There's A Hole In My Bucket: Family Winter Bucket List

The minions really loved knocking items off of bucket lists since we started the project last winter, and we've continued it each season.  I'm happy to report that we keep getting better at knocking things off of our list and actually managed to complete 18 out of the 24 items on our autumn bucket and I'm looking for us to beat last year's winter bucket list where we only completed 14 times on our 2016/2017 winter bucket list!  There are some things that I want to do each winter that we never get to, like visiting Chill Ice Lounge or checking out a Maple Syrup festival - so I'm going to do my best to make that actually happen.

I love bucket lists because the have inspired us to book activities, appreciate what each season has to offer and get out and move, even when we were tempted to just curl up and binge on some Netflix - which when it's cold outside is really easy to do.

This list is designed to get us out there and enjoy everything that fall has to offer; I'm hoping that we keep improving our records and eventually complete all the check marks.

Feel free to steal ideas from our list, and if you have any must see / must do suggestions please let us know so we can keep adding to our own list.  I'll be adding check marks and writing posts as we cross stuff off our list.

Molly & Jack Grabbing Life By The Wavy Wacky Inflatable Santa

1. Learn to skate✔
2. Make a big snowman
3. Go tobogganing 
4. Make a snow fort
5. Freeze Bubbles (I saw a cool tutorial online about this here)
6. Go on our annual ski trip✔
7. Visiting the Santa Street (Mount Pleasant and St. Clair)
8. Rating our neighbours Christmas decorations
9. Sing Christmas Carols✔
10. Visit some greenhouses✔
    
    
    

    

    So far this is the best holiday display in our neighbourhood

11. Watch Home Alone Three (this is ALL Molly & Jack)✔
12. Make our gingerbread men and decorate them✔
13. Watch CoCo in theatres✔
14. Watch Ferdinand in theatres
15. Go to Great Wolf Lodge (scheduled for Spring)
16. Throw snowballs at targets in our backyard
17. Go Visit The Chill Ice Lounge✔
18. Eat Maple Syrup snow
19. Maple Sugar Bush Activities (Late winter)✔
20. Go to an indoor playground✔
21. Visit Lego Land✔
22. Plan our spring vacation✔
23. Go swimming in an indoor/outdoor pool in the winter✔

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Rocky Mountain High - Adventures in Winter Tubing

Last weekend we headed north with the minions, some family, and friends to enjoy some of the best winter has to offer, snow!  While we have had a colder winter than last year, there hasn't been much snow, and as Molly reminds me, we still have a lot of work to do on our winter bucket list before the end of March.

This was the first year that we took Molly and Jack tubing at Horseshoe Valley, and I'm happy to say it was a big success. I attribute a lot of this positive experience with how we prepared for it, the rest I'll chalk up to luck. Thankfully both kids are happy to add winter tubing to our agenda for next year.

Jack laying in a snowbank pre-tubing (this is how mittens got wet!)

11 Tips for Winter Tubing with Little Kids

1. After you determine you think tall enough or big enough for said activity, wait a little while longer
   Technically the minions were tall enough and old enough to go tubing last year, but based on their responses to big slides and other activities last winter we determined it was best to wait another year, and I'm glad that we did.  After an earlier trip sledding this winter there was absolutely no hesitation to tackle the big hill and zero talk about being scared.
2. Bring along veteran tubers or bigger kids
   The appeal of an activity with their older cousins made any fear melt away.  Both kids wanted to ride down the hill with their cousins and be "big kids" too.  As always, I'd recommend bringing more adults than kids so you can take shifts down the hill, and for trips to the washroom, so you're not hitting pause for everyone if one kid needs a break.
3. Just carry their tubes for them
   After a couple of runs down the hill and back up the escalator we all determined that kids under seven or so generally do best when they can stand on the escalator and step off without creating a bottleneck when a grown-up stacks their mini tube on top of theirs and takes it up the hill for them. By teaching the kids to "surf" on the ramp up the hill it prevented falls when the ramp stopped suddenly.
   
