Tag: Canada

The Best Family-Friendly Spring Break in BC

The Ashley RhapsodyLeave a comment

If you’re Googling “Spring Break in BC” and wondering if staying local is actually exciting enough… this is your sign.

British Columbia is wildly diverse. Within a few hours, you can go from rainforest beaches to desert landscapes to wine country to a storybook capital city. We’ve done the road trips (and flights). We’ve tested the hotels. We’ve eaten the food (enthusiastically).

Here are 5 of the best places to visit in BC for Spring Break with kids — and why they’re genuinely worth planning around.

1. Tofino, BC – For Beach Families + Outdoor Lovers

Why Tofino is perfect for Spring Break in BC:

Tofino gives you that “we went somewhere special” feeling without leaving the province. It’s rugged, it’s relaxed, and it’s built for families who love being outside.

We stayed at Pacific Sands Beach Resort (hello hot tub balcony overlooking the ocean) and Hotel Zed Tofino, which is colorful, quirky, and very kid-approved. Our family loved going to the beach weather it was pouring rain in muddy-buddies and boots, or in the sunshine in t-shirts!

Spring Break highlights in Tofino:

  • Massive sandy beaches (Chesterman Beach is a favourite)
  • Beginner-friendly surf lessons
  • Bonfires at sunset
  • Rainforest walks
  • Storm watching if the weather turns dramatic (which honestly just adds to the vibe)

Fun fact: Tofino is part of the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Region — which basically means the ecosystem here is globally significant. You’re not just at a beach… you’re in one of the most protected coastal environments in the world.

If your family needs fresh air and space to run — this is it.

2. Penticton, BC – For Easy, Walkable Fun

If you’re planning Spring Break with kids in BC, Penticton is a low-stress win.

We stayed at The Balcomo, a Ramada by Wyndham, which felt boutique but still family-friendly (and had a great pool situation). Our rooms were perfect because kiddo had her own space which means bedtime isn’t at 8pm for the whole family! We had some great meals there as well; my husband went to Kin & Folk twice just for their fried rice.

What makes Penticton great:

  • The Penticton Farmers Market (one of the largest in BC)
  • Two lakes — Okanagan Lake and Skaha Lake
  • LocoLanding Adventure Park for mini golf, go-karts, and peak kid energy release
  • Local treats like Cherry on Top (because balance)

Fun fact: Penticton is one of only two cities in the world located between two lakes. Which explains why the lake views feel endless.

It’s charming. It’s manageable. It’s great for families who want options without overcomplicating things.

3. Osoyoos, BC – Canada’s Only True Desert

Osoyoos feels like you crossed a border… but you didn’t.

We stayed at Spirit Ridge, in The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, which is set on Nk’Mip lands and blends desert views with resort comfort. It also provided so many educational (and fun) opportunities which as a homeschool family, we loved!

Here’s what makes Osoyoos incredible for Spring Break in BC:

  • It’s home to Canada’s only true desert ecosystem.
  • The Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre teaches you about endangered species, Indigenous history, and desert ecology in a way kids actually engage with.
  • The Bear, The Fish, The Root & The Berry — hands down one of our favourite meals of the year.
  • Spotted Lake looks like something from another planet when the mineral pools are visible.

Fun fact: Osoyoos is one of the warmest places in Canada, with over 2,000 hours of sunshine a year. If you’re craving warmth without booking a southern flight… this is your loophole.

4. Kelowna, BC – Food, Views + Space for Everyone

Kelowna is one of the most versatile Spring Break destinations in BC.

We stayed at The Royal Kelowna, which was ideal because we had a 3-bedroom apartment. When you’re traveling with kids, space matters. Full kitchen. Separate rooms. Everyone survives. I also could not BELIEVE the food scene in Kelowna; we literally didn’t have one bad meal! You can bring your car and do lots of exploring, or fly in and stay in the incredibly walkable city.

Why Kelowna works for families:

  • Incredible hiking trails with panoramic Okanagan views
  • Over 40 wineries in the region (parents, you’re welcome)
  • Waterfront parks and beaches
  • A growing food scene that’s actually worth planning around

Fun fact: Kelowna sits in one of Canada’s oldest wine-producing regions, with a microclimate that rivals parts of Napa. You can do outdoorsy mornings and elevated dinners in the same day.

It’s the sweet spot between active and indulgent.

5. Victoria, BC – History + Whale Watching + Afternoon Tea

If you want a Spring Break that feels polished but still fun for kids, Victoria delivers.

We stayed at Fairmont Empress — yes, that castle-looking one on the harbour — and did full afternoon tea because when in Victoria, you commit. I also took a solo adventure by bike around town and it was a great way to explore the city.

Top Spring Break activities in Victoria:

  • Exploring the Inner Harbour
  • Touring the Parliament Buildings
  • Whale watching with Prince of Whales Whale & Marine Wildlife Adventures
  • Afternoon tea at the Fairmont (which somehow feels fancy and kid-friendly at the same time)

Fun fact: Victoria is one of the mildest climates in Canada and is known as the “Garden City.” Early spring flowers start blooming here before most of the country thaws.

