chickens in my backyard

Another chicken painting. This time I went all out with the frisket love. Its this sort of weird rubbery stuff that you paint on to a dry painting and you can do washes over it, and rub it off when everything is dry. It is key to remove it quickly though as it can stick to your paper if left over night.

This is my condo backyard. I'm imagining chickens in it. That would be cool.

We went hiking yesterday and found our limit for outdoor adventures. It was really cold. Like 15 degrees below. We have great winter gear and wanted to go try it out. We went to Kananaskis, and though we were all warm, it was just too cold to relax and enjoy. I think -5 is about cold enough. But we are learning. Now when we go it doesnt take all week of planning and a whole morning packing. Actually we can up and go in about an hour. And thats pretty cool when you are going with two kids and a car load of stuff!

Some things I have learned:

1) have pancakes the morning of. (we have a mix that uses whole wheat flour so its not a big deal to make them) I make a double batch and pack the left overs for the drive and on the hike. That way we all eat a big breakfast and have energy, plus they are light, filling and easy to take on the trip.

1a) have dinner ready for when you get home. Crock pot it, or have something to heat up. Arriving home cold, hungry and tired, you wont feel like cooking! (and usually no-one feels like waiting!)

2) Do everything possible to keep the big kid awake on the drive home. A few times he has fallen asleep and it has nearly killed us as he is then up so late. And we would rather not be!

3) bring the neck warmer! Even at 0 degrees Marcel complains that his face is cold. Actually this goes for all exposed parts. We have mitts from MEC and these are a life saver.

4) Always pack the toboggan. Marcel may not hike for that long, but we can go farther if we know that we can pull him home. Plus we can always ride down the hills on the trail. We have a very light, inexpensive one that just trails along behind us - till we need it!

5) I have to remember to take it easy and have fun. Though I need a work out and would love to take it to the limit, I have to slow down, remember the little guys and take a look around me...

6)always bring chocolate.

7) when in doubt, just go...as my mom would say "you'll love it once you're there!"