The Beginning of the Teenage Years
Parenting/Life

The Beginning of the Teenage Years

Cathy UnfilteredLeave a comment

This past month, the boy turned 13. He’s officially now a teenager. And so begins the teenage years.

As parents, we’ve all read and heard about the dreaded teenage years….the moodiness, puberty, the eye rolls. It’s not like I haven’t seen a bit of this already but I am sure the best is yet to come.

Gone are the days where Mom was cool and he wanted my attention 24/7. Now his days are filled with online gaming with his friends and meet ups at the park. But some days, maybe if I am lucky, he might want his good ole Mom at the end of the day to talk about his day and everything and anything that is on his mind.

These are the moments that I no longer take for granted. We all remember those days when they were little and wanted to change our name to anything but Mom, as we heard it 34968372 a day. So now when I hear him call for me, I make sure I take advantage of the time and conversation.

It’s not like I woke up on his 13th birthday and suddenly everything was different. The past year there have been subtle changes. He had a growth spurt and is now taller than myself and his Nana and he doesn’t let anyone forget it. His voice has about a 3 octave range these days. One moment it’s his sweet little voice and a moment later it’s a man’s voice coming out of him. He now has one of those appetites that make me wondering if I need a second job to support his hunger. Puberty is a crazy thing.

And so far, it actually isn’t all that bad. He likes his independence. We can both be in the house together but we can both kind of do our own thing. He doesn’t need my undivided attention all day. We are able to have conversations about things that actually hold my interest. I know that sounds terrible, but I can only appear engaged in a conversation about Pokemon or Lego for so long. (Am I right?) Although, I still get the odd never ending stories about his video game achievements.

I know there will come a time where it won’t be all sunshine and rainbows. We will butt heads, just like I did with my own parents sometimes. I won’t understand why he does what he does and he won’t understand why I don’t understand. This is just a given. But regardless, I will always instill a rule that I have had since day 1 – we never go to bed angry at each other. We may agree to disagree, and may need a late night conversation to reach that point, but never angry. Some people may think this is wishful thinking but I will try with all my might.

My parents always gave me the respect to make responsible decisions and I will do the same. We both know that if he gets into a situation that he needs to get out of, he can text me or call me and I will come and get him, no questions asked without fear of punishment. I know I wasn’t the perfect teenager (right Mom?) but I knew the difference between right and really wrong and made sure it stayed that way. It’s quite a different world now and a lot more right’s and wrongs. I can only hope he knows the same.

It’s hard sometimes to think about him being a teenager. He’s not my baby anymore, he doesn’t need me like he used to. In 3 years, he’ll be old enough the drive. In 5 years, he’ll be graduating high school, an official “adult” and starting his post secondary life, whatever that may be.

There is a quote by Gretchen Rubin that says “The days are long the but the years are short.” And I could not agree more. So I will appreciate the days and hold on to the years as much as I can. He’s not a baby anymore.

Do not attempt this at home: A hair dying adventure.
Parenting/Life

Do not attempt this at home: A hair dying adventure.

Cathy UnfilteredLeave a comment

Let me preface this post with saying I am in no way telling you how to dye your hair. It is more just an insight of what can go wrong when you dye your hair at home and how I fixed it. It’s a laughing at my own expense. A tongue in cheek, if you will. And please laugh at my expense as well.

I’ve been dying my hair since I was 16 years old. It’s never been crazy colours, but it’s gone from brown to blonde back to brown to almost black and then all the colours in between. With 30+ years under my belt, you’d think I would be a pro. There have some great results and some not so great results, but never something I couldn’t live with, until now.

For years my motto was “Blonde hair with dark roots – acceptable. Dark hair with grey/white roots – not acceptable.” This was just a weird insecurity I had. And since the pandemic, I’ve seen many women totally rock the roots. So that being said, I was always dying my hair. For years I stayed fairly blonde because it hid the grey better when it grew in.

A few years back, I decided I didn’t want to fight the fight anymore and started to grow out my natural hair. It was a long and tedious adventure. And once I had quite a bit of grey grown out, I chopped my hair so I could grow it completely natural.

That lasted about 3 months, tops. I envy women that can go completely grey and can look younger than they did before. For me, it just aged me. So instead of going back to a blonde tone, nope, I made the decision to take it back brown. Dark brown.

