Who wants to go ice skating? I prepped my kids all week for this weekend’s adventures in Tucson, ice skating being the foreseeable highlight of the trip. Eat your dinner if you want to go ice skating, I encouraged. Clean up your toys, do your homework… worked like a charm. I can be pretty dumb sometimes.
We set out for Tucson with a car full of wired kids, winter clothes (for sledding) and a big bag of my super-bran muffins. The trip down was smooth (I’m always surprised how short it is) and we wound through the Tucson Mountain Park keeping an eye out for a sign or a turn-off until we crested a hill and BAM! There it was, spanning the horizon. The magnificent JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort nestles into the mountain ridge like it belongs there. Our excitement ratcheted up about three degrees when we caught sight of it.
We parked ($20 w/ valet, $10 w/o- and parking is in Timbuktu) checked in, changed clothes and went straight for the synthetic ice. The kids and I stood rail side watching the skaters circle, spin and laugh and my kids’ faces almost split with grins in anticipation of their impending ice skating joy. Allen ran around to the skate rental booth to find that this group had just entered the ice and would be on the “ice” for another 25 minutes before we’d have a chance.
Sweet anticipation
The kids ran up and down the sidewalk swirling and twirling, arms stretched out like the skaters’ until the line began to form at the booth. We stood still until the first group was called off the ice and the line started moving. On my turn, I asked the girl who helped me if my two-and-a-half-year-old could skate. “The skates only go down to a child size 10,” she replied. His size. Perfect. So I paid $7 each for my six-year-old and I – the younger two were free- and filled out liability forms in case of a tragic accident. A few families had breezed passed us in line having signed up earlier (why couldn’t I do that, now?) and had their skates before we reached the skate line where we stood for another 10 minutes. Tedious, but it would be so worth it. Three little heads bobbed around me. The boys watched the demonstration skaters glide across the ice during skating intermission telling me all the things they would do once they were out there before finally we got to the counter.
Tragedy at Starr Pass
“They don’t have their sizes,” my husband whispered. “What?” I just asked the girl in front and she said they go down to a children’s size 10.”
“I’m telling you, I just heard them say they don’t have anything smaller than a size two to those people.” My heart plummeted.
“You don’t have any skates these kids’ sizes?” I asked the girls, patting my boys’ heads.
With their best “sorry faces” they confirmed my worst fear. I looked down to see that William’s glowing smile had already cracked into the most hideous contortion of grief he could possibly be capable of. Tears were brimming over his eyelids and spilling down his face and his nose was glowing red. “But I want to go ice skating,” he sobbed.
With a nod at the girls and choking back my own hysteria, we pulled the boys aside behind some bushes and let them get the initial shock of disappointment out of their systems. We explained that it was okay. There were other things to look forward to and that Santa was coming in a helicopter very soon so they better not cry and pout. Plus we would have hot chocolate in our room later and go sledding the next day.
We walked around to find a place to wait for Santa but the patio was packed. Elves and hotel employees periodically stopped the boys to ask if they were excited to see Santa and were met with the blank stares of three shell-shocked, deeply disappointed youngsters. So, we pulled up a bit of sidewalk and tuned in to listen to the Tucson Boys Chorus.
Here is William recovering.
Looking up
Eventually, a light appeared in the sky accompanied by the chop-chop-chop of helicopter blades. “He’s coming!” We were alerted by a voice over the loudspeaker.
The cutest snowman on the stage wore a handcrafted scarf/mitten set hand-stitched by his mother in the middle of the night. That’s what life is all about right there.
And trust me, you’ve never seen a sweeter performance of Frosty the Snowman.
Thanks Lori for the photos!
Have I mentioned that I love Tucson? I don’t know what it is. There’s plenty of desert where I come from but there’’s something about the blend of history, architecture, colors, atmosphere, and desert that makes me feel like I’m on a fantastical adventure whenever I’m there.
So when JW Marriott’s Starr Pass Resort invited us to come down and check out their Winter Wonderland, complete with Santa landing in a helicopter, outdoor ice skating, sledding and storytime with Mrs. Claus, it felt kinda’ like we’d won the Christmastime lottery.
So, we’re packing. Al’s changing the oil in the car, I’m gathering our least permeable clothes and wishing we’d been working on winter wardrobes for the kids and later this afternoon we will head out on yet another awesome Tucson adventure. I will report back soon. Wish us luck!
