Fern Resort is the Perfect Family Summer Getaway for Fun and Adventure!

This month momstown chapters in Southern Ontario were lucky enough to enjoy a Summer Family Vacation at Fern Resort - an ALL Inclusive one stop destination that is sure to please every member of your family!  Our family consists of 3 very active people who are always on the go. Our style of vacation is being outdoors as much as possible and partaking in all things sporty. We were not disappointed!

As soon as we checked in, we were given not one but two activity itineraries with an hour by hour breakdown of what was going on for BOTH children and adults for the day. We were informed that we could pick up a daily list by dinner for the next day. Looking over the list I knew this was going to be a jam packed weekend! The best part was that Fern offers a child drop off service at the Play Village with qualified camp instructors that will take your kids to the planned activities listed so that you can enjoy the adult activities. This service was included with our stay - BONUS!

After we were settled in, we wasted no time in hitting the mini golf course and then worked our way over to the trampolines all before dinner time.

The meals at the resort were scrumptious and well thought out. The kids had their own self serve buffet (at breakfast and dinner) with multiple kid fav's that even the pickiest eater could find something familiar that they loved. There was also an option to come down to the dining hall a half hour earlier to feed the kids and then drop them off at the play village for supervised play so that the adults could sit down to a quiet, relaxed meal - GENIUS!

There was no shortage of nightlife at this happening hip place! There were several pool tables, video games, Bingo, Bonfire, a magic show, staff  karaoke  night, dance party, kids movie night with staff supervision, a hypnotist and that was only the two nights we were there - WOW!

With all the excitement we experienced our first night there, we couldn't wait for mornings to hit to try out the extreme adventure options that were listed. There was no shortage of things to do and at times we had to make some tough decisions in order to decide which of the multiple activities we wanted to participate in. Here are some of our favourites from the weekend:

Zorbing:  the recreation or sport of rolling downhill inside an orb, generally made of transparent plastic - My son experienced this on the water! Miss Emily ( Junior Director at Fern Resort) ROCKED! She was patient and upbeat and my son listened to every word she said. I was honestly surprised that he didn't freak out!

 

Ready, Aim, FIRE! Hubby was determined to get a Bullseye and he did on his second attempt at Archery! It was great having experienced staff like Mike (adult director) on hand for a quick tutorial and pointers on how to line up the arrow correctly.

We then Zipped over to Rock Climbing, the swinging bridge and tried out the zip line while we waited for the Slip n Slide to be set up. Thanx Jamie ( Youth Director) for letting my half pint join in with the big boys! Who knew dish soap, water and a roll of plastic wrap could be so much fun!

 

 

There was no shortage of water activities to keep cool in the hot summer heat. Three Pools and a lake offered plenty of choices to pick from. Canoeing, paddle boats and hanging at the pool with our new buddies was what we were able to fit in over the course of a weekend.  If you do stay longer make sure to make time for the sunset cruise, stand up paddles boards, water skiing and fishing excursion.

 

Man did the weekend fly by! That's what happens when you're having the time of your life. It felt good to unplug for a bit and get in some quality family time. I loved that Fern Resort offered plenty of variety and catered to everyone regardless of age. I also appreciated being spoiled with the delicious meals and by the attentive staff that seemed to genuinely enjoy what they were doing. If you are in search of a fun and adventurous Family Getaway - Fern is the place to be!  Don't forget to ask for your momstown discount when booking - ENJOY!

momstown.ca conference was not at all what I expected

Last week I attended our momstown.ca conference at the lovely Fern Resort in Orillia. Being in my third year as owner of the momstown Milton chapter these conferences were not new to me and I was well prepared to discuss numbers, targets, bottom lines, etc.. with my fellow teammates to strategize and grow our business. Let me tell you that this was NOT in the agenda at all.

This time around we were going to spend most of the conference getting in touch with our feelings. Really! I had booked off 4 days to dedicate to my business and we were going to be touchy feely all weekend long? I am by nature NOT a "let's talk about our feelings" type of girl and therefore I was in total disbelief  as the highlights of the conference were revealed. I kept waiting for Ann-Marie the founder of momstown to shout out "Got Ya" but it didn't happen. In fact our fearless leader stood before us and opened up the conference airing out ALL of her well kept secrets from beginning to end of how momstown evolved from conception to present day.She really laid it all out on the line and disclosed all of the challenges, heartbreaks, blood, sweat and tears she had shed to get this company to where it is now. I was shocked at her honesty and openness and most of all at her courage and perseverance to  push forward through the darkest days.

Next on the agenda was FOCUS and CONCENTRATION. This was my favourite part of the conference because of the hands on approach. We were taken to a field and taught to take aim and fire at the target. We had to listen to the instructor for a very brief lesson and then put into action what we learned with all of the distractions of everyone giggling, chatting and asking questions. We also had to learn to adjust our stance , our aim or our draw in order to make the shot. If you think about it, this is what all entrepreneurs have to do - deal with distractions, learn through trial and error and seek guidance / expertise wherever they can get it. It was a great, fun,learning experience.

As the conference progressed we were joined by Jennifer Bodenham from Gleaming & Dreaming Inc. She took us through a number of exercises that had us dig deep into our selves to recognize both our gremlins and our core desired feelings. This is the only way that you can truly begin to progress in your journey in both life and business. We also learned about perspective and how to turn a negative thought cycle into a positive one with a few simple mind set changes. This was easy to relate to since it goes with my personal mantra PMA - positive mental attitude!

 

 After a hard day of learning, we were able to kick back and enjoy each night with our fellow teammates. This was a great time to get to know each other better on a personal level. Dancing, drinks and a competitive Mattlel Games Night helped to bring out even the shyest of the bunch. What happens at Fern Resort stays at Fern Resort : )

 I do have to note that the thing that I am going to miss the most is being SPOILED by the attentive staff. It was so great having a bed all to myself and waking up to such a spectacular view. I also enjoyed having a hot uninterrupted meal each day and finally getting to try the ever famous Peanut Butter Pie! I'm counting the days until my return with my family in July!

 Speaking of getting spoiled, we were lucky enough to get a swag bag  that was full of some AWESOME items that we were able to enjoy throughout the conference and take home from our friends at: Quaker Canada, Twistos, Goody Canada, Mabels Labels, Barilla Pasta, Post Cereal, Walmart Canada, and Adult Essentials and a special shout out to Baker's Ma'am for the creative cake!

As the conference came to an end and I had a little bit more time to absorb all that we had learned, I could see the positive affects that it had on our entire group. We were always a strong bunch but the confidence, determination and  direction seemed to shine through even more as we packed up and got ready to depart back to our individual momstown communities. Can't wait to see the FANTASTIC results that will come of this session.