Riding the Trails

This past weekend, we borrowed a Hippocampe from the City of St. John's and were super excited to take Brennen out on the trails! The Hippocampe is an all-terrain wheelchair that offers individuals with disabilities access to areas that would be impossible to navigate in a standard wheelchair.

It comes with three sets of wheels, including a ski kit for the snow and balloon wheels, which are perfect for going over rocks and sand, making beach and water-related activities accessible. We had a ton of snow here last week, but over the past few days it has all but disappeared. We were hoping to use the ski kit to take Brennen out on the trails while Andrew and I snowshoed along with him, but there wasn't enough snow for that. Instead, we headed to Voisey's Brook Park and used the double back wheels, which were perfect for off-roading and bumping over the ice-packed trails.

We live in Newfoundland and the reality of that means we have more winter weather than any other season of the year. This includes below freezing temperatures, heavy snowfalls, and other forms of freezing precipitation. We don't mind the weather, and can actually enjoy it if we are dressed appropriately and have the right equipment. The Hippocampe makes getting out for a walk on a sunny January afternoon a possibility for us, and Brennen loves it! The patches of ice and hard-packed snow were no match for these big wheels.

How wonderful it felt to be standing under the cold blue sky, surrounded by nature - Andrew and Brennen and I, with red cheeks and chapped lips foraging a trail on a snowy path. It was perfection. Some days are really challenging, I'll be honest, but on this day I felt so much love and peace and gratitude for where we are right now.

We do our best to enjoy our winter climate, and take every opportunity to get Brennen out in the elements - including the cold and ice and snow - to appreciate the unspeakable beauty this world has to offer. We look forward to trying out the Hippocampe with skis after the next big snowfall.. which I'm sure is just around the corner!

The City of St. John's has adaptive equipment available to individuals who require their use. An ice sledge, hippocampe, snow coach and sit ski are available to rent at no cost, but must be pre-booked by calling 709-576-6972 or emailing inclusion@stjohns.ca

March Madness

Early in the New Year, Andrew and I got out for a skate on Virginia Lake with all three of our children, and it was one of those experiences we will remember forever. I am always a little skeptical of how days like this will go, especially when getting everybody dressed, and the bundling with all the layers seems to take forever, but it was magical. We had the perfect weather conditions, the perfect ice surface, the perfect outdoor fire, the perfect day.

And we were looking forward to many more days full of wonderful outdoor winter activities just like this one! We had borrowed a sledge from Easter Seals with the best of intentions to take our little ones to a family skate at the indoor double ice complex, and I had big plans for Andrew and I to spend every cold, crisp day outside pulling our children in sleds through the snow. It was going to be great!

Until our winter activities started to look more like this:

Honestly, this cold and flu season has really been kicking our butts. Our girlie was admitted to the hospital several times last month with a series of pretty terrible respiratory infections. We spent a total of 13 nights in the hospital, watching the monitors and keeping a close eye on her oxygen levels. It's been going around, and all of us had some form of a cold, but with her weakened immune system, everything just hits her ten times harder than it does the rest of us. To be honest, having her in an isolation room at the hospital was safer than being at home, where the rest of us were sick as well.

It's been an intense few weeks. Our new house is not yet ready, so we are still staying with my parents. That means there's been seven of us in the same house breathing cold germs on each other. Not ideal. 

Our girl seems to have turned a corner this week, and is on the mend, thankfully. We are hoping to be able to get out and enjoy the last bits of winter while there is still snow on the ground and everyone is feeling well. Our long winters in Newfoundland are so much more bearable and enjoyable when you can get out and take advantage of the beauty of our natural surroundings.

These past few weeks have been even more emotionally charged because our littlest babe has just transitioned out of our home and in with his new adoptive family. This requires it's own post, and I am working on that, I just need a little time to sit with my thoughts and feelings and process all that has happened over the past couple of weeks. It's been a wild ride, let me tell you.

As emotional as it's been, seeing our children happy and healthy and thriving in this life helps me confidently say, it is so worth it. Every day is an adventure, and some days are complex and painful and really damn hard, but we are grateful, and wouldn't trade this path for any other.


 “Life is amazing. And then it's awful. And then it's amazing again. And in between the amazing and the awful, it's ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That's just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it's breathtakingly beautiful.” - L.R. Knost

Maple Syrup Festival

On Sunday, Andrew and I went to the Pippy Park Maple Syrup Festival!
This was the 3rd year for the festival, but our first time attending.. and we had a ball!

Making your own maple syrup has become a hot hobby here in Newfoundland over the past few years, but it was all new to us. You would think we would be more familiar with the process, as Canada produces about 85 per cent of the world's maple syrup, but I had never actually seen it happen in real life until this weekend!

Prime maple-tapping season is late winter / early spring, when the nights are still cold but the daytime temperatures are above freezing. (It still seems pretty freezing to me, but they have been able to collect over 1,000 litres of sap so far this season in Pippy Park!)

Friends of Pippy Park upped their game this year, offering maple tapping tutorials in the park, and developing a new Community Maple Grove! They had demonstrations of how to insert the spile (tap), and we were able to taste the fresh sap that came out of the tree. It's amazing that it is so clear, like water, and with very little taste. They were cooking the sap down to syrup over a fire outside, and it was sweet and oh so delicious!

