Grab your fishing gear and enjoy some free fishing this weekend with the family!
There’s been a lot of buzz over the last bit about the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge. It’s been renovated, revamped and a major attraction with the new Kananaskis Nordic Spa as its neighbour. (More about that experience in an upcoming post.) We needed desperately to get away and escape for a few days this Fall and wanted somewhere that we could easily drive to. Our curiosity had been peaked from the advertising, so we decided to give it a try.
Here’s what we loved about the Kananaskis Lodge:
Up until 2 weeks ago, my work was full time. 730 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday, both kids in Daycare. No flexibility, no leaving early, or even really being able to stay home with the kids if they were sick.
PS – this is not a political opinion post.
This was a change after having an incredibly flexible, work from home or partial work from home job since my daughter was 1. I started this full time gig just before she turned 9.
I loved my work.
I loved the customers, I loved my co-workers and I loved the daily challenges. I respected and grew to care for the people I worked with. BUT there was certainly “culture shock”.
The kids being in daycare, coming home spouting opinions and “Well, Dayhome Lady says…” 9 hours of my day not seeing them. By the time I got home and made supper, it was pretty much shower and to bed. There was one time my son was a bystander of a fight on the bus, a kids head hit into his mouth knocking one tooth out, and he was bleeding. I wasn’t there at the stop for him. Dayhome was. It broke my heart.
As the holiday season approaches a favourite activity for many families across Alberta is to check out the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train.
This year live entertainment from Dec 5th – 7th will be from Scott Helman and Madeline Merlo and then for the rest of the way it will be Terri Clark! Warm-up around the bonfires while sipping some hot chocolate, and of course seeing all of the beautiful lights that decorate the train cars.
Here is where you can see the Holiday Train for 2019:
| Provost | Field adjacent to railway tracks at 50th Avenue and 46th Street | 2019-12-5 | 5:55 PM | 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM | Scott Helman and Madeline Merlo |
| Hardisty | East end of CP railway yard, west of Highway 881 overpass | 2019-12-5 | 9:00 PM | 9:15 PM – 9:45 PM | Scott Helman and Madeline Merlo |
| Camrose | 52 Avenue and 50 Street, next to Moose Family Centre | 2019-12-6 | 1:05 PM | 1:15 PM – 1:45 PM | Scott Helman and Madeline Merlo |
| Wetaskawin | CP ES Building, 4009 50 Street | 2019-12-6 | 3:25 PM | 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Scott Helman and Madeline Merlo |
| Ponoka | 50th Street and 47 Avenue | 2019-12-6 | 5:00 PM | 5:15 PM – 5:45 PM | Scott Helman and Madeline Merlo |
| Lacombe | Len Thompson Fish Pond | 2019-12-6 | 6:50 PM | 7:00 PM – 7:30 PM | Scott Helman and Madeline Merlo |
| BlackFalds | CP tracks at Greg Street between Broadway Avenue and East Avenue | 2019-12-6 | 8:05 PM | 8:15 PM – 8:45 PM | Scott Helman and Madeline Merlo |
| Innisfail | 52 Avenue and 50 Street crossing | 2019-12-7 | 1:15 PM | 1:25 PM – 1:55 PM | Scott Helman and Madeline Merlo |
| Olds | 50th Street Level Crossing | 2019-12-7 | 2:45 PM | 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Scott Helman and Madeline Merlo |
| Didsbury | CP Mainline, 20th Street and 18th Avenue | 2019-12-7 | 4:05 PM | 4:15 PM – 4:45 PM | Scott Helman and Madeline Merlo |
| Airdrie | Nose Creek Park, Main Street, East side of CP tracks | 2019-12-7 | 5:45 PM | 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM | Scott Helman and Madeline Merlo |
| Calgary | Anderson C-Train Station – South C-train parking lot | 2019-12-8 | 5:45 PM | 6:00 PM – 6:45 PM | Terri Clark |
| Okotoks | Along Dagget Street between Northridge Drive and Veterans | 2019-12-10 | 12:00 PM | 12:15 PM – 12:45 PM | Terri Clark |
| Blackie | Across from Post Office at 1201 Railway Avenue | 2019-12-10 | 1:35 PM | 1:45 PM – 2:15 PM | Terri Clark |
| Vulcan | CP crossing at 1st Avenue and 2nd Street | 2019-12-10 | 3:15 PM | 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Terri Clark |
| Lethbridge | 2nd Avenue North and 12th Street, behind Save On Foods | 2019-12-10 | 7:00 PM | 7:15 PM – 7:45 PM | Terri Clark |
| Fort McLeod | Level Railway Crossing on 5th Avenue | 2019-12-11 | 9:15 AM | 9:15 AM – 9:45 AM | Terri Clark |
| Pincher Creek | Mile 61.12 – Railway Crossing Range Road 302 off Highway 3 | 2019-12-11 | 10:35 AM | 10:45 AM – 11:15 AM | Terri Clark |
| Coleman | South of 17th Avenue between 69th and 70th Street | 2019-12-11 | 12:40 PM | 12:45 PM – 1:15 PM | Terri Clark |
Also, don’t forget to bring healthy non-perishable food donations (or cash to donate instead) which will go towards local food banks in your community to help those in need.
For more information or to get live updates you can check out www.cpr.ca
Sometimes I look back on when my kids were really little and think to myself; What would I have done without the nurses at 811?
Of course as Canadians we are lucky in a lot of ways, but I’m specifically talking about our access to health advice.
Back then, I had 811 on speed dial. I don’t know how I would have got through those years without it. Even now I’ll call ahead of taking them directly to the hospital. Obviously if it was something really serious I would take them straight there but, thankfully I’ve almost always been able to use the advice I receive to help.
How long is too long for a fever to last?
How many times is too many times for my kid to have puked in 1 hr?
At what point is a cough not just a cough anymore?
What the heck is this bump on their toe?
What is 811?
811 is Health Link. By dialing 811 you gain access to quick and easy advice from a registered nurse 24/7.
There is also really great information at your fingertips on myhealth.alberta.ca
So, thank you. Thank you to all the medical staff that work tirelessly in our hospitals and on the phones.
We are grateful for you!
Remember, in a medical emergency, always call 911 or visit the nearest emergency department.
One of the things we wanted to do more this summer was to explore different hiking trails. Our kids are getting a bit older (7&11) so going on adventure walks by the campsite isn’t cutting it anymore.
We were in Kananaskis and one of the very helpful park staff members suggested Elbow Lake. If you’re ever in Kananaskis we highly recommend you stop by the information center. It has a pretty good little (FREE) museum and the staff there are fantastic at suggesting things that suit your family.
One of our favourite events of the year and, one of the very few that happens across the province is back for its 7th year. Open Farm Days is back with a recond number of farms participating in 2019 and they have their own beer which means there’s a greater chance of a being able to visit many farms near you, AND, the variety of farms is greater.