If you can’t already tell, when it comes to my hair, I clearly lack any sane decision making. And before you ask, why don’t I stick to the professionals. I won’t lie, it’s the cost and the time. As soon as I see white roots, I don’t wait long until I cover it up. I’ve got the single Mom income with a wealthy women’s hair needs.

Suffering with roots though the pandemic wasn’t so bad, because everyone else was. But as things start opening up, my neurotic tendencies with my hair came back. I was starting to think that as much as I liked the brown tones, maintenance with blonder hair would probably be easier on me. And this is where my trouble this time began.

See what I mean by the grey roots?

In the years I have been dying my hair, I know that with at home colouring, you can’t go from a dark brown to a blonde with one dye job. You have to gradually get lighter. So I thought that maybe if I put in some highlights, it would help hide the grey but also give me a bit of lighter look. Seems reasonable, right? So I enlisted a good friend to help me with this process.

I got the dye kit. One of those old fashion ones that have the cap to pull out the hightlights. If nothing else, we spent some time catching up.

And so it begins.

We followed the directions properly. So it was definitely no fault of that. And when we were finished, at first it didn’t look too bad when it was wet. Maybe a little brassy for my liking but nothing I didn’t think a good purple shampooing wouldn’t fix.

I left my friend’s house and headed home to use the purple shampoo. I saturated my hair, left it in for 15+ minutes and was sure all was good and washed it out.

My first reaction again when it was wet, was that it wasn’t too bad. Still a bit brassy, but livable. And then it started to dry. And the more it dried, the more I started to resemble a bit of a pumpkin. And resembling a pumpkin, unless it’s your chosen Halloween costume, is never a good thing.

I’ve ended up with brassiness before, I even tried going from blonde back to brown and end up with a tinge of green, but never quite this bad. At this point, I was praying for another lockdown so I wouldn’t be able to go out in public. It was that orange.

I couldn’t get a picture that quite did it justice.

I can tell you one thing, I was not cutting this sh$t out. It had taken me too long to grow my hair back. And friends, if I ever say I want to cut my hair short again, slap some sense into me.

So what do I do at this point??? Well of course, Google to the rescue. As I somewhat suspected, I would need to completely re-dye my hair with an ash tone. There were suggestion of bringing in the professionals, but there was no time or budget for that.

I decided to sleep on it, but unfounded dreams that it would magically correct itself overnight. A girl can dream, right?

The next morning, I headed off to get myself another box of dye. I am not going to lie, when I was beyond nervous that this could not work. It was probably the longest 30 minutes of my life.

Not one of my finer moments.

After I washed it out, I knew there was some good in the world. My dreams of going lighter had been diminished for a bit but at lest the grey was now covered and didn’t resemble a Florida orange grove.

So what did I learn from this…..not much…nothing I didn’t already know but chose to ignore. When it comes to my hair, I know what I have to do to get to the results I want, and that takes time and patience (which I don’t have a lot of). Skipping steps for a faster result, isn’t going to work, EVER.

What is your takeaway from all of this? I am not the person you come to when you want to change your hair.

Maybe I’m Languishing?
Parenting/Life

Maybe I’m Languishing?

Cathy UnfilteredLeave a comment
Languish (verb): to exist in an unpleasant or unwanted situation, often for a long time:
After languishing in obscurity for many years, her early novels have recently been rediscovered.
He has been languishing in jail for the past 20 years.
The ruling party is languishing in third place in the opinion polls.
 
I think we all had high hopes for 2021.  But here we are 5 months in and it’s definitely not close to meeting it’s expectations.  We’re in our 3rd lockdown, our children are in virtual school indefinitely and the Covid numbers don’t seem to be getting any better.  We knew all the garbage of 2020 wasn’t going to magically disappear but this far in, I didn’t think we’d be in this bad of shape.
 
Personally, I came into 2021 feeling optimistic.  I felt like things would slowly but surely get better in the world.  Rebranding the blog made me hopeful that perhaps it would be a little more successful and lucrative for me.  I even bought a fancy planner for 2021.  But as a metaphor of how things are going with that, it sits barely used.
 
For the past few months, I was worried that perhaps my anxiety/depression medication wasn’t doing it’s job and maybe I needed to speak to my doctor about changing the dosage. I wasn’t sad but just felt blah.  My creativity level had reached an all time low.  The thought of watching yet another series on Netflix seemed like torture. Everything and anything seemed like an effort.
 
