How to go to the Mount Washington Tube Park with 4 year old twins.

Congratulations, your going to take the twins tubing.

First, go to the mountains website and create a profile and reserve a tubing time (takes about ten minutes but saves you a headache once you arrive). You only need to pay for yourself, as the kids are free being under a certain height.

What to pack:

• Sunscreen
• Snacks
• Toque
• Neck warmer if the snow suit opens at the neck because you get going FAST
• Gloves, I find the longer ones that go into their jacket the best with a little thumb part.
• Snow suit are good except for bathroom breaks so two piece is best for us
• Snow boots
• Bring a water bottle and some snacks depending where you need to park
• A way of payment (VISA card)

Whats the rules?

• Print or bring your online RECEIPT with you in order to redeem your tubing tickets.
• 1-hr Tube Park Pass $18 (includes tube rental). prices subject to change.
• All riders must have a tickets regardless of age or height.
• Riders must be a minimum height of 42″ or 107 cm tall to tube.
• Riders under 42″ tall can ride free with an adult in their tube.
• All riders must be at least 2 years of age.
• Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult while in the Tube Park.
• Children under 12 can ride by themselves as long as they are tall enough.
• One person over 42″ or 107cm per tube only. Adults may hang onto their child’s tube in the lane. (conditions permitting)
• Ski Boots or hard shell are not permitted in the Tube Park for safety reasons.
• No sleds, toboggans or other self-owned tubes are permitted in the Tube Park.
• Rental goggles, snowboard boots, jackets, pants are available in the rental shop.
• Allergy alert: we use straw at times to reduce tube speeds.
• Max groups of 4 tubes in a square and the group sizes may be limited if the operator deems it necessary.
• Lanes maybe closed if the operator deems it necessary, (usually because of weather and speed).
• Do not pull tubes while occupied. Always walk or carry tubes to lift.

Basic Information

• Sliders should be prepared for varying weather conditions and temperatures
• Winter boots with good tread and appropriate clothing are recommended.
• There are staff stationed at the base of the lift, top of the lift, start of the lanes as well as in the run out lanes to provide assistance and instruction.
• Observe and obey all signs and instructions from tube park and lift operations staff

 So what happens exactly?

On the way there, the twins wear warm thin pants and a nice warm long sleeve shirt and socks. So once you are parked you stand them up on the front seat and get them dressed. *** Get yourself dressed first.

Once you get to the visitor station and get your passes, put your electronic pass in your left pocket for the automatic readers will read the pass BUT can demagnetize your visa. So keep VISA in your right pocket.

Then off to the tube park. We slide on our bums if the hills are too steep while walking.

You walk into the tubing area and they will direct you over. You sit on the tube first then your kid on top or in front of you.

They ask if you want a spin. I always say no, because it makes me sick.

Hold on to the child, my son has a tenancy of planking mid ride… LOL. No idea why.

You land in hay, so hopefully no allergies.

Then you carry your tube with child beside you (not allowed for them to sit in the tube) up the hill to the crazy carpet slider.

Put your child on the carpet first, you get on and you’re pulling your tube. Hold onto the child because it’s like a flat escalator.  Sometimes they teeter front and back or side to side. Sitting is not allowed on the carpet.

Once at the top, I picked mine up and put them on the side first, then I got off with the tube.

We went down about 5-6 times.

It’s a great time and really affordable.

Lumberjack themed Camping trip with three year old twins

Its that time of year again to dust the camping gear off and make a campsite reservation. I love camping but I love themed camping trips more.
This time was a lumberjack, so here are a few pointers to help you plan a successful lumberjack, sorta red neck, themed camping trip.

Outfits:
Plaid, cut off anything, any shirt with a ridiculous message on it (animals, booze, sayings etc)

Food:
Meat balls, mashed potatoes and gravy
Ribs with corn
Scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage
Wieners cooked in BBQ sauce and macaroni salad.

The family gobbbbbled up those meals.

Decoration:
plaid table cloth, party lights, red solo cup anything.

Music:
rock, country, blue grass, almost anything but pop.

