blogging for change
Conrads Beach Nova Scotia – photo essay
Taking a walk with my new lens SIGMA 17-70/2.8
—————
Drop me a note in the comments below, or connect with me on Twitter @ceilidhontherun or email me at trish at trishblogs dot com!
I invite you to subscribe to my blog using one of the options available on my page (email, rss, Google Connect, like my page on Facebook, etc.)
If you enjoyed this post, please do like/share it. You can do so using the easy share button below!
Have you considered a dance program like Maritime Dance Academy for your family’s extra-curricular activities? Many moms struggle with managing all of the activities their children are involved in let alone finding time for their own similar activities. As the kids grow older, the activities become…
Click here to read more…
If you’re looking for a great spot downtown for a girls’ night out, look no further that Hart and Thistle Gastropub and Brewery. You can’t go wrong with fantastic Chef Stone who loves to exercise his creative processes, in-house brewmaster – Greg Nash – who handcrafts two new beers on tap regularly and a great setting right on the waterfront.
To read more click here
Halifax needs more of these great play cafés!
The at playcafé is a fantastic café for work at home parents who want to get out of the home office, and entertain the kids, while having an opportunity to get some work done. The open concept of the play area which includes baby, toddler, and preschool/school-age play areas, makes it easy to keep an eye out while taking advantage of the free Wifi and sipping on a hot beverage or grabbing lunch. The highlight for kids being the climbing gym designed specially by at playcafé.
To read more click here
The holiday chaos is fast approaching and you’re looking for a place to get prepared and rejuvenated all at once. Picture yourself walking into a salon where you are welcomed with cheer and immediately offered a hot beverage or glass of water, while smiling staff take your coat. Moms who are looking for a family-friendly full-service salon need look no further than Imagine Salon & Spa. A family operated business, Ian Marc’s Imagine Salon & Spa is worth the trip, whether or not you live/work in Bedford.
To read more click here
Moms know all about the need to relax but pampering themselves is often the last thing on our minds. Often when someone hears the word “massage” they think luxury. And while massage can be luxurious and relaxing, it is also therapeutic.
Heather Fairclough at Halifax Therapeutic Massage located at Harvard Street Healing Arts Centre – knows this well. She is a experienced Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) trained in many different skills including: TMJ Dysfunction, trigger points, swedish massage, myofascial release, neuromuscular technique, joint mobilization and certified Hot Stone Therapy among others.
To read more click here.
Run by owner/operator Melita Scott, Cafe Brea Espresso Bar is an Italian-inspired cafe on Portland St., Dartmouth. The cafe is a great lunch spot, serving up fantastic coffees, desserts (including Schoolhouse gluten-free options!), soups & sandwiches, and more. Walking into the cafe has an immediate welcoming feel as regulars are greeted as friends.
For more click here
Who hasn’t heard of group purchasing power or daily deals?
My first exposure to group buying power started two years ago with the launch of the locally owned daily buy site Team Buy Halifax! Suzanne Robinson launched her business with a frenzy and hasn’t looked back.
This summer she celebrated her second anniversary in business with a big party at the Halifax Seaport rooftop that included many of her merchants and business partners. I was fortunate enough to be invited. Suzanne is very excited about the direction Team Buy is headed in Halifax, and it shows!
The energy of this fantastic event was infectious. Great music and caricatures for entertainment. Hart & Thistle did an incredible job, as always, on the food. Propeller sponsored the event and provided a selection of their locally brewed beers that I love. I especially liked the Honey Wheat Ale.
And Suzanne cut the cake with flare!
The variety of businesses represented at the party made it clear to me how hard Suzanne works at getting out there and making it known what she does. I have taken advantage of many great deals and have never been disappointed. 🙂
Suzanne talks about Team Buy with passion and energy. She’s excited about what’s coming and dedicated to keeping the local presence, and working with community members to promote local businesses. Team Buy is my first go to for fantastic deals in Halifax, have you given it a try yet?
Drop me a note in the comments below, or connect with me on Twitter @ceilidhontherun, email me at trish at ceilidhontherun dot com, or use my contact form!
I invite you to subscribe to my blog using one of the options available on my page (email, rss, Google Connect, like my page on Facebook, etc.)
If you enjoyed this post, please do like/share it. You can do so using the easy share button below!
This is long overdue, and not for lack of interest. Disney really knows how to roll… and to sail! Disney Magic is one of their cruise ships and it stops right here in the port of Halifax! I was lucky enough to be invited on board for lunch and a tour with the lovely Angela.
She treated us like the stars Disney always treats their guests. I’d been to Disney World and after being blown away by every little detail had high expectations. I was not to be disappointed!
The dining room was lavish and had exquisite food, drinks and service. We were treated to a fancy cocktail, and a lovely lunch including fabulous dessert. Throughout the meal Angela filled us in on the wonders of the Disney Magic, and other ships in the Disney Cruise line.
Guests are assigned wait staff who follow them throughout the ship to the many different options for dining. They ensure all dietary needs are addressed by the kitchen staff without guests having to repeat information.
This is the family vacation spot for all! Have you ever felt like family vacation is vacation for everyone but you, the parent responsible for everyone’s happiness? < or so it seems when no one else remembers the toothbrushes, extra undies, or swimsuits 😉 > I have returned form many a family vacation feeling like, now I need a vacation of my own. Disney has it covered, regardless of age. There are services available for children from newborn through to teens!
You could literally not see your children from morning ’til night, if you so wish! There are kids’ clubhouses where parents are actually not welcome past the doors! And the kids don’t want to leave – with science experiments, cooking lessons and art classes happening everyday, why would they? The only real drawback I see here < besides not actually spending vacation time together > is that I might not be able to drag the kids off the ship at ports of call to check out the local sights!
