60 Adventures in 60 Days: Summer 2017

Leave a comment September 5, 2017 drworobec

To say I’ve had a great Summer would be an understatement. I’m a chronic over-planner, and my family is always up for adventure, so we cram our Summer FULL of fun. I’ve published two other Summer-fun lists, in 2013 and 2014, and now my children are eight and five years old, so our exploits and abilities are expanding as they grow.

We’ve found some incredible hidden gems this year; check out some of our experiences, and keep them in mind for yourselves!

1. BlueJays game on Canada Day.

2. Canada Day fireworks at Spencer Smith Park.

3. Port Dover beach.

4. Golfing at Lowville Golf Club.

5. Both kids playing baseball with BOMBA.

6. Batting cages at Mainway Sports Centre.

7. Tri Kids triathlon at Appleby College.

8. Blood donor appointments at Canadian Blood Services.

9. Hockey Hall of Fame.

10. $5 movies at Cinestarz Burlington.

11. Hot yoga.

12. Honda Indy in Toronto.

13. 11-year anniversary dinner at DiMario’s Trattoria.

14. Half marathon training, including weekly long runs with my wonderful Michaela.

15. Sunday brunch with girlfriends.

16. Royal Ontario Museum.

17. A week at The Wave hockey camp for my son.

18. A week at Pedalheads bike camp for my daughter.

19. Weekly Monday-night dinners with cousins.

20. Monthly book club meetups.

21. Coffee catchups with friends.

22. Regular massage tuneup appointments.

23. CrossFit Kids Saturday morning sessions.

24. Food truck festival.

25. The Donkey Sanctuary, just outside Guelph.

26. Rainbow loom bracelet-making. (Thanks to family and friends who handed down their rainbow-loom supplies a few years after this trend passed; my kids were too young for it then, but they both love it now.)

27. Fishing (Robert Edmondson Park and LaSalle Park marina).

28. Having nieces and nephews for sleepovers.

29. Evening beachside walks with friends.

30. 1-on-1 Date Days with our kids: BlueJays games, pony rides, Mountainside Pool, and bowling/laser tag at Splitsville.

31. Dinners on downtown patios.

32. Bi-annual optometrist appointments for the kids.

33. Checking out the newly-renovated Nelson outdoor pool.

34. RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey.

35. Trips to Central Library.

36. Ottawa!

37. Helping at Wellington Square’s Friday Night Community dinners.

38. Lemonade stand.

39. Family reunion for my mother-in-law’s family.

40. Touch football league games for my husband.

41. Standup paddleboard yoga at Christie Lake.

42. CrossFit classes.

43. Assumption Sports Camp.

44. Bad Axe throwing with the Burlington Sports & Spine team.

45. Disco Dash 10k race.

46. Toronto Island sprint triathlon for my husband.

47. Fit in the Core outdoor yoga class at City Hall.

48. Burlington Children’s festival.

49. Backyard BBQs and fireside chats with wonderful friends.

50. Writing letters to Samuel, our sponsored child through World Vision. (As an aside, this is one of the BEST things we’ve done; we began sponsoring Samuel in the Spring, and we write to him often.)

51. Dinner and arcade games at QB’s Sports Grill.

52. Family workouts at the Chedoke and Dundurn stairs.

53. A cottage weekend at my sister-in-law’s cottage in Muskoka.

54. Go-carts at Lakeland Kartway.

55. Assumption Football Camp.

56. Zac Brown Band concert at the Budweiser Stage.

57. Regular kid’s visits and chiropractic appointments at Burlington Sports & Spine Clinic.

58. Aspire Climbing gym in Milton (American Ninja Warrior course, climbing walls, and bouldering).

59. Family sleepover at our dear friend’s home in Kitchener.

60. Ribfest.

60 More Adventures…

2 Comments September 16, 2014 drworobec

Whew! Another busy Summer is in the books, as Fall officially rolls in next week. The Summer of 2013 brought my family 60 adventures in 60 days, and while we didn’t set out to match that number in 2014, we did try to enjoy a fun experience each and every day.

