Plus a Big “Life Update!”
How is it already September? Labour Day has passed, our children are in school and summer already feels like a distant memory. But let’s hang onto those fun summer memories! Do you find that the summers seem to blur together after a few years? I’ve decided to try to keep summer memories a little more organized, to look back on later!
Here are some ideas! Have you tried any of these?
- Make a collage with your kids to hang on a wall or put in a binder.
- Make a Facebook album titled Summer 20XX.
- Put photos, ticket stubs, and other fun mementos into a photo box and label it.
- Get an inexpensive 4×6 photo flipbook (dollar store) and print off some photos to put in there.
- Easily turn your favourite summer Instagram posts into a photobook. There are a few photobook options out there, but chatbooks.com is an inexpensive and popular option!
We didn’t go anywhere this summer, but we live in beautiful Alberta, Canada, where there are plenty of activities! And of course, we had plenty of park days and backyard adventures too…
Today at the playground there was a mom getting her child to recite the periodic table of elements. We do science in summer too. Like my kids just learned how to harness the power of the sun and angle a magnifying glass to scorch ants.
— Kayleigh Rose (@bestmomhack) July 8, 2019
Here are our favourite Summer 2019 moments, in no particular order (okay, well maybe the last one is the most significant, as it’s a pretty big “life update!”)
With both my husband and I now self-employed and working from home (my husband has his own cryptocurrency mining company), the summer certainly felt more casual. It’s so nice to go to a major tourist attraction on say, a Tuesday!
Acme Outdoor Swimming Pool
One day I asked my local moms Facebook group for outdoor activity ideas. Surprisingly, quite a few women suggested going to the small town, outdoor swimming pool in Acme. It started with a lovely drive through the canola fields:
My kids had a blast enjoying one of our few really hot days at this hidden gem! It was definitely a nicer drive and less crowded than going into Calgary (our closest big city.
The Royal Tyrrell Museum
This is a must-see if you’re touring Alberta. My son, who is now three, has recently become obsessed with dinosaurs. My daughter enjoys them too. They were enthralled! The only downside was I’d say for their ages, it was a big museum to get all through. They were tuckered out by the end!
Backyard Camping
While I did a series of posts in my “Taste and See the Thriving Life” Facebook group on camping food ideas, we didn’t actually get out camping this year. But we did manage to set up our tent in the backyard and sleep their over one August weekend. Honestly, that was perfect. Our kids had a blast. And I really do like my own washroom the best!
Party Time at the Splash Park
My kids adore our local splash park! It’s an easy (free!) summer activity, especially now that they’re old enough to enjoy it by themselves while I watch and work on my laptop. A big highlight of course was my daughter’s splash park birthday party. She requested a “rainbow heart cake,” (she is five and just likes rainbows). Of course, I had to pull out my freeze dried fruit to colour the cake and frosting naturally! It was a hit and the best part was the weather cooperated with a gorgeous sunny day!
Local Beach Time
Though I had really wanted to get out to a BC beach this summer, there are some fun local beaches too in the Calgary area! A highlight for us was Lake Chestermere. Bonus – we have friends who live in Chestermere right off the lake, so they took us to the quieter “locals secret beach spot.”
Organizing!
I’ve somewhat kept up with my home organization goals (despite not having as much energy lately – more on that next). This summer we managed to paint our fence, plus I finally got my necklaces and belts organized in this simple DIY display I made. The knobs were inexpensive from my local Home Hardware.
Big Life Update!
We weren’t planning for it, but when the waves of nausea hit early August for me, it wasn’t hard to figure out. Baby #3 is due at the end of March 2020! I will admit to being worried about going through postpartum anxiety again, but I feel that I have more resources and a stronger community of people around me this time. At the time of writing this, I am 10 weeks along. This may seem a little early to share this news, but I feel like if something bad were to happen, I’d want to openly share about that too. So no point in stressing myself out by trying to hide my growing bump (or the endless “flu!”)
A special note to my Thrive Life Customers and Team Members:
I am still available to help you with your orders or any questions you have, despite being more worn out these days with a baby on the way! But I do want to empower you to easily find answers to your questions, in case I’m not available. Please subscribe to gain access to my Thrive Guide if you haven’t already. The guide will answer most questions about ordering, sharing your referral link to get free food, how to get free shipping, monthly specials, etc.
What was one of your favourite memories from the summer?
More from The Pigeon and the Peacock:
Alyssa
September 13, 2019 — 9:13 am
Oh congrats! I’m 38 weeks pregnant with my second, can’t wait to meet her! Hope the first trimester treats you well! You’re almost out of it.
Kayleigh
September 14, 2019 — 1:44 pm
Thank you Alyssa, and all the best to you! You’re so close! Praying for you that the delivery goes really smoothly.
Live Learn Better
September 12, 2019 — 11:13 am
Great memories and family bonding. Congratulations on the upcoming arrival too. All the very best!
Kayleigh
September 14, 2019 — 1:45 pm
Thank you!
Karen Galpin
September 11, 2019 — 5:30 pm
Oh, I forgot … we also don’t like camping (except the Bolan’s). We are more the “Glamping” type!
