The [selfish] photographer rejoices

It's a Sunday morning and Matt's finally feeling better. After a week of taking care of a sick child, I have cabin fever and the despite the blustery weather I'm determined that we're going to explore the lower part of Kananaskis Country before the area is closed to traffic for the winter. Thank goodness my husband loves the area as much as I do and readily agrees. The car gets packed with food, drinks, toys, snow, hiking and photography gear and we head off into the mountains (no we're not light packers). 

As we're leaving the winds are picking up steadily and there's a wind warning issued for Calgary - heavy snow is expected in the mountains. As we near the mountains, the rain starts and we know that it'll turn to ice before it turns to snow. This is an inevitability living in Calgary and the mountains where the weather changes every five minutes and around every bend of the road. It's going to be an adventure. Everyone was happy to be out. Matt is busily playing trucks on his tray in the back (or was it colouring at this point?) and looking for trains and horses out his window. So with the gas tank full and the car prepped for winter condition, we make the turn onto the 40 and head into K-country.

After a quick stop at the information to get an update on the area (high avalanche warnings have been issued - hmm guess we won't be hiking Ptarmigan), we continue to head south, and the weather does indeed become icy. We hope that it'll change to snow after the next valley and indeed it does. By the time we get to Highwood Meadows, the area is a winter wonderland. We gear up and have some fun in the snow.

When Matt is done, we pack back up, grab a snack and head further down the road. Now I have to admit that part of my reason for wanting to go to this area was to find a specific spot that I took this picture last fall.

We knew the general area but we hadn't been able to find the exact spot... it's down the hill from the road and we remembered stopping on the way north on the road when we had seen a women photographing the scene with her phone. This time though I had printed off a contact sheet with several photos that showed the topography of the spot. With the visibility poor it was hard to see the topographic markers I was seeking but conditions improved slightly just as we got to the area - and my wonderful husband stopped and turned around the car several times looking for the exact spot. Finally, we find it!

I'm ecstatic and head down the embankment to the ice covered wetland below. Despite the grey weather, I'm in photographic heaven. Selfishly I leave my husband on the roadside watching not only the truck with our son still playing in it but also myself as I descend the slippery snowy slope. For almost half an hour, I scamper around the ice and snow (and water) taking photographs. When I finally return to the truck, I'm cold and a little wet (my boots aren't waterproof as far up as I thought) but I'm happy. It made my day, my week. 

Onward we drive and head back to Calgary where we learned we had missed hurricane force winds. It was the end of another weekend.  Saturday had been spent ensuring that Matt had completely recovered - calm and lots of rest - frustrating to see such a nice day pass us by but for the best we hoped. Sunday despite the weather and despite (or perhaps due to) indulging in a little selfishness at the roadside in the middle of nowhere, ended with everyone was happy and healthy. That for me is the key to The Big Picture. 

How was your weekend? How do you balance everyone`s needs?

Lots of fluids, lots of rest

Lots of fluids and lots of rest... so goes the saying when fighting a bug. They forgot one additional thing you need as a parent. Patience. Lots of Patience.

My little guy was sick this past week - nothing serious, just a little stomach bug.

As highly active, on-the-go people, the hardest thing about this week was to know when to do nothing. To cancel activities, to go home early, to just cuddle up together and watch a movie (okay, actually getting a cuddle was kind of nice - he's usually too busy moving). To be patient.

Another thing requiring patience was dealing with a patient who just want to do everything but didn't feel well enough to anything much at all.  At two, he still doesn't quite understand being sick - he wanted to go, go, go as per usual. Makes for a grumpy and impatient patient... then again neither of his parents are good patients when they're sick.

Finally as a parent, you need a lot of patience just to watch your child suffer from the bug. There's nothing much you can do other than make them as comfortable as possible. To be patient while the bug runs it's course. To wait for them to get better.

He's almost back to normal this morning... I wonder if I hurry if I can get a little cuddle before he takes off?

Winter's Arrival

It's been predicted that Calgary is going to have one of the coldest winters in a couple of decades. I shiver just thinking about it. I shiver even more knowing that it is currently -17C with a wind chill of -26C outside with the current weather listed as ice crystals.

I'm one of those people who'd rather see several feet of snow than the thermometer  dip into the -20s. I love to spend hours outside in the winter - hiking, skiing, skating, taking photographs or just generally playing. So give me the snow, but you can keep the bitter cold. Besides which it's a lot easier to dress a two-year old for snow than for cold and a lot more fun!

