Positive talk can conquer mountains (and neighbourhood trail systems)

I could see this afternoon morphing into one of those days where the kids are grumpy, climbing the walls (my 18-month old figured out how to scale the pedestal sink in the bathroom!), refusing naps, and just being irrational in general.  I'm sorry to admit, but these days more often than not result in a grumpy mommy.  No one wants a grumpy mommy!

I decided to get out of our postage stamp existence and hit the trail that we're lucky enough to have in our neighbourhood.  There was no way I was taking two semi-insane children to the climbing apparatus at our local park, as the last thing I needed was a broken limb due to lack of mental sanity on all our parts.  So we set off, like three hobbits on an adventure after second lunch.  The 18-month old strapped into his stroller, the 3-year old on her balance bike, and me attempting to corral the gong show along.

B & her balance bike

When it became apparent that Will was not going to fall asleep in his sweet ride (c'mon, I'd love to have someone push me around while I sleep!), I released the hounds and let him join his sister in some trail craziness.  Honestly, it was fun!

The trail is a great place for the kiddos, with a lot to explore and interesting flora and fauna along the way.  It completes a rather large loop (large for a 3-year old on a balance bike), which normally would take 45 minutes for me to walk.  Today, we took over 2 hours.  But it was fun.  And we travelled S L O W L Y.  This is key to any successful outing with a wee one, no matter the duration.  Move at their pace and everyone will be happier.

With me being the biologist mom that I am, any outdoor activity is destined to be educational.  We discovered that sumac branches are fuzzy; white pines shed a lot of needles in the fall, exposing many abandoned bird nests; bike brakes are rather ineffective to use while climbing hills; mastered the art of coasting safely and quickly down hills; found two different species of ladybug with no help from me (proud entomologist mom moment); identified different cloud formations (technically and imaginatively); unearthed earthworms; searched for salamanders and snakes; befriended a local cat out for a walkabout; and truly enjoyed ourselves.

Eventually, the wee man succumbed to the soporific effect nature and a stroller have on a tot.  With him asleep, the final obstacle was keeping it in B's head that this was fun and she could make it all the way on her bike.  Sounds easy?  HA!  In reality, sometimes I feel as though I can't complete the trail loop.  Add to the equation that I inadvertently left he water bottle and snack on the front porch, and it could spell disaster.  So I continually encouraged her to keep on truckin'.  I'd recall the next landmark we were approaching, and get all excited and make a big deal about seeing it.  To call these things landmarks is really stretching it; there's the "silly tree" that grows vertical for a foot, then does a 90 degree turn and shoots out sideways for 15 feet; the storm water retention pond that we like to check out for frogs in the summer and skate on in the winter; random backyards (B loves this, I think she thinks she's spying on them, even though they back onto a trail); grassy knolls to sit on; rock gardens to inspect for critters; the "bendy forest", full of cedars that twist skyward; "dog forest", where we're bound to pass at least one canine out for a stroll; and numerous other oddities that most adults wouldn't think twice about.

Eventually B completed her first full loop of the trail on her own!  I was so impressed and proud of her.  We celebrated with a granola bar and glass of milk, acknowledging her accomplishment.  I sat back in awe and watched as she recalled her journey to her dad, detailing every plant and animal we met along the way.  It's experiences like these that shape the people we are, nurture a love and respect for nature, and set up our children to deal with challenges in their future.

Inspecting some sort of critter on a recent hike

magician, position, same same but different.

"I'm going to do first magician with my feet!"
~ B, en route to ballett class, referring to first "position".

Ah, from the mouths of babes.

The joys of dressing a 3-year old

"THOSE AREN'T MY ROYAL PANTIES!!!"

... come again, now?  Just put on these panties and go to bed, already!

The Zoo, kid-style.

We hit up the Toronto Zoo this week.  Great time of year to go, as the weather is cooler (more active animals) and everyone is back in school (no crowds).  Earlier in the summer, we met good friends at the zoo.  A fantastic outing for young families!  The key to a successful day is travelling at the pace of the slowest member of your group.  In this case, it was the two preschoolers on foot.  Plenty of snacks, hats, water, variety, and freedom to let their imaginations run wild made for a great day!

Kai sported her red rain suit, which, apparently, drove the animals crazy!  At one point she had lynx attempting to dig their way out of their enclosure to get her.

She also spent the day pretending to be a jaguar, walking around on all fours (of course).  She'd randomly curl up in a ball on the ground when passing large animal enclosures, such as the cougars, since "jaguars are afraid of cougars".  We'd then have to go pick her/jaguar up and carry her/jaguar to safety.

Will had a blast running all over the place.  Since we had practically the entire zoo to ourselves, we could let him run free.  He enjoyed darting from one exhibit to the next, laughing hysterically at the otter swimming and howling back at the arctic wolves.

We saw the african elephants one last time, since they're heading to California to an elephant sanctuary next week to escape harsh northern winters.

B directing C.  Too bad he can't see through the map!

I love letting my kids get up close and personal with animals of all forms, but it's getting more and more important to teach them to respect the animal's personal space.  A tricky thing to teach a youngin!  As you can see, B has no fear of animals and animals seem to have no fear of her (a good and a bad thing).

B, way too close to this bird.

And our favourite exhibit of all, the elusive floating arm!

How to nap like an 18-month old

How to nap like an 18-month old:

1. Realize you're tired.

2. Ask for yogurt.

3. Smear yogurt all over every surface within reach, ensuring at least half of it goes into left eye.

4. Rub eye repeatedly, 'cause, oh ya, you're tired.  And you have yogurt in your eye.

5. Get hosed down in skin, cry until you realize you can spray water everywhere.

6. Freak out when removed from sink, hold onto tap for dear life.

7. Oh no, she is NOT going to try to change that diaper!  Initiate roll/squirm sequence.

8. F-ing clean diaper ... WHOA is that a clean shirt mom's trying to put on? I don't think so!  Time for some sweet back arches, head banging, & spaghetti arms.

9. Victory, still half naked.

10. NO!  Mom's picking me up again!  Can't she see I'm busy having a temper tantr ... uh ... oh ... zzzzzz.