Day 13: Our Last day

Last night I was feeling ready to go home.  We had done most of the things we wanted to and truthfully, 2 weeks on every trip is when I start to want to go home.  

But last night I didn’t know that our last day was going to be one of the best.   

Today was perfect weather, possibly the best of our trip. The sun was out in full force and the skies were clear and blue.  

We met 2 families on the beach for the morning which turned into an all day affair.  They built sand castles and boogie boarded.  Floated in tubes and ate pizza on the beach.  The adults may have had a few adults bevies.  Nothing beats a beer on a hot day.  

After almost 6 hours we left the beach happy and sunburned.  All signs of a good day at the beach. 

We went to our last dinner and talked our our favorite day and both kids said that our last day was the best day.  Nothing like going out on a high!

Aloha Maui, thanks for another great trip. 

Day 12: Sunburn Central

 

Today was a day of few pictures.  It started with beach yoga.  I don’t like yoga so not sure why I thought I’d like it at the beach.  Other than the view, I didn’t like it at all.  But after all the running on vacation it was probably good for my body.  

I followed up yoga with a massage that was only okay.  The room was cold and I saw a lot of naked old ladies where suits were optional.  I found myself thinking about what I was missing at the beach.  Note to self for next time. 

After the massage I hurried to the beach where we met one of Grady’s teammates and family.  I told you our hockey families are the best!

We stayed on the beach way to long and we all had sunburns to tend to in the afternoon which meant staying out of the sun. 

It was a relaxing day soaking in our last Maui rays. 

Day 11: Exploring our Resort

What a great day. From beginning right until the very end. I started the day with a run.  I was so excited to run in a different area, because truthfully, after 10 days I was bored of my old route.  Keeping things real, I ran or walked 3.5 km every single day except yesterday.  And you know what, I missed it.  While 3.5 km doesn't sound long on its own, over the course of 10 runs that's over 35 kilos that I otherwise wouldn't have ran.  Tomorrow I plan to do beach yoga instead. 

At 6:30am it was still a busy path.  Busy but beautiful.

The water slides open at 10am so after a quick trip to the beach we were back and ready for them to open.  We put in a long shift.  Like, really long.  We left our room around 9 and but got back right around 5.  We all have sun burns to show for our long day in the sun.

While the kids and I wanted to eat right at our pool chairs, James insisted we had to go to the restaurant and get out of the sun.  He was probably right.

The hotel has a lazy river that is connected by smaller slides which kept us busy not to mention the tarzan rope and the under water camera holder the kids bought.  There was no way I was putting my camera in there but Cooper had no issues using his.  I am happy to report his phone survived!

Our new surrounding kept us busy exploring all day. It is amazing what a change in locale has done to make it feel like a brand new vacation.

Two full days left.....

Day 10: Crossover day

Today we packed up all our belongings and moved them to Wailea for the last 4 nights in Maui.  We have never switched hotels but when you stay for 2 weeks I'm starting to think it was a wise thing to do.

We had to check out of our current hotel at 11am and couldn't check into our new one until 4pm.  So we had 5 hours to kill.  We decided to go mini golfing. While Cooper enjoyed getting the only hole in one of our round, our older son had a hard time losing.  Not sure I ever want to mini golf with him again.  Ever.

We checked into our new hotel and can I just say.... Wow!  It is more a hotel style then a condo style and much bigger.  Our room wasn't ready but the kids were more than ready to hit the pool.

We arrived shortly after 2pm and the kids wanted nothing more than to go on the water slides so... James and I sat and watched them while sweating our butts off for well over an hour.

I love how Grady will watch his younger brother slide before him to make sure it is 'safe' before he goes.  AKA, he is scared to go himself.

Once he finally decided to go down he was all smiles. The kid was shaking with excitement.

You may not know this, but Grady has a love/hate relationship with water slides.  He loves them so much, but he is also so scared of them. Every time.