That being said we can't choose the weather, so just in time we've finished outfitting our son. Many of the blogs that I follow about outdoor adventures with kids have been blogging about how to dress your kids for winter. They all have some great tips and I've included some links to their respective blogs below. I want to emphasize the importance that you make sure that you're dressing your children to fit your lifestyle and your kids personality.

Matt loves to move, so keeping him mobile as well as warm is one of our priorities. So to that end, we've outfitted him much the same as we have ourselves. We found great long underwear for him which not only adds a layer of warm but is wicking so no moisture stays close to his skin. We have a warm fleece layer - simply cosy and warm. Then we have a layer to protect him against the elements - wind, rain, snow, cold - a winter snow suit which is waterproof-breathable and we also got him a pair of fleece lined snow pants (no bib) which are proving to be great for hiking in cold weather (if it's a mild day we also have his rain suit at our disposal). Add a choice of mitts, both waterproof hiking boots and snow boots, winter (wicking) socks, hats and balaclavas and our son is ready for any weather and activity. I've deliberately left out the brands as so much depends on your kids - not all brands fit all kids - find stuff that fits your child. We love Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC) and have bought a lot of stuff over the years there, including one of Matt's new pairs of mitts. We also find that North Face and Columbia fits our son very well. You can find a lot of good fleece pieces in many of the stores including Children's Place and MEC. If you're in Alberta and you make it down to Pincher Creek, The Outdoor Outlet there that has great stuff not only for adults but babies, toddler and preschoolers. Consignment stores as well as online classifieds such as Kijiji are also great sources for good clothing.

If you still need to outfit your child for the winter, please take sometime to read some of the blogs below, because, as I can't emphasize enough, every child is different and everyone's lifestyle is different - the clothing you choose needs to reflect that. Keeps reading reviews and blogs, talking to other parents and talking to the experts at the stores and make a choice that's right for you.

Family Adventures in the Mountains

Adventure Tykes

Active Kids Club

Get Out With The Kids

The Kid Project

One last question to leave you with. Would piece of gear do you deem essential?

Alberta: More Than Mountains - The Foothills

There are some people who may argue with me but there is more than mountains to Alberta. While our initial plan had been to head to the mountains for some winter fun, we decided that with five or more months of winter ahead of us we weren't quite ready to embrace it. Instead we headed south into the Foothills both Saturday and Sunday. 

On Saturday, the weather wasn't the best but we headed to Millarville Christmas Market any ways. It was a little windy and chilly but we browsed the exhibits, bought a couple of gifts and grabbed some fresh baked goods for the ride home. However, the best part as far as Matt was concerned was the hay ride! Horsies!!! The reindeer were AWOL but we enjoyed our morning out, getting back to the city in time for afternoon nap.

On Sunday, the weather was predicted to be mostly sunny - perfect for exploring! We decided to head down to Pincher Creek as they have an outdoor store we love. We find they have a great selection for the whole family - including what we wanted to complete our little ones winter wardrobe (more on that in a future post). But you don't just go to Pincher Creek to shop at one store. For us it's a day long adventure.

On the way down, we decided to stop at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. If you haven't been - go - it's great even for toddlers. It's open all year round and is a spectacular exhibit highlighting an important part of Alberta's history. And while you're at it, if you don't already have one, get the Experience Alberta's History Annual Pass - it not only allows you to get into Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump but many other of Alberta's historic sites such as the Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller (Dinosaurs) and the Reynolds-Alberta Museum (Airplanes). This is where my hubby gets a big huge "Thanks". He wandered around the exhibit with Matt while I spent a good amount of time outside in the wind and cold being a photographer.

From there we meandered down a few back roads to Pincher Creek, my patient husband stopping at the side of the road so that I could jump out and take photographs of the windmills that line the ridges and fields in the area. After our shopping trip in Pincher Creek, we wound through the Foothills on the 22 and some back roads home to Calgary. A few of the stops we had thought to make on the way home were nixed as Matt fell asleep but what was missed can be seen on another trip. It was a great day, everyone was enjoyed themselves. I was able to be photographer, mom and wife all while enjoying a beautiful part of Alberta. That is The Big Picture.

How did you spend your long weekend? 

Lest We Forget

Ode of Remembrance

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.

Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

Lest we forget.