Then I read an article in the NY Times about languishing.  Reading the article by Adam Grant, was almost one of those light bulb moments.  It was like he had stepped into my life and knew exactly how I was feeling.  He wrote:
“Languishing is a sense of stagnation and emptiness.  It feels as if you’re muddling through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windshield.  And it might be the dominant emotion of 2021.”
 
Afterwards, I spoke to a few different people about it and it was always the same answer.  They were clearly languishing too.  I know this sounds terrible, but it made me feel a little bit better.  It wasn’t just me. It wasn’t all in my head.  People are generally in the state of influx…they aren’t happy and they aren’t sad, just existing.  And this can be exhausting.
 
Since reading this article and kind of figuring out this feeling was probably going to be sticking around for a while, I have been trying to make a serious, conscientious effort to do things that will help boost my mental health and lessen this languish I am feeling. It’s the typical things most people do, like getting more exercise, eating better, reducing my screen time, etc but I am really trying to make the effort.  And some days are definitely easier than others.  
 
I guess what I want to say is, if you’ve been feeling this way, just know you aren’t alone.  A lot of us are clearly languishing these days.   
Chia Seed Pudding
Recipes

Chia Seed Pudding

Cathy UnfilteredLeave a comment

When it comes to breakfast, I am the worst.  I used to make a coffee or 2 in the morning sustain me until lunch time but then I discovered Chia Seed Pudding.

Because I make it the night before, it is easy to grab out the refrigerator first thing in the morning, add my toppings and I am good to go. Chia Seed Pudding is such a versatile recipe for anyone with any sort of food allergies or sensitivities as you can use any type of milk that suits your needs and you can choose the toppings.

If you use a milk that has any sort of vanilla flavoring to it for example,  Vanilla Almond Milk, I would suggest omitting the vanilla already included in the recipe.

As for toppings for the Chia seed pudding, the options are limitless.

Some of the ones I have tried and enjoyed are:

  • Fresh berries
  • Sliced Bananas and a dollop of peanut butter
  • A dollop of hazelnut spread
  • Even a tablespoon of your favorite jam is good if you don’t have fresh berries

And this doesn’t just have to be for breakfast, it makes a nice snack or dessert as well. It can usually sit for a day or 2 in your refrigerator but I wouldn’t leave it any longer than that.  Also, if you can, give the pudding a stir a few hours after you’ve first made it.  I can get a bit clumpy in spots, so it’s good to mix it up.

RECIPE:

  • Small mason jar
  • 2 tbsp Chia Seeds
  • 1/2 cup milk (Choose your favorite type)
  • 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Fruit or toppings of your choice
  1. Add all ingredients, except for toppings to mason jar or container with lid
  2. Be sure to combine all ingredients thoroughly.
  3. Let sit overnight (or minimum 6 hours) in refrigerator.
  4. Add toppings of choice right before you eat.

A Boy and His Mom is Now Cathy Unfiltered
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A Boy and His Mom is Now Cathy Unfiltered

Cathy UnfilteredLeave a comment

So its official, A Boy and His Mom is now Cathy Unfiltered.

A Boy and His Mom will always be near and dear to my heart but I felt it was time for a change.  As the years have passed, not only have the boy and I evolved, what I want for this blog has evolved as well.

When I started the blog, the boy was young and just a couple of years into school and was often eager to participate with my blog.  Now, he’ll be a teenager in just a few months and we all know what teenagers can be like.  This is not to say, I won’t be talking about him or including him, the focus won’t be on “the boy”.

My focus will be more on my challenges and joys of dealing with a teenager.  I will also be focusing on my physical and mental health and wellness.  And included in all of that, any Mom hacks I have and recipes to make meal times easier.

If you followed me up to this point, these topics will probably not seem too far off from what I was blogging about before.  But truth be told, a lot of times I felt I needed to write more of what I thought people wanted to hear and less of what I actually wanted to say.

I worried about what people would think or say.  Not that I can’t take criticism or negative feedback, but I didn’t want it to reflect negatively on me as a Mom or a parent.   At the beginning of 2020, I had been struggling with depression and anxiety and that played a huge part on this negative thinking.  Luckily right before COVID changed the world, I took steps to change this.

And Cathy Unfiltered is changing now as well.  It will be a more honest and open conversation.  What I really think about things and what is really going on behind the screen….unfiltered, authentic.

Sometimes when people hear the word unfiltered, they think rude, crude, and obnoxious.  That is not what Cathy Unfiltered is going to be.  It is going to just be me….real, honest and vulnerable.