It feels international… without actually being international.

Why Staying in BC for Spring Break Just Makes Sense

When you plan Spring Break in British Columbia, you get:

  • Diverse landscapes (rainforest, desert, wine country, coastline)
  • Shorter travel days
  • No passport stress
  • Canadian pricing (which feels like a win right now)
  • And genuinely world-class experiences

You can absolutely travel internationally. No shade. But if you’re craving something easier, equally beautiful, and way less complicated?

BC delivers.

If you’re planning Spring Break in BC with kids, which one are you choosing — beach, desert, wine country, or city charm?

And be honest… are you exploring your own backyard this year, or heading further south?

February: Gentle Eating Rules for the Month

The Ashley Rhapsody2 Comments

Ecological Footprint: 1.9 earths (down from 2.3 in January), 19.3 hectares (down from 20.3 in January) 

I eat animals. 

I LOVE sushi, a good charcuterie board, and a breakfast platter adorned in animal products. 

I have also proclaimed several times in my life that if I were to ever discover I was lactose intolerant, there would be no need for me to go on. If I can’t partake in a hearty cheese board, what is life really about anyway? 

Here’s the kicker: I really love animals. I can not even watch a movie where trouble or harm befalls an animal. I can watch a movie where the entire human cast dies, and not miss a beat, but a dog gets injured and I’m a mess for days. Case in point: the new Dumbo movie is coming out… I sobbed… at the TRAILER! One glance at Dumbo dressed like a clown and being mocked by the circus crowd… Ugh, I can’t even talk about it anymore. 

I have been finding myself presented with this idea a lot lately: how in the world can I say I am an animal lover and also consume them? To take it a step further, I would never eat a dog EVER, why do I think a pig is any different? Or a cow? Or even a chicken or a fish (gasp)? 

Family Values

Much of the way I eat is reflective of how I grew up. Meat, cheese, butter, and milk were staples; I’m Italian for crying out loud, isn’t that a birth right? My husband makes the same retort; he is Ugandan, therefore it is his right to eat chicken and pork. But just because this is the way our parent’s eat, and our communities eat, does that mean it’s right? 

The New Canadian Food Guide

Canada recently rolled out the new Canadian food guide and there are significant changes from what I remember as a child. The biggest changes being the removal of emphasis on meat and dairy, and the focus on eating a plant based diet.

dims

Apart from the animal cruelty involved in the meat and dairy industry (which is indeed a big deal), there is also the matter of the damage these industries have on our environment. Here are just a few statistics from http://www.onegreenplanet.org:

  • Raising animals for food (including land used for grazing and land used to grow feed crops) now uses a staggering 30% of the Earth’s land mass. (Livestock’s Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options, a 2006 report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization)
  • The massive amounts of excrement produced by livestock farms emit toxic gases such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia into the air. Roughly 80% of ammonia emissions in the U.S. come from animal waste (The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency).
  • Animal agriculture is responsible for 18% of the total release of greenhouse gases world-wide (this is more than all the cars, trucks, planes, and ships in the world combined)  (Livestock’s Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options, a 2006 report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization)

For the past few months I had been trying to transition my diet to “plant-based.” I was doing pretty well until December… and then I fell off the wagon… hard. Like, sausage and egg McMuffin hard. Now for the month of February I am going the cold-turkey route (so to speak that is) and am going to live that sweet Vegan life. My hope is that it sticks for good. 

My rules for February are few but mighty! 

  1. Eat zero animal products (I am not including yeast, or “bee” products)

Education: 

  1. Learn from a real life Vegan
  2. Watch: Food Inc., What the Health… Any other suggestions? 

9 Ways to Reduce Household Waste

The Ashley Rhapsody1 Comment

I used to think that my menial effort to recycle, and the fact I would never throw garbage out of my car window made me a real tree hugger. I have discovered over this month of January I have a lot of work to do to live more kindly towards the environment. I am by no means an expert now, but here are a few quick changes I have made this month to reduce my ecological footprint.

