What the hell is Mom Camp, you ask?

To me, it was a place for moms to get away, celebrate the women they are and enjoy the company of other amazing women.

I first heard of Gillian Behnke at the Leading Moms event that I attended back in May and started following her on social media, as we do. When she posted about the camp she was hosting, I was intrigued. At first, I passed on signing up for Mom Camp. I was planning a get away with my cousin-in-law, just us girls to have a break from the kids and share some time together. When that fell through, I realized that Mom Camp was probably just the thing I needed!

And, boy, did it come at the right time! Things have been busy lately, as it is with everyone. But I feel like lately I have lost a bit of myself. Who Anya is underneath the chores and daily grind. Brad and I talk a lot about what it’s like to get away, just us two. Since the kids aren’t self-sufficient quite yet, planning a trip for just me was the best option.

It was just what I needed to re-ground myself in what it means to be me. I headed to camp alone, and wouldn’t you know it, I ran into a fellow mom that I knew way back when I was living in North Van. On the third day, I left having met so many lovely humans, knowing that my life was richer for the contacts I had made.

When I got back from Camp, a close friend of mine asked me what my three highlights were. I thought it would be easiest to share those with you instead of re-capping every single event. Overall, it was a wonderful weekend of powerful women, talking, laughing, learning and trying new things together in a beautiful camp setting.

There is no box for being happy, healthy, fit or a good mom. It looks different for everyone and we are much too hard on ourselves about it all. This was a theme over the weekend but the revelation came from a session with Health and Fitness Coach, Gillian Goerzen of Super You. She is an amazing, positive light who spoke to us about finding the things that work for you in your life, as a mom, a human and a woman. I felt like Gillian G was speaking to me in a way that I had already started to speak to myself. It’s okay not to want to go to the gym and get outdoors and walk instead. Find what works for you.

As it turns out, Gillian is also a self-published author (you can find her book here, or at most local Indigo Chapters locations), which we bonded over! We actually traded books and I can’t wait to dig into hers “The Elephant in the Gym” as soon as we dig it out from behind the couch, where it was promptly dropped by Archer when I got home.

I am very secure in who I am with my emotions. My emotional health has been a priority of mine for quite some time, and I am very proud of where I am in my relationship with myself and with Brad. We talk about the hard things, the fun things, all the things. All the time.

Where the hard part comes in is that this emotional security doesn’t necessarily translate to the people that we love. And it is very difficult to navigate waters where one boat is sinking, despite attempts to help them float.

Okay, that analogy is a little intense. But hopefully you get what I mean. We had a counsellor speak to us on Sunday morning about leaning into our feelings, not ignoring them, and how to be the space our children need while they learn to navigate life and balance their new and growing emotions. It was a beautiful talk that really resonated with me. I am only human, and I am doing the best that I can for myself and my family.

I kick ass at axe-throwing.

Full disclosure, I thought that I was going to be lucky to hit the target at all, let alone have the axe stick following our five warm-up throws. I sucked, even with the owner standing next to me and giving me tips.

Then, when the round came for us to all take turns to rank our scores, something clicked. In the next five throws, I hit the target every time, and accumulated 22 points (including bulls-eyes) out of a possible 27 points!

Where the heck did that come from?

I had so much fun. Everyone was positive and encouraging of each other, cheering and supporting each other in our accomplishments. We threw axes for fun and no one got hurt!

There you have it, my Mom Camp highlights. I will be riding my Mom Camp high for the foreseeable future, while trying my best to live a balanced life. And while I don't think I'll make it to the next Mom Camp, I will definitely go back some day.

One happy camper,

Anya