I am not particularly a fan of snow. It's cold, it's messy and it causes many problems. However, since I live in NY, I have to deal with it and sometimes lots of it. The thing I do love when it snows is the quiet. I love to go outside first thing in the morning, before anyone wakes up or the plows have come through our side streets and listen and see, it's so peaceful. The other morning I went outside to unearth our sidewalk and porch from yet another heaping of the white stuff. None of the neighbors had come out yet to do the same, so I shoveled in silence. When I went back in to tell Gabby it was actual not so cold out and the skies were blue, she decided to get her gear on and come out. (she never even got out of her pj's, just pulled her snow pants and gear on over it, the kids loves snow and scrambles to get out in it) When we went back out, I stood in the middle of our street (we live on a deadend) and it was like the world was coming to life before my eyes. One by one the neighbors started coming out, shovels, snowblowers, and scrapers in hand. A plow came through, my immediate neighbor started his snowblower, Gabby squealed in delight as she tried to get over the hill of snow the plow made the night before and into the yard. It was the oddest but most peaceful scene. I've never seen the world actually awaken before my eyes in this environment and it was very nice. The shoveling got done, though I had planned to shovel around my husbands car, I was sidetracked by a request to go sledding. I put the shovel aside and took to the hill with my daughter. It's not something I do often, again, I'm not a fan of snow but we had a great time sliding down the hill, laughing as we tried to make runs for the sleds and we kept veering to each side instead of straight. We came in and had hot chocolate and went out again later in the afternoon. As if the two times we were out weren't enough, friends came over and we went out again and then over to the park. Hubby came out in the second round of sledding and went down the hill with Gabby a few times. I was having an off day with alertness, so when they were barrelling towards me, it never occured to me to get out of the way and the knocked me right now on my bottom. I wasn't hurt and we had a good laugh about it.
Out of most of our friends, we're two out of three parents we know that physically go sledding with the children. Why wouldn't you want to? It's so much fun! I think my daughter will carry this with her, that we do things with her like this.
The park we went to is more of a dare devils hill. It's extremely steep and there's a street at the bottom that you are most likely going to go into (rarely any cars, it's the park, and you see when they are coming) Add to the steepness of the hill, you have bumps in the middle that act as jumps and a person can get going pretty fast. We take the kids, but the younger ones slide on the bottoms instead of sleds because they get going pretty fast that way. Us parents, well, my husband and I and a friend, we chance it and take a sled down. It's a rush, but the problem is we always wind up with alot and I mean ALOT of snow in our faces. This past weekend, my friend and I wound up screaming it was so cold. When I told my husband what had happened, he made a few suggestions so when I take pics, I'll post them and you can see how we fared with his remedy.
When I became a parent, I was warned that raising this child would be challenging and they aren't kidding. I have a hard time letting her do things, a hard time letting go just a little. I just want to keep her in my bubble and never let harm come her way. She wants to try so many new things this winter and me, I'm terrified at the thought. Tubing is one thing she wants to try, he friends have done it and so have hubby and I, it's very fun. But I picture her too little, I picture her flipping the tube, falling out of it, getting hurt in some way and I won't be able to get to her fast enough. And worse, I won't have been able to protect her in the first place. But she's old enough and I know she is, so I'll likely let her try. It'll certainly grow a few new gray hairs on my head. My heart will probably miss a few more beats than it does normally but I'll likely let her try. But this parenting thing, it's going to be the end of me. Especially if my husband if my goes ahead and buys her a snowmobile this winter. Heaven help me now.
Out of most of our friends, we're two out of three parents we know that physically go sledding with the children. Why wouldn't you want to? It's so much fun! I think my daughter will carry this with her, that we do things with her like this.
The park we went to is more of a dare devils hill. It's extremely steep and there's a street at the bottom that you are most likely going to go into (rarely any cars, it's the park, and you see when they are coming) Add to the steepness of the hill, you have bumps in the middle that act as jumps and a person can get going pretty fast. We take the kids, but the younger ones slide on the bottoms instead of sleds because they get going pretty fast that way. Us parents, well, my husband and I and a friend, we chance it and take a sled down. It's a rush, but the problem is we always wind up with alot and I mean ALOT of snow in our faces. This past weekend, my friend and I wound up screaming it was so cold. When I told my husband what had happened, he made a few suggestions so when I take pics, I'll post them and you can see how we fared with his remedy.
When I became a parent, I was warned that raising this child would be challenging and they aren't kidding. I have a hard time letting her do things, a hard time letting go just a little. I just want to keep her in my bubble and never let harm come her way. She wants to try so many new things this winter and me, I'm terrified at the thought. Tubing is one thing she wants to try, he friends have done it and so have hubby and I, it's very fun. But I picture her too little, I picture her flipping the tube, falling out of it, getting hurt in some way and I won't be able to get to her fast enough. And worse, I won't have been able to protect her in the first place. But she's old enough and I know she is, so I'll likely let her try. It'll certainly grow a few new gray hairs on my head. My heart will probably miss a few more beats than it does normally but I'll likely let her try. But this parenting thing, it's going to be the end of me. Especially if my husband if my goes ahead and buys her a snowmobile this winter. Heaven help me now.
Tammy what a nice blog!! I love to go sleding with the kids. We use to always have so much fun! Now only if it would snow here in NJ. Also there is a special something about getting out in the morning to do some shoveling while it is all silent. It is a neat sense of...the world just froze over. It is calming to an effect. Have fun with Gabby!! These are the moments that they will remember for a lifetime.
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