A Weekend at the Cottage

This past weekend we packed up the family and headed for the Jette Cottage in Magog (Eastman), Quebec. We couldn't have asked for a better weekend--the weather was beautiful--about -10 degrees and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

We left the city on Friday night at 6:45 and arrived at the cottage around 10:00. My wonderful father made sure the cottage was ready for us and welcomed us on our arrival. The kids very quickly got ready for bed and fell fast asleep.

In the morning I made eggs and bacon and the kids watched a little bit of the "Charlie and Lola" Saturday morning cartoons.

After breakfast Cole, Amelie and Chloe went sledding and Preston tried out his snowboard. I nick-named Cole "Crasher Cole" because of the way he launches himself off the sled when it hits the snow pile at the end of the path.

Afterward we explored the hills and trees around the cottage. Amelie, Chloe and Preston took turns making believe they needed to be saved...by quick snow-sand or falling from a cliff. It was very exciting!

For lunch we kept it simple...pizza, apples and tangerines.

After lunch we played Junior Monopoly and the kids played their Nintendo DS together. In the afternoon we headed back outside for a couple of hours to snowshoe on the lake and build snow-forts. It was unbelievably beautiful day.

Dad arrived for dinner on Saturday night. We enjoyed a spaghetti dinner and then watched the first 10 minutes of the movie "Juno" before my dad made it clear the movie wasn't really working for him. (For the record--I love that movie!) Once it was decided that Juno wasn't working out...we tried watching Gladiator. I think we were all just a little too tired from our busy day because 20 minutes later we were all heading to bed. 

Early the next morning we had to leave for home in Ottawa to begin our standard Sunday marathon of gymnastics for Cole, Amelie and Chloe's ballet, and Salsa dancing for Scott and I.

On the Importance of Listening to your Kids

Being a child isn't as easy as it seems. The majority of their time is spent playing with their friends and siblings, learning in school and listening to their parents. But once in a while - life can seem overwhelming and exhausting to these little people.

Today, one of my daughter's couldn't get out of bed. Although she was suffering from a mild cold, this wasn't the reason why she refused to get out of bed. Physically, she was quite capable. But, emotionally, she was defeated.

I'm not sure why she was feeling that way. It could have been a result of our very active Sunday. Cole had gymnastics lessons and Amelie and Chloe had Ballet. We played different games together and listened to music. At 5:00, the girls came with Scott and I to our Salsa lessons. They had a great time playing Trouble/Frustration with another little girl who was there.  All in all, it felt like a really fun day for all of us. But, it didn't end on a good note.

Last night before bed, something changed. Chloe threw a bit of a tantrum. This doesn't happen very often, so when it does I know somethings up. I managed to calm her down by truly listening to her and giving her some space. She talked about the difficulty that she's having with the "separation" and that she misses her father and me all the time. She also talked about school being too long and difficult and that she wanted more time to do things that she likes--rather then school work. And, she talked about the pain that she has in her neck and her back (a misalignment that we confirmed at CHEO before Christmas). After listening to her and calming her down, I snuggled with her until she fell asleep to make sure she got a full nights rest. But, in the morning she claimed that she didn't get a wink of sleep and that she couldn't possibly go to school. So, I decided to keep her home.

I think one of the most important things a parent can do is to truly listen to their child. And, if possible, do something that will demonstrate to your child that you've heard them...and that they can have some control/responsibility over their life. By keeping Chloe home this morning, I hope that she realizes that her emotions are real and worth feeling. And, she'll understand that she can take some time for herself when she needs it.

All too often kids don't know how to listen to their heart and express themselves. And, as a result of not dealing with their emotions they end up acting-out or misbehaving. When Chloe opens up with me, and tells me what's in her heart, I'm so thankful that she can communicate it to me--rather then keep it inside. And, if I help her resolve those feelings she'll start to see that most things can be tackled straight on. And, in the long run, I hope that these conversations will give her the tools she needs to understand and trust herself...and to shape her own life.

When you are six years old, I'm sure that sometimes it feels like you can't make a difference in your own life. I see it as one of my jobs to make them realize that THEY are the key to their own happiness. So, they need to listen to themselves and try to understand what will make them happy.

And, if I hear any of my kids say they are bored...one...more...time...I'm going to scream! :) Maybe this revelation can be another 2010 resolution.

Sunday Morning Snowshoeing

For Christmas I bought Scott snowshoes. So, of course, I needed to get some as well to keep him company on his snowshoeing excursions :). I purchased them yesterday afternoon at the SportChek in the St. Laurent Mall.

I have a pair of Tubbs Xplore which is perfect for exercise walking for the newbie snowshoer. Both the Frontier and the Xplore are great economical snowshoes for those of us who are just starting out with the sport.

The Xplore gives me enough traction for moderately packed and gently rolling terrain. It's not great for more advanced, hillier terrain - but that's okay for what I intend to do. It has carbon steel crampons (teeth below the foot) to give me traction for the moderate hills that Scott leads us to :). The binding is pretty easy to use but doesn't have a lot of support - so it's not great for really hilly terrain. And it has a fully rotating or pivoting shoe that sheds snow off the back rather then flicking it up onto the back of your legs while you walk.  

Scott has a pair of Tubbs Frontier which is a slightly more advanced snowshoe then my Xplore. I wanted to get him a more sturdy snowshoe that will allow him to go into the more hilly terrain that his Geocaching hobbie demands. He'll be doing those excursions without me...I think. The two big differences that I've noticed between the Frontier and the Xplore are the binding and the crampons. The binding for the Frontier has what they call ControlWings™ which make them easier to put on your boot then the Xplore. And the crampons on the Frontier has an alignment on the heel that gives you more stability on hillier terrain. It basically lines your boot up with the heel on the snowshoe so that if you do end up on an off-kilter slope, your feet will stay stabilized on the snowshoe.

We started trail blazing...or bushwhacking, through the snow behind our house near the river. I wasn't that keen on the "whacking" part of the walk...and quickly made that point clear with Scott. We turned around and followed a friendlier trail. The weather was just fine at -13 degrees and a slight breeze.

On our walk I fell twice, I think because we were on a hillier terrain than what my snowshoes were made for. But Scott had no trouble at all...so I think the Frontier will work well for him.

Close to the end of our outdoor walk we came upon what looked exactly like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree. I had to take a picture of it. Doesn't it look the same? Just sitting out there in the middle of the snow...all by itself decorated with a few little ornaments. Cute.

Tell me about your holiday activities!