March Break 2026: Beach Bums

When we were talking about potential March Break plans, we had a bunch of ideas. At one point I had a trip to Europe all planned out -- a trip which would have checked a few items off of Sam's travel bucket list. However, the rest of the family seemed a little "ho hum" about it. Eventually, we settled on trying out an all-inclusive in the Dominican Republic. It was the exact vacation we needed after our grey, cold winter filled with a renovation.

We enjoyed being able to wear shorts and t-shirts!

 

The resort we stayed at was not the highest end resort but it had a sister resort right next door. The two resorts were connected by a pedestrian street which guests from both resorts could access. The pedestrian street had a few small stores and all you could eat gelato and pizza, as well as a coffee shop. We spent quite a bit of time here. The first night we checked it out and got some delicious gelato. I thought this street was so dreamy at night with all the lights strung across it. 

We went to the sports bar at the sister resort to watch the Dominican Republic take on the US in the World Baseball Classic. Sadly, while they first said it was fine for us to be there, about half an hour later, they kicked us out. It was fun to watch a bit of the game in the Dominican though. 

We knew we were signing up for a room with two double beds but we didn't realize "double" would be defined as "a twin and a bit." We were extremely cozy at night! Hahahahaha!!! 

Even though our resort was not fancy, it was so pretty. The buildings each had eight rooms and they were painted in pink, green, yellow, orange, and purple. I loved that the resort was fairly spread out so I got lots of walking in each day.

The view of palm trees never got old...

...and we enjoyed all the time we got to spend on the beach. We ended up only spending a couple of hours at the pool as it was always crowded and the chairs were all reserved by 7am every day. The pool was also the centre of the entertainment so it was very loud. We were always able to find four chairs and some shade at the beach and it was much quieter. Dave and I went for a walk the first day and I got a mojito to take with me on my walk!

This was the pedestrian street during the day and the best avocado salad I've ever eaten. It was maybe my favourite food I ate all vacation. Yum!!!

The first night we enjoyed being at the beach at sunset. It was gorgeous.

 

The second day started off with us getting a new room. The previous night we had drunken karaoke going on outside our room until after 11pm. That was how we discovered our room overlooked the outdoor stage where the sister resort's evening entertainment happened. As we're not late night party people, we asked for, and were given, a quieter room.

It was no great hardship to hang out on the beach until our room was ready.

 

So those were our first two days. We enjoyed the gelato and pizza and drinks and beach and having not very much to do at all. It was a very relaxing start to our vacation.

Renovation Report: Weeks 20 & 21

It's time for another renovation report and I am combining week 20 (the week we were away) and week 21, last week. The report for Week 20 is a little odd because we left on the Sunday with some things left to be done and arrived home on Friday to an empty, clean house.

They hung the mirror in Sam's bathroom.

They put the topper on the last stair.

They finished painting in the (old) office, the hallway, and the basement stairwell.

The dumpster was out of our driveway, and, most importantly, all of the construction supplies were cleared out of all of our rooms. And the cleaners had come through so everything was clean!!!

Last Monday, we came home and they had started to build the back porch. Additionally, Sam had used his new shower for the first time on the weekend and we discovered that they had forgotten to seal a piece of the door so it leaked all over the bathroom. So that got fixed!

More railing supports have been added here.

There were clearly still supplies in our driveway. However, at some point in the week, I came home and helped the workers identify the last few things they had stored in our garage so that was cleared out.

Sam's towel bars got hung...

...and the light bulbs for our basement light finally arrived! Whooo hooo!!!

And on Wednesday, the back stairs were completed...

...and our backyard and driveway got cleaned up.

 

There are still three small things left to do but on Thursday, for the first time in months, no one was working at our house. One thing left is to pick up a mirror which was ordered for us but was too big for the space. Another thing is to deal with the piles of dirt from digging the windows, but the piles are currently frozen so they have to wait for them to thaw. The last thing is to install a deadbolt in our back door.

 

Then later in the spring, the workers will come back to finish one final piece of weather dependent work.

 

Learnings from the past weeks:

 

We shouldn't have actually been sleeping in the new rooms until the city officially allowed it. Ooops. We didn't know that :)

 

What defines "done"? The main question we've been asked (and we are asking it too) is "Is the renovation actually done?" We thought that would be easy to answer but here's the thing. What defines "done"?

Are they done working on our house? Mostly. There are just a few small tasks left.

Is our building permit still up? Yes.

Are the workers coming every day? No, nor do they need to.

Did we pass our final house inspection with the city? Yes.

Do we have full use of our house? Almost.

 

Is the contractors' sign still on our front yard? Yes.

 

As I said above, what defines "done"? So with that, I declare the renovation done. Allow me to paraphrase TS Eliot's "The Hollow Men" as this is what has been running through my mind the past week:

 

This is the way the [renovation] ends 
Not with a bang but a whimper.

This will be the last "renovation report" I'm writing for the blog (although I reserve the right to change my mind on that!). I will write a few "post-renovation reports" but not weekly. Thank you for cheering us on through this process, being excited with us, and reading all the nitty gritty (dusty!) details of our house renovation.

Friday Favourite Moments #12 2026

Woot! Woot! It's finally Friday! And the Jays play their first game of the official MLB season today! You can count on our family watching the game tonight and we can't wait!!! Until then, here are some of my favourite moments from this past week. Spoiler alert: It's a lot of "post-renovation work."

