Summer Doldrums and Fat Kitty Torture Techniques

August 19, 2011 By

One of the few positives to come out of my recovery period (I’m currently on Day 7) is my home-bound kids have been forced to come up with their own entertainment.

Why would that be a good thing? We’ve had such an active, amazing summer that the mere thought of school sent shockwaves through them. Now that the doldrums have set in, their return to school next week won’t be nearly as traumatic.

Waking up at 7 a.m. is another story.

Though I’m grateful I’m feeling better every day and now only have very minor, sporadic chest pain, my house arrest has confirmed to me I am not a homebody. Here are a few things we’ve been doing:

1) Hung with friends. My friend Tina came over on Monday with besties Nolan and Rowan. Gone are the days when they played dress-up and got nekkid but they still had a grand time slip ‘n sliding and burying Haddie in the sand. Clothed this time.

2) Ate. Many supportive friends have brought over treats. When in doubt with how to pander to the sickly, food is a good choice.

3) Showed Mommy new tricks in an effort to induce a real heart attack.

4) Weeded the kids’ overgrown pumpkin patch. That was Day 5. And the ultimate evidence I was bored out of my mind.

5) Witnessed a miracle Fat Kitty catch a mouse in the garden. Unsure of what to do with the little critter, he did the ultimate in animal torture: he sat on it.

(Hadley commemorated the occasion by drawing this picture of the mouse in his mouth).

4) Played soccer with Fat Kitty. Or rather, at him.

Me: “Bode, don’t kick the ball at poor Fat Kitty!”

Bode: “But Mommy, he’s the goal!”

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Bode, Humor Tagged With:

The reality of my favorite place on earth

August 18, 2011 By

I’ve traveled the world but if I had a favorite place on earth, Waterton Lakes National Park is it. Located in the southwest corner of Alberta, Canada, Waterton forms the world’s first international peace park with its better-known neighbor Glacier National Park in Montana.

Waterton does not have time to waste on nonsensical foothills. From the wind-swept prairies, the narrowest point in the Rocky Mountains does a dramatic upthrust to form staggeringly beautiful peaks in this intimate national park that measures just 200 square miles.

It has been 10 years since I was in Waterton and I have long dreamed of taking my family there. I had the whole thing mapped out in my mind. As we approached the valley, we would stop at the stately Princes of Wales Hotel. Built in 1927, this hotel is perched on a bluff overlooking Waterton Lake and has some of the best views.

We would browse the Canadian souvenirs in the hotel’s gift shop.

Tour the hotel.

And then we’d go out to the lawn where we’d pose for pictures.

Looks like a cut of The Sound of Music?

Think again. We made a tactical error in doping Haddie up on Dramamine to combat her carsickness. The drive from Calgary to Waterton is three hours and usually she conks out just a few minutes after taking the medication. She didn’t this time.

By the time we arrived in Waterton, she had reverted to the Terrible 3s and was out of her gourd with fatigue and crankiness.

You know, during the moment I’ve dreamed about for the last 10 years.

Just keeping it real, people, keeping it real.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Canada, Family travel, Humor

The coolest kids adventure race on the planet: in pictures

August 16, 2011 By

On Saturday, Hadley competed in the KEEN Vail Kids Adventure Race. I was devastated to miss it due to my hospital stay but had a blast “training” her and our neighbors (who also competed). Over the last few weeks, we hiked, biked and zip-lined all over Denver.

But nothing could have prepared them for the adventure race, which was so much more challenging and exhilarating than they could have imagined. Since I wasn’t there, I was grateful to my friend Jennefer who let Haddie stay with her overnight and took pictures of their great adventures.

=========

The Race

Introducing: Team Adventure Girls with Sydney and Hadley.

Off the starting block. Girls vs. boys, neck and neck (Haddie and Syd are on the left).

At one point partway through the race, Hadley and Sydney started to pass a boy’s team, which prompted the chauvinistic father to shout at his son, “If you let that happen, I will never enter you in another race again!”

I will include Boy Domination in next year’s training.

There was a tunnel through the river that later included a huge obstacle the girls needed to haul their bikes over.

There were plenty of volunteers to assist in the transition areas. The girls were in charge of keeping track of their map and getting a stamp at each station in order to move onto each new challenge.