I am so glad you have been a part of my journey thus far and hope you continue to follow and watch me grow.

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5 Things I Have Learned About Blogging

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It’s hard to believe that I have been blogging now for 5 years.  Some days I feel like I know what’s going on but a lot of the days I still feel like such a newbie. But here are 5 things that I definitely learned along the way.

1. Blogging Is A LOT of Work.

 Blogging is definitely a lot more work than it seems.  I don’t know how many times I heard people saying they want to get into blogging so they can get all the free stuff.  If only it were that easy.   There is a lot of planning, writing, editing, emailing, negotiating and pitching that goes into any sponsored post.  And then for the non-sponsored posts, it’s still a lot of planning, writing and editing. And after all that is done, it’s all about engagement.  You need to respond to comments left on your posts but also, like, comment and engage with others. 

I’ve often heard people say they can’t understand how people make it their full time job. There is no doubt in my mind it could be a full time job.  Even with my little blog, I sometimes struggle trying to juggle it and my full time job.

2. You’ll Make Some Great Friends.

This is my favorite thing about blogging, the friendships I have made.  The best part is some are local so we were able to meet in person and form even stronger friendships. I know this will sound cliche but I feel like I have a community of friends now that understand the ups and downs of the industry. They can relate to things that I am going through and bounce things off each other.  

3. Social Media vs Reality

Don’t get me wrong, I love engaging with others and getting to know people on social media.   But you’ve seen those posts about Social Media vs Reality? Well …. not everyone is who they appear to be on those tiny little squares.  They aren’t always the ray of sunshine or the #babesupportingbabes that they preach on their feed.  Let’s be honest, in the blogging world, it can be a bit of a numbers game and some will do whatever it takes to get said numbers. I’ve seen friendships fall apart and social media wars raged because of this.

4. Blogging Can Play Tricks On Your Mind

When you are working your butt off to increase your following and not seeing the results you want, it can play with your confidence.  You see others that started out the same time as you did now having a following of 2,3 or 4 times more than you, can make you wonder if you’re good enough for this job.  Self doubt can really play a number on you.  But if you remember that regardless of your numbers, there are people that really enjoy your content, it reminds of why you started it in the first place.  

5. Change Is Ok

Sometimes when you first start blogging, you think you know exactly what you want to do and how you want it to look.  But over the years, you blog/social media will evolve and you may want to push it in an entirely new direction, change your logo, change your name to make it more cohesive to the person you are now.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Your followers are probably evolving in their own lives and a lot of them will probably be going through similar changes too.  So go for it!  If you stick with something that you can no longer relate to or have lost a passion for, it’s going to be really hard to convince others you still do.

So after these 5 years, I have grown a lot as a blogger but am looking forward to the next 5 years to see how things will grow and change.  I hope you will follow along too.

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Smashed Brussels Sprouts with Lime Yogurt Sauce

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Who would have thought I would ever be excited about Brussels sprouts?  Who knew that they were actually called “Brussels” and not just “Brussel”?  I was today years old when I learned that.

I love trying new recipes, especially one serving recipes.  I have a much more adventurous palate than the boy, so I like trying new recipes when he is at his Dads.  However, I find most recipes feed 4 or more, and I either end up eating leftovers for days, or wasting a lot if I don’t end up enjoying it.

I happened across this recipe on a TikTok by Halle Burns and decided to give it a try.   Brussels sprouts are one my favorite veggies, so her recipe looked so good.  One thing I liked about it,  it was enough for one meal or two side dishes.

After a few tries and tweaks, I had a recipe that loved and will be making quite often. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

 

Smashed Brussels Sprouts with Lime Yogurt Sauce

  • 3 cups Brussels Sprouts
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp sriracha sauce or hot sauce of choice
  • 2 tbsp plain greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  1. Preheat oven to 450°
  2. Steam or boil Brussel sprouts until tender
  4. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine oil, maple syrup, soy sauce and garlic
  6. Once Brussels Sprouts have cooked, strain them and pat dry with paper towel.
  7. Toss sprouts in sauce mixture until well covered
  9. Place sprouts on baking sheet and then “smash” them with the bottom of a glass.
  11. Pour any remaining sauce over the smashed sprouts.
  12. Cook at 450° for 25 minutes or until crispy
  13. While the Brussels Sprouts are cooking, mix together the yogurt and lime juice together in a small bowl.
  15. Once the sprouts are cooked and plated, pour yogurt sauce over the sprouts.
  17. Enjoy!

