Just go with the snow

I think we have finally accepted that we live in a country with snow. We used to dread winter especially since our first one was filled with snowstorms and cold snaps starting in October and ending in May. The past couple of winters have been quite mild, so that might have helped with acceptance. You may want to check in with me next year to see if I still feel the same.

Coming from a tropical country, we have always found it unusual that some people actually looked forward to winter. Why would people want to be dressed up in layers and have their nose, cheeks and fingers frozen? But last winter, we decided to join them. We bought a couple of mini-luges and actually waited for snow days so we could play! Never mind that it would take 30 minutes to get dressed to go out. Never mind that sometimes, one of the kids would need to go to the washroom AFTER we had put on their snow wear. We would go to the nearby park with a small hill and ride our luge. Oh what fun!

This winter, we even ventured to go snow tubing! Darling Daughter# 2 (DD-2) was finally tall enough to ride the lift, so off we went. Having had a heavy breakfast, we arrived at the park before noon. We decided we could only go on three rides, and that turned out to be a good decision. The lines were long and each run took us about 30 minutes—25 minutes queue, under a minute on the lift, a couple of minutes getting set up at the top so we could connect our tubes together, then a 10 second ride down the hill. It was awesome! We tried different runs, but three was just right for us. To line up for more would have killed the joy of it all.

DD-2 did manage to almost send me into a heart attack by tossing about in her tube while she was on the lift. I must’ve sounded like a broken record with all the instructions and safety warnings prior to the ride. Could she have tuned me out? Mind you, she was all still the first two times on the lift. It was on the third ride that she became more daring. Tip: do not say hello or call out to the kids (even when you are issuing a warning) while on the lift. They tend to turn around to look at you! I heaved a sigh of relief when she got to the top all safe and sound. She did get an earful from me and big sister, so hopefully she learned her lesson. After the third run, we had just enough energy for a little more snow play before heading out for a late lunch and nap time. Tip #2: this is a good activity to get the kids to eat more and nap right away!

It is not quite March yet, but it almost feels like spring. There is this tiny bit of sadness that we are almost out of snow. I didn’t realize that snow could grow on you. And while summer remains to be my favorite season, we now have more reasons not to dread winter. Bring on the snow days!