Here are some photos from our time at the Maple Syrup Festival!

We met the Mobile Goats - Maple (the Mom), and her three babies, Percy, Summer and Honey.
Oh my heart. I am working on Andrew to let me have a goat.

Andrew and I took a walk around the park to see the maples in action, with buckets hanging and sap dripping. It was pretty awesome, I have to say. This winter feels like it's been dragging on forever, but finding new ways to enjoy it helps immensely. We gave our mental health a good boost this weekend, and getting out to appreciate the beauty of nature played a big part in that. I love the exaggerated sound of snow crunching under our boots, and as we slid on slippery spots and sank down in deeper places, I wished I had thought to bring our snowshoes. These trails are perfect for winter activities!

We discovered that Newfoundland has a growing community of DIY maple-makers, and we want to be a part of it! The two little maple trees on our front lawn are far too small to be tapped, but I think my parents might have some good ones on their property. I am going to find out!

Maple tapping spiles are available at the Pippy Park Headquarters, while supplies last. Purchases and donations support the initiatives of the Friends of Pippy Park, including this annual festival, and their family community garden.

I hope you are all enjoying "Spring". Whatever it looks like where you are, there are so many ways to appreciate it!

Let it Snow!

When it comes to backyard rinks, my parents pretty much have the best one ever. It's no contest. Forget artificially frozen indoor facilities, or hours spent tending to the ice on a homemade backyard rink. We let Mother Nature do her work for this one!

After a significant cold spell, when the ice is nice and thick and the lake is covered with snow, my Dad goes out with his snowblower and clears off a good sized area for skating.

We just love getting bundled up in our warmest layers and lacing up our skates for the first run of the season! We are anxiously looking forward to getting out to skate again sometime really soon, but the weather has been so funny here lately, it's not looking like the ice will be ready for another little while. (We had quite a bit of snow last week, but then a lot of rain, and today it is actually 7 degrees!)

In the meantime, here are some photos from a day of skating on the lake this time last year (January, 2016):

It was such a weird sky day, as you can see here!

Nothing beats skating with my Dad. I remember when we were young, he would take my sister and I by the arm and go so fast 

it felt like we were flying around the ice. He still does that.

Brennen's little friend, Claire came out for a skate and she loved pushing him around on his sled!

 Brennen was toasty warm in his winter coat from Koolway Sports. 

Thankfully, it still fits him this year, so we will be able to enjoy lots of outdoor adventures!

What a fabulous day on the ice! We can't wait to get out there again this year! Bring on the cold(er) temperatures!!

Cool Kids wear KoolKoats

A few months ago, I introduced you to Koolway Sports - a company that designs and manufactures outerwear for people with or without disabilities, enabling them to achieve their maximum level of independence in all aspects of life.

With the changing of the seasons, and the first taste of snow, we are preparing for the long Winter ahead.

We have always had the challenge of getting Brennen dressed for the cold. His little body gets chilled to the bone if he is not snuggled up in a warm blanket, and if he gets cold outside he is NOT happy. Not only are we faced with the issue of keeping him warm enough, but there is also the struggle of getting his arms out through the sleeves of his coat, fighting against his spasticity. Every year, we end up with a tear under the arm and a hole down at least one side of his coat. Not cool.

This year, we invested in a Koolkoat from Koolway Sports and our problems have been solved!

The Koolkoat can be worn as a jacket:

 ...or with the super-warm "blanket" attachment:

My child will NOT be getting cold! 

The wonderful thing about the Koolkoat is how easily it goes on. It goes over the head like a cape, with a front half-zipper, and then zips down the sides. The Koolway sleeve zipper starts at the wrist cuff and goes up under the arm, down the side of the jacket, to the waist. Both sides unzip fully so that there is no struggle with arms in sleeves. Now, instead of trying to fight Brennen's tight limbs into his jacket, the jacket zips up around his arms. It's genius.

The jacket is custom made to order, sized to fit each individual and their custom chair. It is beautifully crafted and shaped to fit the body, eliminating excess fabric in the lower back.

The blanket attachment zips onto the bottom of the jacket, and can be worn over just the legs or over the entire footplate and wheelchair leg framing. It is perfect for when you are going to be spending a longer period of time outdoors - playing in the snow, sliding on the ice, or sitting around a Winter campfire! The black "Slip-Not" on the bottom of Brennen's blanket gives extra protection from the elements such as water, ice and slush, and it is stain and abrasion resistant. The coat and blanket are insulated with Powderfill for extra warmth. It is breathable, moisture-resistant and machine washable.

I am so thrilled that we discovered the Koolkoat from Koolway Sports! I know that Brennen's coat is going to make a huge difference to him this Winter, and that it will allow us to spend more time outside together as a family. Andrew and I enjoy snowshoeing, and we love to pull Brennen along with us on his sled. We have only ever been able to go for short distances, before Brennen would get too cold, so I'm thinking this year we can tackle some more serious trails! I know it's still early November, but I say, bring on the snowy adventures! We are ready!

If you have any questions about the Koolkoat, or any other Koolway products, please feel free to contact me!