Welcome!

Welcome!!  This blog and the community it will grow is a new and a little bit scary undertaking for me but it is long overdue and I am very excited to be sharing it with you.

Please allow me these first few paragraphs to introduce myself.

My name is Dayna Harvey.  I have spent my ENTIRE life spelling my name for people because they always miss the “Y”.  I have never found a souvenir with my name spelled correctly on it. I may be a tad bitter about that. 

I am a mom to 3 great kids – a daughter (Bryden) who is 20 and 2 sons (Hayden and Landen) who are 18 and 17.  I promise to introduce them to you along the way.  I have a few stories that I am sure they will be “thrilled” to know I will share. They have actually told me that I don’t own the rights to use their names.  HAHAHAHA…..kids, that I gave birth to.  Happy reading my loves.


I am Canadian. I was born in Vancouver and raised in a town about 1 hour from the city. I am the oldest of 7 children – 5 girls and 2 boys. The age spread is 19 years.  I was a sophomore in college when my youngest sister was born.  It was so weird and yet so normal for me.

I moved to the United States with my now ex-husband in February 2001.  We lived in the Washington, DC area for about 2 years and then moved to the southwest part of Virginia. I have been in Roanoke, VA for the past almost 20 years!! Time flies.

So, I am a Canadian citizen and a U.S. resident.  I can not vote in either country so I will not talk about politics.  EVER.  I also do not talk about religion.  There are so many other things that I would rather have time, energy and space to talk about.  Like chocolate or wine or traveling or telling embarrassing stories about my kids.  You get it, right?

I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications & Marketing but my calling in life has always been to teach swimming lessons.  I swam competitively until I was 17 but  I began coaching and teaching recreational swimming lessons at age 15 and went through certification processes as soon as I turned 16.

I now own Can Am Aquatics Swim School, based in Roanoke, VA and I teach about 250 children each week.

I am an entrepreneur and a people connector. “Do you know someone who…..?” is a question I get asked all the time and I love it when I can give a great referral. Networking events used to be the highlight of my month! Now, I do my people connecting on a more low profile level.

I enjoy sharing stories about my life and hope that they will be exactly what someone needs to read on any given day and they will be encouraged or inspired.  I have made it through the highs and lows because I had people to lean on and learn from.  Now I would like to pay that forward. 

I also love to listen and learn about what others have experienced in their lives because I believe that is how I will continue to grow and be the best that I can be for those around me.  I also desire to be a real, honest role model for my children and the students that I teach.

OK, those are the run-of-the-mill things that most people want to know first.  I hope they weren’t too boring.

Here are some other things that I think are more enlightening and even possibly entertaining.

I am 51!! 

I think I might be a gypsy.  After my kids move out, I think I may try to find out for sure.

I once won a hula hooping contest on a Carnival cruise. Hidden talent. We all have one. 

I have 10 tattoos that I love and each tell a story….it's about time for number 11.

I have bungee jumped naked.  Yes. True. And that is all that needs to be said on that topic but I told you this would be enlightening and entertaining.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday but I won’t eat the turkey.  It’s yuck.  Christmas is my least favorite holiday but I am trying to do better.  I am trying to fall somewhere between Cindy Loo Who and the Grinch.

I love hockey and football….even though my teams (Vancouver Canucks and Carolina Panthers) are difficult to pull for most seasons.  Baseball makes the list too, only when live.

I enjoy beer and wine. And coffee. And chocolate. Oh yeah, and pie but since April 2022, I am gluten free so I can only eat the fillings.  More on that life changing decision later.

I write down the birthdays of friends and family on an actual calendar so that I don’t forget them. My people are important to me and I want them to know that.

I am in the process of learning Spanish.  I understand more than I speak but I love it and I am motivated to continue learning.

I love lists and all things that give me the look and feeling of being organized.  It’s a trick I play on myself. 

I have a fancy camera that I don’t know how to use and a set of calligraphy markers that are waiting to be picked up.  Goals for 2023 and beyond. 

For more things that make me, me….read on here.

This blog and community has been created to be a platform from which I can share life experiences that I hope you can find relatable, where I can help parents navigate the world of swimming lessons so that we can eradicate drownings, a place to tell stories about parenting that will make you laugh or cry or both but at least you’ll know you aren’t out there on this parenting journey on your own.  

Traveling is my thing. I love it so I also look forward to sharing some of my travels with you and giving “sage” advice or recommendations and posting LOTS of photos. I have recipes for busy parents, thoughts on taking time for traveling, for personal growth and for self care too. I have some insight (some would call them conspiracy theories) in to why first born girls can be so frustrating and second born boys are incredibly stubborn. 

Over time, you will be able to find serious information alongside silly thoughts.  There will be posts that may challenge you to consider a different viewpoint or to think a different way about something or make you laugh out loud or cry some tears. If a post invokes a little bit of emotion, then it has done its job and it has made writing totally worthwhile.

I truly hope that you will read along as I write.