I'm glad to report that he over came his fears on these ones and had a great time sliding with his brother.  James and I watched from the side, with no chair to sit on, in our full clothes because we hadn't checked in.

We have a full 3 days to explore all the pools and slides!  I'm being rushed away from my blogging to start exploring now, at 7:38am!

Day 9: Mama's Fish House and Road to Hana

Let me introduce you to Mama's Fish House just outside Paia.

It is THE best fish you will ever have.  Ever.  And also the most expensive.

The first few times James and I went to Maui I refused to go since I didn't eat fish and it was too expensive if I wasn't going to like it.  Then I went, and I am a converted fish eater.  We have been back once a vacation to this gem to feast on the best fish ever.  Today we drove an hour to get to our reservation.

We always go for lunch, it started because the kids were young and we felt it was more accepted to ruin someones lunch with crying kids over dinner.  Then we kept going for lunch because honestly, the view is breathtaking.  I'm actually not sure if I prefer the view or the fish more.  Can you sense how much I love this restaurant??

Today I had the curry dish with 3 different fish, Mahi Mahi is the only one I remember and the others don't matter because they were all delish.  By far my bet meal of the trip.  I loved it way more than my Mom who had it years ago and when I asked her why she didn't like it she told me she didn't reallky like curry.  Insert eye roll.

With our full bellies, we decided to try a part of the Road to Hana since the kids have never been and James and I haven't done since before we were married.  James and I both remember the bamboo forest as one of our favorite stops and it was only at mile marker 6.5 so we decided to give it a try.

At about mile maker 3 James started to get nauseous and hated the driving.  Very narrow, sometimes down to only one lane for both directions.  At one point, I wasnt sure we were even going to see any bamboo.  

But we did, and it was worth it. 

I even managed to snag a family selfie!

We immediately turned around after our short hike and headed back to our condo.  

It was a full but good day.  A little old mixed in with a little new.   Today brings a lot of new as we switch sides of the island to a hotel we’ve never stayed at.... 

Stay tuned.  

Day 8: The Gazebo

We headed up island today and explored what we thought was Napili beach and turned out to be Kapalua Beach.  In the kids words, it was 'super awesome'!.  We worked our way from snorkeling at baby beach where my stomach nearly touched the coral to Kapalua where it was about 9 feet deep.  The kids were nervous but they did it!  Next time we are for sure doing the boat tour!

We arrived at the beach just after 8 to secure parking so we were departing right around noon.  We have next to nothing left to eat at the condo so I suggested The Gazebo.  I remember eating there on Easter Sunday about 3 years ago, waiting in line for well over an hour and loving my pancakes.  When we pulled up and there was only a table or 2 ahead of us we were all in.

The view is spectacular.  Like you have to blink to believe you are actually there.  It looks like Grady was inserted into the photo above....

The look on Coopers face when the white chocolate macadamia nut pancakes were served was on point.  They were just as good as I remembered them.  I asked him if we could share but he was having nothing to do with that.

In the end, despite the amazing food, the kids favorite part was the wiki stix that they couldnt' believe you could take home.  Go figure.

If you are ever in the Maui area, I highly recommend The Gazebo for breakfast, or in our case, pancakes for lunch!

Day 7: Trying to be the Fun Mom

Today I finished my third book of the trip.  I like to read.  I never have time to read.  On vacation I WANT to read.

Reading on a towel because my beach chair was stolen by a child

The kids have given me a hard time calling me a book worm and telling me that I never go in the pool, which is totally not true.  I just don't go in as much as they do.  Truthfully, I hate the pool, they are great to look at but they are cold and I hate getting my hair wet.

How do I convince them that they are wrong?

Yes, they see me read.  But on the contrary, I see them on their devices doing whatever they like to do.

I ask them to go for walks and most of the time they all say no and I go solo.

