In order to accomplish this, good shovels are key. You need a couple of different kinds, one for pushing the snow that is in reasonable proximity to the site, one for carrying good amounts from farther distances, and one for doing the detailed shaping later on in the process. You also need lots of snow, if you think you have enough, you don't. We made two piles that were up to my waist and once they were packed in, ended up being less than two feet tall. A lot of it is used up supporting the flat deck on top, and the transitions on the front. Making sure you have enough to cover the flat bottom is also key.

In Alberta you have to work quick, the temperatures that give you this kind of snow are elusive and short-lived. We had a 30º+ swing and by the next afternoon it was but a memory. So build it, session it, and get photographic proof. We've done this twice this winter, check the video.

So, when it's still snowing in April, in Alberta, that's how you make lemonade. That's how we....slide.

Tags: Winter, April, Snow Day, Lemonade

I don't mind doing laundry, I really don't. I find folding laundry oddly satisfying, somewhat meditative. I think part of it is the closure. It's something I can start, and finish. Which is a rare thing with a couple of short things running around. It's also something I can do without thinking about it, which allows me time to think about other things, while looking busy and focused enough to fool them into doing things for themselves once in a while. It's not unlike dishwashing (which I also do a lot of), but dishwashing has the added bonus of wet hands.

I want to pose a question. What is it with 5 year olds not being able to take off their clothes without leaving every single item INSIDE OUT? I don't believe they do it on purpose, but then wouldn't Murphy's law permit that once in a while something would remain right side out? Also, now that I do virtually all of the laundry, I can say this out loud. Ladies please, what's with the used tissues in the pockets??? I understand you get runny noses but, why keep the evidence? More incredibly, how do the tissues still manage to make it into the wash and then all over everything in the dryer, when you have NO POCKETS in your clothes!?? I've been doing this for a while and I now know to check the pockets, but when the pants have no pockets, where are you hiding the tissues? Could someone shed some light on these mysteries?

Tags: Winter, Laundry, Kids

I think kids should eat more dirt, I think it helps build a strong immune system. When it stays winter through the end of April, my kids immune systems have run out of dirt. Like the story of the chipmunks who ran out of nuts because they goofed off in September and didn't stock up, my kids did not eat enough dirt last summer. Now, they're play-dating with Sick, who brings along Whine. After a relatively Sick-free "Winter" (Nov-March in my mind) this is annoying. So instead of dirt, They're still eating snow, which does NOTHING for their immune systems.

Needless to say, this summer, (if it ever comes) they will eat more dirt.

Tags: Winter, Sick Kids

I like winter, or at least I did at one point. I used to live for it, but that was when I was working at a ski hill and riding my snowboard six days a week. A foot of fresh snow was like Christmas!, getting hit in the face with snow all day long was actually enjoyable, desirable! enviable! a sought after experience! Now I drive a minivan. Fish-nosing a minivan is just not cool. (It's fish-nosing as opposed to fish-tailing because most minivans are front wheel drive.) All Season Tires? I think not. One of the exits from our neighbourhood on to a main road is a sloping, downhill, off-camber, right turn that also serves as the right hand feeder lane for the upcoming intersection. (Just to clarify, off-camber means it slopes toward the outside if the corner, away from the direction you are turning.) The slightest bit of hestiation or over-braking, well actually braking of any kind really, will send you sideways and either lodge you directly across the width of the on-ramp, or out into the traffic that are veering into your lane, ignoring the definition of "merge" in a coffee fueled road-to-work rally, because you know, "they have 4-wheel drive, so it's ok". This turn claims it's fair share of victims every year, but when it's still snowing in the last week of April, well let's just say there is no fear of missing the performance bonus this year.

Tags: Winter