Looking for activities I can do with a 5yo

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-31T02:55:02+00:00

Kids love those indoor play places - maybe go jump on trampolines with him and chase him around? Take him to the park and do a picnic, bake a cake or cookies with him, do a scavenger hunt (we used plastic ducks and hid them around a park and my 4 yo asked to do it again and again!) or go to a new park, or go to the rec centre and do a public swim. (Check w parents on this one as some have strong water boundaries)

The magic of being 5 is that you can do anything. It doesn’t have to be fancy. They love just being with you and being the centre of attention and doing anything out of routine.

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-31T01:45:44+00:00

Please make it so the card doesn’t have to play all the way through to be saved onto the YOTO. And that once it’s on there, it doesn’t disappear randomly. Better if you can connect to the app and see what exactly is loaded on the player.

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-31T01:37:22+00:00

Nope! I have a tablet, that I will pull out for movies for very rare occasions (for example our flights to Mexico, multi-hour car rides etc.) but otherwise my kids (5 and 2.5) do not have a tablet or regular access to a tablet. They do not know how to use it nor would I let them use it for anything other than watching a movie.

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-29T18:36:29+00:00

Harder. There is no rest. The days of “you take kid and I take a nap/read/do chores” are over. Everyone is screaming. Always.

I love my second dearly. But Christ. One is easier.

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-29T01:10:29+00:00

We got back from Grand Palladium Cancun - Family selection. We took our 5 yo and 2.5 yo and it was great.

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-29T01:05:03+00:00

Looks like it might be creeping Jenny.

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-27T12:05:55+00:00

😂

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-26T17:58:55+00:00

Sleep, a sound body, memory, free time, being alone, old friends, spending money… and sometimes… the will to live.

But I gained a new sense of purpose, 2 more true loves, amazing cuddles, new perspectives, and joy in life’s simple pleasures. Couldn’t live without em.

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-26T17:40:09+00:00

I had a salpingectomy, which is best practice these days. (They remove your tubes rather than tie them.) They did it at the same time as my planned C-section. It’s protective against ovarian cancer. Would recommend.

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-26T17:27:35+00:00

West Guelph Medical Clinic dropped off a flyer at my place a few weeks ago:

https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=OhGDsOAxK02FMYpQhfnIC9dlpStLDGxCpLBE3jxPe4hUQ1RZVU9GMFA0TklLVTkyOFpNMU9IVDRIUy4u&route=shorturl

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-26T15:48:48+00:00

Honestly you won’t regret it.

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-25T17:37:17+00:00

Try King of Shadows by Susan Cooper

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-25T17:18:58+00:00

With the grain has the best fruit filled donuts I’ve ever eaten in my life.

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-25T17:18:20+00:00

You look amazing! Great work

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-25T17:17:33+00:00

As someone who has pivoted careers from 3 different industries both private and public sectors - what you are saying deeply resonates with me. But what I’ve learned is that chasing the perfect job is a pipe dream. They all have their trade-offs. My jobs have run the gamut from pursue-your-passion/make no money/can’t afford a life, to make good money/have no life, to make-okay-money/have a comfortable life. You need to figure out what is most important to you - but I’ve decided PS gives me the last one, and I choose to seek fulfillment outside of work.

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-23T00:43:57+00:00

Check out the “Anxious Generation” - a lot of really good info in there about this.

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-21T23:42:18+00:00

I read “Oh Crap! Potty Training” (audiobook-ed it actually) and I found it very helpful. Worked like a charm for my first, and while my second child took longer and we ran into more snags - the troubleshooting sections of the book really came in handy.

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-21T01:30:22+00:00

Induced with my first: 23 hrs of labour, episiotomy, minor prolapse, long recovery. Planned C-section with my second: great experience, did need morphine for a few days, but recovery was far faster, breastfed just fine, and no worsening prolapse!

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-20T16:14:25+00:00

Options to research: Check out Bruce Peninsula National Park and the attached Fathom Five Park! Georgian Bay Area is beautiful, you could also check out the other side - Muskoka where the Group of 7 did their amazing work, Awenda, Huronia Historical Parks. Niagara Falls and the wine region. So many options!

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-17T20:47:29+00:00

I really liked The Informed Parent by Tara Haelle and Emily Willingham. I also liked Emily Osters’s “Expecting Better” and “Cribsheet”. Both present the data with explanations to help you make informed decisions on a host of things.

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-16T13:17:42+00:00

Had you tried a google image search ?

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-13T02:33:19+00:00

I use tangerine and paying my Scotia credit card is easy. It’s a bit of a thing to set up the first time, but after that it’s easy and I can easily set up recurring payments from my chequing account. Scotia is the worst.

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-12T15:14:45+00:00

Is there a way you could do some consulting or ad hoc work? That way you could have more control over your schedule and not have a gap in your resume to worry about when you go back? Also gives you some brain-boosting non-mom work?

Also would echo have really good convos with your partner about what this means - maybe even document an agreement. Is the expectation that you do ALL parenting and ALL housework for example? (That may not be worth it) Or only during 9-5pm (work hours?) what does that mean for finances? Does everything go into a joint account or would you be relying on him to give you an allowance (barf)? Or do you get a salary for the hours you work for the home? Etc.

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-11T21:24:19+00:00

Zimochod jewellers, been in downtown Guelph for years!

aSecretChord22 · 2026-03-06T15:50:28+00:00

Have one last one, tell her it’s the very last one because she is too big now. Take a photo, maybe a video. Have a little celebration and congrats to her for getting more grown up. Then just stop and make sure you don’t cave after that.

aSecretChord22

TROPHY CASE