that’s not strictly a car seat tip, but sometimes memorable messes happen in car seats too.) If I had actually caught every episode on camera I would seriously be the most famous social media mom of all time.

Other Fancy Car Seat Things

I went to the JPMA show and talked to the Baby Trend people. They have this new
technology they call Connected Gear. The cool thing about it is that it has a sensor in the belt harness that can sense whether your baby is buckled into the seat.

So it can signal your phone if you’ve left the kid in the car. It detects when you’ve walked far enough
away from the car (with your phone) and lets you know if the kid is still in there.

This feature can also be used for a secondary party like a care giver. Your phone can be notified if the care giver makes the same mistake.

It can also tell if the harness isn’t tight enough. If you are interested, search for the Secure Snap Fit Infant Car Seat.

Another interesting car seat development is the Doona Infant Car Seat/ Stroller that basically is a stroller and car seat all in one piece of gear. The wheels and handle fold up into the car seat.

With new developments in safety, technology and style, car seats are getting better and safer all the time. Keeping up with all of the info is a whole other story. But getting one with government approval, not expired and never in an accident is important. It will be the best car seat that works for your baby and your budget  and will keep your child safe and secure.

Blessed mother of two boys and two girls, changing diapers and homeschooling for 20 years and counting. I love to research (I’m a CPA). And I really love to help other moms make wise and thoughtful decisions for their families.

 

experiencedmommy.com

 

Experienced Mommy

Holiday Gift Guide – Urban Suburban Mommy Style

Posted on by Posted in The Best You, Urban Suburban Mommy .

Everyone needs some shopping inspiration. Gift guide after gift guide explains what to get the children, or the hubby, or the boss, or the teacher.

Well, what about mom? What do we want? You know what we want – we all want the same thing. So don’t read this gift guide for yourself, share this gift guide with the Urban Suburban Daddies, the Urban Suburban Uncles, The Urban Suburban Girlfriends, Boyfriends, Fiancés and Friends.

This is what just about any mom wants for the holidays:

A retreat.

She stays up too late sewing the costumes for class plays the night before. She runs around looking for shirts that don’t itch. She knows where every favourite toy and stuffie is at all times. She needs a break. A weekend with no responsibility. A morning with no alarm clocks. A night with no bedtime fights. A meal with no interruptions. With spouse? With friends? Let her pick.

A clean house.

We all know that housework should be shared. It’s not mom’s domain. But we all know who gets it done. Give her a few weeks off with housekeeping services. Seriously, the cost of making mom happy, giving her back some free time and putting a smile on her face is a fraction of what marriage counselling costs per month. Don’t argue about whose turn it is to vacuum, pay for the privilege and get it done.

Deep relaxation.

Mom’s got a busy life and she puts everyone else first. Everyone is served and eating before she finishes and sits down. She got the lunches made and the kids dressed for school, and threw her hair in a messy bun (thank goodness they’re in style!), forgoing a shower and blow-dry. She totally needs a day at the spa. Go for one of the good ones with water therapies and fancy tea stations, and book her a massage. A deep tissue massage. And DON’T request a female masseuse – unless you think that’s HER preference. Hold it together and let her have an afternoon off. She’s coming home to you all refreshed and relaxed up.

Some free time.

She talks about how much she misses yoga classes. She used to belong to a book club. She’s stopped going to the mall and orders all her clothing online. Face it, she loves her family, but families require endless amounts of mom’s time. Give her the gift of a few reliable hours a week that are hers and hers alone, to regain that favourite activity. Getting the kids to activities, feeding them dinner, doing the bedtime routine – it’s a big job, but you can do it without her a few hours a week!

Wine.

Mom needs wine. A spare bottle of something just a bit nicer than she’d usually buy herself. You know what? Make it 2.

Will “Mom” for seeds

Posted on by Posted in The Struggle is Real .

There are 48 hours till Mother’s Day, and I’m running through midtown Toronto looking for seeds.

Not just any seeds. “Basil, mama,” came the edict from my oldest boy. “I want to plant basil. And sunflowers.” Right. No problem.

Only, it seems there aren’t any basil seeds in Toronto. Canadian Tire, nope. Home Depot, zilch. I even asked the convenience store lady to check her stockroom to see if there was anything that hadn’t germinated yet.

I’m not allowed back in her store.

