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Day Tripping: Beating the Blahs Close to Home

Backseat breakfast - a road trip tradition.

For most of us, the Holiday season is already far away in the rearview mirror. The decorations are packed away and the baking to vegetable ratio in your fridge has righted itself. And while it’s nice to relax after all of the socializing and rushing around in December, there’s a bit of a January letdown. How do you deal with the post-holiday blahs?

Like many Canadians you can book a January vacation to warmer weather. I’m sure you’ve noticed the empty desks and offices, and a lot more cheery/gloating “I’m out of the office for eight days at an all inclusive resort (while you’re stuck here at work) “ emails floating around your workplace lately. But you don’t need to jump on a plane to beat the blahs – why not plan a little day trip in your own backyard?

Hitting the road - where's the snow?

Ahh there it is - what a difference a day makes.

That’s what my wife and I did last weekend. Our friend had opened a new restaurant in Saskatoon the week earlier, so we thought it was the perfect excuse to get out of town with the boys for a quick overnighter. We surprised the kids on Saturday, not telling them until we were on the road.

Saskatoon's Griffin Takeaway - yum.

It was a great day of awesome food (seriously, if you’re ever in Saskatoon, check out The Griffin Takeaway– the best Potato Cheddar Soup I’ve ever had and a cake called Peanut Butter Caramel Schmoo that I would consider selling my soul for), a trip to the zoo (which is free in the winter, but still had a lot of animals out) and a night of waterslides.

The animals were out in full force.

But overall, it was just getting away for the day with my wife and the boys that was special and beat the blahs – without having to go to an airport.

Refuelling in Davidson.

Take a look close to home – there are so many cool tings to do in small towns – or make it a real staycation and book a hotel for a night in your own town. Pick a place with a pool for a taste of summer (I guess you can beat the blahs poolside after all) and try a restaurant you’ve never tried before. All you need to beat the winter blues is a change of pace and this is an easy and relatively affordable way to do it.

God bless restaurants with crayons.

TIP: A lot of travel sites have a “name your price” feature, where you can pick your city, dates and star rating for a hotel, then enter in your price and billing info. If a hotel accepts your offer you are automatically booked. It’s a great way to save a lot of money, as long as you’re comfortable with not knowing the exact hotel until it is booked. I have used this feature and saved up to $80 a night on several occasions, with only one room we weren’t happy with. A bit of a crap shoot, if you’re up for a bit more adventure!

What would Hayden Fox do?

Who knew role models could be so hilarious?

I never saw myself as coaching material. In fact, the sum of my coaching knowledge was gleaned from watching eight seasons of Coach. Actually, if you factor in reruns I probably watched 21 seasons of Coach. Don’t ask me why. It’s one of those television shows I used to watch all the time, but looking back I can’t for the life of me understand why. Like, Full House, Family Matters or Head of the Class. I mean really, how riveting was Arvid Engen and Dennis Blunden’s hijinks? And was I on the edge of my seat when Steven Urkel became Stephan Ürkél?

Where was I? Oh yeah, coaching.

Every year when I would go to sign my boys up for soccer I always stopped on the question at the end of the registration form – “Would you be interested in coaching?”

But I never stopped for long. I’d swallow my guilt, sign the form and hand it in. Then when I handed it in I would be cheerfully asked, “Are you interested in helping out with coaching at all this year? We really need volunteers.”

The guilt that had almost made its way to my stomach would then rocket back up like a plate of bad sushi. But I would force it back down again, smile and say, “I’d love to, but I don’t know if I could commit to every weekend.”

Then before they could say anything else I would hand in my form and get the hell out of there. The guilt would stay with me for a bit then there would be coaches there at the first game and I’d forget about it. “See,” I’d think to myself, “they have enough volunteers. All is well.”

Until all isn’t.

At my four year old son’s first game this year the coach asked if he could talk to all the parents. He explained that the other coach had bailed at the last minute and he really needed a parent to step up and help out. He needed another coach for the whole season and his wife was due in December, so he would be missing a few games. As every parent tried not to make eye contact with him, an internal dialogue started deep in the back of my mind.

Do it.

What?

Do it.

Me?