   

   

   Dad and Jack at the top of the hill getting ready to go down the hill

4. Bring extra hats and mittensHalf way through our two hour adventure whirring down the hill on giant donuts Molly began to complain her hands were cold, and her mittens were soaked from playing in the snow.  We were able to swap out for fresh dry ones in a pinch.
5.  Warm up by the fire
   Horseshoe valley has a fire near the bottom of the hill where you can warm up for a bit of a break 
6. Wear two pairs of socks
   I didn't have both kids in two pairs of socks and I quickly regretted this decision.  The snow is cold on the feet and an extra pair of socks each would have likely been able to get us another trip or two down the hill.
7. Mitten warmers can double as boot warmers
   My sister (thankfully) had packed a set of hand warmers to place in mittens of cold hands.  These will also work when placed in a boot between a sock and the boot itself.  I'm totally bringing some of these next year.
   
   

   

   On the ramp heading up the hill

8. Don't obsess about "getting your money's worth"
   I calculated it out and we needed to go down the hill at least six times to make our two hour pass more cost effective than purchasing individual trips down the hill, even with a 20% discount card. We went down seven times total, but at the end of the day if we'd only gone down five it would have been okay, they had a blast and want to go back again - so win win.  If you think your kid is going to freak out about this hill you can purchase a one run and done pass to test it out to negate the risk of them bailing quickly.
9. Know when to call it
   We bargained for one extra run down the hill when the kids were complaining about really being cold and wanting to go home.Remember this is supposed to be fun! On our way to the car I saw a pair of girl/boy twins about a year or two younger than Molly and Jack crying because they were wet and cold.  By calling it a day before it was too late things ended on a high note.  I'm not going to say there wasn't any whining, but it was manageable.
10. Bring Separate Cars
    Older kids were able to stay a little while longer, and we didn't feel bad for pulling the plug on the festivities when the minions got cold, because we weren't stopping anyone else from getting the most out of their pass.
11. Warm Baths and Hot Cocoa
    What could be better than having a hot bath (but not too hot on cold skin) while your parents make you hot chocolate to warm out after a winter outdoor adventure?

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Dookie - Our visit to Toronto's Poop Themed Cafe

Potty humour is a pretty big staple in the life of five year olds, and since the minions are generally polite little kids we let them away with giggling at things like giant sloppy raspberry kisses that sound like farts.  Jack has been a big fan of happy faces and emojis for some time now.  His two all-time favourite emojis are a giant Happy Face with hearts for eyes and pie-eyed grin who Jack gives a voice that sounds vaguely like something out of Cheech and Chong (named Romeo) and a smiling pile of poop (who Jack named Klum).  

When I heard that they opened a Poop Cafe and ice cream shop in Toronto at Christie and Bloor I knew both kids (Jack in particular) would get a real kick out of a cafe built around his buddy Klum. We added the poop cafe to our winter bucket list and surprised the minions with a visit there for ice cream yesterday afternoon and it was a huge hit.

First off, most of the seats are real toilets. 

There's also a display toilet but the front door so you can sit or squat while you wait for your table.

The seats have blocks when you lift up the lid so you don't fall in (Jack checked)

Kids are encouraged to try on a poop themed mask

It's called a "doo-doo head" mask, but us grown-ups know it's really a s$*t head mask

This is how my coffee came, in a giant toilet bowl mug

Poop shaped waffles are $3 each and come plain or filled with nutella goodness

We ordered the oreo ice cream sundae to share.  It was more than enough for the four of us and a big hit.

The kids had a blast and have asked if we can go back again.  I'll probably tie it to a spring or summer visit to Christie Pitts park since a cold toilet bowl full of ice cream seems like the perfect top off to a day at the park.  The food was reasonable, particularly if you're willing to share.  Our trip cost us just under $25 with tax and tip in, and was well worth the expense.  Molly says her favourite part was the nutella filled waffle, while Jack says his favourite part was the toilet bowl ice cream.  The added touches of poop emoji art, poop shaped pillows, and urinal shaped water glasses kept everything on theme without being a gross-out experience.  All the same I was a little surprised they didn't offer soft serve ice cream, but that might have crossed the cute to disgusting line.  This is a great experience for kids, adults, and anyone who likes ice cream or novelty. 

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