If you live in the Burlington area, bookmark this list, as nearly everything we did was within a two-hour drive. We re-visited some favourites from last year and found some new hidden gems:

1. Canada Day 5k race at Spencer Smith Park.

2. Hot Spring Spas video promo shoot. You can watch it here.

3. Wild Waterworks at Confederation Park.

4. Fern Resort in Orillia.

5. Picking strawberries, raspberries, peas, and beans at Uncle Scott’s Farm.

6. Swimming in friend’s/family’s backyard pools.

7. Watching my husband play touch football.

8. Outdoor food truck picnic.

9. Playhouse delivery! Read about it here.

10. Feeding the chipmunks at LaSalle park.

11. My 5-yr-old’s T-Ball league.

12. Within Range driving range and mini-putt.

14. My son getting his first pair of glasses.

13. My son getting his first pair of glasses.

14. Alton Village splashpad/skate park.

15. Safari Niagara.

16. Hosting playdates.

17. Celebrating 8 years of marriage.

18. Eating outside, or in the playhouse, as much as possible.

19. Patio nights with my girlfriends.

20. Crossfit, running, hot yoga; staying active.

21. The Tim McGraw concert at the Molson Amphitheatre.

22. ‘Planes: Fire and Rescue’ movie.

23. Burlington Beach.

24. Golfing at Lowville.

25. Tansley Woods library trips and the BPL Children’s reading club.

26. A Bluejays game.

27. Nelson outdoor pool/splashpad.

28. Bronte Park outdoor pool.

29. Running hills at Bronte Park.

30. Family skate at Appleby Ice Centre.

31. City bus ride on the Upper Middle Road route.

32. Orchard park splashpad.

33. Millcroft Park splashpad.

35. Our neighbour's cottage on August long weekend.

34. Our neighbour’s cottage on August long weekend.

35. Helping with my in-law’s basement after Burlington’s August 4th flood.

36. Hiking at Cherry Hill Gate.

37. Mountainside pool/splashpad.

38. The Brantford Twin Valley Zoo.

39. Neighbourhood playgrounds.

40. The Jordan Harbour shipwreck.

41. Burlington Mall Farmer’s market.

42. Oakville’s Valleyridge splashpad.

43. Central Library’s showing of ‘The Lego Movie’.

44. Back-to-school shopping.

45. Lil’ Monkeys Indoor Playground.

46. The Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara Falls.

47. ‘Camping’ in a tent in the backyard.

48. Tough Mudder.

49. Burlington Children’s festival.

50. Backyard BBQs with our awesome neighbours.

51. The odd (gasp!) sleep-in.

46. A visit to my sister-in-law's cottage.

52. A visit to my sister-in-law’s cottage.

53. Giving “Injury Prevention, “Biomechanics,” and “Movement Screening” talks at the Running Room.

54. Naturopath appointments.

55. Chalk-painting furniture.

56. Assumption High School football camp.

57. Meeting Baby Charlie in Washington, DC.

58. Fantasy Football draft.

59. Skyzone Indoor Trampoline Park.

60. Ribfest.

My Floors Are Always Dirty

4 Comments May 28, 2013 drworobec

My floors are always dirty. Especially in the Spring and Summer. Especially the kitchen floor.

You see, our back patio door opens off our kitchen, and we spend more time outside than inside when the weather is nice. Our backyard is our oasis in the city- complete with trees, grass, and a sandpit. The sandpit that we have may be the same kind that you have….. you know, the kind that sand seems to jump out of and stick to any child or dog within a 5m radius? Yep, that kind. This sand is then tracked into my house via the patio door via my kitchen floor. Along with grass clippings, pebbles, sticks, twigs, rocks, bugs, dog food, flowers, grass seed, leaves, and all other backyard flora and fauna.

By day’s end, my floors feel more like sandpaper than tile, they look more beige than white, and they sound more rough than smooth. Out comes the broom and the steammop, and I have nice clean floors again between the hours of 8pm and 8am.

But the sand I clean up reminds me of the huge sandcastle my son built, and the pride I saw on his face.

The grass clippings remind me of the excited smile my daughter had when she felt the lawn on her bare toes, and the sense of wonder in her eyes.

The sidewalk chalk dust reminds me of the artwork that graces my driveway, and the creativity and imagination it inspired.

The twigs remind me of the fun our puppy had exploring his new environment.

So I will take the sand. And the grass clippings. And the chalk dust and the twigs. Because a clean kitchen floor means far less to me than a day of backyard fun with the dirt to prove it.

My floors are always dirty. And I like it that way.

***This post was originally written as a Guest Blog post for Momstown.ca.