Who else stupid?

But…

But what?

I don’t have the time.

Why? You’re here anyways. What’s the difference? The kids need you/

Well…

Your son needs you.

Low blow.

I’m going to speak up.

Don’t you dare.

Hear I go.

I’m warning you.

Ready…

Don’t..

 …set…

SHUT UP!

 “I can do it.”

NOOOOOOOOOO!

 Before I knew what happened, there was a jersey and a playbook in my hand and I was out on the floor with eight three and four year olds. The game was kind of a blur and I left thinking “What did I get myself into?”

But as each week progressed I really started to get into it. It’s really fun. The kids are great. I loved playing soccer growing up, and I forgot how much I love the game, how much I remember, and how much I can actually teach the kids. And the kids actually listen – it’s awesome to see them progress, come out of their shell and gain confidence. It’s also a great experience for my son and me. I love when he proudly calls me his coach. In fact, I love it so much that when my older son’s under eight team needed an assistant coach shortly into the season, I happily volunteered.

Game on.

Community sports and arts programs are run by volunteers who are committed to enriching kids’ lives and bringing the community together. And they always need fresh blood. So consider helping out. It’s a lot easier and a lot more fun than I thought it would be. And it’s amazing to see what a difference even one or two hours of your time can make.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I think Coach is on cable – I have a good feeling Luther and Dobber are going to get Coach Fox into a hilarious predicament and I need to take notes for next week’s games.

Some assembly required

I thought I was free and clear.

On Christmas morning the boys opened all their gifts and there was almost no cumbersome packaging. Save for the one Scooby Doo haunted house that was screwed – yes, screwed – into its box, it was a build-free Christmas. No late night Christmas Eve trying to make a washer fit somewhere it doesn’t want to fit. It was a dream. But like every dream, I have to go ruin it. I have to be stupid.

The boys received their slot car track last year for Christmas. But with renovations and a crazy year (and a lot of excuses), we had yet to set it up. So I decided on December 27^th that I would tackle the track. I looked at the box – it said “easy to assemble”. And it had two loop de loops. I figured I’d be racing with my boys within an hour.

Here’s a loose timeline of what actually happened:

10 minutes – after opening the box and looking over what seemed like too many pieces, all double and triple twist-tied, I rethink my estimate. But still, an hour and a half, tops.

Twists

45 minutes – I decide to make sure all the pieces are there by unpacking the pieces in the order they appear on the supplies list in the manual. Wow. There sure are a lot of twist ties.

Track parts on paper

Track parts on the floor.

One hour, 30 minutes – Just five or six more pieces and everything will be out of the box.

One hour, 45 minutes  - OK, here we go, finally. I need to remove some clips – 96 clips – that are needed to hold the track together. My son helps. He makes a great smiley face out of the little pieces.

A bunch of clips

2 hours –  OK, here we go. Slowly but surely I am getting the hang of it. A few tight squeezes, but I made my way through the first loop de loop and was onto the bridge.

A high bank and the first loop. Feeling good.

2 hours, 45 minutes – The bridge wasn’t so easy. I had my first cracked track on the bridge. The bridge fence pieces were impossible to clip on the track. Stupid bridge fence pieces. Swearing isn’t as satisfying when you’re doing it in your head so your kid won’t hear. But I made it through. Until I realized I went the wrong way turning into the bridge. Went left instead of right. Quick fix.

Reason #5 why I'm not a city planner.

3 hours, 10 minutes – All right, back on track (heh, heh). I realize I forgot to clip both sides of the pieces.

3 hours, 25 minutes – All clipped and ready to go. All I have to do is plug it in and we’re good to go!

3 hours, 45 minutes – The thing about Christmas is that you end up using all the extension cords.

3 hours, 55 minutes – Plugged in and good to go. The boys love it. At first it’s hard to make the turns and loops. But then you get through the first lap. And a second lap.

Totally worth it.

Start your engines.

P.S.

I wanted to call this post “The Full Package “, but thought better of it.

Resolution Solution

This year, forget a giant leap and focus on the baby steps.

