There are many things associated with "Back to School", and this week we were reminded that usually by the end of September our household generally is attacked by the Flu/Cold bug. Luckily, lots of rest and some over the counter meds to soothe symptoms have us on the road to recovery.
I have heard good things about many of the doctors and medical clinics in town, but I really have to toot the horn of the clinic that we go to... Carlisle Medical Centre. Our family joined the clinic not long after moving to Waterdown from Toronto late 2002. Our youngest daughter has been going there since birth.
What I love about the clinic is that although you have a personal doctor, if they are not available you can see anyone on staff. The single best factor about belonging to CMC is that there is always a doctor on call, and if you have an illness that does not require going to the Emergency Deptarment, you can page the doctor on call and after discussing syptoms on the phone will meet you at the clinic and assess you if you need it. This happened to me two weekends in a row in May 2007. It was a Saturday and I was in absolute agony... the cold I had all week ended up becoming a sinus infection over the weekend and I called the on call doctor and they met me up there 5pm on a Saturday, checked me out and gave me a perscription. I took the perscription all week and it seemed to be clearing up my sinus infection, but by the following weekend (the May Long Weekend!) I was breaking out in a rash all over. I again called the clinic on the Saturday of the long weekend, discussed my symptoms and was told to meet the doctor up at the clinic. Discovered that I had a sulfa allergy and the perscription I had been given was sulfa based. This was the first time I had ever had this happen. The doctors at CMC are all so fantastic, and even on a long weekend made me feel like my health was most important.
More recently, we took our oldest daughter in this summer on a weekend when her high fever went into Day 3 with no sign of coming down. Turned out she had strep throat and after bringing her in to see the on call doctor, we were sent home with a perscription and peace of mind that the fever might finally break.
At CMC, they have new doctors still accepting patients (a family Dr. accepting new patients is difficult these days), and older more experienced doctors... there are male doctors and female doctors and Nurse Practicioners.
I have always been very pleased with the service at CMC and have enjoyed the added benefits of X-Ray/Ultrasound and a Lab on site. Our family highly recommends the service and doctors of Carlisle Medical Centre. To view more about them please visit...
http://www.carlislemedical.ca/
Friday, September 30, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Best Fall Fun
Fall is my very favourite time of the year, and one of the things I love about living in Waterdown is all the great local farms in such close proximity.
It would be very difficult to choose which one is the very best so I recommend visiting them ALL! There are things I love about all of these local farms...
Frootogo is a must each year for our family. We love to take the tractor pulled wagon out to the HUGE pumpkin patch and pick our pumpkin. Pumpkins are all still growning on the vine so bring a little knife (not too sharp to be carrying around though) so you can cut off your pumpkin. Beautiful scenery riding out to the patch on the wagon = great fun. After you get your pumpkins grab a cart and some apple baskets and then head over to the orchard to pick some of your own apples right off the tree. Apples just taste better when you picked them yourself. After you've got those done then seeing the animals, running through the corn maze, jumping in the hay, and little ones will love all the great toddler slides and "Little Tykes" type toys. The market there is full of fresh produce and delicious treats... from pies, crumbles, fudge, biscuits, cookies, candy apples, jams and preserves, and make sure you get a warm apple dumpling! So good and not to be missed. To learn more visit their website: http://www.frootogo.ca/section/view/
Just down from Frootogo on Parkside Drive is Parkside Farms. What I love about them is the great selection of fresh produce. One time I was in during the summer to get corn and asked the guy working there how fresh was the corn? He replied "Just picked 20 minutes ago!" That's fresh!!! There was also a nice selection of flower bunches from flowers grown on the farm. What is best about this farm is the people... a family business since 1964 and always great people working there. For families, kids will enjoy in the fall Storybook Forest, the Corn Maze and Boo Barn. To learn more check out their website: http://www.parksidefarms.com/
About 20 minutes outside of Waterdown is one of the best Farms in the area for Fall Entertainment. Not only do they have all the typical attractions like the wagon ride and the pumpkin patch but they also have a haunted barn and the best fun of all is the piggy races... not to be missed. Unfortunately, this farm is only open weekends in October, but this year in 2011 the farm is closed. Their website:
http://www.yeehawadventurefarm.com/ states that they have been working on a concept for television for the last two years and this year they are taping a video at the farm. Hope they are open in 2012 so we can bring our family there again.
