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> Question for Santa, is $34.00 too much to spend
on body
lotion? I am fairly certain I would pay that much
for something with marshmallow infusion. Dee-lish.
And if you happened to bring me some for Christmas Santa,
I wouldn't say no.
Christmas
tree decorating happened over a few evenings. I told
myself that that I would not be the kind of mom
who lets her kids decorate the three only to then secretly
redistribute the ornaments to create a more esthetically-balanced
tree.
We
Canadians are proud of our winters. We know it's a harsh
six months of the year, yet we stick it out and learn
to enjoy ourselves. Why don't we move to warmer climes?
Well, truth be told it's because what doesn't kill us
makes us stronger. Besides, weather is also a neverending
source of small talk.
The
trick to successful winter dressing is to understand
three things:
1.
Your body's temperature, rate of heat loss and heat-generating
capabilities
2. Outdoor temperature and windchill effect
3. The importance of layering, and dressing appropriately
for the season.
On
the way to drop off Emma at school yesterday I thought
about all three points.
Every
day I have a dilemma. Emma can't match my stride when
we walk. So when we walk together we go at a much slower
pace than I'm used to. I've frozen my fanny while she
dawdles on and off the sidewalk, getting distracted
by cats, birds, snowbanks, and going out of her way
to trudge through puddles/ice etc etc. It takes us awhile
to get anywhere.
She's
warm enough, but the wind howls right through me if
I'm not dressed right. And so, because of this, I have
learned to wear every winter garment I can to keep me
warm. This includes:
hat
mitts
scarf
winter
coat (see previous enty
about my hated winter coat)
wind
pants
boots
If
I don't bundle up. I turn into an irritating nag. I
hate being cold, more than I hate being a fashion outcast.
Unfortunately at the moment I have to accept being the
latter.
After
I drop Emma off at school I walk back home. Without
her, I walk my own pace, hurried along by the thought
of the wind at my back, a waiting coffee, or work that
needs to be done. I walk fast. This keeps me warm. Unfortunately,
this also means that all of the winter clothing I'm
wearing (which was comfortable before) suddenly gets
in the way of proper air circulation.
Yesterday
Emma and I were in a huge hurry to get to school in
the afternoon. It was my turn for 'duty day' at her
nursery school that morning, and so we had to stay until
the end. She was going to be late, so we had a 'picnic
lunch' inside the front door while semi-dressed in our
winter gear. There just wasn't going to be enough time
to take it all off, eat, then struggle to get it back
on again.
After
a hurried lunch I plopped her into the chariot and broke
into a half run, pushing it with mittened hands while
she enjoyed the ride. I was out of breath within two
blocks, and sweating uncomfortably. That green coat
of mine had suddenly turned itself into a portable sweat-lodge.
That's
the thing about Canadian winters. You're either freezing
because you've underdressed (either you're a teenager
or fashion maven who is trying to look cool, or you
just didn't bother checking the weather before you left
the house) OR you dressed too well and are boiling as
a consequence.
Of the two choice, being cold is much worse. I tried
to explain this to Emma, who was later whimpering because
her hands were too hot in her mitts.
You
ain't seen nothing yet kid.
I
was this close to telling a story about how far I had
to walk to school when I was a kid, alone, through snow
this high.
Of the two choice, being cold is much worse. I tried
to explain this to Emma, who was later whimpering because
her hands were too hot in her mitts. 
