Oh summer, our time together was far too short again. This summer was especially sweet as my family and I got to know our hometown a little better with the help of Ottawa Tourism. As luck would have it our last tour was at Saunders Farm and we couldn’t have been happier to end our summer exploring there.
Saunders Farm is located in Munster just a teensy bit southwest of Ottawa. What originally started out as a pick your own strawberry farm has grown into THE destination for getting the wits scared out of you at Halloween. The Saunders family has become very well known for their fantastically fun haunting through the month of October. They also happen to be a fantastic destination in the summer!
What can you do at Saunders Farm in the summer? Well, first how about the incredible mazes. All ten of them. That kept us busy for a while. Seriously, why does everything look the same in a maze? There were lots of giggles and laughter as we were running around, quite literally, in circles sometimes.
Then there’s the jumping pillows. You know how kids like to jump on mattresses and pillows? This is the perfect place to let them get it out of their system. My girls' eyes lit up when they saw these two enormous pillows jutting out of the ground and made a bee line for them. There’s nothing like getting some air between your feet and the ground.
After you’ve exhausted your brain in the mazes and your body on the pillows, you need sustenance and thankfully there’s some delicious food to be had here. There’s a little bakery at the front in the Farm Shop. It also has sweets if your kids are into that kind of stuff. Please know, I totally wrote that in sarcastic font. We decided to have lunch at The Farmer’s Table which has incredible hand cut fries, and I consider myself to be something of a fry connoisseur. I know they were good because I totally snuck a few from my kids when I pointed and said “OMG, is that Selena Gomez over there?” I ordered the Ploughman’s Lunch which came with local artisan cheese, bread and meat and delicious veggies and fruits. We all had the fresh lemonade. Delicious. And don’t forget ice cream because there’s plenty of that too at Annabelle’s Ice Cream Hut. We sat and enjoyed our lunch just outside the Pavilion and I couldn’t help but think what a beautiful location this would be for a wedding.
When we were done lunch we mined for gems at the Saunders Mining Co. and went for a slide down Witch Mountain. In between, we enjoyed walking around the farm at a leisurely pace taking in the surrounding beauty. The gardens are beautiful and you can sit and relax by small ponds in a nice shady spot. Our day at Saunders Farm was the perfect way to end our summer holidays. We’ll be back in October to get the wits scared of out of us, but also next summer to have another perfect day down on the farm.
Here are some pictures from our fantastic day at Saunders Farm!
Captain Aidan's Playful Pirate Ship and Water Spray Zone
Catching some air on the jumping pillows!
Saunders Mining Co.
On our way through one of the incredible mazes!
Having a ball with pedal carts
Heading down the slide at Witch Mountain
This is so incredibly picturesque
Sitting in the giant hand outside the Farm Shop
Thanks to Ottawa Tourism for our wonderful visit to
Saunders Farm!
A little over two years ago I could have been defined as a body in motion. I never stopped moving. Literally. I was on my feet all the time, and my body responded accordingly by not gaining weight, by allowing me to eat anything I wanted and by feeling good. Fast forward a couple of years and things got a little softer, fluffier....okay, okay, fine, fatter. At first I blamed it on age. I had heard all too often that once that magic forty hit you, you could kiss your metabolism goodbye. So I resigned myself to the pudge. After all, it was only a few pounds. Okay, Okay, ten pounds. Sheesh, people, I simply cannot lie to you.
Recently though, I shed seven pounds and I gotta tell you, I feel fan-freakin-tastic. Why did those seven pounds melt away? Because I returned to the former me for a few weeks. I was a body in motion and if you’re familiar with Newton, you know that means I stayed in motion. I moved my body from the time I woke up until the time I hit the sheets. I did not work out. I need to make that perfectly clear. I simply moved my body, the way I used to, quickly, and with purpose. Lifting and moving at the warehouse, then yard duty and taking care of the house the moment I got home. Long, full days using my body. I had practically no time for blogging, social media or email.
Yes, yes, I’ve always been slow with physics, which is why it took me three years to figure this out. Blogging is making me fat. Not age. I’m battling “Blogger’s Butt” here.
The problem with blogging, social media, and computer work in general, is that it basically commands your body to be at rest. Although I have the fittest typing fingers in the west, the rest of my body stays pretty stationary when I’m at my Mac. For hours on end. Two and half years ago, I didn’t even have a Facebook account. Within a few months, I suddenly had an online business, a twitter account, a facebook account, and a blog. Now, I have my own blog, Life in Pleasantville, in addition to my continued devotion to Yummy Mummy Club, I have three twitter accounts, a slight addiction to Pinterest, a YouTube account, three Facebook pages, and a Google+ account. So, yeah, you can see how my body came to a full-stop pretty fast.
