Cross-country skiing

Since the snow won't seem to budge around here and the rest of the northern United States I thought I'd hit on one of my favorite winter activities... Cross-Country Skiing!!! I can't emphasize enough how much I love this activity. I discovered it in college but really got into it when I was pregnant with my first child. It was a great way to stay in shape during the long winter months while I had a Buddha belly. And I was able to do it right up to the day before he was born, literally, the day before. It even rivals my all time favorite pregnant yoga video, "Prenatal Yoga". Picture three pregnant ladies in leotards and one is named Poppy and she's in her third trimester. It was a workout in itself just trying to hold the poses while keeping the laughter in check. However, it always made me feel better doing either yoga with Poppy or cross-country skiing. They each made my mid-section feel stretched and relaxed. I always felt I had a little more growing room for that baby after I was done.
Cross-country skiing is also a low impact, whole body workout. Being low impact helps a lot; especially when pregnant because when you get closer to delivery your body releases a hormone that softens up the joints, and injuries can occur easily.
I also love it because you can see things you wouldn't normally be able to see in the winter. And you don't have to have the screaming engine or exhaust of a snowmobile to get you to the backcountry, just a good kick and glide.

After the baby was born I perfected my balancing skills on the skis and was able to carry him in a pack without any major wipeouts. I first used the front pack when he was an infant and then switched to the back-pack when he got older. Every time I started swaying back and forth he would fall fast asleep.
I would reccommend keeping in mind that when you do go cross-country skiing with your child you will be warm because you'll always be in motion, but the baby will get a bit chilled from just sitting in one spot. I had to learn to layer my little guy up really good. (Props for the fleece onesies)

After having my second child I desperately wanted a pull-behind sled called a Kinder Sled. But now I have a new obsession. My awesome sister-in-law and her friend just introduced me to another type of sled. See comment below It's called a Chariot Carrier. I'm drooling. They are so rad, and I use that word sparingly. They can be used for running, biking, hiking or x-country skiing!

(Pictures of Chariot courtesy of fellow outdoor nature nurturer Katy Furniss - St. Anthony, Idaho)

Our two oldest kids are big enough now that we've gotten them their own skis. We found some inexpensive options on Ebay. I got the L.L. Bean skis for my youngest. They had a snake on them and that alone made him fall in love with skiing. He wears his normal snow boots and then tightens the adjustable straps from the skis around them. My sister in law passed on a larger set of skis for my oldest. They're the older style of bindings but work as good as ever. We have hiking poles that adjust to their height and have an attachable basket. So they use those when they want to look like Mom and Dad. But most of the time they choose to not use poles. It seems to be easier for them to swing their arms. The kids certainly don't go as far or as fast as I would like but they're learning. And if I've realized anything about kids, it's that you can't push them into anything or they won't like it. So I get my longer trips in with my husband and then set out with my kids having a different goal or mind-set... not distance but discovery!

I recently took my dog Skadi with me to our local golf course and went for a short free hill glide. I quickly realized that I can control my kids on skis much more than I can control my dog. Because she was following close behind me, her front claws clicked on the back of my skis for a good three miles straight. And thanks to a dog I had before Skadi my ski poles don't look like your average cross-country poles; they look more like downhill racing poles. They're bent terribly bad because every time I would plant my pole to push off, my dog would run right into it. Although I was frustrated with Skadi's close connection with my skis I have to say it would break my heart to keep her home. She had a great time and seemed in her element, flushing a few ducks from the trees and even spooking a deer out of the bushes.