Calmly Chaotic

It's March in Ottawa so I'm rolling my eyes at the fresh snow we woke up to this morning and shifting my focus to the months ahead.... what what we refer to as camping season. We've already endured booking season - when your alarm is set extra early, and your heart pounds as you wait f…

We pulled into the entrance of West Lake Campground with the sun pressing down on our air conditioned car windows. It was the middle of July in Ontario and it had been four years since we'd last been there. This time we'd been back in the haze of raising a newborn and had forgotten to prope…

We pulled into the entrance of Bonnechere Provincial Park with a pop up camper full of clothes, gear and sunscreen. It was the first day of summer vacation and we were ready. We camp with the vigour of what one would expect after having been cooped up in the Ottawa winter for months on end. This su…

Last month my husband and I drove nine hours to Mount Desert Campground in Acadia National Park, Maine, for a week - by ourselves....


We were last in Acadia in May - our seventh trek to the rocky, salt filled shores. This would be our eighth. I wonder if other people experience this pull back to o…

How long does it take you to relax when you go on vacation? Normally, I'm about five minutes in and I am good, pass the cocktail it's time to forget about the ongoing stream of to dos. This past weekend we headed to Lake Placid to meet up with my parents and it wasn't until our last mo…

A few weeks ago my phone rang. It was mid morning and I was doing my usual mid morning thing... chasing after three 1.5 year olds. My parents were on the line, both of them and they sounded a bit funny... in a good way. They proceeded to inform me that they were sending Andrew and I away over night…

A few weeks ago we took our second camping trip with the girls.  This trip truly felt like more of a vacation and less of a 24 hour marathon that was our first camping trip.  Why is that.... well here's a few of the reasons..

1) when you go camping with toddlers... two of them... bring someone …