Mother of Invention has a Numb Bum

It’s another snowy weekend here in Midwest-ville so yesterday we all bundled up for some family time out in the yard. We’ve got a little downhill slope at the back of our yard so we were going to attempt some sledding.

However, we don’t own a sled.

Hubster suggested using some aluminum cookie sheets, which we did try but they didn’t work. Being the “creative and inventive” person that I am (why are you laughing?) I remembered the girls’ plastic placemats. They’re textured on the top but slick as oil on the bottom. We have discovered this by nearly giving ourselves concussions several times when we step one that gets left on the floor. Verrrrry slippery.

Mouse was the first to give it a try and she did pretty well. Baboo kept sliding right off the placemat. Then I gave it a go. Covering pretty much the whole placemat with my backside, I sat down, leaned back a bit, held on as best I could to what little edge was left, and shot down our little hill like a rocket! Whooo. Wheee. Bwahahahahaha.

Those placemats worked so well! Like crazy carpets only much, much smaller. Remember those? No? Oh, I’ve just dated myself then, haven’t I? Okee dokee then. Hubster was able to get positioned on his little Dora placemat and shot down too. What followed was many trips up and down the hill trying out various experiments on best position for maximum speed. Hubster tried a headfirst position that resulted in getting a face full of snow. We were able to balance Baboo on our laps as we leaned back so she could get a full ride down our little hill.

Our neighbor was outside sweeping his back patio, watching the ruckus we were creating and shaking his head – especially when Hubster and I would slide down. He yelled over his fence “Must be your Canadian blood that makes you want to be out enjoying this weather! And is that a PLACEMAT??” In response we just hooted and hopped on our makeshift sleds for another trip down the hill.

The girls were pretty tired after about 25 trips. I’m sure that for their little legs, climbing up our hill was the equivalent of climbing ¼ of the way up a mountain.

Hubster and I both grew up in Northern Ontario and as kids did a lot of sledding but this was the first time we’ve been sledding, in um, eleventy-million years. It was a lot of fun to watch the kids sledding for the first time and nothing says “great parent” like plopping your 2 year old on a placemat and shoving her down a bumpy, snow covered hill.

When we came inside, tracking snow all over the house with our snowy boots and hats, my butt was SOOO frozen it was numb. I had two wet marks on the back of my jeans (I was the only one without snow pants). I think I’m only just getting feeling back there now (oh, it’s still there? It didn’t freeze and fall off? Crap) but it was worth it.