How do you get away from being called the 'book worm' and make them remember that I do go in the water.  Today I went running in when on the second round of snorkeling of the day when they spotted a turtle that they know I missed the day before.

I night swim. I snorkel, I go in the pool sometimes.  I'll go down the water slide and I'll play catch.  But I also cook and tidy while on vacation.  Don't us Moms deserve some time to do what we want to do?

I want to be remembered as the fun mom.  But apparently my fun factor is low with the kids.  Whatevs.  The kids are old enough to understand compromise and maybe, just maybe, I'll accept their gaming if they will accept my reading.  Deal.

Day 6: Trouble in paradise and Maui Ocean center

We are approaching the one week mark of being together 24/7.  Literally no separation.  At some point the kids were going to have it out and yesterday was that day.  There was pinching, hitting, yelling and all around bad behavior.  #truth

The plan for the day was to stay out of the sun and tend you our burns.  We decided on making the drive to the Maui Ocean Center which is always a big hit with the adults and kids alike.  It is also a long drive, while the scenery is to die for, I was slightly distracted by the constant bickering in the backseat.  Do we really need to argue about who gets to sit in what seat?  Apparently, we do.  

Cooper doesn’t remember ever being there and the excitement in his voice and eyes as he pointed everything out was why we paid the obscene amount of money to get it.  It ain’t cheap.

As the day went on, the moods improved and we celebrated with a shaved ice.  For those of you that don't know, Grady is a pitbull once he decides what he wants and won't let it go until he find it.  Yesterday, he reeeeaaaally wanted the shaved ice.  Its actually way better than I remembered it.

All I wanted to do all say was go the Whalers Village to browse the stores and maybe grab a dress.  Despite the poor behavior we stopped anyway almost as punishment since the kids wanted to go home.  Everyone walked out with something new.  Except me.  I plan to make a trip to the mall solo at some point to pick out my new outfit.

The day started out rough but ended out not being terrible.  I’m sure this won’t be the only day the kids act up.  Too much togetherness is a thing.  

Day 5: Gazebo day

Yesterday we rented a Gazebo around the pool.  It is the one day we stay downstairs all day instead of coming upstairs for lunch and downtime.   On this day, we eat, drink and relax all day.  We put in a 9 hour shift this year.

At the end of the day I asked James how he enjoyed it and he said it was a little boring. I 100% disagreed.  This is as close to my pre kid days at the beach as it gets.  I curled up on the couch, in the shade and read on and off all day.

We let the kids bring their devices down so we could all chill in the shade.  What's the difference if we are in the gazebo or in our unit?  I think James was only bored because he doesn't read.

I got a hard time from the kids that I didn't go in the pool but honestly, the water is too cold and I freeze when I get out.  I'd rather be the photo taker.  Hence, why I'm never in any!!

We have a few burns so today we will do our best to stay out of the sun.  Though very hard in Maui!

Day 4: Snorkling

As we were sitting at the airport on travel day we made a list of things that each of us want to do on this vacation.  I wanted to snorkel off a tour boat.

I still have such vivid memories snorkeling with my family at  Hanauma Bay back in the day.  My brother sprinkled fish food around me and the fish swam straight for my face.  It was shallow, full of people, and full of fish. 

One of my kids (the older one) isn’t very adventurous to say the least.  He made it clear that he was not getting on a boat to go in the middle of the ocean to snorkel.  

So we compromised.   

We rented gear and headed to baby beach to try out the equipment in very shallow water.  Who knew that there would actually be fish there.

It took a lot of convincing to even get Grady in the water up to his waist but he finally obliged.  

I am confident in saying that the morning we spent snorkeling will be one of my favorites of the trip.  All 4 of us were geared up and looking for fish when we spotted one we would yell under water and try to talk.  Easier said then done.  It turned out that Grady even outlasted Cooper.  With that being said he still had no interest in the snorkel tour.  He liked baby beach and saw no reason to go anywhere else.

The excitement in their voices as they spotted fish after fish and eventually even a turtle was so memorable and a moment I hope they remember like I remember my first snorkel trip.

Maybe next year I’ll get them in the snorkel tour....

Day 3: A Maui First

The day started with a trip to Snorkel Bob's to get some snorkel gear and boogie boards.  We left there and started our drive to where the best beginning snorkel conditions were about 30 minutes away.  Google maps gave us the wrong direction into private property so we had to turn around and noticed that many people behind us were also following google maps directions.

It was mile maker 14 on the highway and we almost drove by but James made a quick turn into the beach parking lot and we immediately felt the car sink a little.  Shit.  James tried to back up and the the wheels just spun.  Double shit.

How is it that we've made it through probably a decade of winters in Canada and haven't been stuck but yet in Maui we manage to get the car stuck in the sand on our second full day?

I was expecting a lot of swearing and anger from James. If you've ever driven with him you'll know what I mean.  He calmly got out of the car and I followed.  We gathered up some coconut shells and started shoving them under the tires.  We also had the sand shovels in the back so we started clearing the sand.

I whispered to Grady to grab my phone.  Who doesn't want to document this important first with a photo?

We managed to get the car out and James refused to just re park it and he drove us back to the hotel.  No snorkeling for us yesterday.  But the kids did make good use of the boogie boards.  They are really enjoying the ocean this year much to James' delight!

Day 2: Daily Runs

I am sitting here at 5am writing this while everyone sleeps and I look out the window into a black abyss. The sun hasn't even started to rise yet.  Back home, today is swim registration day which means I needed to be at a computer at 9am home time.  I don't mind the quiet, besides, it means I will have time for my morning run.

I told myself before we arrived that i wanted to make exercise in the morning a priority.  in the last few weeks by lunch time workouts have been over taken by parent teacher interviews, physio, and chiro appointments and i wanted to put m first on vacation and give myself 20 minutes a day to just be active outdoors with a fantastic view.

First day was a success!  20 minutes later I was sweaty and ready for the day.

What was very sweet was while I wanted to go solo and a run, Grady wanted to come and keep me company.  So off we went for a 10 minute walk together.  I returned him to the hotel and then I went for my run. 

I hope I can keep it up every day, alternating between running and walking, some days with a little walking companion and some days not.  There is no other way I'd rather start the day then looking at this.

That and it will counteract a little of the chocolate covered coconut macadamia nuts I've been consuming.

Day 1: Travel Day

Yesterday officially marked the beginning of spring break for our family!  We pulled the kids out of school for a week so we could jet to Maui for 2 weeks.  It has been a few years since we've visited and I didn't realize how much I'd missed it until we stepped off the plane.  #myhappyplace

This year I'm going to try something I've never done before... I've going to blog each morning while I sip on my coffee and eat breakfast.  Hopefully after a quick run.

It won't be a long post, just a quick one with a picture or 2 and a memorable moment I don't want to forget.  So let's get started.

Does anyone else hate travel day?  We got up at 4am yesterday to hop on our 730am flight.  When we were sitting in the airport having breakfast at just after 6am the kids could not believe how early it was.

Travel day is always so long and full of things you just don't want to do.  James put it perfectly when he said getting the rental car is the worst part about your arrival in Maui.  Thirteen planes arrived within the hour and I bet 90% of those people have to rent a car.  It is chaos.

Not only that, but since we got an SUV and not a mini van for the first time ever, we didn't have room for a Costco run on the way to the hotel.  So when we arrived at the condo, we had no food. 

While the adults want to unwind after a long travel day, the kid want to hit the pool.  So before we've even been allowed to check into the pool you find yourself in the hotel bathroom changing into your swims suit.  This is where you realize you forgot to take your flip flops out of your suitcase before they check the bag so you have to wear your sneakers to the pool and put them on with wet feet after.  Gross. #thethingswedoforkids

But because the kids were such good travelers, for like the first time ever, we go to the pool before our room.  I did get to finish an entire book on the plane after all.  A Simple Favor in case you are wondering and apparently it is a movie as well.

