Monday, May 23, 2016

Kouchibouguac National Park - May 20-23

Camping season has officially begun!

This long weekend we kicked off our 2016 camping season at Kouchibouguac National Park. This park holds a ton of childhood memories for both Jeff and I seeing as the park is about 45 minutes away from our hometown of Miramichi. This was where my grandparents always camped and where we would go to the beach and I spent several girl guide camps here!

The campground was packed and the weather was gorgeous so it made for a fantastic kick off weekend. We stayed in the South Kouchibouguac campground at site 306...great location but only had electric service so it made for a little planning for water conservation and having to use the park facilities for the most part. Not ideal, but we made it work! We were thankful to at least have electricity since the nights did get chilly enough we had to put the heated beds on.

We arrived Friday evening after supper and set up pretty quickly. We broke in the oven and made pizza for the first time ever in the camper...and set the smoke alarm off. Oops! The kids roasted some marshmallows over the fire and we got ourselves all settled in. Danny had the lot right next to us and some of our friends were scattered around the park too so we saw a few friendly faces around.

Saturday we took the kids on a bike ride and scavenger hunt the park was putting on. It was so hot it felt like July so we didn't do more than 6km before taking a lunch break and finishing the further away clues by car. There were a few things we needed to get so we took a drive into Richibucto and found a Tim Horton's before heading back to the awards announcement for the scavenger hunt. We ended up winning a deck of cards and laughed at the poor announcer trying to pronounce our names (apparently McDonnell looks a lot like Mitchell on paper).

Sunday was a little cooler and a little more laid back for us. We lazed around the campsite reading and napping while the kids played an endless game of monopoly before hiking the osprey trail in search of the red Adirondack chairs Parks Canada hides around the national parks in very picturesque locations for visitors to find. Unfortunately we discovered why we had never done this trail before and why it's not one of the more popular ones. It was 5km of rougher trail through the woods hiking with not a whole lot to see and no fun information stops along the way. And...no red chairs. Madi thought the forest was very mysterious and both kids learned a lot about different kinds of trees from their grandfather before we finished up and headed back to camp.

Monday morning we got up a little late and had a big breakfast before making the trek home. Madison fell asleep before we even left the park and Cole was out somewhere between Doaktown and Fredericton. Even the dog is sleeping off her adventures!

All in all it was a wonderful weekend and a great start to the season with awesome weather, great company and a chance to work out a few kinks getting back into the swing of things! Our next adventure keeps us close to home while we check out Mactaquac Provincial Park in June!

Adventure is out there!
-The McDonnells

Sunday, May 15, 2016

A Miramichi Weekend & Camper Prep

It was a busy, busy weekend for the McDonnells! We travelled to Miramichi to get our camper ready for the season and to celebrate Debb's 30tn and Alex's 1st birthdays.

We were pleased to find that our camper didn't suffer through the winter aside from a little rust on hinges and chains that's normal for every year in winter in Eastern Canada. We aired everything out and took some measurements for some extra storage options and installed some vent covers so we can open the ceiling vents in the rain and not get wet. Lists for packing and groceries were made and the fridge is being chilled right now. We made sure we had enough propane and tested the battery and the brake and turn signal lights. Our little home on wheels is all ready to go in a few more days!

Saturday evening we found ourselves at Ben's Lunchroom downtown for the simplest yet most delicious burgers and fries..a staple in Miramichi and a must do for us every visit home. I was so excited and trying to get the camera put away after Madison was vlogging that I dumped my fries all over the car floor! Cole thought maybe the car was clean enough that we could save some, but I disagreed and decided I would put in a Mommy sacrifice and let Jeff and the kids eat the rest. Lucky for me there were more than enough fries to go around. We had a nice visit with Nana and Love got to visit with Shelby who was less than impressed to have another dog in her house. Love could care less and drank all her water anyway.

Debb's friends were hosting a surprise birthday party for her 30th so we headed over there to wait and surprise her. In true Miramichi fashion we were greeted at the door with drinks, the kids were handed pop and cupcakes and Cole was promptly taught how to play flip cup (and he wasn't half bad!). Debb was taking too long to get over to the house according to Madi and was given a 4 minute time limit to show up and be surprised or she was leaving! Luckily Debb met the deadline and was super happy to see the kids there waiting to surprise her.

Sunday morning I was awakened to an empty bed, a text promise of Tim Horton's coffee and the sound of my dear sister in law being attacked by my children trying to get her out of bed by stealing all her blankets and shooting her with Nerf guns. The poor girl convinced them to give her 10 more minutes and she didn't get one second more before they were at her again but she's a good sport and got up and played with them anyway before putting them to work helping make Alex's birthday cake.

