Wordless Wednesday~ Lookee What I Found!

We decided it was time to give our garage a huge clean up this past weekend. We still had a few closed up boxes that had moved all over Canada with us in the past twelve years.  Since we had never found a need to open them in the past, it was time to deal with their contents.

Lookee what I found? I had written about its retirement a few years back, but I found my very own relic-- in working order too!

This Walkman gave me music freedom in my youth!  It powered me through my rowing ergs and many long runs.  It is definitely not as tiny as an Ipod, nor does it have internal memory... my how things have changed. 

Now, to find a cassette tape!  Anyone have one of those?

Summer Reflections: Finding Our Camping Groove

This summer, we have really focussed on camping as our family weekend activity and I am so glad we did!  The hubby and I both grew up camping, but we had not yet taken the leap with kids.  We have been able to explore the National Parks nearby and are slowly finding our family-of-4 camping groove. We have travelled by boat to our camp site and we have done the car camping thing.  Personally, I enjoyed the boat camping adventure the most (even though it rained the whole time!);  however, the kids absolutely love riding their bikes around the campground setting and that always means a little alone time for the adults. (Win, win!)

Isn't it neat how the tarp looks like blue sky and clouds?

Helping the fire out.

Working the wood.

How do you keep your beer cold?
Glacial water & a rock works a treat!

Squishing the moss.  Really, really squishy moss!

Camping food does not need to be difficult, or yucky tasting.
(Read: Ditch the Wienies.)
And, you do not even need a camping stove.
All it takes is some planning...

(Wrap potatoes in foil and place on the grill over
the fire 30 minutes prior to cooking the steak.)

Kabobs are also a family favourite. Peppers, Meat, Onions-
Good to go!  (Sausages are in the pan.)

Water play in Banff National Park.

Bike riding at the campground can't be beat!

We love being on the water.
Our little tin boat helps us explore!

Aspire to know how to exist in nature without destroying it.  Teach your children that too.  It doesn't matter how you do it, tent or trailer, just do it. Work the wood, listen to the birds chirping in the morning... drink in the surroundings. Make some campfire percolator coffee and step away from city life for just a few days. The Bonus Part: It's cheap!  

What things do you love about camping?

*This post was inspired by Family Adventures in the Canadian Rockies. Head over to hear what Tanya loves about camping... plus, there are many others linked up with their stories!*

Wordless Wednesday ~ Long Weekend Boating

Boating to our hike and picnic

in Banff National Park, Alberta.

The kids climbed a very rocky incline,

to enjoy a taste from a glacial waterfall.

Have Tent, Will Travel: Our Broadstone Adventure

According to a recent Canadian Tire survey, 90% of Canadians agree that long weekends are best enjoyed outdoors.  While earlier long weekends are spent doing yard work or cabin prep, the rest of the summer season is spent enjoying the heat.  Whether you are heading to the lake, camping, or hanging out in the city, Canadian Tire makes it easy to stock up on many summer essentials.

Like the Broadstone 7- person tent.  Rings in at a cool $159.99, making it more affordable than ever to get your family out camping!

Easy to set up!

Rocky Alberta can sometimes make
those tent pegs hard to get in!

The Broadstone looking great at
Lake Minnewanka in Banff!

We liked how easy the Broadstone was to set up with its colour coded poles.  The fly guylines had a neat little bag attached for the lines to go back into when the tent is in storage- YEEHAW for no tangled lines!  The tent floor was very durable (almost tarp-like material) and the Broadstone's two-room feature was nice for dressing privacy or a special room for the kids!

The weather was gorgeous our whole camping trip, so we did not have a chance to test out the Broadstone's rain capabilities.  The seams are taped for extra weatherproofing;  however, we did wonder if the fly provided enough coverage? The fly only covered the top of the tent, but not the sides or entrance windows. In the future, we'd consider tarping an area over the tent or hiding the tent in the trees for better protection.

If you'd like to get making family camping memories, the Broadstone 7-person tent is a good place to start.  It is spacious, affordable and easy enough for any 'Mom' to set up all on their own!   (I did.)

Have you had a Build-A-Bear Experience?

On Tuesday, we attended the Build-A-Bear ANY event.  For $34.99 you can choose ANY bear or animal, ANY outfit and ANY pair of shoes until August 16th at all Canadian locations!  That's huge savings off the regular price!  It was really fun to be able to put together ANY creation we wanted!  

Xman decided to go with a camouflaged bear and the Darth Vadar outfit.    

Making wishes on the bears heart
before closing up the newly stuffed friend. 

