Canada Day Mocktail & Talking Tradition

Happy Canada Day, and welcome to the first official “Wednesday Brunch” in my Wednesday Brunch series!

Wednesday Brunch is my new “diary” style series where I talk about anything and everything while sharing fun brunch recipes or trying out new brunch spots with you!

Since it’s Canada Day I wanted to start out with something simple and fun- The Shirley Temple! I made mine as a mocktail without alcohol, but you can change it up to your taste.

Basically every holiday and birthday growing up, my mom would make us Shirley Temples, and it was SO fun and special. My son is 6 years old and isn’t allowed to drink pop, but I let him try this due to the holiday, and he loved it. He typically hates anything with fizz, but the orange juice toned it down enough for him to enjoy it.

Shirley Temple Mocktail

I don’t measure out ingredients (isn’t it more fun that way?), so here’s what it includes.

Ice
Orange juice filled to approx 1/4 the cup
Sprite filled to top
A splash of grenadine
Top with a cherry

To get the pretty ombre effect, make sure to add the ingredients in the order I posted them.

I also brought out some croissants, because its not brunch without actual food, right? I was going to cook more but woke up later than planned #oops. Mason had his own separate breakfast :)

I just wanted to take this Wednesday Brunch to talk about tradition and how important tradition is to me when it comes to raising children.

When doing some social media work for a client recently, I came across this book that she recommended, called Memory Making Mom, by Jessica Smartt. I haven’t ordered the book yet, but it’s all about tradition and making fun and meaningful memories with your children.

It got me thinking about all of the traditions my parents have done with me over the years and what new ones I’d like to add for my own child. I’m a big fan of making fun traditions out of everyday life. We all have our holiday traditions (which I’ll talk about in another post), but I love adding memorable traditions to random days- weekends, days off, beach trips, etc.

I think sometimes as parents, it’s easy to get caught up in the busy hustle and bustle of every day life and forget to add in those important little magical moments. For me, keeping something as simple as glow sticks, sparklers and temporary tattoos on hand can turn any ordinary night into a magical memory.

Since we are currently in a pandemic and our lives are upside down, I think it’s even more important to remember how to keep the magic going.

Recently due to Covid, my social media workload has dropped drastically, and to my surprise I felt a weight lifted from my shoulders. I love working on projects and keeping busy, but once I had many of the projects I was working on get cancelled, I saw that as an opportunity. It’s more time I get to spend with my son, and my family. It’s more time I have to clean my house and do home projects I’ve been wanting to do, and more time to focus on making magic in every day life.

We are ALL feeling a shift lately. Things aren’t how they used to be, and never will be, and that’s okay. It’s our chance to curate a whole new life, and sometimes fresh starts give us the perspective we need on what’s most important.

I would LOVE to hear some of your family traditions in the comments below!

D

Bonus - my Rae Dunn display from last year