Sydney was a fantastic teammate, frequently helping and encouraging Hadley throughout the race like this ropes course.

Slip slidin’ away! (Haddie’s favorite part).

Official hiking trails?

Adventure racers don’t need no stinkin’ hiking trails. They go straight up the mountain.

But they do need a zip-line to race back down.

The tubing portion was a nice reprieve from Vail’s toasty temperatures.

I know it’s not kosher to pinch hardcore adventure racer’s cheeks but that’s what I want to do when I see this cute picture.

Haddie also told me about the “little waterfalls” they went down.

I didn’t have the heart to tell her they’re called rapids.

Of course, what would an adventure race be without a climbing wall….

…and a mud pit to finish things off right?!

Or just really, really dirty.

Haddie had a blast competing in the KEEN Vail Kids Adventure Race. Was it a cakewalk? Definitely not. In fact, some sections of the course (particularly the mountain biking) would have been a challenge for adults. Despite being an adventurous kid, a couple of times she was freaked out to the point of tears.

But the greatness of a race like this is it yanked her out of her comfort zone where, in a controlled environment with capable volunteers, she challenged herself. I realized as parents, we shelter out kids too much and often don’t let them realize their true potential because of our own insecurities.

Hadley overcame her fears and has not stopped talking about the race. In a word, she triumphed.

And you’d better believe come hell or high water (or hospitals) I’ll be there to watch her do it again next summer.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: biking, Colorado, Hadley, hiking, Humor, outdoors

(Non)Expert advice: Save the marriage & do not back-to-school shop together

August 15, 2011 By

If there is one thing I despise about back-to-school, it’s the shopping.

Now, let me be upfront here: If it isn’t Costco or Target and ends in ________ mall, I generally have to be dragged in kicking and screaming. For this reason, I left my kids’ school supply shopping until just a few days prior to the advent of school last year.

Here’s a little tip to the procrastinators out there: you will not win. The supplies will be depleted and you will have to go to several different stores instead of just one, augmenting an already stressful situation.

Note: if you somehow find school supply shopping cathartic, I will be happy expound upon the aberration of college-lined vs. wide-lined notebooks and my goose chase to find Elmer’s Glue-all and NOT their School Glue (which is 99 percent of what the store carried) while battling a battalion of frenzied moms.

This year, I recruited a reinforcement and brought my husband Jamie. I handed him the much shorter list for my kindergartener (about 12 items) while I tackled my 7-year-old daughter’s list (my sheet included the other grades’ items as well).

Things shockingly went smoothy until they didn’t.

Isn’t that how it always has to happen?….

We both finished in under 30 minutes and were on the way to the check-out when I looked down at my sheet, stopped and morosely declared “OHHH NOOOOO.”

As it turns out, I had collected everything a first grader needs for academic success but here’s the catch: my daughter was in first grade last year and is going into second grade. Who knew?

Evidently not her own mother.

The lists are, of course, completely different and so I trudged back to the school supply section, dumped my previous findings and started from scratch. I was glad my husband had at least figured it out.

Or so I thought.

When we reunited, he started questioning the veracity of the list.

“A clipboard? Why on earth would a kindergartener need a clipboard with his name on it?”

I tried to explain a few scenarios but he then threatened to boycott some other items as well.

“Jamie, if it’s on the list, we have to buy it. It’s like the commandments–you can’t pick-and-choose which ones to follow.”

He seemed to get it and grumpily purchased the good-for-nothing clipboard. When we arrived home, I started labeling the items with my children’s names and double-checked to ensure we bought everything.

He didn’t.

“Jamie, where are the 10 glue sticks?”
“We have a ton of glue sticks.”
“No, we don’t.”

In his defense, I could have appeared on an episode of Hoarders for my glue-stick fetish but that was a few years ago and rehab taught me only three glue sticks per household was necessary.

“What about snack-sized Ziploc bags, Jamie?”
“We have those as well.”
“We only have quart- and gallon-sized.”
“Same thing.”

And then came the colored pencils, which he also neglected to purchase. His defense?

“That was not on the list.”

“It was item No. 1.”