I remember my mom staying up all hours of the night with me to work on book reports, dioramas or presentations. Then there were the many times I remembered as we were getting ready for bed that I had to bring two dozen cupcakes to school. Or a batch of cookies. Or a picture of each member of my family. As a parent you don’t get much sleep anyway, so giving up many late hours only to face a busy day running on empty is one of the greatest sacrifices you can make for your kids.
Last night, it was my turn. I realized at ten o’ clock that my son needed to take the scarf and mittens he will be wearing for his school’s winter performance to school today for their rehearsal. I had asked around when the note came home the day before if anyone had any he could borrow but, hello, we live in Arizona. So, after entertaining visions of the my son’s disappointed face as he rehearsed scarf and mitten-less, I decided to throw together a fleece scarf/mitten set myself. After spending over two hours finding a simple mitten pattern online, looking for the pedal to my sewing machine and cutting fleece pieces, I settled into my couch with a needle and thread and late-night TV.
By 5:15 a.m. I had a scarf that will pass and a pair of mittens my son could be proud of. I hope to post a picture tomorrow but I couldn’t even consider the location of my camera at that hour of the morning or when I got up at 7 a.m. to walk him to the bus. I wasn’t tired, just weird and wobbly. Weird, wobbly and proud. William loved the mittens. They aren’t perfect by any means. Just a couple of old fabric scraps, some bias tape and elastic unskillfully stitched together but they are custom and they are his and to my six-year-old, that’s all that matters.
It isn’t Christmas until we visit the Santa Train in Ahwatukee. As soon as the first Christmas lights go up, my kids are asking when we can visit and can we drop off some candy canes. Both sets of grandparents live in Ahwatukee and we visit most every Sunday but it’s almost impossible for us to leave the area with all kids still in shirts, pants and shoes making it hard to want to brave the cold. (They have to get out. This is not a drive-by display.)
Last night, the stars aligned just so and I left my mom’s with three kids dressed for the weather. I didn’t tell them where we were going but kids have a sense about these things. They squealed as we wound through the neighborhood and unbuckled at the bottom of the street. We were late enough that we had the rare opportunity of being the only visitors at the time.
I enjoyed watching the snowflakes dance to the music on the mountain while my boys got their candy canes from the candy cane car and pushed the “go button” to their hearts’ content. (You can also flash your brights to make the train go. But trust me, your kids will want to get out.)
Thank you Polimenes for all your hard work! Your light display is one of the greatest highlights of our Christmas season.
I am still wearing my toddler in a sling. At two-and-a-half and almost 40 pounds my arms only last for so long lugging him around. But he gets tired of walking. He gets clingy when he misses a nap. He loses his shoes… whatever. And I have to carry him. So, out comes the sling, in goes the kid and we’re all happy.
It’s easy to slide my son in and out of our ring sling all day as his two-year-old will demands so i’ve pretty much shelved my other slings and wraps for now. I’m a huge fan of the ring sling. So, when I saw this video I had to share it. Yes, it’s silly but as a sling-lovin’ mama, I applaud these ladies for getting the babywearing word out.
Thirteen months after I published this article, I am thrilled to issue this update. My son did set a record (care to challenge it?) of enduring an astonishing 17 ear infections but he has been clear for most of 2009. On the advice of Jack’s chiropractor, pediatrician and a naturopath, we removed dairy and wheat from his and my diets with miraculous results. The only ear infections he had after that point came after I found him on the kitchen floor with a box of cereal, or one of his brother’s sippies, or when a substitute church nursery teacher fed him a handful of goldfish. Other than that we were in the clear.
I attribute the lion’s share of his recovery with dietary changes. I think the chiropractic helped and home remedies helped us suffer through but I think I must be the world’s leading un-medical ear infection authority and had some room to dish out a little advice to those suffering the same fate. (Be sure your child’s pediatrician is in the loop on anything you attempt at home.)
1. Your kid doesn’t have to get tubes! In fact, Jack’s pediatrician never even recommended them, telling us that many kids keep getting infections even after the procedure. We worked out a plan where he (or our naturopath) would check his ears when I noticed the first sign of the fussies, I had him adjusted at the chiropractor, rubbed his tubes clear behind his ears with a special homeopathic ointment and, voila, the ears drained.