So it’s that time again: another year is winding down and a new one is ready to ramp up. During this time our thoughts turn to new beginnings and change. Sitting on our couches, playing with the video game or watching the latest extended director’s cut we got from Santa, we think about how things are going to be different next year. Most likely magnified by the five pounds of turkey and two boxes of Pot of Golds coursing through our veins and the clutter of Christmas surrounding us, we think to ourselves, “No more!” And, finishing the last few bites of Nanaimo bar and wiping the Chex Mix crumbs from our PJs, we spring from the couch (as fast as out Toffifee-riddled bodies will allow us) and declare:

“This year will be different! I’m going to get off my butt and get moving! I’m going to eat less, move more and get in shape! And this clutter? Goodbye! My storage rooms and closets will shimmer and shine, they’re spotlessness only rivaled by my colon after I start a high-fibre, low-fat diet! Get ready for a new me in the New Year!”

Most people are able to ride this wave of baking-induced motivation until about the second or third week of January. Once Christmas is boxed away for another year and you aren’t constantly within an arm’s reach of a box of Turtles, you start to think things aren’t that bad. Life settles down and the status quo seems a lot more reasonable.

Why does this happen? For me, it’s because I know I bit off more than I can chew; I make grand sweeping statements of change that aren’t attainable without some major commitment. So this year I’m doing it different. Here’s my plan for making my New Year’s resolutions happen. Do I know if this will work? No. But I’m gonna give a go.

GOODBYE GRANDNESS

Gone is the grand sweeping proclamation or big gesture in the last week of December. So I’m not going to tell everyone that I’m dropping 30 pounds by June. And I’m not going to sign up for a $300 gym membership, hoping it will motivate me, because I’ll most likely be out $300.  A big life change takes time, so I’m taking it slow.

 Tip: if you do want to buy a gym membership or piece of exercise equipment, check with your work; many benefits packages now include a wellness account, with access to cash for this kind of stuff.

 BABY STEPS

Part of this is to do small things everyday that will add up.  To get in shape I’m doing a few little things like packing my own lunches instead of eating out and taking the stairs at work. I’m also finding something I enjoy so I don’t get bored with it – forcing myself into a regiment that feels like work won’t work. I used to love going to boxing workout classes, so I picked up a punching bag and stand for a great price on Used Regina – I’m actually looking forward to using it, which I hope will go a long way to keep using it. I’m keeping it simple – eat healthier and move more. I hope it works.

Just picked this up yesterday, for $50 less than the asking price, and a good $300 less than retail. via UsedRegina

When it comes to organizing my house, I’m taking even smaller steps. I want to try to do something small everyday and I found a great 2012 Declutter and Organizing Calendar on MySimplerLife.com to help me with this. It maps out a small organizing task for every day of the year – even if I only do three of every seven days, I’ll be better off than I was the week before.

EVERYTHING IN MODERATION

Including moderation. I know I’m going to have a piece of birthday cake. Or not clean my room one night. Or drunkenly order a burger and fries when I’m in Vegas. That’s life. I’m not going to lose any sleep over it or set my resolutions in stone. And I also won’t use the occasional detour as an excuse to completely go off the rails. It’s a new outlook for a new year.

Wish me luck.

Can’t-miss Christmas Songs

It’s inevitable: every Holiday season our ears are assaulted with Christmas carols. They fill the shopping mall halls as the Halloween decorations are coming down and don’t stop until Baby New Year fills his diaper. They’re on the radio at work, home and in the car. They’re on every TV show and commercial break. There’s simply no escaping it. And for some people it’s maddening. Fortunately for me I am not one of those people – I love Christmas music and can put up with most of it (except for the Mariah Carey and Bob Dylan albums – both aural abominations. The Dylan one hurts me the most because I’m such a fan, but it sounds like your drunk uncle doing Christmas karaoke.). But fear not, I’m here to help those of you who are driven to near insanity with the saccharine seasonal songs that bombard us every year. I’ve delved into my extensive Holiday music collection and ear marked 10 songs that will let you celebrate the season without losing your mind.