Games:
I created a kid friendly plastic AX THROWING game. Sure, I lost some friends on Facebook when I posted my red neck video but good ridden.
You can find plastic shields and ax accessories in the dress up part of any local dollar store.
Take neon bands and tape paper to them. Creating little circles that are light weight.
Take a paper clip to the top and tie string at different lengths.
Each circle represents a different number, I made 5 circles with numbers, 5, 10 and 15.
Play to 30.  Have back up paper circles, tape and felt to replace the ones that get torn down during the toss. This is what I created at home to practice before going out in the bush.
Take a rope and tie to tent poles, trees, antennas whatever you can. Make sure there’s no bushes or people on one side of the rope because you will hit them with your ax.
Make a line in the dirt where to throw from or use rocks to mark the throwing line.

Have teams. We did family teams so kids as young as 2 were throwing and old as 70.
On a separate sheet have a pen and get each family to name their own team. We had Lucky Lager Bears, Salty Sea Dawgs, Ax a Million, Lumberjax, Triple Threats, Dog Days.
Super fun and easy and no clean up.

Second game was a KEG ROLL.
Kegs are hard to come by but we were lucky enough to have one. Take a chair about ten feet from the starting line. One team member runs while rolling the unstable keg and does a FULL circle around the chair coming back across the line, where the second member does a full circle around the chair too.

Have someone use their phone as a stop watch. Write the times down. Fastest time wins.

Keep in mind everyone’s safety is important, Kegs are heavy so watch the toes and back:)

The twins went to bed at 8pm and slept till 8am.

This lil momma dream weekend of fun, fatty foods, and games with friends and family.

Why people stare at me.

• I talk dragon talk (deep raspy voice) with my twinions and they answer me in dragon voice.
• I use double negatives frequently, “I didn’t say you couldn’t not do that”.
• I’m dancing holding onto both children, pretending they are so light, while singing my heart out.
• When counting down I skip numbers, “get in the car, 10,9,7,5,4,3,2,1”. Sometimes in dragon talk.
• People overhear me reassure a child that sharts (poop farts) are totally normal.
• I have make up on one eye lid.
• My shoes don’t match my outfit.
• I look like I got run over by a moose….. Twice.
• I talk out loud to myself, when I’m alone and answer myself. Sometimes I laugh at myself.
• I don’t notice I have stickers on my clothes.
• I sing made up songs, out loud, in public.
• My phone is ringing in my bra or sock.
• I have twins.
• I pack all of our items like a donkey, while holding their hands trying to remember where I left the wagon.

Ghost poop?

Potty training always has its up and downs. You can read and read and talk to other parents for their tips and tricks but one day you will be forced to answer a question you have no idea how to.

My child had gone to the washroom, they announced loud and proud they were going to go poo.  I continued washing up the dishes until I heard my name yelled for the wipe.

Suddenly, there was a scream, “mommy its gone.”

I rushed into the washroom. Standing, looking into the toilet bowl was my child in tears. “whats wrong babe?” I asked.

“I pooped and its gone.”

I looked and I couldn’t see it. “Are you sure babe? Lets give you a clean and see.” I took the toilet paper and nothing came on it, no streaks, no brown…nothing..

I could see my child was so upset.  “Mommy I pooped and the toilet ate it.”

I replied, “I think it just went inside the pipe really fast and didn’t pop out for you to see.”

Just then a hand rushes towards the water to grab their poop. I blocked it. “Mommmmmmy wheres my poo?” full tears coming down.

“Its a ghost poop babe.”

“A ghost?”

“Its when you poop and there’s no sign of it, nothing to wipe, nothing to see. You just know you did it. They are rare but, very rewarding because there’s no real mess. Mommy doesn’t need to clean the sides of the toilet and we don’t use lots of toilet paper.”

“Mommy, why is there a ghost taking my poop?”

To be continued…..

What to bring to an outdoor music festival with twin toddlers:

A week before the family friendly music festival, you have purchased the veggie tray, humus, snap peas and little crackers. You have juice boxes, chips, glow in the dark bracelets and bubbles for the three year old twins.

