Mountain Mom and Tots

How Skiing Strengthens Families

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Last season I was pregnant with Baby L and missed the thrill of snowboarding. I missed gliding down the mountain, trying tricks and spending quality outdoor time with my tots. So when Sundance Mountain Resort opened last weekend Big E and I were there. Even though the snow wasn’t great, it was better than no snow at all. I’ll take what I can.

Skiing and snowboarding are more than just fun winter activities. They are activities that strengthen our family. Here’s how:

Skiing defines what your family is. Some people are soccer fanatics. Some families are music families. We are a Mountain Family and that includes skiing and snowboarding. My kids may never play on a school basketball team but they will all learn how to ski.

Skiing and snowboarding strengthen family ties even over multiple generations. Since I sat out last year, my dad took Big E and Little G skiing. He enjoyed it so much he made a goal to ski with my kids once a week this coming year. My kids are three out of thirty grand kids so to have that one on one time with him is truly something special.

It encourages new skills. Studies have shown that couples who try new activities together have stronger, longer marriages. The same applies with the whole family. As a snowboarder, I learned to ski when Big E did so I could help him on the mountain. Learning new things puts me into an open state of mind, vulnerable, teachable and when I accomplish a new skill like parallel turns on a blue run I feel triumphant. I want my kids to feel that too.

When new activities are tried together it creates bonding memories, helps individuals push their boundaries and puts us in a good mental place.

Seeing my kids conquer obstacles gives me opportunities to praise. So much of my communication with my tots revolves around getting them to do things – clean up, homework, get dressed, stop hitting your sister. It’s nice to just have fun together and have the opportunity to see them do something difficult.

Sitting on the chair lift forces you to talk to each other. My sister and brother-in-law have older kids, including a teenage daughter and tween son. What they like about skiing together is the one on one time they get with their kids who would rather be hanging out with friends. I’m not against trapping my kids twenty feet in the air to have some positive bonding time.

Skiing and snowboarding gives me a reason to love winter. Let’s be honest, shoveling, scraping, and driving in snow is not fun. Darkness at five pm is depressing. Cold weather is uncomfortable. Winter can be rough so having something fun that depends on cold and snow makes seasonal depression less of an issue.

We are a skiing and snowboarding family. Even when the snow doesn’t cooperate we will be out on the slopes, spending time together and enjoying the outdoors. If you’re looking for a way to create some positive connections with your kids try skiing together.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado

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There is a canyon with cliffs more sheer than the Grand Canyon and the same breathtaking, vertigo inducing views. It’s capacious, has easy access to the rim, and is in the neighboring state of Colorado. It’s a National Park! Only I had never heard of it until two months ago.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is remote. The closest towns are Montrose and Crawford, two tiny dots on the map, we’re talking boondocks territory. But, like many people, I love the National Parks and want to visit as many as possible in my lifetime. So when Mountain Dad suggested we check it out I jumped at the chance. Now’s a good time too with the #FindYourPark campaign celebrating the centennial of the National Park Service in August 2016.

On this trip with the tots, Mountain Dad and I were looking forward to some short hikes on the South rim of the Black Canyon. These kinds of excursions are great for kids. Short, with stunning views and fairly level terrain, we can do several in an afternoon.

We visited on Little G’s birthday, so of course we had to visit the gift shop first. Both Little G and Big E got a stuffed animal souvenir and a Junior Ranger activity book. Although Little G had no desire to complete the Junior Ranger coloring book, Big E did. That’s a major step for us. We’ve visited lots of National Parks in Big E’s 6 years and he hasn’t ever wanted to participate in this awesome program.

The Junior Ranger program teaches kids about National Parks through activities and challenges. Once the workbook is completed, the child can receive a badge from a ranger. It’s a fun way to learn about animals, plants, geology and ancient cultures that are part of the Park.

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is truly was stunning. The rocks are dark and ominous, the sheer cliffs breath taking. Unfortunately so were the storm clouds overhead.

Our plan to take several short hikes to various viewpoints was thwarted when the clouds ripped open. I haven’t been caught in a storm like that in a long time. Cold, pouring rain that struck when we were at the exact farthest point from our car. It was cold and miserable.

And that wasn’t the end of the misery. Our usually happy Baby L revolted on the two hour drive back to camp and screamed, cried, and wailed the whole way home. Everyone in the car was frazzled and on edge and even though we stopped several times to feed, change and soothe her she wasn’t interested in calming down. It was not fun.

Overall I enjoyed the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, but I’m glad the experience is over.

Mountain Biking in Fruita with OutdoorFamilies.com

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In October my mountain family forayed into new territory. Mountain Biking. You’d think we’d be mountain bikers already, I mean we live ON a mountain. Although we have mountain bikes (Mountain Dad has a pretty nice one) we’re not what I would consider mountain bikers, mostly because it’s hard to ride single track with a kid on training wheels and two tots in a trailer. However, I was determined to change that with a trip to Fruita, Colorado.

