Love From Maria

Ice fishing. Toddler. Baby. MAGICAL.  So I would be lying if I didn't tell you that the thought was slightly daunting to begin with. Cutting holes in a frozen lake and waiting for fish to bite while keeping a five month old and a nearly two year old happy? Not sounding so magical? But here's the thing: we need to challenge the conventional! We need to expose our children to nature and teach them, through our actions, an active and nature filled lifestyle.  Thankfully I've been blessed with a relative expert outdoorsman of a father, so having him agree to take us along made all of the difference. Having an experienced ice fisher was incredible, and I highly recommend going with someone who has experience and knowledge in the field. I'm all for adventures but I'm also keen on safety and ice fishing isn't exactly something to "go try out" on a whim without the proper education and gear. Speaking of education and gear - i fishalberta.com is a fa

Stampede City is infamous for her rapidly changing and extreme temperatures, especially during the winter. And if you're a momma, at home with littles, it is no fun being stuck inside all the time! Now I love to play outside, but when the temperatures threaten frostbite within minutes of exposure I just can't justify taking my two under two outside for extended periods.  So how do we beat the winter weather and still get our play on? One of my favourite things to do is to go to Cardel Place - our local sports and recreation facility. Designated gym times mean a wide variety of objects to play with and lots of running room for my toddler! Open gym time gives my son the chance to choose his activities and have unstructured play alone and with children of various ages.   I'm a strong advocate for play, and for play between children of all ages. When we visit the gym I prefer to stand back and let my son take the lead. He can choose where he will play, who he will play