There are kids pool decks – equipped with water slides, a pirates playground, and an adults-only pool deck. There is scheduled entertainment, including exclusive screenings of Disney movies, family dance bar, and a spa & fitness centre!
Every detail has been considered to give the ship the Disney feel, from the magnificent entrance lobby, to the Mickey adorned funnel on the ship’s smoke stacks.
I must admit, I’ve never been one to consider a cruise as a vacation aspiration, but I do now! < Kids, momma wants a vacation too! >
Drop me a note in the comments below, or connect with me on Twitter @ceilidhontherun, email me at trish at ceilidhontherun dot com, or use my contact form!
I invite you to subscribe to my blog using one of the options available on my page (email, rss, Google Connect, like my page on Facebook, etc.)
If you enjoyed this post, please do like/share it. You can do so using the easy share button below!
Family travel, whether it be for vacation, everyday use or otherwise has a huge bearing on the type of vehicle one drives, especially IF driving something built for purpose use. I’m a big believer in living within your means, especially when it comes to environmental impact. My family has chosen to live in a relatively central urban location. There is some commuting time required, but we have worked to minimize the impact of that as much as possible. We live near a couple of bus routes. We are walking distance to a number of amenities, especially the ones we most often frequent. We drive a small, compact fuel efficient car. There are occasional times when it doesn’t quite meet our needs, a bike rack and a roof-rack will usually accommodate these. However, if we really need to we can rent something short term for specific use. It’s less costly and lowers our carbon footprint.
I recently traded in my three year old car for a Ford Focus hatchback. It’s a zippy little car with just the right amount of space for my family of three. Most families I know drive mini-vans and SUVs to truck their children, groceries and recreational equipment around.
Last week I got to spend some time getting up close to the 2013 Ford Escape.
Ford hosted an Escape for a day in Halifax. A number of bloggers, news and media writers were invited to spend a day driving and learning about the fun that is built into the Escape. I was partnered up with a car blogger, so we had rather unique perspectives on the vehicle. Kevin, CarDriven.ca had a real appreciation for the specs of the vehicle and shared some insights with me during the day. He was also a lot braver than I when it came to testing what the Escape could really handle on the driving course! 😉
The first thing I noticed as we cruised along the highway was just how much roomier the interior was than I expected. It really felt like we were in a big luxury suburban. Although I’m not sure how much of that is relativity – my Focus IS a little smaller. 😉 We got to test out all of the features that the Escape may come loaded with. Including opening up the massive moon roof. I think I got a little sunburned once we discovered that.
The Escape is really comfortable especially for longer road trips. Road noise was minimal and the handy navigator showed us where were at all times! Obviously these features aren’t just important to someone with children. A couple with a dog traveling across the country, or seniors making their annual trek to southern hospitality… It was an unusually warm July day in Halifax, so we tested out the very effective Air Conditioning – after just a few bungles we had cool dry air blowing and keeping us cool. The separate controls were a nice bonus given I liked the temp about 2 degrees cooler than Kevin did. We didn’t have to end the day frustrated with the complete stranger who became a friend during our Escape for the day. 🙂
Once we arrived at Peggy’s Cove we had an auto lift-gate challenge, where we all had to race to load a lobster pot into the back of the escape using the hands-free auto lift. Kevin & I came in second. As Kevin noted, the other team must have been on steroids.
After a tasty lunch of chowder from the Sou’Wester restaurant we headed back into the city to Exhibition Park. It was my turn to drive and I thought it would be nice to turn off the AC, open the sun(moon?)roof right up and roll down the windows since we had no highway driving ahead of us. As we got closer to the driving course at Exhibition Park I started feeling nervous. I am a big wimp when it comes to testing limits! They want me to put the pedal to the metal, then slam on the brakes? They want me to accelerate rapidly and swerve through pylons? Wha?!
First we got to test out the park assist feature – which I’d experienced once before, but not while I was behind the wheel. It is pretty cool to have the car park itself while controlling only the gas and brakes.
Then to prepare us for the driving course we had a wii Fit ski slalom challenge. Turns out I suck at this. Actually, I already knew that. 🙂
Kevin scared the crap out of me on the driving course, well not actually true – but it was fun to let him believe so. I suspect he was more scared when I got behind the wheel! 😉 However, he was kind enough not to get video evidence of my wimpy attempt on the slalom.
Once we completed the accident aversion simulation we headed back on the road to Cable Wharf, where the Mar was waiting to take us on a boating excursion in the harbour! It was a lovely day for a sail, though I was disappointed not to see the sails raised on our trip. 🙁 But who can complain really about being out on the water in the sun, with lots of tasty munchies?
Upon our return the day was completed with a meal at Murphy’s Restaurant. Scrumptious appetizers were ready for us, including scallops and mussels. We ordered refreshing drinks and many at the table experienced the treat of Atlantic lobster. I went for more scallops since I’d been treated to lots of lobster just days earlier at the PEI experience. 🙂
When I see a Ford Escape now, I will be reminded of fond memories of a fun day spent with great people!
I look forward to getting to know the Escape even better when I get to drive it for a week!
Drop me a note in the comments below, or connect with me on Twitter @ceilidhontherun, email me at trish at ceilidhontherun dot com, or use my contact form!
I invite you to subscribe to my blog using one of the options available on my page (email, rss, Google Connect, like my page on Facebook, etc.)
If you enjoyed this post, please do like/share it. You can do so using the easy share button below!
Founded by Trish McCourt,
A social media/online influencer, who has been blogging for more than fifteen years.
We write about issues & activities of interest to us – doing advocacy/social justice work & personal expression. You’ll also find samples of amateur photography.
Trish is a leader in the community, a coach & consultant with strengths in family & child development; health & wellness; and social media. See “Services” for more details!