{Silence. Chirping crickets.}

Tomorrow, I’ll be returning to the store.

And next year, the back-to-school supply shopping battle will be waged alone.

Filed Under: Humor, Jamie

The Calgary Zoo’s Exotic Pink Bears & More

August 8, 2011 By

Confession: I’m not a big fan of the zoo. I haven’t always felt this way. As a kid, I have pictures of my friends and me bundled up like abominable snowmen as we wandered around the zoo for my birthday.

Which is in February.

In Canada.

Why didn’t those parents of mine talk some sense into me?

Somewhere along my journey, I lost my luster for zoos (perhaps in sub-zero temperatures) but out of obligation for my animal-loving kids, I usually make a semi-annual pilgrimage to the Denver Zoo.

So, let’s just say I wasn’t overly enthusiastic when my Aunt Sue suggested we go to the Calgary Zoo. I mean, it’s a zoo. With animals that mope around all day. How exciting could it be?

As it turns out: plenty. Rated as the top outdoor site in Canada, the Calgary Zoo features more than 1,100 animals. My dinosaur-loving kids LOVED the prehistoric park’s life-sized dinosaurs, verdant foliage and bursting waterfalls.
Note: I don’t think the fake dinosaurs were included in the official count.

I don’t remember taking this shot of my mom’s pink hat juxtaposed against one of the waterfalls.
But for artistic purposes, let’s just say I framed it marvelously.

I fell in love with the Canadian Wilds section where the pathway snaked through natural habitats with native Canadian plants and trees. At times I swore I was hiking through the Canadian Rockies as we got up close and personal with a grizzly bear, moose, wood bison, wolves and more.

The kids particularly loved the interactive bear exhibit.


Though a few days later, Bode asked me what kind of bear “the pink one” was.

The Canadian “Care Bear,” Son.

Normally we skip out on the carousel at the zoo but I made the exception this time because it hosts 30 figures representing endangered animals from all seven continents including a condor, elephant, otter, cassowary, swift fox, gorilla and more.

Given all of those exotic choices, what did The Boy choose?

He tracked down the one and only HORSE on the entire Carousel.

Best to stick with the pink bear next time.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Canada, Family travel, Humor

We interrupt these Great Canadian Road Trip Updates….

August 4, 2011 By

to announce we are home!!

Travel tales will continue next week but for now, we’re submerged in work catch-up, mile-high laundry, back-t0-school shopping and chilling out. A few days after coming home, Aunt Lisa invited Hadley to go camping for four days at Lake McConaughy, NE.

Confession: I just had to Google the name of the lake because I keep calling it Lake McNaughty.

This is the second time Hadley has left home without us this summer, the first being her solo flight to visit Grandma in Utah. Most sibling would be jealous but Bode is a homebody and quite content to hang out here. In fact, he is in his element without someone constantly bossing him around.

When Hadley was in Utah last month, Jamie, Bode and I were driving home from church and the ride was uncharacteristically quiet. Jamie broke the silence.

“So, Bode. Do you miss your sister?”

No response. Jamie tried again.

“It’s OK, Bode. You can be honest.”

Finally, his reluctant confession: “Not really, Daddy.”

Here’s to a few more peaceful days of being an only child.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Bode, Humor, Jamie

The Great Canadian Everything

August 2, 2011 By

Despite the fact I grew up in Calgary, there are still some unfamiliar things when I return home.

The Money

Canadian money is always an adjustment. I prefer our colorful bills to American green drabness (sorry, George Washington) but still cannot wrap my head around the Canadian Loonie, a gold-coloured (yep, correct spelling), bronze-plated, $1 coin introduced in 1987. If that didn’t weigh down my wallet enough, the government introduced the Toonie in 1996, a bi-metallic $2 coin.

Jamie and I had a run-in with the Loonie when we went grocery shopping at the Real Canadian Superstore (as opposed to the fake one), which was located next to Canadian Tire.

Just in case we’d forgotten we were in Canada.

In order to release the shopping carts, you need to insert a Loonie,which is returned to you after shopping. Problem is, Jamie and I spend a good five minutes trying…and failing to insert our money. Finally, a woman walked up to return her cart so I waved my Loonie like a madwoman proclaiming, “We’ll give you our Loonie for your cart.”