2. There is probably a reason your kid is constantly congested. For us it turned out to be a food sensitivity. Most of the time these clear up in the first 18 months of your child’s life but they can wreak havoc if left undiagnosed and unaddressed. Try removing categories of foods (under a physician’s guidance) from your child’s diet and see if anything changes. No? Discuss potential reasons for chronic snottiness with your ped.
3. Don’t over-antibioticize! We did antibiotics with the first three rounds of infections with my baby and ended up fighting a 6-month battle with thrush. SO not worth it! Usually, antibiotics are not necessary and once we expressed our desire to avoid them, our pediatrician was more than happy to work with us on other methods of treatment, saying that he’d recommend them only when absolutely necessary.
4. Breastfeed! The sucking motion of breastfeeding works wonders at alleviating ear pain and pressure. Jack’s ear troubles didn’t start until he was six months old so I was awfully glad we were still nursing at that point. On bad nights he could nurse through the night unrestricted which saved us all some grief and lost sleep.
5. Expand your health care horizons. There is more than one way to get the job done. Naturopaths specialize in finding and eradicating the root of the problem, usually through dietary changes and other natural means. Many parents swear by chiropractic or accupuncture for treating ear infections. If you can’t bring yourself to stray from the strictest form of western medicine, a little bit of research can still go a long way when discussing your options with your doctor.
Did you go to traffic school with the guy in the white Lexus? And the woman in the red Town & Country and the guy in that hideous, sporty orange “pickup”. Was your teacher high? Did you not go to kindergarten where the rest of us learned consideration, respect and sharing? Your mom didn’t teach you manners? If you had gone to Sunday school, you might have learned about the golden rule: do unto others as you would have done unto you.
All I wanted was to exit the freeway but apparently that was too much to ask of you who didn’t care to share your lane. When I sped up to merge, you sped up, blocking my way. When I slowed down, you slowed down. I was left to decide if whether to continue on to the next exit quite a ways past my home or to fully brake in the middle of the freeway and tear through a gore point. You put a mother and her car full of children in a dangerous position and I’m more than a little disgusted with you. What would your mother think?
I would have hid my face too the way you did when I pulled up beside you. How embarrassing. Maybe next time you will think before putting other drivers in such impossible situations on our roadways but I seriously doubt it.
We visited Santa before Christmas. Plain sinful in my husband’s book, but when we were invited to a media preview night to St. Nick’s Lights in Scottsdale, I couldn’t refuse! Since my husband couldn’t make it, I dragged a couple of friends to help herd the kiddos.
The lights were beautiful. We saw a family of T-Rexes, fish jumping from a pond, dancing trees and so much more. The kids had a great time exploring but the look but don’t touch rule was almost painful for them. I was quite impressed with their restraint (who knew my kids posessed any) but I could see the internal battle flickering across their little faces each time a new display caught their eyes and I had to constantly remind them not to touch.
There was plenty of ground to explore and a train ride on through the lights was the cherry on top. Unfortunately, my boys had trouble with that pesky “stay seated” rule.
We all thoroughly enjoyed the lights, especially the adults. I wouldn’t recommend trying this with small children without enough available adult hands to restrain each child. Put young ones in strollers and brief older children on light viewing decorum ahead of time.
Most importantly, don’t forget to get a picture with Santa on your way out. (FYI, a 5×7 $10 and you won’t be able to snap your own like I did here but your picture will be of better quality.)
By popular request, here are the instructions for the spider craft we did for William’s birthday party. These would be great for a Spiderman party or Halloween too.
MATERIALS:
large wood beads
black pipe cleaners
black paint or a magic marker
googly eyes
tacky glue
1. After having stayed up all night coloring my beads with a pointy little sharpie the night before the party, I would recommend painting them black. Depending on the age of the kids, do this ahead of time.
2. Have the kids pinch one end of four pipe cleaners together and push them through the hole.
3. Separate and shape each “leg”.
4. Glue on eyes.
5. Easy-sneezy! Suspend them from the rafters with white string or stand on the table. Have fun!
Schools, etc. is a complete guide to Maricopa County public, private and charter schools. Plus: special needs schools, tutoring programs, online/virtual schools, Arizona boarding schools, education resources and (new this year!) preschools and postsecondary schools.
ALSO FROM THE STAFF OF RAISING ARIZONA KIDS MAGAZINE