Alex had a lovely little birthday party with all his family, an adorable cake and lots of sweet gifts. I can't wait to see him riding around on the tricycle we got for him! The kids had a blast playing with their cousins and getting a good sugar buzz on before we had to head home in the rain to get ready for another week at work and school.

It's going to be a busy week here getting things ready for our first camping trip of the season on Friday, putting our camper and storage organization ideas into play, meal planning and finding this momma a new bicycle!

Adventure is out there!
-The McDonnells

Thursday, May 12, 2016

It's Camping Season!

It's officially spring and that means the McDonnells are ready and eager to kick off camping season 2016! We have a busy, fun filled season planned with some old favorites and new adventures.


This weekend we are heading to Miramichi where our camper is being stored to get things aired out and ready for our first camping trip of the season next weekend. We have a few storage modifications we want to test out and some plans to make the teeny tiny bathroom feel just a little roomier.


Our season is going to consist of mainly exploring national and provincial parks and the line up includes:


Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick
Fundy National Park, New Brunswick
Mactaquac Provincial Park, New Brunswick
New River Beach Provincial Park, New Brunswick
Anchorage Provincial Park, New Brunswick


Cavendish National Park, PEI
Twin Shores, PEI


Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia


It's going to be a busy, jam packed season and we can't wait to kick it off!


Adventure is out there!
-The McDonnells

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mother's Day! 

Mother's Day is the time of year to celebrate the special women in your life...mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, friends, "like a mom to me", fathers who have to play both roles, babysitters....the list goes on and on. 

We are fortunate to have all these special people in our lives so here's to you! 

My mom is my best friend. She's always been more of a friend than a mom to me and she's always got my back no matter what. I can laugh with her, cry with her, just hang out or fight like cats and dogs but ultimately she's my rock and the one I turn to when something good, bad or in between happens in my life, she supports my crazy ideas and shares my obsession with all things Disney. I honestly don't know what I would do without her. 

My Nana has always been like a mom to me with that special twist only a grandmother can provide. She's looked after me when I was home sick from school, she made sure I had the comforts of home when I moved into my first apartment on my own, she and my Grampy took me on many a camping trip and she's always been my biggest support. She's stubborn and sassy and the definition of strength. I think I may have inherited just a little bit of that from her. 

My aunt Linda...mom2 for this "rent a brat" was the confidant I needed when I just couldn't talk to my mom about something, the one who introduced me to a wide variety of music and the one who took me on adventures as a child and the yard stick we all measured our height against (haha!). 

Not only are we lucky enough to have these three women to love us and support us but we also have Nora Ann...Jeff's aunt who stepped in to provide a mother's presence and support after his mom passed away. She is the rock of the family, the one everyone turns to when they need a little love and support and the woman who is my stand in mother in law when I didn't have the privilege to know my own. 

All the aunts on Jeff's side have stepped in to try and fill a little bit of the loss of Jeff's mom. Carmel, Sheila, Valerie, Maureen, Debbie...you are all unique and special women we are so very lucky to have in our lives and we love and appreciate you so much. 

My special babysitter as a child did so much more for me growing up than just making sure we were clean and fed and safe...she gave me a second family and a whole lot of amazing childhood memories and experiences. Thank you Karen for loving me like I was your own. 

Cole and Madison are so fortunate to have had amazing babysitters who cared for them, comforted them and helped us raise them when we had to be at work. Stay at home moms are awesome, but so are working moms with the help of ladies like Sophie, Tara and Amy. Our kids love you all so much and we appreciate the care you provide to our kids more than you could possibly know. 

Not only are we lucky to have all these amazing ladies in our lives but we are also blessed to have guardian angels watching over us...Jeff's mom, Jeff's grandmother and my great grandmother are all up there looking down on us smiling, laughing, tsk tsking and sometimes just shaking their heads I'm sure. 

So happy Mother's Day to all of you ladies. We love you and we are so thankful to have you in our lives and our children's lives. Because of you, life is so much sweeter. Enjoy your special day! Xoxox

Adventure is out there!
-The McDonnells

Friday, May 6, 2016

Kids Can Cook!

The cook in our house certainly isn't me...but every now and again I get it in my head that I probably should especially when I'm on my days off. But...ya know, being lazy sometimes wins out. It's a work in progress. Sometimes there's some blunders that make my husband laugh and sometimes I do something awesome and delicious. Sometimes we just make sure it's edible.

Today was one of those days where being lazy lost and I actually had an idea what I wanted to make for supper (meal planning! Gotta get on board with that) and Cole wanted to help. He's 11 so I figure he's old enough to be trusted with some chopping under adult supervision so we made supper together. 


