Her Special Day: Mother’s Day At Home
Like most important celebrations, Mother’s Day has different definitions and meanings for different people.
In the end, however, Mother’s Day is about making her feel appreciated for her hard work and sacrifices. A day dedicated to her hard effort. A day to simply say thank you.
Read on for ideas that will give your mom a day to remember. And if you’re a mom and someone asks what you want to do this Sunday, send them this post!
- Morning Surprise
If there’s a day when she can sleep in without feeling any guilt, this is it. Why not surprise her with breakfast in bed, get the children involved and make it a fun activity for the family? Cook the eggs just the way she likes them, the pancakes extra fluffy and let the children decorate them with fruit. (Bonus tip: the Georgetown Farmers’ Market is open Saturday mornings 8am-12pm, so you can prepare the breakfast with the freshest fruits.) - Personal Spa
Make her feel like she’s on vacation without her having to leave the home or spending lots of money. To bring that getaway feeling to your home, rely on a few scented oils, candles, bath salts and a pot of tea for soothing. While she’s relaxing and taking time off with her favorite tea, it would also be a good idea to get some cleaning or chores done around the house. (For more information on DIY spas, visit this page.) - Appreciation BBQ
There’s something about eating outdoors and enjoying the sun that uplifts everyone’s spirits. Why not invite some of the neighbors to help celebrate Mother’s Day? The Children set up the table and the dads take over the grill as the mothers sit back and relax. On the menu: roasted vegetables, juicy steaks, kabobs or handmade burgers. For dessert, her favorite sorbet with fresh fruit toppings; alternatives include milkshakes for the children and cocktails for the grownups. (Find more BBQ recipes here.) - A Night In
Nothing says relaxation like having a night in to gather around the TV to enjoy a movie. Bring out the cold drinks, delicious snacks, the popcorn and pop in her favorite movie. Whether the neighbors accompanied or not, keep the entertainment flowing with fun, traditional family games like Monopoly, Go Fish or Charades. Interactive games that will have everyone laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Just don’t forget to let her win, after all- it is mother’s day. Another fun filled activity is family karaoke, what better way to laugh and have a good time over classic tunes everyone can enjoy! - A Night in the Town
If you feel like celebrating mother’s day outside of home, make it a night out in the town, The Cellar is the perfect place to do so. Cellar restaurant has a Mother’s Day 2013 weekend event where moms will be treated to flowers and a glass of sparkling wine on Sunday, May 12th. Dinner hours for May 10th-12th will be from 5:30pm on Friday & Saturday, and 4:00pm-8:00pm on Sunday. (Book your reservations here.
Have a happy and safe mother’s day everyone!
Construction Update on Oak Bay
If you’re yearning to take those first steps through the front door of your completed new home at our Oak Bay community, you are going to be delighted to see what we have in store for you.
It’s exciting to see the progress on the build of your new home, which is why we like to provide you with updated images of construction. Today, we are showing you images of our Oak Bay community’s Clubhouse Townhome Series at a stage that is particularly exciting, as these homes are close to completion.
The Oak Bay Golf & Country Club community features homes to suit any lifestyle offering two-storey and bungalow detached homes, freehold townhomes and condo villas. Near Honey Harbour, on the beautiful Georgian Bay, Oak Bay is a place catered to creating memories and celebrating Mother Nature at her best. Surrounding the Oak Bay homes and cottages are 18 holes of pristine greens and fairways built into the beautiful Muskoka landscape and the equally impressive Oak Bay Marina.
Isn’t it thrilling to see how far the construction on your new home has come along at Oak Bay?
Stay tuned for more construction updates on our up and coming communities and don’t forget to take a look at our Facebook page for even more updates and images.
Know anyone who might be interested in buying a home where South Muskoka meets Georgian Bay? Do them a favour and let them know they can get an Oak Bay home for over $200,000 less, including a complete range of home styles, a playable 18-hole golf course, designer decorated model homes to tour, and more! (Our Golf course opens on May 17th, weather permitting).
Spring Gardening Tips and Tricks
For those of you with a green thumb and a love of beautiful outdoor spaces, moving into an Eden Oak home is exciting for even more than just the fresh new interiors, stunning features and finishes, and the great surrounding amenities. It is exciting because of the lovely space you have outdoors to transform and make entirely your own.
As the weather improves, gardeners everywhere begin to get eager. Here are a few tips to get started early in your garden and make your exteriors extraordinary.
Essential Garden Tools
Although everyone has their own must-have gardening tools, there are a few essentials. For starters, there are the obvious water hose, shovel, rake, and gloves. Other essentials are a soil knife used for cutting through roots, transplanting and dividing plants; scissors for deadheading flowers, harvesting vegetables and simply opening soil or seed packets; and lastly, pruning sheers for pruning woody perennials.
Early Spring Plants
If you are yearning to see some colour in your garden as soon as possible, there are a few plants that can sustain the sometimes unpredictable spring weather.
- Pansies, for one, are ideal to plant in the early spring as they flourish in cooler weather.
- Most primula plants are ideal for spring planting because of their need for moist, rich soil and a cool location with light shade.
- Ranunculus, also known as the Buttercup flower, are at their best when they have six weeks of cool weather to sprout, grow and bloom, making them ideal to plant in the early spring.
Prepping for Summer Blooms
Planting bulbs in the spring will offer you a reliable and colourful display during the summer months. Some the bulbs that you can plant while the weather is still cool include:
- Lilies enjoy frost-free, well-drained soil so plant them in the dryer days of spring, and they will provide a colourful arrangement in the late spring and early summer months.
- Hold off until May to plant Dahlias as they are much like lilies, and prefer sandy, dry soil.
- Gladiolus should be planted in a location with full sunlight, but are resilient to the cool weather, so go right ahead and plant them as soon as you can.
