Sledding? Yes, Please!

I’ve lived in Iowa my entire life. I’ve been places and traveled abroad, yet my husband and I decided to raise our kids where we grew up for many reasons. For one, I love that we have four distinct seasons. Granted during the middle of a typical winter, I get disgruntled with the freezing temperatures and seemingly permanent snowed-covered ground. I want to escape to see my sister in San Diego. But this winter has thrown me for a loop. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved the above-average temperatures we have been experiencing (see last week’s post); however, it really hasn’t seemed like winter until this week.

This past August my husband and I bought our first house. And one of the appeals of this house is the gigantic sledding hill in our front yard. When I was young, we lived in Carlisle and then Norwalk, and both houses had great sledding hills. It was a dream as a child to be able to walk out our front steps into the winter wonderland and be able to snow without driving anywhere. We could go inside as we pleased, warm up for a bit, and then go back out. Perfect for those many snow days we had. So when we found our house, I fell in the love with the idea that my kids could have this same experience.

Anyhow, we thought that we’d definitely have snow by December 1, so we put a snow fence at the bottom of our hill to prevent the kids from sledding into the street. Well, that snow fence has been sitting in our yard since November. My five year old has been inpatiently waiting for the first snow (one that doesn’t melt within a few hours), so when we woke up to an inch and a half of snow on the ground on Tuesday, it was our green light to break in our sledding hill. We didn’t get to sled until after dinner, but sledding at night with glow sticks is awesome.

Iowa winters can be cold and long and sometimes brutal, but snow makes it so much better. Getting outside and enjoying that cold fresh air is actually refreshing. And having the kiddos definitely makes it more fun and appealing. Sure we experience tears from snow getting up their sleeves and frozen snot on the tips of their noses, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Snow is so much a part of our state, so when it’s not here when I think it should be, I miss it. By the time spring comes, I’m ready for the snow to melt, the flowers to bud, and the trees to grow their luscious green leaves, and having our cold, snowy winters makes spring time that more fabulous.

Go get your winter gear, grab a sled, and find a hill. Waveland Golf Course, Saylorville Lake, and Greenwood Park all have great sledding hills. And if you’re feeling ambitious, go to Sleepy Hollow or even Seven Oaks in Boone. Take advantage of this Iowa winter weather and enjoy the outdoors. Soon enough it will be August and 90 degrees.

On a side note, Back Country Outfitters and Active Endeavors are having their winter sales right now. So if you need a new coat, snow pants, or boots, they’ve got what you need.