Today is not simply the first day of a long weekend (for those readers who do not get this day of rememberance off, it's a mystery to me why the one holiday that crosses all religions, all backgrounds, all beliefs is not granted to all Canadians on a federal level). Everyone living in Canada should take a moment to remember. Even if you do not believe in the wars, the missions or the political reasons that continue to take the men and women of this country to the most dangerous places in the world, remember. Because today isn't about the politics - it's about the people. It's about the men and women who served and continue to serve to protect our freedom and the freedom of others. It's about those who died on the field of battle and those who survived. It's about the veterans and those who continue to wear the uniform today. Let us take two minutes and remember in silence those who fought and continue to fight to ensure that we have the rights and freedoms we often take for granted. Let us teach our children about our history and ensure that we never forget the price of freedom.  Let us remember.

Then you can enjoy having an additional day with the family and celebrate the hard won freedom we enjoy in Canada. I for one, will enjoying the mountains and one of our National Parks with my family.

Time Changes

This weekend was not easy... the clocks were turned back and everyone supposedly got an extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning. Someone forgot to tell my son! (And every other child)

Normally Matt wakes up around 6 am and can be persuaded to settle down for another 45 minutes or so of quiet time - he talks to himself, sings, reads a book, etc. This gives me (and on the weekends, my husband) time to wake up, have a cup of tea, basically get going before having to start running. Not on Sunday. 5:05 am. And there was no quiet time... he wanted up, he wanted breakfast, he wanted stories read to him. By 9 am he was starting to get tired and getting a bit cranky. Our plans to go hiking were nixed - he'd never make it (and unfortunately he won't nap in the car or child carrier at this point but that's another story).

So we decided to go to Chapter's. We'd be close enough to quickly get home when he was "done" and in the meantime the toys and books would distract him sufficiently to avoid a morning of continuous meltdowns. We got, there even before the doors were even open but fortunately the attached Starbucks was. Matt ran around telling everyone the book store wasn't open and that keys were needed to open the doors. We weren't alone - there were at least three other couples anxiously waiting for the doors to open to provide the distraction of their Kid's Zone. The doors opened and there was a sigh of relief as the children busied themselves with books, trains and animals. More families arrived, coffee in hand, kids in tow - it was a bit of a party. A couple of hours later we carried a very tired boy out - we had made it through the morning (and as a bonus I was able to cross a couple of things off the Christmas list). The hardest part was over. After nap time a trip to the park, a couple of errands, dinner and a bath took us almost to the regular bedtime.

This morning was better and I'm hoping by tomorrow the new time will be routine.

How did you and yours adjust to the time change?

Introduction/Bedtime Dilemmas

Introduction
I've had it in my mind for the last few months to create a blog to chronicle my adventures raising a spirited two year old boy, being a stay at home mother, wife, outdoor enthusiast and photographer all the while trying to remain sane. I just couldn't figure out the angle I wanted to approach it from. Then it came to me (at 6 o'clock in the morning when my son woke up) that I should do it from the philosophy I'm trying to live by. Remember the Big Picture.

What do I mean by this? The Big Picture for me is that we are happy and healthy. Period. It covers everything from what activities we're doing, what we're eating, community involvement, etc. It sounds simplistic but it's anything but... it's a fine juggling job of commitments, obligations, fun and games. It's stopping to ask why? Why are we doing this? Is it because it's an expectation (perceived or real) or is it because we want to? Is it something we should do, need to do or want to do? If we're not happy, what can we change? It means making the hard choices rather than the easy ones.

So here goes... A mother, a wife, an outdoor enthusiast, a photography and... Blogger living and juggling life in Calgary, Alberta. I hope that you enjoy my thoughts and share with me yours.

Bedtime Dilemmas
Yesterday evening I went out for the first time in a long time when I was not going to be home for bedtime. My husband was looking after our son and it's his thing to do bedtime so it shouldn't of been a big deal. Wrong. I get home an hour after bedtime and what do I hear? "Mommy's home". Needless to say I wasn't amused. Luckily for everyone involved, he went down really easily for me. A quick brush of the teeth and into the crib...nighty night. And he slept in so (phew) so I didn't have to deal with a cranky tot all day... if that had been the case, my hubby would still be begging for forgiveness. Big Picture - not a big thing once in a while and I'll try again next week. It'll do both my son and my hubby good to have to do it on their own. That said if I get a cranky kid as a result I won't be happy and then we'll look at possible changes.What do you do when bedtime is messed up?