Last but not least is Dyments. If you are looking for the best scenic wagon ride, you can't beat the beauty of this farm. The amazing views of Dundas as you go along the trail of the escarpment are breathtaking. The other part of the Dyment farm I really enjoy is the Animal Farm. So many different animals and opportunities to get up close and pet them. There always seems to be baby animals around too!! Another great attraction at Dyments is the Spook Hut and Spookley Theatre. Little children are scared by the Spook Hut so kids under 4 or 5 years old might want to skip that part. Of course there is lots of great items in the gift shop and make sure you drive down the road and stop at the Dyments Market and Bakery. Yum!! To learn more about Dyments, please check out their website http://dyments.com/
I hope you and your family get out and enjoy some of the great local farms this Fall.
It would be very difficult to choose which one is the very best so I recommend visiting them ALL! There are things I love about all of these local farms...
Frootogo is a must each year for our family. We love to take the tractor pulled wagon out to the HUGE pumpkin patch and pick our pumpkin. Pumpkins are all still growning on the vine so bring a little knife (not too sharp to be carrying around though) so you can cut off your pumpkin. Beautiful scenery riding out to the patch on the wagon = great fun. After you get your pumpkins grab a cart and some apple baskets and then head over to the orchard to pick some of your own apples right off the tree. Apples just taste better when you picked them yourself. After you've got those done then seeing the animals, running through the corn maze, jumping in the hay, and little ones will love all the great toddler slides and "Little Tykes" type toys. The market there is full of fresh produce and delicious treats... from pies, crumbles, fudge, biscuits, cookies, candy apples, jams and preserves, and make sure you get a warm apple dumpling! So good and not to be missed. To learn more visit their website: http://www.frootogo.ca/section/view/
Just down from Frootogo on Parkside Drive is Parkside Farms. What I love about them is the great selection of fresh produce. One time I was in during the summer to get corn and asked the guy working there how fresh was the corn? He replied "Just picked 20 minutes ago!" That's fresh!!! There was also a nice selection of flower bunches from flowers grown on the farm. What is best about this farm is the people... a family business since 1964 and always great people working there. For families, kids will enjoy in the fall Storybook Forest, the Corn Maze and Boo Barn. To learn more check out their website: http://www.parksidefarms.com/
About 20 minutes outside of Waterdown is one of the best Farms in the area for Fall Entertainment. Not only do they have all the typical attractions like the wagon ride and the pumpkin patch but they also have a haunted barn and the best fun of all is the piggy races... not to be missed. Unfortunately, this farm is only open weekends in October, but this year in 2011 the farm is closed. Their website:
http://www.yeehawadventurefarm.com/ states that they have been working on a concept for television for the last two years and this year they are taping a video at the farm. Hope they are open in 2012 so we can bring our family there again.
Last but not least is Dyments. If you are looking for the best scenic wagon ride, you can't beat the beauty of this farm. The amazing views of Dundas as you go along the trail of the escarpment are breathtaking. The other part of the Dyment farm I really enjoy is the Animal Farm. So many different animals and opportunities to get up close and pet them. There always seems to be baby animals around too!! Another great attraction at Dyments is the Spook Hut and Spookley Theatre. Little children are scared by the Spook Hut so kids under 4 or 5 years old might want to skip that part. Of course there is lots of great items in the gift shop and make sure you drive down the road and stop at the Dyments Market and Bakery. Yum!! To learn more about Dyments, please check out their website http://dyments.com/
I hope you and your family get out and enjoy some of the great local farms this Fall.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Best Sweet Temptation
A great new business opened it's doors in Waterdown this week... and my girls and I there for Opening Day. We were excited when we first saw the sign for Atomic Cupcakes go up in July and after delays from the city getting permits, it finally opened this past Monday (Aug. 29th) for a sneak peek. Shop owner Jessica Sykes is in the shop everyday (closed Sundays) whipping up countless batches of fresh cupcakes. A special official Grand Opening celebration is planned for Saturday September 10th.
I was able to chat with Jessica on Monday and ask her a few questions (a first for me to personally interview someone for my blog ;-)
Q: What are your favourite flavours of cupcake that you make?
A: My favourites are mint, peanut butter, carrot cake (she also had just come up with a great new flavour that she wanted to try a cupcake with a Nutella Buttercream icing that she was sure would be right up there as one of her favourites.)
Q: Will you have standard flavours and a daily selection or will there be the same flavours everyday?