Sunflowers are another challenge. Apparently there’s no demand for flowers that reach six feet tall in a city choked by condos. But my kid wants great, flowering behemoths on the tiny Juliet balcony of our two-bedroom rental.

Did I mention there are two more days till Mother’s Day?

It doesn’t matter. The day will be spent making everyone pancakes while slurping lukewarm coffee, opening handmade cards that I helped create, then carrying on, business as usual. Traditionally, there’s a meltdown around 3-ish. This year, the boys are two and five, so it’s anyone’s game.

I know the score. I don’t expect anything super special on Mother’s Day. We don’t go out to a restaurant because, kids.

 

“Mother’s Day” is a misnomer, kind of like “work/life balance” and “equal pay”. In my home, it’s a vague, esoteric term that acknowledges the woman who does roughly 90% of the work for 10% of the credit.

Here’s the weird part: I don’t care.

No one “Moms” for the glory. It’s the most thankless, exhausting, frustrating, maddening, rewarding job in the world. Who willingly subjects themselves to miniature despots and tiny tyrants without the promise of a paycheque or, at the very least, vacation pay? Moms do it willingly, joyfully, sometimes more than once.

If a grown-up asked me to make him scrambled eggs, then promptly threw them on the floor like I was trying to kill him, I might just reach for a baseball bat. “Momming” is different than loving. Of course I love my kids. That’s why they’re still living here.

Mother’s Day is less about me, and more about what I represent to my kids, beyond “the help” or the ATM. I am their safe place, their unconditional love and their biggest cheerleader. Every day I wake up with anxiety and feelings of inadequacy. And every day I push past it and keep my kids happy, healthy and loved. I “Mom” pretty hard.

So Nathan wants basil and sunflower seeds. He wants to put his hands in the dirt and dig and water something and watch it grow. He wants to hold “real alive” worms in his hands and tell me how they dig tunnels under the ground so the plants can thrive. So this weekend, he’ll plant and I’ll watch him grow.

What a great Mother’s Day present.

Show MOM how “GRATE” she is….

Posted on by Posted in Delicious Dishes, Domestic Goodness .

I always like to have a little fun in the kitchen, whether it be by trying something new, or just channeling my inner crafty side and having fun with food.  Crafting with food is nice because you eat the finished product, it doesn’t pile up on a counter in your kitchen for months while you try to figure out what to do with it!

Today let’s look at something we can create for Mom on her special day. Get the kids to help, or just surprise her with these delicious little things.

Quiche Lorraine Tartlets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These little Tartlets are breakfast version of the two-bite brownie, plus they are simple and fun.

Tools:

Mini Muffin Pan

 

Mini Tart Shaper (or your fingers)

Biscuit Cutters (or a cup)

What you need:

– 1 pkg (350g) refrigerated pie crusts (2 crusts), softened according to the package directions
– 2 eggs
– 1/2 cup half and half
– 1/8 tsp salt
– 4 slices cooked bacon
– 1/2 med rep pepper
– 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
– 1/2 cup grated swiss cheese
– 12 grape tomatoes
– coarsely ground black pepper
– additional chopped fresh chives or green onion (optional)

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.  Unroll one pie crust onto a lightly floured counter/surface.  Spacing closely together, cut 12 disks from crust using biscuit cutters (approximately 3-inch diamaeter).  A cup or Measure-all will work as a good substitute.

2. Take the cut disks and press them into the wells of the mini muffin pan using the tart shaper.  If no tart shaper use your fingers.

3. Whisk eggs, half & half, and salt in a mixing bowl with a pour spout.

4. Finely chop bacon, chives and pepper (use a paper towel to squeeze excess water out of pepper). Place in a mixing bowl.  Add cheese. Mix well.

5. Pour egg mixture evenly into tart shells, sprinkle with the cheese mixture.

6. Cut tomatoes in half crosswise and place one on top of each tartlet, cut side up.

7. Sprinkle with pepper.

8. Bake 14 to 16 minutes – until eggs are set.

9. Garnish with chives/green onions  and enjoy!

Show your mom/wife/motherly figure, she’s one in a MELON…lol

Danielle Reid


Danielle’s Pampered Kitchen..Healthy Meals in Minutes

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Kids’ stuff I wish someone would invent

Posted on by Posted in The Struggle is Real .

If you’re like me, you have all the time in the world to daydream about how easy this parenting gig would be if you only had a (fill in the blank).