In August I managed to pretty much avoid all of the above for a few weeks. Today, with life returning to normal, I’ve felt the pull of the computer as I write, work, and interact on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. I’ve not moved since this morning. And I’ve been grazing. And I feel like taking a nap. And I feel slightly fluffier. Okay, fatter. Gah! It’s a body at rest damn it and this time I’m not going down without a fight.
So, what’s a social media lovin’ blogger to do? Last week, in a pre-emptive strike against the pudge, I started Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. Let me just say that I loathe Jillian Michaels. I’m sure she’s a lovely person, but she hurts my body and for that reason I mutter terrible things under my breath at her as I work out. Yesterday, I had to take my car in for detailing and instead of arranging for someone to take me home, I ran home. Ten kilometres. This time I muttered under my breath to me. Ouch! I’m also using my hour glass, which is actually a half hour glass on my desk. When the sand runs through, it’s time to get up and move. And you know what they say about a body in motion.
When my family first started out on our summer of being tourists in our hometown, we did not expect the unexpected, and yet that is what we got at every turn. I’m not sure why most of us think our own city is not as exciting as far off destinations, but when you stop and look at your city with the eyes of a visitor, you begin to realize you’ve taken a lot for granted. Our last excursion took us to Calypso Waterpark and I have to tell you, I am living with a world of regret right now. Primarily that my family has not spent way more time there.
When word of Calypso first came out, I was skeptical. It takes a lot to impress me, because I’ve seen some pretty nice theme parks. When words like “biggest” and “best” were thrown around, I rolled my eyes. I admit it. I really didn’t think it would be as great as it was. Again, why would something so great be in my hometown? I was wrong. Very, very wrong. Calypso is the “biggest” and the “best” waterpark in Canada. In fact, it was recently named the WORLD’s best waterpark by MSN Travel. Pretty cool, huh?
The first thing that strikes you when you walk into Calypso is the size. Situated on 100 acres just outside of Ottawa, you can’t help but be impressed by the enormity of this park. It’s absolutely huge and I suspect that’s because there are expansion plans in the works. You get the feeling they’re not willing to rest on their laurels here. When you come out in your first year as the biggest and best, chances are you have a competitive nature. That’s a good thing for visitors to Calypso.
What I loved most about Calypso was that it had something for everyone. I have been blessed with one daredevil and one not-so-daring child. That means I need a place that will make everyone happy. I’m happy to report that there were no tears, no screams of “there’s not enough for me to do” and definitely no “I’m bored”. If you ask me this marks the true success of a park.
When we arrived, the first thing we did was the wave pool. The daredevil headed into stormier waters with her father, while I hung back in the gentler waves with the more cautious one. Then I ran over and did the Zoomerang with the daring, while my husband enjoyed the Pirates’s Aquaplay. We all had a blast on the Jungle Run River, an incredibly huge lazy river that evoked “Again, again” from our kids every single time we hit the exit. Finally, my husband went on the Aqualoop, a waterslide that takes you from 0 to 2.5 Gs in under 2 seconds. The girls and I stood at the bottom with our jaws on the ground as person after person came whizzing down this insanely intense ride. This is definitely for the thrill-seekers only.
We didn’t get to do everything we wanted on our visit, there was simply too much to do. We can’t wait for next year though. I love the huge picnic areas for families that Calypso has provided, nice shaded areas where you can hang out and catch your breath. My husband is excited about the new campground opening up. The girls can’t wait to see what rides they add next. I’m thinking a Season’s Pass is in order for this family. Hope we see you there!
Check out some of our pictures from our fantastic day at Calypso Waterpark!
Nevermind the two cute kids at the forefront, check out the size of the slides behind them!!!
The cautious one hangs out on the edge of the wave pool
Canada's largest wave pool. And it's heated. *Happy Claps*
My husband coming off of Aqualoops. This expression was on a lot of people's faces :)
Chilling out on the Jungle Run River
Finally, Calypso has posted some great videos on YouTube of some of their rides. Get your kids excited for your visit by sharing some of these with them.
Thanks to Ottawa Tourism for giving us the opportunity to visit the amazing
Calypso Waterpark!
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