We start with a trip to the park...next the Olympics!

Okay, well maybe we didn't make it to the Olympics but we did have our own Olympic experience today.

The Olympic Torch is coming through Calgary and surrounding communities this week and, since I have never seen the torch, I thought it would be fun for us to go as a family. Unfortunately, I got my dates mixed up and so I ended up missing Calgary's evening show at Olympic Plaza. There were a few other events in town today and tomorrow but, since they're during the day, I would have had to take the baby alone to go see it (which I was willing to do but not particularily excited about since both events took place at 8:30 am).

As luck would have it, I was driving home from a class this afternoon and I heard on the radio that the nearby community of Airdrie was hosting the flame this evening. They had a little relay route around town and then some festivities at a local park. I called Dave at work and told him to try and get home as early as possible and we quickly fed ourselves and Isla and headed out the door.

We originally intended to go to the park to see all the festivities but we were cutting it close on time so we decided to just pick a spot on the relay route instead to see everything. I had a small , fairly unhelpful map that I found on the internet to guide us to the route location. Since my map didn't have any street names on it, I took a guess as to which intersection we should take to get off the highway. Well, it was a very lucky guess since we ended up in a traffic jam just in time to see the torch bearer run by.

It wasn't how I imagined it would be with us cheering the runner on from our comfy spot on the side of the road. It ended up being pretty perfect, though. Isla was nice and cosy in the back seat (although she did cry a little bit afterward from all the honking of car horns) and we had a fairly unobstructed view between the cars at the relay route so we managed to get a few pictures and a small video. Within a few minutes the traffic was moving again and we were on our way back home talking and laughing about how typically "us" our first Olympic experience as a family was.

Clearly this is a once in a lifetime event so I can't really recommend this as an activity for families to do but I guess it shows that it's worth it to pack everyone up in the car in order to gather a few priceless memories.

Location: Airdrie, just off of Highway #2
Cost: Free
Gear that we used for Isla: Graco Snugride 32 Carseat, our Pentax digital camera, and the video on my iPhone

Baby, it’s Cold Outside

So here we are, in the middle of January. Living in Calgary, we tend to get stretches of really cold weather and then warm Chinooks that come in to warm things up for a few days before plunging us back into the cold again. This week we’re fortunate to have one of those Chinooks come through and we’re experiencing lovely above zero weather. Since Dave and I were feeling a little pent up from being inside last week due to the cold temperatures, we decided that this weekend was the perfect time to get ourselves out to our favourite park for a nice walk. It also helps that Santa has brought Isla a new sled for Christmas this year and we’ve all been itching to try it out. So off we went to Bowness Park with Isla all bundled up in her snowsuit and our dog, Hudson, shaking with joy that she was allowed to come for the short car ride.

Bowness Park is actually the perfect location to start our project. It’s very family friendly with a wonderful ice skating rink set up on the lagoon (skates are available for rent if you don’t have any), a small café that sells the most delicious Mexican hot chocolate, and permanent bathroom facilities (which I’ve learned are a must with children along). Dave and I had our first date in this park several years ago and we love it for its combination of fun things to do and natural beauty. We often kayak on the lagoon and go for walks along the Bow River.

Our little trip on Saturday ended up being so enjoyable that we went back again on Sunday. The new sled for Isla was perfect for sliding her around on the paths and she even managed to have a little nap in there on Sunday so the ride must have been comfortable. We picked up some hot chocolate for the walk and off we went down the path along the creek (now a skating rink) through the large pines until we reached the Stoney Trail Bridge and then back again. Hudson met up with several other furry friends (note that this is an on-leash park so any pet owners do need to have a leash for their pet) and sniffed every nook and cranny along the way (some of them twice). Really it was a great way to get out and enjoy a local venue and work off a few of those post holiday (and post baby) pounds.

Location: Bowness Park
Cost: Free
Gear that we used for Isla: Snowsuit ($30 from Superstore), Toque ($5 from Superstore), Baby Sled (Santa brought us this one but you can also buy it for $8-12 from Wal-Mart or Zellers).

Stepping out of the Toy Box

Does the adventure end when you have children? Many people say that having a baby is an adventure in itself, but as the fog from our first 3 months of parenthood lifts, I find myself missing some of the old challenges in my life. I wonder whether life with children is so different or if that’s just something we tell ourselves so that we don’t have to make the effort to push our limits.

I have a daughter who was born in August named Isla. I know about being tired, busy, stressed….everything that is associated with being a new parent. My husband, Dave, asked me last November what I wanted for a Christmas gift and the only thing I could think of was a spa day so I think it’s pretty clear that the last thing that I want to do is add more craziness to our already crazy life. That said, we’ve decided as a family (well Isla’s opinion doesn’t quite count yet) to step out of the box and try some new (and old) adventures as parents. I’m sure we’ll have some failures along the way but I also think this little project will have some great successes as well.

Welcome to the Stepping Out of the Toy Box Project.