She denied us because she had a reusable cart coin that cost her $2 in place of the $1 Loonie every time she shops.

Anyone else as confused as we were?

Long story short, we finally got a cart (after losing face with my fellow Canucks) but went crazy at the grocery store. While the U.S. ethnic sections are preomindantly Mexican food, Canadian store aisles, delis and produce sections are stocked to the hilt with my favorites: Indian, Thai and Chinese foods. In the deli, we were got some sliced tandoori chicken for sandwiches. In the Thai section we got mango and also coconut/pineapple juice. In the bulk bins, we scored Canadian blue whales and wine gums.

Canadians have a few tasty tricks up their sleeves as well.

The People

During our long drive, a rock jumped up and chipped my windshield. I’ve been intending to get it filled and was thrilled when we pulled up to the Real Canadian Superstore and saw a small small canopy advertising rock-chip repairs while you shop.

What’re the odds of finding that? Being in Canada is like having your own genie.

We handed over our car before going to wrestle our shopping cart Loonie. Upon our return, our exceedingly enthusiastic repair guy pointed out his impeccable work, triumphantly claiming the round-shaped chips were his favorite.

As we were driving away, I commented, “I’ve never seen a rock-chip repair guy so passionate about what he does.”
“Of course he is,” Jamie retorted. “He’s chipper.”

The Differences Between Canada and the U.S.

My kids have been shuttled back and forth between Canada and the United States since they were born. Such exposure gives them unique insights into cultural idiosyncrasies between the two countries.

Take Hadley, for example. As we were wandering through a darling gift shop replete with Canadian goodies such as Mountie costumes and maple fudge at Heritage Park, my Aunt Sue told me Hadley was recently expounding upon the difference between the two countries.

I awaited profundities. Perhaps she would reference the flags, the anthems, Canada’s shining rivers, cool summers, friendly folks, democrats, Green Party and the Liberals.

Her observation?

“Canada doesn’t have Target!”

I’ve taught her well.

=========

P.S. Target recently announced 105 locationsthat will be opening in Canada. Hadley will soon be proven wrong.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Canada, Family travel, Hadley, Humor, Jamie, travel

Zambia’s Virtues and Vices (and why I want in)

July 29, 2011 By

In addition to hanging out with my family, one of the best parts of my trip to Canada has been reconnecting with a couple of dear friends. My neighbor Stacey B. met us at Lake Sikome for an afternoon of fun and Stacey S. was a fixture at my house for a couple of days.

Basically, if your name wasn’t Stacey, I didn’t hang out with you.

Many people are familiar with young men and women who serve as Mormon missionaries but most don’t know that retired couples are encouraged to go as well. Stacey S.’s dad and step-mom will be serving in Zambia, Africa starting this fall. “Senior missionaries” usually assist as local leadership, provide service and in the case of Stacey’s parents, coordinate the C.E.S. (Church Educational System). When Jamie and I are older, I would love to serve a mission together.

Just think of the many remote villages who could have sustenance for months if Jamie grew giant pumpkins there.

We all have our ways of contributing.

One night, I set-up a blogfor Stacey’s parents so family and friends can follow their adventures in Africa. I wasn’t too keen on Zambia until Stacey told me it is one of the best places to do a safari and is the home of world-famous Victoria Falls.

Photo

I fell in love with the area when Matt Lauer went there for the Today Show in 2004. I’ve since been keen on bungee jumping off the 152-meter Victoria Falls Bridge.

Stacey also told me about the crazies who soak in Devil’s Pool, a natural rock pool at the very top of Victoria Falls (check-out the insanity here).


I’ll stick with bungee jumping, thanks.

Stacey hopes to visit her parents and I’ve generously invited myself along (with a $2,000+ plane ticket, we can all dream, right?) Though there are many wonderful facets to Zambia, this country in southern African has one of the world’s most devastating HIV and AID epidemics.

Stacey: “Did you know a Zambian woman’s life expectancy at birth is just 39 years old?:”
Me: “How sad.”
Stacey: “So, basically if that was us we’d be dead by now.”