Parenting/Life

2020 – See You Later!

Cathy UnfilteredLeave a comment

It was New Years Eve 2019 , I was at a house party (remember those?) waiting to ring in 2020.  I was surrounded by friends and we had the radio going as well as the TV on, waiting for the ball to drop.  We started the countdown with the radio and when we got to “Happy New Year”, the TV timing didn’t match the radio.  So we did a second countdown.   At that moment, my friend Sabrina made a comment about how that wasn’t a good way to start the year.

If only we knew.

Not only was it the start of a new year, it was the start of a new decade.  Everyone seemed to have so many hopes and dreams for 2020 (including myself). Who would have known, the whole world would be unrecognizable a mere 365 days later.

At the beginning of 2020, after years of knowing something wasn’t quite right, I went to my doctor’s to discuss my depression and anxiety symptoms.  I had been struggling for years and although I have always been one to promote people taking control and care of their mental health, I never did it for myself.   When you’re less than a year post-partum and the words “you’re crazy” and “you will lose custody” are thrown at you from across the table, you tend to put up and shut up.  Again, another case of hindsight being 20-20.   I started medication in early January and with a few tweaks a few months later, I am finally feeling that I am in a much better headspace. I can’t even imagine how I would have done when lockdown hit without taking those steps.

Lockdown was hard for me.  I’m a social person and not one to be home all the time.  And I miss hugging people.  I miss not being able to just jump in the car and see my family whenever I choose.  (That’s been the hardest part.) But a good part that did come out of it, was reconnecting with old high school friends via Skype calls.  Some of them, I hadn’t seen or spoken to in almost 30 years.  With lockdown #2 upon us again, I am hoping for some more of these Zoom calls.

I had already been working from home for the past 3 years, so luckily in the grand scheme of things, my work was not affected.  For that I am very thankful. One less thing to worry about.

By the summer, things still weren’t even close to normal (will they ever be again?).  I usually take time to do things with the boy over the summer but the only thing we did was go on our very first camping trip together.  Just the 2 of us, for one night.  Was it perfect, no.  Was it fun, yes,  All I will say, as I am so thankful I bit the bullet and took the boy to Florida/Disney back in 2018.  Not sure if I will ever be comfortable enough again to do such a trip with huge crowds.

I don’t know if it was my body getting used to medication or the pandemic, but through it all, I definitely lost all sorts of motivation.  This is the first blog post since March.  I sat down many times trying to put something together and had a total lack of inspiration or want to post.  I had a vision for the blog for 2020, but now instead of dwelling on what I didn’t do, I will be focusing on the new year ahead and how I can make things better in this new world.

The only thing I feel like I did accomplish this year is finishing a bunch of Netflix series…..A LOT of Netflix series.  I know I am not alone on that one.  I feel like I am at the point now, that thee isn’t much left for me to even watch on there anymore.

I know everyone seems to talk like as soon as the clock strikes 12:00:01, January 1, 2021, life as we know will go back to “normal”, but we all know that isn’t going to happen.  But I think we are all hoping that instead of things going from good, to bad to worse like 2020 did, things will eventually get better.  Or I sure as heck hope they do.

We’re going into 2021 with a new way of life.  Masks, hand sanitizer, and social distancing are the norm.  Multiple vaccines have been created and hopefully, the light at the end of this crazy tunnel isn’t too far away.  But as for 2020, I’ve had enough.  See ya later, peace out!

 

DIY · For Kids

Pokeball DIY for your Pokemon fans

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Have Pokémon crazy kids like me? Looking for a craft to keep them busy these days with supplies you probably already have available? These pokeballs are the perfect craft.  (If you don’t have these supplies,  you can find them all at your local dollar store).

I can’t take any credit for the idea, a Mom in one of my local Facebook groups came up with the idea and allowed me to share it with you.

Pokeball Supplies:

  • Bag of balloons
  • Styrofoam balls (can also use tennis balls or those colored balls for ball pits)
  • Black electrical tape
  • White duct tape

pokeball supplies

Pokeball Instructions:

1. Cut the neck off the white balloon and stretch it over a ball.

pokeball white part

pokeball on ball
2. Cut your chosen ball top colour balloon and cut it about halfway down the balloon horizontally. Stretch that starting from the place where the white balloon starts.

pokeball bottom
3. Cut a black strip from the black tape . Wrap it around the middle.

pokeball middle
4. Cut half circles from the black tape and place over the area where the black strip meets

pokeball circle

 

5. Cut a white circle from the white tape and place in the middle of the black circle.

pokeball white circle

 

And done! Got to catch them all!

pokeball diy pokemon

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Maple Syrup Time In York Durham Headwaters Region

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It’s everything maple starting this weekend! Bring your family out for a day at the sugar shack and see an authentic maple syrup operation. There are wagon rides, demonstrations, maple trails, pancakes, bonfires and fun for all ages.