No fingers were lost in the making of this photo

On the menu tonight we have roast turkey breast seasoned with sage, rosemary, garlic and salt and pepper, carrots a la Cole and Cole's favorite...Stove Top stuffing. I swear this kid can eat a whole box himself!

Cole was excited to be helping out in the kitchen and asked if he can do it more often. Oddly enough he is much more enthusiastic about this task than cleaning his room. Go figure... 

Adventure is out there!
-The McDonnells

Thursday, May 5, 2016

May the 4th - Star Wars Day

It's no secret that the force is strong with this family. We love Star Wars! May the 4th is one of Jeff's favourite days and we make it a point to watch at least one Star Wars movie on this day. The kids are very well versed in the old vs the new movies and which they are supposed to enjoy best but by far their favourite is The Force Awakens.

I like this one because it show cases a strong female lead in Rey where the others focus more on Luke and Han Solo. Sure Leia is in there but she's never the central focus like Rey is. Gotta show those boys that girls are just as tough! And really, who doesn't love BB-8! That thumbs up scene cracks me up every time!

This year Star Wars day also fell on McHappy Day which we also partake in. $1 from select items from McDonald's menu goes towards local Pediatrics units. Yes, we are one of "those families" that lets our children eat McDonald's and no, we don't feel one lick bad about it. Life is all about balance, is it not? And frankly, sometimes it's just plain old easy to swing through a drive through between activity drop offs or on the drive to Grampy's.



We had a nice family movie night and highly recommend exposing your kids to the wonders of Star Wars...it's really something all ages can enjoy together and makes for a fun challenge to try and watch all 7 especially on these rainy, gloomy days.

Adventure is out there!
-The McDonnells

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Meet the McDonnells!

Welcome to our family blog! If you're here you either stumbled upon us via social media or you already know us and are here to keep up with what we are up to (hi mom!). If you're the former, welcome! And here's a little bit about us...

We are a family of 4 from a small town on Canada's east coast in Fredericton New Brunswick. We love to travel with our kids and explore and try new things. Our favourite places to visit together are Walt Disney World, Great Wolf Lodge and any campground that hosts some beautiful things to see and fun things to do. We like to watch Disney movies, go geocaching and generally just spend time together. We love long road trips and some of our fondest memories come from driving along together or being cozied up in our camper. We love to laugh and sometimes find ourselves in some rather humorous scenarios!

So who is a part of this fun loving family you ask? Well here's the line up of our key players:

The Mom - Cindy is the mom and generally the instigator of these adventures. She's a busy lady who works full time as a nurse and firmly believes that quality family time is more important than quantity. She lives by the rule of make the most of the time you have! She loves Lush and reading and is on a journey for weight loss and improved health to set an example for her kids. She's a mediocre cook, not too shabby of a crafter (especially loves to knit), NOT a morning person and an avid planner and list maker always seeking out new and fun dreams to follow. Spoiler alert! She's also who will be writing this blog.

The Dad - Jeff is the dad, the human taxi cab, the killer of bugs, the reacher of high things, the problem solver and the goof ball. He's an engineer who works full time as well and is always game for Cindy's crazy plans and even starts some of his own. He loves all things Disney, Star Wars and Indiana Jones related (watch for him in 'the hat'), an avid biker (bicycle, not Harleys!) and has the absolute best laugh there is. He's the cook, the fixer upper and the one who keeps everything in balance.

The Son - Cole is the first born McDonnell child. He's an animal lover, Nerf gun collector and video game pro. He loves all things furry and techy. He's an excellent swimmer with a big heart and a kind soul always concerned about the well being of everyone around him. He's also the goof ball, a spitting image of his father and the best big brother any kid could ask for.

The Daughter - Madison (Madi for short) is the second born McDonnell child. She's a dreamer and an artist and the definition of a happy go lucky kid. She loves her kitty and her stuffed animals and anything she can create something with. She loves her art classes and going to Brownies or running around outside with her many friends. She's our big hearted, loud little girl and like her mom, also not a morning person which makes Jeff and Cole just shake their heads.

The Dog - Love is her name and being crazy is her game! Last but not least our furry friend is usually along for the ride in our adventures. Love is a 7 year old yellow lab mix who hasn't quite figured out she's a middle aged dog and is still very much a puppy at heart. She loves everyone and everything (hence the name) and has been a part of our family since she was a pup. She loves going for walks on any terrain and especially loves being in any kind of water.

Thanks for joining us!

Adventure is out there!
-The McDonnells