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As the winter season has come to an end (although I’m convinced there will be one more snowfall) I reflect upon the great winter we had.

This winter we made the decision to embrace it early on, and it was SO fun. We made it out to Buffalo Pound 6 times, we camped in a yurt, and we had tons of fun in our own yard.

February was rough, some cold days, some covid, a little gastro. We definitely did not make it outside as much as I wanted. We were surviving, not thriving.

I tried to make notes of little things I learned or appreciated throughout the winter, and it is now time to share these little thoughts.

1. Always bring extra mittens

We learned this when we only had multiple pairs of very wet mittens and matching cold hands. This also came in handy when I dropped one of my mittens in a pit toilet – this lesson is not just for kids! We also adapted a no mittens in the pit toilets policy after my incident.

1. Put Kleenex in your pocket

There are so many boogers to be had in the winter. I became that mom with the handful of Kleenex in every pocket always.

3. Goggles are great

You know when it’s so cold it hurts your face? Wear the goggles (and balaclava). There were some very cold days where we still got out, and I’d like to make a special shout out to our goggles for that. We didn’t need anything fancy and found some affordable options online.

4. Say YES

This was a big one for us. There were quite a few days when I would have gladly stayed warm and cozy in the comfort of my home, but the kids would ask for us to join them – so we said YES, and it led to some pretty fun family time outside.

5. You never regret going outside

Kind of a play off #4. No matter how cold we were – if we were outside for 5 minutes or an hour; we never once regretted doing it.

6. BYOF

Bring your own firewood. There was a few times at the lake where starting the fire was a tough go. Frozen / wet-ish wood was all that was available and it just made it a bit more difficult to get things going.

7. Everything is more exciting in the dark

Sliding, playing, walking, dancing – all more exciting in the dark. The LED toques were perfect for everything outside, and when it’s dark by 5 pm you can still get out before bedtime. Make. Them. Tired.

8. Fleece pyjamas make a great base layer

Don’t have merino wool? That’s ok. We used fleece pyjamas as a base layer because why not? Be resourceful, we don’t need the fancy gear to stay warm.

9. ODP

Three words – outdoor dance party. Not only will dancing bring joy (and entertainment), it will also keep you warm!

10. Vent Dryer is a must have item

This little winter accessory is a staple in our house. 10/10 highly recommend, we love dry winter gear.

Bonus thoughts:

⁃ Fires with friends are fun. Invite your friends outside! We had a few lake days with friends and family and it was so fun. Invite your neighbours to a yard fire. “Sometimes all you need is good company.”

⁃ Sand toys make great snow toys

I hope you all had the opportunity to enjoy the winter season.

I

This was our second year attending Iceville. Last year it was freeeeeezing cold when we went (but I was determined to go).

The weather for the week was looking beeeeautiful. We booked the 4 pm slot on Friday to accommodate school hours and to time it perfectly for a supper outing.

Making the trip to the big city we need to drag it out a bit, and take long enough so that when we get home it’s bed time. Mission Accomplished.

Skating as per usual was magical. It was snowing and I felt like I was in a snow globe, and I just loved it. The boys had so much fun, Spencer barely skated and was pulled on the sled for the most part. I get it. If I had the option of being pulled around I’d probably take it too.

Knowing the food menu was improved this year we had planned to eat supper in the chalet lounge. The food was delicious, and the vibes were extra cozy. The kids were okay 😂.

Highly recommend everyone to experience Iceville.

• Affordable ($5 a person)
• Skate rentals available
• Food and beverage (before or after your skate)
• Live music on weekends (7pm)
• Dine & skate special events

Happy Sasking [in the snow]!

We try to do a winter weekend every year, and 2021 was no different!

As per usual, our planning was last minute. We went with Cypress Hills for a few reasons.

• Availability
• Had Never Visited (specifically Lori)
• Weather was looking 👌🏻👌🏻

We were able to get a hotel room for 2 nights at The Resort at Cypress Hills, we were hoping for a cabin, but they were booked (the joys of last minute planning). At the time of the trip we had a 5, 3 and 14 month old.

I researched the winter programming for the park, and planned as best we could.

To save on meals we tried to pack groceries for breakfast and lunch. Also the resort restaurant did not open until 10 am , so packing for breakfast was a must (so glad I did my research).

As per usual we had to bring everything we own – stroller, hiking backpack, sleds, skates, hockey sticks, fire items. All. Of. The. Things.

I don’t know how I found the brewery, but maybe the brewery found me.

When we saw that there was a brewery in Maple Creek, we added a pit stop to our itinerary. Ty and I like to say that Rafter Brewing was the favourite part of our trip. We added a growler to go for the weekend. While the children peaked from a juice box sugar high, we were almost at our destination.

The first night I think we just tried to survive. The fancy feeling of a hotel has been passed on to our children. Bed time is a nightmare, it doesn’t really exist – we just hope they eventually fall asleep and it’s not super late. We aim low.

Because we were only there 2 nights, we really only had one full day to enjoy. So in that day we tried to do EVERYTHING.

Looking back at the time stamp on my photos we were at the sliding hill by 9 am. There was also a “luge” track – being the end of February and the sun shining it was getting a little beat up, but that was ok because that slowed the kids down.

We squeezed in a hike before lunch.

We prepared lunch by campfire. There are fire pits located around the resort for guests to use – first come first serve. Wood is provided, but you’ll need to bring lighters, fire starter, kindling, ax, etc…

We had a car nap.

We went skating, and sat around a fire.

We prayed the children would go to bed.

The morning we were checking out we did a few more trips down the sledding hill, checked out the lake, and had a tailgate lunch before hitting the road.

