Kidding Around Vancouver Island

Our kids are Island kids through and through – always at the beach, going to farmer’s markets, exploring the parks, and travelling the back roads.  So when we told them we were going to visit another island, they were pretty ho-hum about it all.  But as we left the ferry and started driving around Salt [...]

Sometimes the kids just need to get away from it all.  You know, from the daily grind of eating, playing, more eating, more playing, but mostly they need a break from their parents.  So sitting around a room with your parents, or going swimming with your parents, no matter how nice the resort,  just doesn’t [...]

The kids have at least half a dozen hula hoops hanging in the carport, but none of us has been able get the hula part of it.  The only use the hoops get is a rare game of daddy toss – 10 points if you get it over his head and 5 points if it [...]

We signed up Ella for swimming lessons, but it turned out the lessons were really for us.  You see Ella thinks swimming is a contact sport – she has to be clinging to me in order to get into the water.  Her teacher  was very patient the first day.  No you can’t put a strangle [...]

A friend of ours who lived for a short time in Parksville and had to move back to Alberta for job reasons, keeps emailing and asking how things are on the Island.  You can hear the longing in their words.  We love Parksville too – it’s the epitome of small town Island summers – and [...]

We doing a bit of a wander around Nanoose Bay recently and stumbled upon Beachcomber Regional Park. This gem comprises the tip of one of the peninsulas at the top end of Nanoose and while it’s small, it’s got plenty to offer, most notably a 270 degree ocean-front with beaches and rocky out-croppings (something to [...]

This August-like weather has forced us to re-think our June activities somewhat.  We’re not used to getting out sprinklers or using water parks so early in the season. Grace says she could get used to not being used to it….  I had trouble understanding that too, but the main thing is they’re having a blast.
We [...]

Our kids have always loved going to farmer’s markets, but now they love them even more after trying a market play date.  We met up with our friend Kate, her litle boy David and new-born Emilee at the Errington Farmers Market which we hadn’t been to in quite while.
After the girls went gah-gah over Emilee’s [...]

That beautiful May long weekend we just had got us out for a picnic up in Qualicum Beach, which then got us thinking about some of our favourite picnic spots in Oceanside.
Of course we have to start with the beaches.  At Qualicum Beach our picnic place of choice is the grassy area next to the [...]

Opening night isn’t far away and Grace remains as cool as a cucumber.  We’re as nervous as… as radishes.  All we can think about is her getting up on stage and trying to remember songs, dances, where she’s supposed to be on stage, and whether her hat’s on straight.  It’s so confusing.  Thankfully, the kids [...]