Most people haven’t heard of Fruita. It’s a suburb of Grand Junction if that tells you anything of its size. The ones who have heard of Fruita probably know about it because of Mountain Biking. It’s world renown because of its great terrain, proximity to Colorado National Monument and the annual 18 Hours of Fruita Fat Tire Festival.

Our Mountain Family camped in the North Fruita Desert. It’s a BLM campground that serves as a base for trails like Zippity Do Da, Chutes and Ladders, and Kessel’s Run. Although the camp is bare bones – pit toilets and no water – it’s location for riding the trails is great.

Overall our trip wasn’t great. Mountain Dad fell on his bike and broke a rib, Big E had a meltdown riding on the paved Colorado Riverfront Trail (which doesn’t actually go by the river in Fruita), and little G refused to try out her balance bike. I had fun on the Pumps, Bumps and Rollers trail and was proud of myself for trying out something new, but the majority of the Mountain Family would’ve rather thrown mud balls in the river.

Along with trying out a new activity, I was also trying out a new look. The Wheel Clever shirt by Club Ride Apparel. I was given this piece to review by the online store OutdoorFamilies.com. They have a wide selection of gear for outdoor adventurers.

When I first received the Wheel Clever shirt I was in for a big surprise. It’s described as lightweight but I didn’t expect it to be see through. The fabric is thin, which is good for something breathable to wear over spandex, but I was expecting something a bit more substantial. Maybe in the darker color it would seem different.

Looking at it in the package I didn’t really like the shirt, but after wearing it while biking I changed my mind. The sly bicycle wheel pattern is really cool and I also liked the thumb holes and hidden pocket. The small zippered compartment is big enough for a car key and maybe a credit card, don’t expect to fit a phone in there. The incorporated reflective accents are a nice touch as well.

It’s a well designed long sleeved shirt that looked cool, protected my fair skin from the sun and allowed me to not feel near naked in skin tight spandex. Do I think it’s worth $64.95? Not with plastic snaps and the snag holes that appeared after just a few wearings. Do I think it’s a good shirt? Yes and I will definitely wear it again.

Pros

Cool bicycle wheel fabric
Lightweight, long sleeved
Comfortable
Could wear biking or in public, great cover for spandex
Secret Ninja pocket

Cons

Snaps and thin fabric seem cheaply made
Price – $64.95

This post is part of my Wednesday Gear Review Series. Thanks to OutdoorFamilies.com for providing the Wheel Clever shirt by Club Ride Apparel. All opinions are my own.

Liked this post? Check out these related ones.

Worst Campout Ever

Rustler’s Loop, Fruita Colorado

Otto’s Trail, Colorado National Monument

I Don’t Do Perfect

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Last night my children asked to have a Christmas party. On November 29th. I’m not quite ready to do that since I’m still cleaning up from Thanksgiving, but I did say we could do a craft.

Perusing Pinterest, Big E saw the perfect Christmas Craft – a cute orange and white paper ornament from HowAboutOrange.blogspot.com that we had all the supplies for at home.

The directions seemed simple enough with some parent help so we got to work. Here’s how ours ended up.

Obviously I am not a Pinterest maven. And my son and daughter noticed.

“It’s not supposed to look like that!”

“Why did you make it this way?”

“I wanted it perfect!”

Sorry kids. I don’t do perfect. Especially on my first try.

I make mistakes. I do my best. Part of me feels flattered that my tots assume that I could make a perfect ornament on my first try. I think that’s part of childhood wonder, seeing your parents as infallible.

But the larger part of me wants to teach them that life is a series of attempts and failures, halfway done projects and less than perfect results. It’s called progress. This larger part of me also wants to teach them to only say nice things to their mother, especially when she’s trying to do something nice for them like make a Pinterest ornament.

A while ago I decided that parenting is just doing your best. When I think back on my childhood I can’t remember many specific lessons on how to be a good person. But I remember my parents being good people. I remember how rarely they argued, how they worked together and how they loved all of their nine children. And now I can hear myself saying things they said and acting how they act. I figure that even if I can’t teach my kids by overt lessons, maybe they’ll pick it up through osmosis.

After the Christmas Paper Ornament project, the insults, timeouts and hangry banter we sat down to dinner. Roast Chicken and Potatoes. It’s become one of my favorite meals to make and eat. The first time I made it wasn’t perfect but now I can honestly say it’s the tastiest chicken I have ever had. That’s what happens with experience. Each time we try the results improve.

So the craft turned out less than perfect, but the chicken was pretty close. That’s no surprise to me. I don’t do perfect, but I can get better every time I try.

Now I just have to teach that to my kids.

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