Thursday, January 27, 2011

Lessons I'd Forgotten





Snow + temperatures right around freezing with no wind and sunshine= the PERFECT sledding day.  I couldn't wait to send the kids out into the snow AND join them.  We left the house at 9am.  I shoveled, they slid.  At 9:50, they started trickling over to see what I was doing.  I couldn't believe it.  How could they be bored of sledding already?  I used to sled for hours (it felt like).  So, I planted my shovel in the bank and joined them on the hill.  I watched them go down a few times, took some video and then realized that they were missing a few key ingredients for a perfect sledding day.

1)  If you walk back up the same trail where you slid down, it ruins your trail and makes it difficult to climb the bank.
2)  If you make some "steps" for yourself out of snow in a few key places on the snowbank, climbing back up to the top is much easier (and prevents you from ruining the sledding trails).
3)  To keep your sled from sliding backward down the wrong side of the bank while you're climbing aboard, flatten out a section at the top big enough for your sled and a couple of foot holds.  We even built a little bank behind the starting position spot to keep them from falling backward.
4)  Getting tired is part of the fun.  Make a snow bed/ fort/ cave for yourself and take breaks (important for Micah).
5)  If you're getting wet, get wardrobe help before you get too cold.
6)  The best sledding trails are made by sliding down the same spots over and over and not walking back up on the sledding trail.  Therefore, the more people you sled with, the more fun it becomes, so when we saw our neighbors out, we hiked over to join them.

Lesson I learned- sledding with a 5,6 and 8 year old is even more fun than sledding with a 4,5 and 7 year old.  

1 comment:

Angela said...

Erin, I miss you. You are so fun. Thanks for passing along these great ideas. Because, this southern gal doesn't know those things. :)

I noticed that this year it was way fun to sled with my kids. Adds did not like it one bit - but at least she watched. :) But, it was so fun to watch Nate - because he actually did it this year instead of crying about it being too hard. Which he did last year. This parenting thing gets better every year!!

Sledding can also (temporarily) cure a case of the winter blues. I found that out last week. ;)

Next time we get to sled, we won't trek back up our sledding path! Wish we could join you!

Simile Metaphor Collection

Elijah after running: My heart is beating like a coconut rolling down a hill.
Elijah on urination: Pee is like horses galloping out of the gate. Once they get started you just can't stop them.
Elijah: If school were a human I'd give it a wedgie.
Elijah: I am like a hot rod and I just want to be a plain old Ford
Elijah on the fruits of the spirit: I've got them all covered except self-control. Its like a tiny green tomato and the rest are all big ripe ones. Especially love. Its like the biggest tomato we saw in the garden tonight.