Hoping that we have set you up for success with these gardening tips, we’d like to know – what are you looking forward to most during the warmer months at your Eden Oak home?
Long Weekends Events In Our Communities
A refreshing long weekend is nearing, one that will mark the beginning of Spring with beautiful weather, outdoor activities and family fun. It’s Easter weekend, and we’ve found some fantastic family-fun events for the residents of our communities to enjoy.
Our Oak Bay Golf & Country Club in Port Severn and Lakeside Pointe in Collingwood are just north of Toronto, and there are many events for you and your children to enjoy in the area including Easter egg hunts, arts & crafts, sport activities, nature walks and more!
- Penetanguishene Centennial Museum
Saturday, March 30, 2013
11 am to 2pm
- Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre
Saturday, March 30, 2013
10am to 4pm
Easter in Downtown Collingwood
- Downtown Collingwood
Saturday, March 30, 2013
10am to TBD
Easter Long Weekend at Blue Mountain
- Blue Mountain Village
Friday, March 29, 2013 – 10am to 9pm
Saturday, March 30, 2013 – 10am to 9pm
Sunday March 31, 2013 – 10am to 9pm
Credit Ridge in Brampton, Weaver’s Mill in Georgetown and Spring Creek in Waterdown are located just west of Toronto, and there we have more great events for families to take part in. You have the opportunity to meet and take pictures with the Easter Bunny himself, partake in scavenger hunts, and other eggsciting activities.
- Brampton Soccer Centre
Saturday, March 30, 2013
10am to 1pm
Easter Hunt for Dogs and the Whole Family
- Flower City Senior Centre
Friday, March 29, 2013
10am to 2pm
Springridge Farm’s Easter Festival
- Springridge Farm
Friday, March 29, 2013 – 10am to 4pm
Saturday, March 30, 2013 – 10am to 4pm
Sunday, March 31, 2013 – 10am to 4pm
- Mountsberg Conservation Area
Friday, March 29, 2013 – 11am to 3pm
Saturday, March 30, 2013 – 11am to 3pm
Sunday, March 31, 2013 – 11am to 3pm
Monday, April 1, 2013 – 11am to 3pm
What are your plans for the long weekend? Do they involve any of our suggested events?
Oak Bay Construction Continues to Make Progress
If you’re a frequent reader of this blog, you may remember our February 1 post in which we wrote about our Oak Bay community and posted construction update images.
Today, it gives us pleasure to release yet more images for our Oak Bay homebuyers and registrants. The first one was taken recently at Block 1 of the Clubhouse Villas collection:
…while the second one shows Block 2 of the same collection:
The Oak Bay Golf & Country Club community near Honey Harbour on the beautiful Georgian Bay is a place catered to creating memories. Featuring homes to suit any lifestyle, Oak Bay offers two-storey and bungalow detached homes, freehold towns and condo villas in South Muskoka.
View Clubhouse Villa designs on our website, including a price list and floorplans, or head over to our Facebook page to view more construction images.
Spring-Inspired Décor Tips
Spring is just a hop, skip and a jump away believe it or not — and with Spring comes warmer weather, brighter colours, and lighter fabrics. Luckily for Eden Oak home owners and décor-lovers alike, this upcoming season gives you a great reason to redecorate and brighten up your home for the upcoming months.
While the snow starts to disappear and the grass begins to turn green, here are a few tips to keep in mind to decorate accordingly:
- Always start with a three-second scan. Redecorating your home can be an overwhelming task. As you walk into each room, scan your current décor quickly and notice three items that are not as visually appealing as the rest. Those items are where you should start on your path to redecorating for the season.
- Brighten the room. Adding white accents to your living space can easily brighten up your home without having to reach for your paint brush. Instead of painting your home according to the Spring colour trends of 2013, just add décor accents such as pillows, flowers, lamps, and candles that will help to brighten your home and add variety in colour.
- Find your inspiration. As Spring approaches, many are envisioning their gardens blooming to life, so why not use that as inspiration? Floral patterns can be used anywhere from your kitchen plates to sofa pillows, and garden-inspired colours are always a hit in the warmer seasons.
- Be bold. Whether it be bold colours, patterns or artwork, don’t be afraid to be bold while decorating this season.
There are many décor options that are easily interchangeable with your already gorgeous Eden Oak living space to make it bright, bold and beautiful for Spring.
Images via foter.com.
Celebrating Family Day at Home
There might well be plenty of fun-filled Family Day events going on, but what’s better than taking advantage of this upcoming long weekend to spend quality time with your loved ones — at home?
If this sounds ideal to you, how about some of these family fun ideas to help bond your family together in your new Eden Oak home?
Cooking Competition
Why not spend time in your new Eden Oak kitchen and have a friendly cooking competition? Assign each person a meal element (appetizers, pasta, garlic bread, salad) and judge each plate based on appearance and taste. Create small prizes to be awarded for best presentation, most delicious, best effort and most creative. Don’t forget dessert, bake cookies and have everyone decorate their own with colourful icing.
Movie Marathon & Trivia
Are you and your family movie lovers? Create a theme for a movie marathon and select a line up of movies that fit your theme. Set up a concession stand on your kitchen counter with fun treats like caramel popcorn, M&M’s, and gummy bears. Think of some trivia questions before or after you watch each movie and test each other on your celebrity, superhero and Hollywood knowledge.
Board Games and Cards
Break out the board games! Whether you’re an avid Monopoly player or haven’t touched a board game in years, board games are always a great interactive form of entertainment for families. If you have a deck of cards available, many card games are actually a great way to teach your kids skills like working together or developing strategy.
However you decide to do spend your time with family this upcoming long weekend, we hope you and your family enjoy it!
Do these ideas sound like fun to you? What are your plans for the Family Day long weekend?