For every step forward in the “useful kids’ crap” category (see Gro Clock), there is a giant leap backwards (see Child disassembles Gro Clock with the accuracy and precision of a bomb specialist.) I’ve gone one step further and leaped so far out of the box that the items listed below can only be found in the realm of science fiction. Still, a mom can dream, can’t she?

1. A feat of engineering that keeps bathtub water IN the bathtub and off the floor.

Perhaps an invisible force field or a film that keeps water where it belongs. I’d even try sonar that prevents children from turning the tub into a wave pool like a Kraken on, well…crack. So far, I’ve tried a garbage bag and a clear storage bin but as of yet have been unsuccessful.

2. A baby/toddler/pre-schooler-to-English translator that plugs directly into your ear.

Imagine – no more figuring out which cup they want, no more wondering why your child is crying for the eleventy-hundredth time (in the past hour). “Nooo!” becomes “I would gladly play with that parent-approved, educational toy.” At the very least, if no translation could be found, the ear plug would pump in the soothing, dulcet tones of Enya or Yanni Live at the Acropolis.

3. Food that instantly becomes whatever your child wants.

Chicken fingers? No problem. Oh, you changed your mind? Bam! Macaroni! Bonus points if every dish magically has four times the nutritional value of my preschooler’s current diet of plain hamburger buns and air.

4. A magic bed.

I’m probably the only parent alive who has problems with her children sleeping in their own bed (or sleeping at all), but bear with me. If someone created a bed that could transport my child to Slumberland and keep him there until the sun actually rose, I would literally just give that sorcerer all of my money. Note: I would also accept a mattress that cuts the bedtime nonsense down from two hours to twenty solid minutes.

5. Toys that don’t lose their pieces.

Or have sharp edges. Or get caught in an air vent. Or up a child’s nose. Or don’t require batteries. Or cause dents in a child’s skull when his younger brother clobbers him with it. So, basically a sponge.

6. Liquid patience.

If only there was a magical liquid that could soothe a mommy’s frazzled nerves and transport her feelings of rage and inadequacy to a far-off place. I would name it after the sound it creates when it first passes the lips: Merlooooooot……

Note to self: stop by the liquor store.

You’re not *just* a mom

Posted on by Posted in The Best You .

Wellness isn’t all yoga and smoothies, vitamins and the newest fad diet. Sure, sleep, eating right, regular doctors visits and keeping hydrated are all extremely beneficial when it comes to wellness, but you know what? Sometimes it needs to be all about us.

This dawned on me as I was sitting at Sick Kids hospital with my son for five hours this morning and then deciding to call it ‘A vacation day’ because I’d already missed more work than I wanted to make up.

My VACATION days are sacrificed for my children. Gladly.

Dinner? I make what THEY want.

Girls weekends in Vegas? Sorry, little bunny has a school play that Friday.

Honestly, when I realized I was sacrificing my purse and shoe addiction collection in order to fund the needs of these children, I knew I’d discovered the selflessness of motherhood.

Plus the staying up with sick kids, trading sleep for snuggles when they have bad dreams, playing board games (or bored games, I need a break from Candyland!), and sitting through hours of Dora, Caillou and Ruby – because, let’s face it, I really never need to hear any of those voices again – tell the tale.

We don’t have to NOT be moms, there’s no stopping that train, but we need to remember that we are also human beings. When was the last time a day was all about you? How about half-a-day? How about three consecutive hours?

It’s time to take a vacation day and use it. It’s time to leave them at daycare and NOT feel guilty on a day off. It’s time to pick a movie we want to see for once, go swimming without having to “watch this!” or spend time with a friend having tea without interruptions every minute, on the minute. It’s time to make a real dinner with adult flavours and real china instead of pandering to the mini masses.

It’s not a rejection of motherhood. I LOVE being a mom. I think that’s why it’s so easy to put myself last and worry more over their needs than mine. There’s no way I can possibly refuse to wake up for a nightmare or a sick child, but there are ways to carve out time for us and not be *just a mom* – and by JUST, I don’t minimize motherhood, not for one second. Motherhood is all-encompassing, I do it because I think it’s the biggest, best and most important job there is. But it’s time to rethink it and not make motherhood the only recognizable part of the people we are.

Next vacation day I’m hitting the spa, drinking champagne and buying myself something pretty.

(Unless my kids really need me!)

 

Now what?

Posted on by Posted in The Struggle is Real .

You spend all of that time learning how to be a good pregnant lady.

You learn how to do the whole crazy birth thing.