1. Donna & Blitzen, Badly Drawn Boy – from the About a Boy soundtrack, this song gets stuck in my head for days, but in a good way.
2. Xmas Time is Here Again, My Morning Jacket – their whole holiday EP, My Morning Jacket Does Christmas Fiasco Style is great, but this song is a standout for me.
3. White Christmas, Otis Redding – sure, the Bing version is great, but Otis injects so much soul into this standard. He doesn’t just dream of a white Christmas, he begs and pleads for it.
4. Toy Jackpot, Blackalicious – hip hop legends inject swagger and cool into the anxiety kids feel as Christmas gets closer. A song both my kids and myself love. Also used in this Target commercial!
5. Electronic Santa Claus, Blazer Force – if Daft Punk did a Christmas song, this would be it. Great song to dance to with the kids. (Also used in a Target commercial, see vid above)
6. Tiny Tree Christmas – Guster – a nice jangly and poppy song that will make you tap your toes and put a smile on your face.  Annnnd, I bet you know what’s coming… go Target!
7. If Christmas Can’t Bring You Home – Reigning Sound – great holiday heartbreak song from garage rock god Greg Cartwright’s awesome outfit. This is my favourite Christmas song period. Listen here.
8. Calling and Not Calling My Ex, Okkervil River – a bit of a stretch as a Holiday song, but it does have jingle bells and a verse that paints a lovely Christmas picture. Watch a live version here.
9. Maybe This Christmas, Ron Sexsmith – a sweet and soulful seasonal song that is equal parts hope and melancholy – like a modern day Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Listen to a preview here.
10. The Ventures Christmas Album – OK, it’s a whole album, but if you want to arm your collection with the standards, this is the album to get. From the first to last song, this album from the surf rock superstars is awesome, tying in popular riffs from 60’s hits into Christmas classics. And it’s instrumental, so it makes the perfect background music to any Christmas party. Just be sure to pick up their original 1964 album, and not the more synthy version recorded in 2003.

 
Happy listening,

Brodie

Play Reverse Santa with a Toy Purge

Sure it looks pretty now, but where is it all going to go?

It’s a scene played out across the country every morning on December 25^th. The kids run into the living room, bleary-eyed and excited to see what Santa left them. The next hour is a blur of flying paper and cries of happiness as they unwrap their treasures (the ‘blur’ multiplied in our house by the fact my wife and I were up until the wee hours piecing together said treasures). All the weeks of searching stores, elbowing other parents and wrapping gifts is over before it starts.  But as a Christmas calm settles over the house, you’re left with a new anxiety -where the heck all of these toys are going to fit?

We struggle with this problem every year, a problem compounded by the fact our son has a birthday in early December. Depending on the size of his party, he already has 10 – 20 new toys we have to make room for before Santa drops by. So we’ve become pretty good at thinning the herd when it comes to the boys’ toys.

Getting started

While it’s good to purge, don’t get so caught up in it that you get rid of little Timmy’s treasured whoozit and scar him for life. Chances are you have a good idea what toys get the most mileage with your kids (they’re most likely the ones that annoy the crap out of you because you hear them all the time) – these are off limits. Kids also tend to jump from toy to toy – so don’t assume because a toy isn’t played with for a week or so it’s good to go – my wife and I usually will put toys in a box for a month or so – if the kids don’t ask about it by then, they’re not going to miss them. It’s good to ask your kids about certain toys but take what they say with a grain of salt – we all know, when asked, every toy can be your kids’ favourite. Once you have a pile of playthings, here are three things you can do with them.

Make money

If the toys are still in good condition sell them online on awesome sites like the Used Sites line your pockets with some extra bread.

Trade

Many communities have kids toy and clothing swaps, where you can trade your stuff for a new-to-you toy that’s more age appropriate for your kids. And if you can’t find one, talk to other parents you do and do it yourself – it’s not only a great way to keep your kids collection fresh, but a nice night of socializing with friends.

Donate

Look for local charities, daycares or shelters in your area where your unused toys could make a big difference in another child’s life.

While the holiday season provides the perfect motivation to purge, this is something you can, and should, do all year long. Anytime we can reduce the chance of stepping on an unbelievably sharp something in the middle of the night is a victory for every parent.