Here are the kids during their first swim at the pool.  So far no fighting and the trip is off to a good start.

A Hair Affair

I got a call every woman dreads last week.   My hair stylist was no longer with my salon.

Say what?

I've been going to Adria for almost 10 years.  I've been going there since before I was pregnant with Cooper.  And she is just gone?  No warning, nothing.  I don't even know her last name.. how am I going to find her on Facebook.  Thankfully, with an unusual name and me thinking her last name started with a G I was able to send her a message.  Apparently, she was fired during an argument with her boss and did not have a chance to grab her contacts.  She assured me that she was already in talks with another salon and she would be in touch ASAP.

Well now I was in a pickle.  

With only 2 weeks before leaving on vacation I needed to get my hair cut and colored.  The salon offered me 30% off my appointment if I was willing to try someone new.  For 30% off a $300 hair bill it was well worth it for me to try someone new and snag a discount.  That and I didn't really have an option since Adria had not secured a new salon yet.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I showed up at the salon.  It had been 10 years since I had a new stylist and it felt like a first date.  I showed her the pictures of how I wanted my color to look and she asked me how often I wanted to come since the colors I chose were very high maintenance.

We talked about what I wanted my maintenance to look like and also gave me tips to prolong the ash color I wanted in between appointments.  It's purple shampoo in case you were wondering which I came home with.  She was full of knowledge but also super slow.  My appointment that usually lasts 2 hours was well over 3 hours and I hated that I spent so much time sitting in a chair.  Thank goodness for podcasts!  I'm currently listening to a crime one called Serial suggested to me by Sara.  So far, I am really enjoying.

Back to my hair...

The other reason I was optimistic about trying something new is that I've been having trouble growing out the front of my hair.  I wish I would have taken a picture to explain but I wasn't planning on blogging about my hair appointment today.  It was very Jennifer Ansiton like from the 90s with lots of layers and I didn't like it. I would tell Adria not to cut the front hair very much because I wanted it to grow.  Time after time I ended up with what looks like a mullet.  

This time, the stylist explained to me it could be due to breakage, especially if I was side sleeper, which I am.  She suggested a hair mask every 2 weeks to condition the hair and prevent it from splitting.  She explained that once the hair is split you have to cut it off.  Though cutting hair while you are growing it seems counter intuitive, she said that the faster you can get to the split ends the less you have to cut off.  After consulting with my product guru friend we decided I should order this one from Sephora.

She was really knowledgeable, or just a great sales person.

I am really happy with the finished product.  While she did not go as drastic as the photos, I think she nailed the color.  She suggested that when I come back we could add more in to ease into the more bold lighter color just in time for summer.  I liked this idea.  I told her that I didn't want to show up at work the next day and have every single person comment on my hair.  So far, only 1 person has noticed, so I think she nailed it.

Now the tough question is do I continue with the new stylist or go back to Adria who has now secured a job in the same mall.  I rebooked with the new gal but I have time to decide.....  1st world problems.

Did I mention that the salon is in the mall?  I always go an hour early or stay an hour later to browse the stores, something I rarely do.  I found a teddy bear jacket at Aritzia that finally fit me properly and didn't make me feel like a fuzzy blimp.  I told the woman that I wanted it in cream but they were sold out.  She told me the beige color is the most popular because Kendall Jenner was spotted wearing it in December.  Though I wasn't sold on the color initially, I loved the style of the jacket so I took the plunge.  I think it will be great to wear watching the kids play soccer in what is usually very cold spring weather.  I wore it to hockey last night and it was so warm!

I'm happy to report that trying a new stylist wasn't as bad as I thought.  Having a different perspective isn't always a bad thing and if I can outgrow my mullet then I will be a happy lady!