Lists, lists and more lists.

That's what I do when I plan.

I make lists of the places I want to go, lists of places where we could stay (and prices!), lists for packing, lists for meal planning.. I haven't yet hit lists of lists, but my boyfriend tells me if I reach that point and move on from there, then I've officially gone 'round the bend.

So far for our camping vacation I have five lists.

Packing lists for myself and son.
Meal planning list
Grocery list
Grocery packing list
Planning list(s)*

Boyfriend is in charge of packing the car, I have yet to make him a list because he knows what he is doing and didn't miss a beat last time when I trusted him to pack everything necessary for camping, so why would I stop trusting him now? If it were just me on the other hand..

I'm not sure if this obsessive list making to make certain I have everything is a result of being a former Girl Guide (Be Prepared!), we always got lists of what to bring before going camping, or a result of the time I went camping with my family and as a teen was put in charge of packing the cooler. I was so proud, I got everything we needed in it and helped pack the car. We got to the site, set up our tent in a raging thunder storm (that immediately stopped once the tent was up.. natch) and started to make supper.. only to discover that I forgot to pack the meat. I can't remember what it was now, hamburgers? Some breakfast meats too. But the grilled cheese and tomato soup were like ashes in my mouth at the disappoint in my father's eyes.

Ok, maybe not so bad as all that, but I was a teenager and don't we tend to be melodramatic at a time like that?

It must be something like that, but you'll pry my lists from my hands when I'm cold, I'd forget SOMETHING obvious and needed if I didn't have them.

But I can't wait to go on our trip!

*Note: This one is very dynamic and started with ideas for where to go, what to do, where to stay and got pared down as the planning fell into place, it is also not so inflexible as it seems, it's more of a set of guidelines with only a few hard and fast points that can't be changed.. and that's only because of things like reservations.

Parks Day: After the fact

We had quite a fun day wandering Banff. Mostly stuck to the in town touristy things like wandered downtown and hit up the candy shop, the Upper Hot Springs and had a nice lunch out.

There was a fun little celebration in the open space by the Banff Park Museum. Lots of music and information and some fun activities for the kids (my son LOVED making the paddle.. which he promptly gave away to some family we were also visiting lol).

It was a perfect day out to just relax and enjoy ourselves with a change of pace.

Now to prepare and plan for some other things. Upcoming are more festivals around the city (always lots of festivals!), as well as some camping plans and maybe some wandering around elsewhere outside the city.

But coming up this weekend is some Sun and Salsa time (¿Es picante? ¡Si! ) and Fiestaval. Of course with Heritage Day only a week away it's time for all those Historic Calgary Tours, starting this weekend also. Hmm what to do.. what to do..

Parks Day!

As a single mom, I'm always on the lookout for deals of things I can do with my family on a budget. Free (or discounted) passes are a godsend to summer fun and my budget.

This year is helpful since it is the 100th Anniversary of the creation of Parks Canada so all this summer there are activities all over the place, and next weekend (the 16th) is Parks Day which means FREE entry to the National Parks and Historic Sites all across Canada and lots of free events! Yay!

Combined with the Unplugged Explore promotion happening this summer (if you unplug from your computer and games and explore the Rockies in Alberta your kids can get in free when you purchase the adult pass.. and you can get a pass for less for yourself through them too so that doesn't hurt!) it seems like the ideal time to get away from the city and chill in the mountains for a day or two.

We love going and playing in the mountains, it's nice to get out of the city and I don't know about you but I always feel better for it, so it's nice to find some specials that let me do it for less.

Note: I don't work with or for any of these guys, I'm just happy to have options!