If there is a puddle, my boys will be in it. So when I found out that Common Digs was hosting a Mud Fair, I bought tickets right away. It was the muddiest fun my boys have ever had, and for me, that is really worth it, for all the reasons set out below.
Felix found treasure in the treasure pit.
Remember being a kid and discovering the endless possibilities and play options of a simple cardboard box? Sometimes it was a race car, a rocket ship, a castle, or a hidden fort. The City of Calgary is bringing the joy of discovering, building, and playing with minimal supervision by introducing the Mobile Adventure Playground pilot program. Even though this is new to the city, Adventure Playgrounds have been around since 1943. The first one opened in Denmark, followed by one in England. Continue reading
Ever since Felix first learned how to ride a bike, he has wanted to ride paths through trees, do jumps, and ride down hills. Every time we haul out the bikes in the spring, he always asks if we can build a couple of ramps so he can practice his jumps. While I’m not against the idea of constructing a few ramps for our driveway, I also know that we live on a busy street. Combine that with his 2 year old brother copying everything Felix does (but only having a 2 year old sense of consequence)and it means that for now, in my mind, the potential dangers rule out the possibility of building the neighbourhood’s best bike park outside our front door. That said, I still want my boys to experience the joy of riding their bikes and the feeling of excitement when you fly over a jump. This is where the Chestermere Bike Park comes in. Continue reading
Felix has always been a builder, but about a year ago he really got into Lego. Whenever he wanted to build something, Felix and Max would haul out their plastic bin filled with Lego and dump it all over our living room floor. That in itself is a nuisance, but when you add that our living room contains a shag area rug, you have the making of a nightmare. I finally got tired of Lego-sized indents in my feet and spending time blindly running my hands through rug fibres to try to find lost pieces and decided to do something about it. Continue reading
Big Hill Springs Provincial Park is a hidden gem and a place that I can see returning to over and over again. Picture a spot that has a creek shallow enough for the kids to splash and play in, multiple little waterfalls, big rocks to play on, several wood teepees to walk through, picnic benches by the water, interesting geological features and a short easy hike with minimal elevation gain. To top it all off, it is only 20km from the northwest edge of Calgary’s city limits. The short distance to this park makes it a perfect little getaway. Continue reading
Spring has officially sprung, and to kick it off we went on our first hike of the season in Kananaskis this past weekend. Felix and Max have been asking all winter to go hiking and I think this upcoming year Max’s feet will finally be big enough for ice cleats so that we can do just that, but for now we were waiting for snow melt. Since this was the first hike of the season, it took me a bit of time to remember and find all the stuff we would need. The hike was a last-minute decision and so I ended up packing way too much stuff and leaving the city way too late. Usually I like to have the car packed up the night before so that we can roll out after breakfast and get to the trailhead before 10am; this way we typically avoid heavy weekend traffic and we can take our time on the trail letting the boys set the pace. We still managed to pull of a great hike and now that the first one of 2016 is out of our systems, I feel like I’m ready to tackle all the ones to come.
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The snowboard season has officially ended at our local hill. While I will be sad that I’m no longer hanging out at Winsport a couple times each week (snowboarding, skate lessons and hockey lessons), I’m happy to start to spring and summer activities. Here are two short end of season videos of Felix and Max to document their 2015-2016 winter:
Thanks Winsport! We will see you again when the snow starts to fall.
I am in no way a runner. My version of running is chasing after Felix and Max, but I’ve always admired those who run and do it with such grace that they look like gazelles moving effortlessly. For me, after 15 minutes pounding the pavement, my knees are waving the white flag and even my brain feels jostled. However, the one thing I have learned is that there is much more to running than I thought. Besides the various techniques, footwear and apparel that go with running, there is also a vast difference in terrain. Enter trail running. Continue reading
I’ve always had sensitive skin and allergies to perfume. That combination alone has ruled out 90% of commercially sold lotions for me. The other part of this equation is that we live in Calgary, which is close to the mountains and where there is no such thing as humidity. Seriously, when we come back from vacation you can literally feel the moisture being wrung out of your body. So I have tested out and tried many different types of lotions in an attempt to keep from my skin looking like a pangolin. I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I would have to spend exorbitant amounts of money on Weleda lotion (which is really fantastic stuff) every month when I decided to see if I could come up with something else that would work. Continue reading
When was the last time you ran outside with friends? Or jumped over a log? Or went on a search for route markers while twirling and twisting your way through an obstacle course? With spring around the corner SOGO Adventure Running has opened its registration. Kids from ages 3 to 18 are invited to join the fun, navigating their way through the outside world, having a blast and making friends while they are doing it. Continue reading
Felix and Max 