Karen Galpin
September 11, 2019 — 5:26 pm
Congratulations!!! All of us, here in Maple Ridge BC, are so happy for you all! Any wishes, or hopes, yet?? (I know there is only 50/50, but the kiddos could be hoping for a specific pet! 😉). With Much Love from us All 💕💞🙏🏻💕💞
Kayleigh
September 12, 2019 — 11:34 am
Thanks Aunt Karen! The kids have both decided its a boy, lol!
Smita
September 11, 2019 — 11:18 am
Congratulations and best wishes!
Lovely pictures – I like the idea of printing photos for an album, I do it myself and it’s a great way to actually see the photos since no one goes to their phone/ laptop to browse through old photos! Also, agree with you on liking my own washroom the best – I’m not a camping enthusiast at all!
Lindsay Brown
September 11, 2019 — 8:56 am
Congratulations on the new addition!! That is exciting news! I’m an Alberta Girl too and there are definitely a lot of fun things to do here in the summer. I was meaning to bring my kids to the Royal Tyrrell Museum this summer but never got around to it. I used to love that place as a kid!
Kayleigh
September 11, 2019 — 10:59 am
This was actually my first time at the Royal Tyrell Museum too! We never went when I was a kid (at least not that I recall). I was super impressed!
Snehal
September 11, 2019 — 8:08 am
All the best dear! Dont worry it will all go fine. I wish you and the baby great health! 🥰
Kayleigh
September 11, 2019 — 8:39 am
Thank you!
The Sunny Side Lifestyle Co.
September 11, 2019 — 7:07 am
Congrats on your upcoming new addition!
I love re-living special moments with photos. In addition to your list, I’d add printing photos and placing them in frames to display in your home. We have one wall that we cycle through new photos to enjoy. Summer with kids is the best!
Kayleigh
September 11, 2019 — 8:40 am
Yes, good idea! ha, I put photos up and they stay there for 10 years… I am not good at remembering to rotate them! But this is also a great idea, especially if you went on a special vacation or something like that.
Kelly Martin
September 11, 2019 — 3:37 am
These are great ideas for saving summer memories. I like the idea of creating a collage.
Kayleigh
September 11, 2019 — 8:40 am
My kids LOVE doing collages! Glue and scissors and pictures oh my!
Sarah Emery
September 11, 2019 — 12:09 am
Congratulations on the Big Life update! I love your summer memories tips, especially the one about a digital album on FB. They are such great reminders of growth and storing the summer memories.
Kayleigh
September 11, 2019 — 8:42 am
Yes, these days most people forget about the album options and just upload a few photos at a time. But for keeping things straight by year/season, it’s a nice option! You could make albums on your computer just using folders too, but I like picking the best ones and creating albums on Facebook to share. Then other friends/family who were at those events can also add their photos to your album.
Gina
September 10, 2019 — 7:11 pm
This is sooo full of amazing ideas. I LOVE the photo printing suggestion. Thank you so much… i love your work.
Kayleigh
September 11, 2019 — 8:43 am
Yes, I am a little oldschool, but I still like having physical photos to look through! I was quite the scrapbooker pre-children… I want to get back into it once I have more time! Maybe when kids are in school full time…
Brittany
September 10, 2019 — 6:31 pm
Congratulations and what an amazing summer. I love the cake. As I get more adventurous with baking I may need to try it.
Kayleigh
September 11, 2019 — 8:39 am
The hardest part for me was doing the layers, as I could only do one at a time because I only had one heart pan! But if you had multiple pans it would be relatively quick.
Kristin Fortier
September 10, 2019 — 5:01 pm
Congrats on the baby and hope you’re feeling better soon!!
Love seeing your summer adventures and the ideas for preserving the memories. This is motivation for me to get those photos organized before Christmas hits.
We love the splash park too and I can’t wait until my kiddos are big enough to play more independently.
Nicole Anderson | Camping for Women
September 10, 2019 — 4:39 pm
Woohoo!!! Congratulations on the big news! That is wonderful and best wishes to you and your growing family. Love your suggestions to save and cherish summer memories as we all start to lose track as the years roll on. Love the fun activities including the backyard camping – although if I were you, I would also enjoy camping out in some of the most beautiful nature that Canada is renown for.
Kayleigh
September 10, 2019 — 4:41 pm
Yes, we will do more actual camping as the kids get older and we are able to purchase more supplies! This year, this was a simple solution! I did a ton of camping with my family as a kid so want to continue that tradition!
Zelda Kinniburgh
September 10, 2019 — 12:18 pm
Congratulations! This is very exciting news indeed!
Kayleigh
September 10, 2019 — 2:15 pm
Thanks Zelda! I hope you are doing well too!
Rebecca
September 10, 2019 — 11:26 am
I’m so excited for you and your growing family! We had a pretty low-key summer as well but my favourite part (by far!) was moving our family of 6 out of a 2 bedroom apartment to a farmhouse on 80 acres. We have our 10th anniversary coming up this winter so we’re planning on a winter vacation to Banff with the family.
Kayleigh
September 10, 2019 — 2:16 pm
Yes that’s a HUGE difference! Wow 10 years already, time flies! I’m so happy you have a wonderful space to call home. I hope we can visit y’all sometime soon!