If your like me, you’ve invited the family and friends on both sides and everyone has confirmed they are coming to the festivities. Our town was having a great big Canada Day celebration with bands, face painting, bouncing castle, petting zoo, tents, beer gardens for the family and a ton of food trucks. The location was on a grassy knoll near a lake. This recipe should make for the most perfect day when you have littles. I wasn’t in charge of cooking, music or cleaning my house- like a normal party. This was my party cheat day.

Okay, let me get down to business.

Don’t forget to pack the following items:

• Roll of tissue, sometimes outhouses dont have any and I guarantee someone will need to poop
• Blanket, there’s a chance they may actually want to sit down with you
• Hats, sun screen, change of pants, shirt, dress, favorite toy (my son can’t leave the house without his fire truck and my daughter without her pink puppy)
• Your food (examples I pack are mentioned above in detail), drinks, straws, napkins, wet naps
• Phone, camera, and novelty clothing like a flower lei, mardis gras beads anything new and fun for the twins.

From reading the above a few times, I am confident that’s all you need. Anything extra is a bonus. I’ve seen people bring iPad and little game things, but for me, less is more and I am blessed because my littles like to dance to any music and love to eat.

I usually wear something colourful so it hides the stains from their filthy little paws. Good shoes in case I need to run fast or flip flops, I can kick them off when chasing them down. Which reminds me a good bra because you will be dancing and probably running.

The festival was fun, everyone ate the snack food and we all danced together. Sometimes I need to carry both of them in my arms while dancing but that’s just the way it is when you have two. My favorite part was when grandpa bought them bubblegum ice cream and my son fell and he was so upset so when I picked him up and he put his arms around my neck he rubbed ice cream into my skin, hair and all over my dress. He was so upset and I didn’t care about me or outfit. At the end of the day, that little mans heart was broken and he needed a momma hug. I know I wont get them forever like that, I just suck it up whenever I can. I took a wet nap and cleaned myself up and luckily my colourful dress hid all the other evidence.

Go and have fun, dance, get dirty, over eat, sing loud and try and take a picture.

Check Yourself First

The twins are three now and its been a joyous couple of months since I last wrote. Besides the usual life problems of a trailer roof collapse before camping season or a car break down, I’ve had the pleasure of researching and interviewing preschools. I have decided the twinions need a little more structure prior to going into full time kindergarten in 2019.

I will never forget the day we were to tour the facility. I had them in the cutest outfits, I thought must make a good impression. Teeth cleaned, fed so they weren’t hangry, matching outfits with no stains and hair brushed and for the little girl she had a cute high pony tail. Her pony tail only took an hour to convince and a few tears but she was content now. I had snack items, water bottles, juice boxes, their medical records, birth certificates and I had even had a chance to shower and it was before 10:00 am. Meeting was at 11:30, so I decided to load us all up and go get a hot coffee, collect my thoughts on what we were looking for and what I needed to ask.

I was ready.

Everyone was loaded up – success!! My flip flops showed off my freshly painted toes (I could finally reach after losing most of the baby weight). As we drove away from our home, we approached the postal boxes and I wondered if their pre-school prep books were in? My twinions were going to be so smart before kindergarten. I pulled over and jumped out with my mail key. I keep the key in the car at all times, I will forget where I put it, because the twins have sucked my brain out.

It was right at that moment standing in-front of my mailboxes, freshly painted toes, hair nice, make up done, teeth brushed, wearing a bra and a nice shirt, I wasn’t wearing my dress shorts. I had left them on top of the stairs so they wouldn’t get dirty breakfast and tooth paste hands all over them. I left the house without my FRIGGING SHORTS. i jumped back into the truck and quickly went home. I was banging on the steering wheel. Then my son started yelling “no mom, no more home” before I could answer my daughter chimed in “No mommy.” I tried to explain to the toddlers that I had forgotten to put my shorts on and that I was only running in. They definitely are strong minded and know what they want. I should feel proud of that. At this moment, i just wanted to be enjoying a hot coffee, looking at the ocean.

By the time I had gotten my shorts on, the kids calmed down, I got drive thru coffee, skipped the ocean we arrived at the facility. I was five minutes early. Now time to impress and research the sixth child care centre.

Was this going to be the one?