You learn how to feed them, burp them, change them and get them to sleep.

And then… They go and turn into full fledged human beings on you.

Now what?

There’s no more stressing over whether they’re hitting their milestones or what foods to introduce. They’re good.

There’s no more cute outfits. They know what they like.

There’s no more shoving them in a car seat and taking them where you want. It’s all a negotiation and hopes for good behaviour.

They didn’t prepare me for this stage in all of those motherhood books. I was so busy getting to be good at being pregnant and getting through the infant stage that I had no idea how confounding the big boy stage would be.

what-now-beach

My sons are 6 and 8. It’s fun and exciting to see the people they are, the minds they’re starting to develop, the activities they’re starting to excel in.

But I can’t help but feeling that I’m along for the ride and barely holding on for dear life. Please tell me I’m not the only one! I have no clue about Pokémon or Beyblades or hockey. In fact, sitting around a cold rink early on Saturday mornings was the LAST thing I wanted to do, but since the boys like it, I do it.

Along for the ride.

While the start of motherhood comes with so many books and so many clearly defined dos and don’ts, by the time you get a few years in, it’s more of a surprise that unfolds around you.

And it’s fun. I’m glad I’m along for the ride.

I never wanted to stand around a cold hockey rink far too early on a Saturday morning. But seeing them get all geared up and shuffle along the ice is actually fun. Cold, but fun. Watching them learn to read, do math, learn how many eyes a bee has is exciting, kind of mind blowing, actually.

They come home from school and have a bunch of things to tell me that they’ve learned, that they’ve done with friends, that they’ve imagined and created. Now, I’ve learned not to ask what they did at school, because the certain answer to that question is “NOTHING!” But if I wait for them to get there, they start telling me, bit by bit, the minutiae of their days.

And it’s all just so incredible. An amazing part of the ride.

I love hearing about what they and their friends thought up. I love hearing about the jokes and the funny things and I feel my blood boil whenever anyone wrongs them.

This whole parenthood thing is crazy.

boys-zamboni-what-now

 

My mom made it look so easy. I thought parents knew everything, I thought they had all of the answers. I really thought when I became a mother that it would be that way.

I’m winging it.

Sometimes the moms on Facebook and the moms at the school and the moms in my circle make me wonder if everyone got the manual but me. I’m pretty sure they’re just along for the ride too…

But then I think, they seem happy, they’re becoming decent little human beings, they’re thriving – and that means I must be doing something right.

Right?

Same stupid questions with parenting at any age

Posted on by Posted in The Struggle is Real .

I was at the local barbecue place (Joe’s Barbecue – OMG so good!) picking up dinner on Friday. The place is one big grill and everything’s cooked to order, so if you don’t order ahead, you’re standing around for a good 20-30 minutes waiting on your take-out. My 5 year old was with me. The woman and man behind the counter were chatting and then finally asked how old my boy was. As it always happens when I say “He’s 5,” they go into the ‘disbelief discussion’ and remark at how big he is.

And he is. He’s 4’4″. He’s a head and shoulders above all of the other kids in his kindergarten class.

But the fact is, he was maybe half a foot shorter than the woman behind the counter.

And she said so.

And we laughed and started chatting about our kids. She told me she was 20 and her kid was 3. We were comparing notes on our kids, when she remarked how people are always trying to tell her how to raise her kid.

bringing home baby

It was funny to compare notes. Whether you’re a 20 year old mom or a 40 year old mom, the questions are the same, the meaning is different:

Are you having another:
At 20: Are you still with the dad?
At 40: Are you going to try? Can you still have one?

Was the baby planned:
At 20: Did you learn your lesson or do I need to explain birth control?
At 40: IVF? Fertility treatment?

Is that your baby:
At 20: Is that your sister?
At 40: Is that your grandchild?

While I’d like to think there are benefits and drawbacks to having a baby at any age, it sounds like when you’re younger, people don’t feel you’re as capable, and when you’re older, you’re way more neurotic in your ways. She and I had a laugh about the rude things people ask. It’s funny what people want to know – and feel entitled to ask.

So what’s the right age to have kids – where they’re *obviously* your baby, where you’re *obviously* with the dad, where it’s *obviously* part of your master plan and not some ridiculous stereotypical symptom of your age?

Mother’s Day is bittersweet, and that’s okay

Posted on by Posted in The Struggle is Real .