1) Tulips

Yes, the tulip love is still going strong. These bring a bright spot of sunshine to our otherwise grey, early spring. I will probably stop buying tulips soon but until I have some flowers outside to brighten my days, I will continue to enjoy them :)

2) My yellow office

 

Painting my new office a bright yellow was a favourite this week! As I've said before, there is very little natural lighting in this room so I wanted it very bright. This yellow was the perfect fit. It looks very empty still as we haven't yet emptied out our storage unit but imagine it with a desk, a cozy place to sit, and a rug, and I think it will be perfect.

 3) Rachel working on her room

I've mentioned this before too but Rachel fixing holes in her walls and painting her new room with her bestie, S, was a definite favourite this week. These two girls were so proud of all their hard work. Dave and I did the second coat of paint but other than that, these two taped, primed, and painted the first coat. They did an awesome job!

 

4) Sam and Rachel's new rooms

Both Sam and Rachel are now partly moved into their new rooms. While there is still some setting up to do, and some furniture to acquire, the fact that they can both sleep there is awesome!!! Since Sam's room is brand new, he got to choose his paint colour but didn't have to do the work of painting it! Hahaha!!!

 

5) CAN-Struction

We took a small renovation break and went to check out CAN-Struction last weekend. It was fun as always! All these structures are built out of food which is then donated to the Food Bank.

left: Mario Kart; middle: sushi; right: Stitch from Lilo & Stitch

 

6) Our friends rock!

 

On Saturday, our friends and their son came over and helped us move furniture, helped us move Sam down into his new bedroom, and helped us move all our boxes from our neighbours' basement.

 

A few evenings ago, Janice came over and helped me dust for a few hours -- we cleaned off the rest of Sam's shelf, a shelf of books in the living room, and the shelf of canned food and boxes in the dining room. Janice even helped me fold a couple of loads of laundry. Our friends have been so supportive and helpful throughout this whole renovation process and I am so thankful for them. 

7) Coffee at work

One of my co-workers had won ten free coffees through the Tim Horton's Roll Up The Rim to Win promotion. Yesterday she brought coffees for a few of us. I've been so tired this week from working and unpacking/cleaning after the reno, that I very much appreciated the extra caffeine boost. 

So those were my favourite moments from this week. It's Thursday evening as I'm writing this and I know another favourite moment will be in a couple of hours when I can crawl into bed really early. I'm tired.

 

How has your week been? Do you have a favourite moment?

Monthly Musings: Spring Holidays And Fun

I always love linking up with Monthly Musings and today is all about one of my favourite things -- SPRING!!! I have to keep reminding myself it is still "early spring" and that really, nicer spring weather is coming, right?!? Patty, who blogs at Good, Better, Best, hosts this link up so you can go there to read the other posts.

1) Does it feel like spring yet where you are?

My first response was "no" because, while we have had a couple of nice days, it has mostly been cooler days where we still need mittens and winter jackets. However, the snow is mostly gone and I have to remind myself we are in "early spring." Therefore, "yes" it does feel like spring -- just not the nice warmth and sunniness of spring which I really love!

Me, last year on a forest walk. I'll be able to start these in a couple of weeks (I hope!) 

2) What spring holidays do you celebrate?

We celebrate Easter and Passover. The first seder is on Wednesday and then Easter kicks off with Maundy Thursday the next day. Some years they overlap a lot more, like the year Sam's birthday, first seder, and Good Friday were all on the same day. Oof.

 

We also celebrate the unofficial holidays of "Opening Day for MLB" (specifically the day the Jays play their first game), and "First Day of Outdoor Laundry Hanging!" I recognize those holidays are very specific to our family/me!!!

 

3) Any spring trips planned?

We'll go to baseball games! Does that count as "spring trips"?!?

4) Favourite foods to eat and share for spring holidays?

I really love the first BBQ of the season, which can usually happen around Easter.  I make potato salad and usually chickpea salad and it's such a treat. I also love matzoh ball soup for Passover.

  

5) Are there any spring festivals in your area?

Nope, but I'm looking for them! You know I'd be attending them if I found one!

6) Best spring allergy relief tip.

One year a blog friend recommended Flonase. Last year, Rachel and I were suffering so badly I went to the drug store and came home with two bottles. That made spring much more pleasant last year.

 

7) What makes you think, "Ok, now it's finally spring."?

The day when I get home from work and can read outside in the afternoon with a Coke. Also, when I can plant pansies in my window boxes. I also love the day I can leave my winter jacket at home and ditch my winter boots. I can usually wear shoes long before I can wear my spring jacket.

 

8) Spring rain ... love or dislike?

I usually "love" a spring rain, as long as it's not too chilly. It feels like it's washing away the last of the winter dust and grime and everything just feels fresher afterwards.

9) Special spring holiday dessert or treat?

After our March Break to Florida where we ate a ton of Key Lime Pie, that dessert is now tied to spring for me. It's green, it's tart, it's not too heavy. I love it!

 

10) Favourite spring cocktail or mocktail?

I really love a G&T or any specialty drink at a Blue Jays game! Spring is also when we pull out the ice maker and I have Coke with ice and some lime juice. It's so yummy!

So that's a little bit about spring, and what marks that season at our house. Spring is a little topsy turvy this year because we're settling back into our house after the reno and so some of our (my) favourite traditions, like the first laundry hanging day (!!!), haven't been able to happen yet. But you can be certain that I will be celebrating them when they do!

 

Happy Spring!!!