Or we could just hang out at Devil’s Pool to speed up the process.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Humor, LDS, travel

Great Canadian Road Trip Leg 4: Sandpoint, ID to Calgary, Canada

July 27, 2011 By

I’ve had many people ask me just what does 31 hours in the car by myself with two kids look like? Take a gander:


It wasn’t pretty but certainly was functional. I packed oodles of snacks, DVDs, DS games. travel easels and books (see the full list of activities here), which I plopped in a large laundry basket in between the kids’ seats for easy access.

We caravanned with my parents from Sandpoint, Idaho to Calgary and stopped in Sparwood, British Columbia to check-out “The Titan,” the world’s largest truck.
I couldn’t have asked for my kids to be better behaved and our final seven hours in the car were seamless except for two factors:

1) The Hail Storm.

We’ve had pretty great weather the entire trip with the exception of a stretch of road leading into Nanton, Alberta when we passed through a horrendous rain/hail storm. At one point, the hail was pounding my windshield so quickly my windshield wipers couldn’t keep up and my 70-year-old father didn’t slow down. As I sweated profusely (and in places I didn’t know I could sweat), the only reassuring words were from Hadley: “I CAN’T HEAR OUR MOVIE!”

Remind me not to bring her along when in extreme diress.

2) The U.S.-Canadian Border.

I’ve traveled with my kids to Canada many times by myself but never by car. When flying, Customs requires I provide a notarized letter from Jamie stating I have his permission to take the kids out of the country.

Since I was driving this time, we called the border to ensure I didn’t need the letter. They assured me I was fine but I was still paranoid (I’ve spent many past lives being detained in the “Taliban room”) so I schooled the children prior.

“Now Bode and Hadley, when we get to the border, you need to tell them that Daddy is coming later.”

I didn’t tell them any more than they absolutely needed to know. I figured dropping the word “attempting kidnapping” could lead to trouble but as it turns out, trouble is what I got by withholding information. We waited about 45 minutes in line at the border and when it was finally our turn, I pulled up to the Customs officer who initially looked friendly.

Him: “Hello, Ma’am. Where are you traveling today?”
Me: “Calgary.”
Bode: (Frantically Interrupting) “OUR DADDY IS COMING ON THE AIRPLANE LATER!”

From there, our easy-going exchange turned suspicious. He peered into the car at Bode and Hadley.

“Ma’am, what is your license plate number?”
“Err…. I can’t remember.”
“Please step out of the car.”

After a painful interrogation, we eventually crossed the border but I learned an important lesson. When relaying important information to the kids, I need to disclose, “Only speak when spoken to.”

Come to think of it, I’ll make that our family motto.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Bode, Canada, Family travel, Humor, travel

Great Canadian Road Trip Leg 2:Utah to Boise

July 24, 2011 By

I’m not one of those people who stops at every roadside historic marker but I’m always delighted to stumble upon local treasures. That is exactly what we found at the Sublet Fuel Stop off exit 245 on I-84 in Idaho. First, there were the alpacas outside of the gas station.

Then the baby rattlers inside the door.
Caged, thank goodness.

Then there was the sign “Beware of Bats” as we entered the bathroom. After what we’d already seen I braced myself for some flying mammals but chuckled when I saw this:

A baseball bat.

The proprietor had a warped sense of humor.

We were originally going to stay in Rexburg but my friend Jason bailed at the last-minute so we rerouted to Boise. My friend Kiersten (a former radio hottie from my days on the airwaves) met us at a playground for a couple of hours and then the kids and I stayed with my friend Katie, her husband Wayne and their four beautiful daughters. Haddie and Bode had a BLAST and I loved reconnecting with my dear friend.

“Soeur (Sister) Ingy” and I were LDS missionary companions in Bienne, a little village in the heart of Switzerland. We had only been on our missions for a few months when we were put together and forced to fend for ourselves with our faltering francais. Soeur Ingy was the ying to my yang. She spoke really softly and was super sweet. I was…not. But one day, I was bellowing out my favorite song about prayer “He Hears Me” for the thousandth time when Katie interjected:

“Yes, and so does everyone else, Soeur.”

This sweet Idaho girl was (and still is) a force to be reckoned with.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Canada, Family travel, Humor, travel Tagged With:
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »