One of the pleasures of wintertime this year has been going for walks with the family. Whereas I used to push Kira around in her stroller everyday during the wintertime during her first 2 winters, I just haven't been able to get out as readily with 2 kids. It literally takes me an hour to get the kids ready for an outing when I'm alone, and then when I have one foot out the door either Calvin poos in his diaper, or Kira has to go to the toilet, thus delaying us by another 10 mins. In addition to this, when we're outside all Kira wants to do these days is walk herself, not be pushed in a stroller (she's two and a half so who can blame her?). It's difficult enough pushing a stroller through the snow-packed roads, and this on top of chasing a toddler? Arrrgh!
So, while there have been far fewer outdoor walks this winter than last, it's been quite enjoyable really, because now when we go for a stroll, it's all 4 of us breathing in the crisp, fresh air together. And although it's been quite snowy of late, the temperatures have been mild overall so there have been a few good occasions for leisurely walks. The photo on the right was taken to show how high our snow banks are! Our friends (especially those from outside of Canada) are always amazed at our snow!Last summer I convinced Mark to look for and buy a second-hand double stroller. While I don't regret this purchase entirely, I am kind of kicking myself for the purchase we made because I think we paid too much for a stroller with small bald wheels that is cumbersome and huge. With the weight of 2 babies in it, some of the roads were almost impossible to navigate! Would you believe that we recently found a double jogging stroller at Costco for around $120? While it isn't a Chariot or a BOB (my dream jogging stroller!), I am SO happy with the investment because it isn't a huge one to make, I can push my 2 kids with SUCH ease, and this gives me added incentive to start jogging once the roads are cleared of snow and the jogging / cycling paths in Candiac open up. I was already calculating in my head as I announced to Mark during yesterday's walk, that if I use this stroller as much as I hope to, it will cost us less than $1 per use by the time we stop using it. I'll post more about the jogging stroller in a future blog. Just got great use out of it today, when I did an hour workout with it!
Here's my active daughter Kira puddle-walking. As soon as we let her out of the stroller, she went straight for the crunchy snow and the deep puddles. She enjoys puddles so much that she'll walk forward and backward through them... yikes, here I am hoping for a not-so-wet spring season ahead!
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