For more information on upcoming events in York Durham Headwaters please visit – https://yorkdurhamheadwaters.ca/events/

Some recommend Maple Syrup destinations in York Durham Headwaters include:

Willowtree Farm

Weekends in March
Farm opens at 9 am
Tours to the sugar bush: 10-3 pm
First tour to the bush leaves at 10am
Last tour to the bush leave at 2:30pm
Includes:
• Wagon Ride to the Sugar Bush
• Sugar Bush Tours
• Evaporator Demos and Sap/Syrup Sampling

Bonfire and Roasted Marshmallows
Branded Tree Cookie
Pancake Breakfast!
Farm animals
Lots of Maple Products available in store and lots of sampling of delicious products!!

Willowtree Farm
975 Regional Road 21
Durham, Port Perry, Scugog (Port Perry)

 

Brooks Farms Maple Syrup Festival

Open Weekends and March Break beginning March 7, 2020 Includes:
• Train or Wagon Ride
• Self Guided & Guided Educational Tours
• Camp Fire in Sugar Bush • Colouring Station
• Maple Sugar Products
• Indoor Pancake House
• Barnyard Playland

Brooks Farms
122 Ashworth Road
Durham, Mount Albert, Uxbridge

 

Horton Tree Farm maple Syrup Festival

Saturday, March 14th, 2020 at 9 AM Ends Sunday, March 15th, 2020 at 4 PM Includes:
• sugar shack
• pancakes

Horton’s Home Farm
5924 Slaters Road
York, Stouffville, Whitchurch-Stouffville

 

Bruce’s Mill Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival

Saturday, March 14th, 2020 at 9 AM Ends Sunday, March 22nd, 2020 at 5 PM Includes:
• Demonstrations
• wagon rides & activites
• pancakes
• Treewalk Village

Bruce’s Mill Conservation Area
3291 Stouffville Rd
York, Stouffville, Whitchurch-Stouffville

 

PC Farms Maple Syrup Festival

Saturday, March 14th, 2020 at 9 AM Ends Sunday, March 22nd, 2020 at 5 PM Includes:
• wagon rides
• taffy, pancakes and locally sourced sausages

• activities for young and old
• tours of the maple operation
• Tapping tours

• nature hikes
• Horse drawn wagon rides
• Self guided hike
• scavenger hunt
• Nature crafts and face painting

Pefferlaw Creek Farms
12300 Concession 6
Durham, Uxbridge

 

Kortright Center for Conservation/ Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival

Saturday, March 14th, 2020 at 9:30 AM Ends Sunday, March 22nd, 2020 at 5 PM includes:
• maple taffy on the snow!
• pancakes

• wagon rides
• Demonstrations
• live entertainment
• guided twilight tour of Kortright’s maple sugar bush.

Kortright Center for Conservation
9550 Pine Valley Dr
York

 

Sunderland Maple Syrup Festival

April 4 to April 5, 2020

Includes:

  • maple syrup production
  • local farming operations
  • art shows
  • bathtub races
  • lawn tractor pulling
  • delicious food
12925 Side Rd 18, Sunderland, ON

 

CVC Terra Cotta

Saturday, March 14, 2020 – Sunday, March 22, 2020

includes:

  • syrup-making demonstrations
  • live entertainment
  • family-friendly activities
  • taffy tasting
  • pancakes
14452 Winston Churchill Blvd., Terra Cotta

 

Purple Woods Conservation Area, Maple Syrup Festival

March 13, 2020 to April 9, 2020

Includes:

  • fireside maple syrup production demonstrations
  • horse drawn wagon rides
  • games
  • crafts
  • pancakes
  • Children’s Activities
  • Scavenger hunt
  • Self-guided hikes through the sugarbush
  • Warming Station – Cedar Tea
  • Aunt Penny’s Cabin (Pioneer History)
38 Coates Rd E, Oshawa, ON L1H 7K4