Carolyn Dawn Johnson: My perfect Saturday

Carolyn Dawn Johnson is on a winning streak. The Alberta born singer-songwriter has wracked up the awards ever since her 2002 debut, Room With a View. In that time, she’s won a total of 16 CCMAs, a JUNO and an American Music Award. On March 27, the Nashville-based singer and mother of two small children may add another statuette to her mantle. Her latest album, Love Rules, is nominated for Best Country Album at the 2011 JUNO Awards. 

Taking time between work, press, and motherhood, the down-to-earth singer sat down with Chatelaine.com to share her perfect Saturday.

I think that the dreamy Saturday would be somewhere on a beach in Hawaii in a little beach house. We spent some time in Maui and loved the hiking there. For me, it’s the ideal vacation spot. We like to do a lot of outdoor stuff and that makes me feel very refreshed and healthy. It’s the ideal climate to do stuff outside. It’s never too hot.

I would have my husband and kids with me. I’d wake up in the morning and my husband would have made me coffee and he’d bring it to me in bed. The kids would still be sleeping, so we’d get a little snuggle time together. Once they wake up—I have two of them and their teeny ones, Bennett is 13 months and Abigail is 2 1/2—we’d bring them into bed with us and we’d probably watch Curious George or Cat in the Hat.

Ideally, none of us would have to cook or anything, and someone would bring me pancakes with whip cream and fresh fruit. We’d have a view of the ocean, the windows would be open and we’d hear the sound of the water. After breakfast, we’d go for a walk on the beach. Hopefully, it’s not too warm and there would be a bit of a breeze. We love going for walks together, my husband and I, we always did before we had kids and we still do it with our kids, which I love.

It would be nice to have a break from the kids. My husband Matt would watch the kids and send me off to a spa—that’s still one of my favourite things on the planet—to just have that time to myself. Maybe it’s a spa where I can get a massage outside and hear the ocean waves—the true ocean waves, not just some recording. I’d get the whole works: my hands and feet done too. After my massage, I’d stay for a bit and read some books and magazines without being interrupted. I love flipping through magazines to get recipes and workout ideas. I really don’t get to do that anymore. Over Christmas I read some magazines and read a book and that’s because my mum and dad were here.

Then it would be really fun to just go shopping for an hour or so by myself to get a nice outfit. Then I’d go back home and spend time with the kids. Wherever we are, if we want to take a little stroll with the kids, we always take them to the [local] zoo. We love going to the zoo with the kids. Every time we go they become a little more aware of what’s going on. Abigail has always loved the meerkats. Maybe it’s because they’re so little and they can stand near the glass and they act so funny. And she really likes the pink flamingoes. Bennett is not totally getting it yet, but he’s starting to and now he likes the meerkats.

Grandpa and Grandma would be there and they’d watch the kids so my husband and I could go out for an awesome dinner alone. We’d drink a little bit of wine and have appetizers and just linger and talk. Just to have that time together is great. My husband and I would go to Mama’s Fish House. It’s this restaurant that you go into but feels like you're still outdoors—all the walls are sort of open. It’s on the side of Maui where you can watch the windsurfers on the water. They just look like a bunch of bees and bugs flipping out on the water; it’s unbelievable and the view is phenomenal. Everything they serve, it’s like ‘this fish was just caught on the boat of such and such today.’ The food is amazing and the atmosphere is so romantic and cozy. They serve whatever is fresh that day.

That would be about it! I don’t think I can stay up much later. But if we could go out after and see some live music and just feel like we’re young and spunky. Then we’d come home, kiss the kiddies in bed, and go to sleep.