Although our time spent here was short, it was quite lovely. I knew I wanted to return in the summer. The weather was beautiful, and there were enough activities to entertain the whole family. Plus it’s really just a beautiful place. THE TREES. Heart eyes.

Things to Note:

• Nothing other than the Resort is open in the actual park.
• Maple Creek is a short drive away (20 mins)
• Minimal businesses are open in Maple Creek on a Sunday
• Sliding hill – warm up shack and washrooms available

Other activities to be enjoyed:

• Cross Country Skiing (rentals available)
• Snow shoeing (rentals available)
• Snowmobiling (BYOS)

Linked: Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park Winter Guide

Sask ya later.

Being in Moose Jaw we are so lucky to have Buffalo Pound a short drive away. I remember seeing a SaskParks facebook post advertising what was going on at the lake, and we decided to check it out.

Our first trip out was mid December of 2020. As per usual, we brought everything we owned. Kidding, but it was still a lot.

I knew there was firewood available at the Lower Chalet campground area of the park, and that was enough for us to bring hotdogs and marshmallows. We also knew there was a food truck on site and that would be an excellent back up plan.

There’s a sliding hill (a part of the ski hill formerly known as ‘Whitetrack’) which is huge and fast for my little wimpy soul. Thankfully when we arrived there wasn’t a lot of people there and I felt that it was safe for our kids. Because they were so young we didn’t have to go up the hill too far for them to be entertained.

Sliding, followed by lunch, followed by more sliding. Little S was freshly 1 and she just waddled around. We ended the day with some hot chocolate from Hillside Smoke’N’Que.

So much FUN, we returned again with friends to celebrate New Years Day.

Things to Note – firewood is provided, but you still need the matches/ lighter, kindling, ax. .. Whatever materials you use to start a campfire.

We are looking forward to heading to the lake again this winter!

I love Buffalo Pound in the winter.

August Long 2021

Well now this trip feels like forever ago, but a recap is still due. This was my first time to Duck Mountain Provincial Park, and let me tell you it was lovely. The landscapes reminded me of home, and the drive near Kamsack reminded me of the Annapolis Valley.

Another multiple family camping weekend planned (with overlapping days).

As per usual throughout the drive I come to realize all of things we forgot. – Meat for one of our meals, jiffy pop, marshmallows, and peanut butter. We stopped in at a grocery store in Melville to pick up some of our missing items. We were going to be ok.

I managed to secure an on the lake site in the Pickerel Point – Birch campground. We were a little weary of lake access, but it actually provided a wonderful distraction throughout the weekend – a great paddle board launch, and fishing and rock throwing spot – and the children were surprisingly pretty safe.

For fun we decided to time our set up. Ty and I work independently, and by the end of it we are good. It took exactly 1 hour- and was probably one of our better experiences. While we set up the kids played on the shoreline. This also where M had his first leech experience. I think the whole campground heard him scream.

Our site was a short jaunt to the smaller beach on the campground. We actually didn’t go to the main (and much larger) beach until the last day on our way out!

We tried to do a hike a day, with the kids having free range in the afternoon. Free range included mini golf + ice cream [Waves Ice Cream and Mini Golf], horses [Madge Lake Bible Camp], beach, bear hunting (this consisted of driving by the bear trap), car naps, and Sask Parks lead activities.

The weather was hot, the air was smokey. We finished our last night with a family potluck. This park was one of my favourite visits of the summer.

Sask you later ~!

You know when you find a recipe on Pinterest and there’s a huge backstory before you get to the recipe- well I’m doing that today. Skip to Recipe. Just kidding, you can’t.

When Ty and I purchased our tent trailer in June we had really wanted to be able to extend our camping season. After spending almost 3 weeks in New Brunswick in August, and a very busy September – we (Ty) were torn between one more trip or winterize.

Here in Saskatchewan we have been having a beautiful fall – we’d be silly ( and hypocrites) to not go camping! After a very hesitant Ty finally got onboard with camping in October- we were off. We had a few options of staying close to home or heading to Cypress.

We chose Cypress Hills – the meadows campground still had electricity and a service centre open which fit our needs perfectly.

Posted on Instagram here are our top 10 reasons I love fall camping [in a tent trailer]

1. No fire ban
2. Not sweating my tatas off
3. It’s quiet
4. Fall colours are 🔥🔥🔥
5. Sunrise and sunset times are family friendly – and so are bedtimes
6. Because of number 5 – we can chase sunsets at lookout points
7. Also because of number 5 it’s not daylight at 4 am
8. Feels safe for my free range children (less traffic)
9. Not stressed out booking a campsite online
10. Furnace doubles as white noise machine

And here are the downsides:

1. Furnace might quit in the middle of the night
2. It’s dark and quiet- be prepared for wildlife at nighttime bathroom breaks
3. It might be cold and windy which leads to potentially freezing tatas off
4. No stores open if you forget coffee
5. A lot of businesses/ paid activities are closed for the season

We loved fall camping, and can’t wait to book more fall camping trips next year ( weather depending of course!).

Recently a friend posted some beautiful fall photos. Facebook stalking her posts for her location she commented “Shekinah!”

Another follower (thank you Blaine!) actually suggested this place in the summer. Then summer happened (real quick), and I lost track of it.

Shekinah Retreat Centre is located near Waldheim, approximately 45 minutes north of Saskatoon. Although this is on private property, they open their trails to the public all year long.

I have yet to visit, but wanted to share as I would certainly consider this a hidden gem.

Shekinah actually offers facility rentals, cabin rentals, summer camp, and events. I encourage you to check out their website for more information!

Trail map linked here.

• Stroller Friendly – no
• Bike Friendly – yes on some trails
• Washroom Access – not available
• Food & Beverage – BYO
• Cost – Suggested Donation of $10

All photos are from the Ravine Trail.

📸 Kenzie Bellerose