Giving his new friend a bath, fluffing up his fur so he'll be extra cuddly!
 Xman really got a kick out of this part!

Putting the Darth Vadar outfit onto his bear.

The final result:

One happy little boy with a new friend named 'Darth'.

Oh and yes, the light sabre makes noise.

~Sigh~

If you haven't had a Build-A-Bear experience before, now is your chance to build anything you can think up!  We hope you have as much fun as we did!

Wordless Wednesday: Shots of Summer

Summer Shots...

Sea of Canola and a Big Blue Sky!

My view from a CBC Press Conference in Canmore, Alberta
at Silver Tip Golf Course.

The International Alberta Air Show in Lethbridge.

The Trees. Camping @ Two Jacks Lake, Banff.

So far we've been having a terrific summer,

but it sure is flying by!

What have you been up to this summer?

Road Trip Memories: A Contest & A Giveaway

The summer months often lend themselves to road trips.  We pack up the family, hop in the car and drive away for adventure.  We might sing silly songs, eat fun foods, or spy new scenery, but hopefully the road trip spurs on memories that will last a life time!  

When I was younger, my family definitely took a lot of road trips.  In fact, I did not fly until I was 18!  We'd do the 24 hours drive from Southern Ontario to  Disney World in Florida, or we'd drive off locally for the day and explore a new town.  As an adult, I've driven cross-country a few times and on every single one of these trips, I can tell you something about the drive that stands out.  I've cooked up kabobs of chicken, red peppers and onions roadside on the Coleman stove along the St. Lawrence River,  I've driven through the soupiest fogs in Newfoundland, I've stopped lakeside for a quick dip near Thunder Bay, I've slept in a Walmart parking lot somewhere near Winnipeg, had lunch in a grain elevator near Saskatoon and I've even had two cat passengers for a six day road trip from St. John's, Newfoundland to Canmore, Alberta.  Really, I have!

A leisurely road trip with time to stop and explore can't be beat! So much can be learned about the world around you on the road.  While road trips have changed tool-wise with the invention of cell phones and GPS,  I am still a fan of  the paper map.   When I was younger, I had a Fodors road manual of the I-75 that listed historical significances and every exit with all restaurants, hotels and gas stations each contained (we clearly drove to Disney World more than a few times).  I remember the family deciding on what food we'd all like to eat and then choosing the restaurant and following along with the exits to get us there.  It helped to pass the time and I did not have to ask the proverbial question , 'Are We There Yet?'   Today there is likely an 'App' for that...

and I could relay road trip memories all day!

Shell Canada's Favourite Road Trip Contest:

Simply share your favourite road trip story on the Shell Facebook page (250 words maximum) for a chance to WIN 1 of 3 $1,000 prizes of Shell's New Nitrogen Enriched Gasolines  - enough gas to fuel your next road trip!

Enter until September 16, 2012.
Open to all Canadian residents.


'Peek Thru Our Window' Giveaway: 

Mandatory Entry- Simply leave one of your favourite road trip memories in the comments section of this post, for  a chance to win a $50 prepaid Mastercard loaded with Shell gasolines!

Additional Entries- (Leave a new comment for each)

• 'Like' Peek Thru Our Window on Facebook.
• Follow Mixtress SamiJoe on Twitter.
• Tweet about this giveaway and post the Tweet link in the comments of this post. (Up to once per day.)

Enter the #FavouriteRoadTrip contest to #WIN $1,000 in fuel from @Shell_Canada ! Details http://bit.ly/O1KiOr 

@MixtressSamiJoe + #Giveaway

Giveaway ends Friday, August 31 at 9pm MST and is open to all Canadian residents.  Winner will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected.  

Good luck!  I can't wait to read all about your road trip moments!

The ANY Event: Build-A-Bear Workshops

Today begins the ANY event at Canadian Build-A-Bear locations.

Purchase any animal, outfit, and a pair of shoes for only $34.99 !

Become a Build-A-Bear fan on Facebook HERE

and be sure to share any pictures you take of your new furry friend!

Xman and I will be heading out to make our own special friend next week.
Watch for our upcoming post!

Find Me Over At...

Today you can find me guest blogging at Family Fun Calgary!  Be sure to head on over and check out all the fun we had Saturday night at the Calgary Stampeders game.

Fun Filled Family Football with the Calgary Stampeders

Wordless Wednesday : Foiled!

My children are slowly ruining every picture I take... 

They're cute and all, 

but sometimes I actually really need to get a good shot!

Turkeys!