Every year around Mother’s Day, I get a bit weepy. My husband goes to great lengths to remind me that we need to celebrate me, because I’m a mom, but Mother’s Day really hurts.


 mom

I lost my mom in 2001. We were very close, she was an awesome mom. Every Mother’s Day is a stark reminder that I’ve gone a whole other year without her.

Inconceivable.

I miss her tons. But I try to get inspired by my husband’s enthusiasm so that my boys can make a fuss and celebrate Mother’s Day and do all of those things I once did for my mom. I like when my Mother-in-Law comes down on Mother’s Day, it makes it all a bit more normal for me, but she’s not able to make it this year so I get Mother’s Day all to myself.

But what I’ve come to learn in these 15 motherless Mother’s Days is that it’s okay to miss my mom. I’m damned lucky to have had a mom worth missing. It’s another year of teaching my boys about her crazy ways and hysterical sense of humor and her unwavering love and affection, and it makes me appreciate how well she prepared me to love my boys with all that I’ve got.

The one thing that makes me sad is that my mom was uncomfortable in front of the camera. So many life events are missing shots of her, and there are so few from our day-to-day, that I don’t have as many mementoes as I’d like. If there were one thing I could change it would be that – so take a lesson here – get in front of the camera. No makeup, overweight, underweight, messy, dirty, in jammies, unbrushed hair – the only thing your kids will ever notice, is the love you always have in your eyes for them. So leave them plenty.

5 awesome things to do this Mother’s Day

Posted on by Posted in Urban Suburban Mommy .

What does Mother’s day mean to you?


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It means something different to me now, compared to when I was a child. In the past it was a day to honor my mother and shower her with flowers and a gift – which i still do even though now we live thousands of miles apart.

I’m sure she loved the thoughtful gestures that my brother and I did every year, but the truth is we really had NO idea how fortunate we were to have such an amazing woman raise us. Looking back, she made everything look so effortless. I have an enormous amount of love and gratitude for my mother and really reflect upon motherhood each Mother’s Day.

Reflecting on motherhood isn’t something I did prior to having children. Being a mom is hard work. There is no rule or guide book that works magic on every child. You make things up as you go along, with the guidance of family and loved ones, but it’s your inner gut that navigates you through this wonderful journey called life/motherhood. As a mother what makes me feel fulfilled and happy is seeing my boys wild, happy and of course, well behaved;). The three of us are happiest when we’re on an adventure in nature. The boys are able to roam around freely and explore, thus keeping us grounded and thankful for the beauty that surrounds us.

Here is a list of 5 activities and some recommendation destinations that will take your Mother’s Day to the next level. Hold onto to your adventure hat…it might get a little bumpy!

1. Camping: Canada: Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island; Tobermory, Ontario.
USA: The Joshua Tree National Park

2. Surfing: Canada: Tofino, B.C.
USA: areas close to LA – Topanga, Venice, Sunset or Malibu

3. Nature walk: Canada: The National Trail; Niagara on the Lake Waterfront Trail. I
USA: Solstice Canyon and Sycamore Canyon near LA

4. Waterfall hunting: Canada: Shannon falls Provincial Park, BC.
USA: Havasupai Falls, Arizona

5. Star gazing with your boys: Set up a little viewing deck area outside with cozy blankets and pillows, prepare some hot chocolate with marshmallows and sit back and relax while the stars shine above!

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AlissiaAlissia Marciano is an international fashion and wardrobe stylist, as well as, an on-air celebrity fashion host. Currently based in Los Angeles, she has worked and forged her talent around the world in such cities as Paris, New York, Vancouver, and Toronto. From guest appearances on Rachael Ray, to the countdown to the Oscars on the red carpet with E!, and co-hosting Look A Like and Sexy Girl,  Alissia is a prominent figure in the fashion industry and her success has earned her the reputation of a highly sought after international fashion and celebrity stylist. Beyond fashion and music, Alissia’s portfolio includes an extensive list of advertising clients including Diesel, ESPN, Nike, Acura, Orbit, and CAT. Her eclectic mix of femininity and rock n’ roll has graced the pages of such publications as L’Uomo Vogue, Neo 2 (Spain), Entertainment Weekly, New York Moves, Wonderland (Japan), The National (UAE) and Filler to name a few. In addition to her work in the industry, Alissia has two beautiful boys with whom she shares many wonderful adventures and creates lasting memories with, surfing and skateboarding being two of their favorite activities.