  1. Be Mindful: This month has been all about self-discovery. My biggest discovery is I am the most wasteful when I am mindlessly going about a task or when I am rushing to complete a task. When I am frantically picking up groceries, or rushing to clean my kitchen, or simply zoning out in the shower I wasted resources, and curiously enough often wasted more time. My best piece of advice for becoming less wasteful is be mindful in your day to day, mundane tasks. 
  2. Shampoo Bars changed my life: 02008Fun fact, I HATE washing my hair. I don’t know why it feels like such a chore but it does. However, I recently discovered something that flipped the script for me (do the kids still say that?). SHAMPOO BARS! I started buying shampoo bars from Lush Cosmetics. I love it for several reasons: they leave my hair shiny and smooth, shorter shower time because I only need to use shampoo no conditioner (which I use to think was sacrilegious but now I’m all about it), it’s vegan, it’s completely waste free, it lasts forever, and it smells like heaven! The secret is to also buy the little metal containers that Lush sells and it helps it last for a long time. Here’s the link to the one I use.
    https://www.lush.ca/en/hair/shampoo-bars/karma-komba/02008.html
  3. Showers: On that note, being more mindful about showers has also been a game changer for me, but I have REALLY had to adjust my mindset about it. I forced myself to remember back to when I lived in Uganda. I remembered that I would NEVER dream of having a 10 minute long cold shower. My showers were 3-4 minutes MAX! With that in mind I had the idea that maybe I should change the temperature of my Canadian showers (not freezing but a little cooler than usual) in an attempt to speed myself up… and it worked. I admit I still have a smokin’ hot shower once a week, but my average shower has become a lot less wasteful. If you’re not convinced, here’s a great article about the benefits of shorter, cooler showers. https://www.bustle.com/articles/152226-how-long-should-you-shower-it-takes-less-time-than-you-think-to-get-clean 
  4. Compost those organics: img_1114After visiting the Surrey Biofuel Plant, I feel so much more empowered to compost my organics. To know that my city has a resource like the Surrey Biofuel Plant and to not utilize it, seems like a waste in itself. But even if you don’t live in the township of Surrey, composting those organics does wonders for the environment. A little trick I learned from a friend of mine is to keep a paper bag in the freezer and put organics in there; reduces the smell in the house, and it’s easy to transfer into the big green bin!
  5. Say “see ya” to those plastic bags: 71p51l7qwdl._sl1500_When I first thought about plastic bags, I thought grocery bags, and then stopped there. The fact of the matter is, we use a TON of plastic bags for so many things. Produce, snacks, clothing shopping etc. A great purchase I made recently was reusable produce bags. They are small enough I can keep them in my purse, I can wash them easily, they save on a lot of plastic, and they’re strong enough not to break like the cheap plastic ones when I’m buying sweet potatoes. Getting in the habit of using them is the hardest part, but once you have, you’ll never go back!  https://www.amazon.ca/Yomitek-Reusable-Washable-Drawstrings-Shopping/dp/B07G2117CJ?keywords=reusable+produce+bags&qid=1547660847&sr=8-1-spons&ref=sr_1_1_sspa&psc=1
  6. The Paper Towel Revolt: A simple change I made to cut down some of our waste was to use cloth rags instead of paper towels. When I was sick this month, I even took it one step further and used a handkerchief instead of Kleenex. I thought the whole idea was disgusting honestly, but my husband pointed out to me how much toilet paper I wasted blowing my nose (and he even got me a nice new hanky) so I had no excuse. 
  7. Learn how to Recycle: This goes along with becoming more mindful. Knowing how and where to recycle makes a big difference for the environment and my household. Here’s a great site for BC residents to help navigate recycling more efficiently: https://www.recyclebc.ca/what-can-i-recycle/   
  8. Ladies Only: A game changer for my time of the month has been Thinx Underwear (or as I affectionately refer to them as: period panties). I use them at the very beginning and the very end of my period when it’s the lightest, and then swap over to tampons when it’s heavier. They are super comfy, and I’m amazed at how clean I feel. They have helped cut down my tampon/liner usage significantly. Next step is to build up my confidence and try the Diva cup; I’ve heard really good things (money saver, kind on the body, kind to the environment, etc.). 
  9. Cut down the Take-Away: My husband and I are pretty good at making home cooked meals, but now that our schedules are reversed I am definitely guilty of leaning towards eating out instead of cooking something just for myself. “It’s only me! Why would I make a big meal! That’s wasteful. This is waste-free January. Sushi here I come!” The obvious problem with this is (other than the waste of money) most “eating out” requires a great deal of packaging. Meal plan, and skip the take-away.

january- pin- waste

Monday Moment of Joy: Target

The Ashley RhapsodyLeave a comment

I love Target and I don’t care who knows it.

I even loved CANADIAN Target. Talk about commitment.

For those of you Americans who don’t know what I mean, let me give you the Coles Notes version of what happened with Canadian Target.

  • Canada did not have Target
  • Target was brought to Canada
  • Ashley rejoiced
  • Canadian Target didn’t do so great
  • ALL Canadian Target’s were closed down
  • Ashley mourned

In my opinion, Canadian Target could have been successful. They opened too many stores, too quickly, and they were poorly stocked, and staffed. If they had opened a few, stocked them like Granny stocks her pantry, and hired staff that embody the energy and charisma of a Disney Land attendant, the powers that be at Canadian Target would have been rollin’ in the Benjamin’s (or the Borden’s I suppose).

Regardless as to it’s success, it was still Target and I still loved it. To this day if I hear someone say, “Target in Canada was terrible,” I escalate into a well rehearsed rant about how it’s that kind of attitude that got us here… with no Target. Quitters… bunch of quitters.

So with passport in hand, and American Target merely twenty minutes away, I proclaim with a full heart, and a full shopping cart, Target brings me real joy.

A friend tagged me in this video and it is all too true; I’m sharing it with you to bring a little joy to your Monday.

Happy shopping.