A: We will have a standard set of flavours, the vanilla/chocolate combos will always be available. The Peanut Butter Cup and Peppermint Patty Cake will almost always be available. I'll try to have one more Classic and two Gourmets available as well. Add that to two flavours of Whoopie Pie (an inside out cupcake) and a cake plate dedicated to minis and I will have a full counter. My goal is to post on Facebook what flavours I'll be serving that day. (note - see their facebook fan page at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Atomic-Cupcakes/133129253367010 )
Q: Why did you choose Waterdown as a location for your business?
A: As a location for an upcoming independent business, Waterdown has alot going for it. It still carries a "small town feel" with a cute downtown and residents who can walk there. The spot we chose specifically is not 'big box'...it's charming; a must for the image we wanted to create. Added to that are the new businesses that are coming into Waterdown (the new retail at the corner of Dundas/Main and next to our building on Main), thereby generating more pedestrian traffic. As well as the very large residential developments all along Dundas St and on Parkside. Finally, Waterdown is nicely situated within an easy drive of Burlington, Dundas, Ancaster, Carlisle, and Flamborough.
Couldn't agree more Jessica. As for me and my girls, our favourite Atomic Cupcakes were for me a the Peanut Butter Cupcake and for my girls who are chocolate lovers the Chocolate on Top was the only choice for them. While most cupcake shops including Atomic, serve both regular and mini sized cupcakes, I always prefer the mini cupcake. That way you can have two different flavours and the cupcake to icing ratio is in better proportion for the ideal cupcake experience. (Do I sound like "Cupcake Connoisseur"??). What sets Atomic Cupcakes apart from other cupcake shops?? Candy!!! Jessica lovingly tops each cupcake with something to go with the flavour. A Peppermint Patty, Peanut Butter Cup, Gummy Worms, Smarties, Gumdrops or Peanuts top the sweet treats.
I wish you many great years serving Waterdown Jessica. For more information on location, hours, flavours and special cupcake themed items for sale in the shop please visit their website www.atomiccupcakes.ca
Q: What are your favourite flavours of cupcake that you make?
A: My favourites are mint, peanut butter, carrot cake (she also had just come up with a great new flavour that she wanted to try a cupcake with a Nutella Buttercream icing that she was sure would be right up there as one of her favourites.)
Q: Will you have standard flavours and a daily selection or will there be the same flavours everyday?
A: We will have a standard set of flavours, the vanilla/chocolate combos will always be available. The Peanut Butter Cup and Peppermint Patty Cake will almost always be available. I'll try to have one more Classic and two Gourmets available as well. Add that to two flavours of Whoopie Pie (an inside out cupcake) and a cake plate dedicated to minis and I will have a full counter. My goal is to post on Facebook what flavours I'll be serving that day. (note - see their facebook fan page at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Atomic-Cupcakes/133129253367010 )
Q: Why did you choose Waterdown as a location for your business?
A: As a location for an upcoming independent business, Waterdown has alot going for it. It still carries a "small town feel" with a cute downtown and residents who can walk there. The spot we chose specifically is not 'big box'...it's charming; a must for the image we wanted to create. Added to that are the new businesses that are coming into Waterdown (the new retail at the corner of Dundas/Main and next to our building on Main), thereby generating more pedestrian traffic. As well as the very large residential developments all along Dundas St and on Parkside. Finally, Waterdown is nicely situated within an easy drive of Burlington, Dundas, Ancaster, Carlisle, and Flamborough.
Couldn't agree more Jessica. As for me and my girls, our favourite Atomic Cupcakes were for me a the Peanut Butter Cupcake and for my girls who are chocolate lovers the Chocolate on Top was the only choice for them. While most cupcake shops including Atomic, serve both regular and mini sized cupcakes, I always prefer the mini cupcake. That way you can have two different flavours and the cupcake to icing ratio is in better proportion for the ideal cupcake experience. (Do I sound like "Cupcake Connoisseur"??). What sets Atomic Cupcakes apart from other cupcake shops?? Candy!!! Jessica lovingly tops each cupcake with something to go with the flavour. A Peppermint Patty, Peanut Butter Cup, Gummy Worms, Smarties, Gumdrops or Peanuts top the sweet treats.
I wish you many great years serving Waterdown Jessica. For more information on location, hours, flavours and special cupcake themed items for sale in the shop please visit their website www.atomiccupcakes.ca
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