The Birthday Party Comes Home, Snowman Style

Snowman Cake

I’ve never fancied myself a professional party planner. And I never figured I would have to possess the skills of a professional party planner when mapping out my son’s fifth birthday party. When I was a kid it was cake, a few games, a couple of balloons and poof – instant party (this generalization obviously downplays the massive effort of my parents that is lost in hindsight). These days it seems if you haven’t booked the local bouncy castle/bowling alley/movie theatre/gymnastics club a year in advance, you’re screwed.

It’s not that I necessarily feel I’m competing with other parents, but with every party my son goes to the bar is raised, along with his expectations of what a birthday party should be. When I drop him off at a birthday party I’m always subconsciously casing the joint, looking for what I need to keep up with. It’s every parent’s instinct to not disappoint their kids. But it’s getting ridiculous. I’m scared if I book the wrong clown I’ll be giving my kid’s future therapist all the material he’ll need to blame me for my son robbing a liquor store.

So imagine my surprise when, after my wife and I rattled off the usual options of bank account-busting birthday venues, my son told us he wanted a party at home. That’s my boy! He wanted a snowman party, so we got right to work planning activities, cake, decorations and take-aways for the guests. It really is a fun idea that can be done with for less work, skill and money than I thought. And although this was for our son’s birthday, it could also easily be done for a kids’ holiday party.

We planned a couple of snowman-related activities for the kids. Pin the Nose on the Snowman was pretty easy to do – we made our own snowman out of white poster boards and cut some carrot noses out of orange poster board. We also played a Snowman Race game – it was basically the Halloween mummy race game where teams try to be the first to wrap a person in toilet paper, but with an added toque and scarf for that snowman touch.

I make a lovely Frosty

For the craft we had the kids make their own snowmen. We picked up some Styrofoam balls, pieces of felt, pipe cleaners, googly eyes and glitter from the craft store. Before the party we assembled the Styrofoam balls snowmen on paper plates – connecting the balls with a bamboo stake then sticking them to the plate with a hot glue gun – and made little scarves and toques with the felt. The kids loved decorating their own snowmen and having something to take home to their parents.

All dressed up

We also created our own snowman party decorations that doubled as take home gifs for the kids. We bought white Christmas balls and painted snowmen heads on them. The kids took one with them when they left and had a lovely keepsake of the party they could hang on their tree at home.

Double duty - decoration & take home gift

Overall the party was a resounding, albeit exhausting, success. But the effort was worth it. Both for my son and for my wife and I. That’s not to say I’m ruling out a bouncy castle next year (it’s really up to my son, who am I kidding) but I would throw an old-fashioned house party any day. But not a Kid n’ Play-style house party though – that’s the wrong kind of old-fashioned all together.

Have Yourself a Meaty Little Christmas

The holiday season is a time to come together. A time to honour traditions with family and friends. And for me that tradition involves meat. A lot of meat.

I’m talking about Season’s Meatings – an annual, all-meat potluck that celebrates the Christmas carnivore is all of us. Well, maybe not all of us. My vegetarian wife, for one, is a conscientious objector (but God love her for taking the kids to her folks’ house). It’s really just a group of 4 or 5 of my male friends who gather for a night of conversation, the occasional cigar, the more-than-occasional drink and lots of meat.

My friends and I aren’t the most traditional male archetypes, so it’s fun to embrace some of the stereotypical “male” trappings with a certain sense of irony. While the conversation draws more inspiration from Applied Arts than the locker room, the protein and camaraderie are enough to buoy our testosterone well into the New Year. If you can stomach the meat hangover, it’s an awesome way to celebrate the season.

Think you’d like to get your meat on this Holiday season? Hear are some tips I have learned from experience:

• You can never have enough tin foil.
• Consider having people bring one meat-based course to build a meal (appetizer, side, main, dessert). Or stagger the meat, with people serving their dish at different times throughout the night. The full-on meat feast buffet at once can take the fight right out of you.
• Set your buffet table close to an outlet to accommodate crock pots.
• If you’re switching between beer and vodka, you don’t really need to add schnapps to the mix (you really never need to have schnapps at all).

This year I decided to go Huxtable with my Cosby Show-inspired Bacon Burger Dogs. The recipe is below. I kind of made it up as I went along, so feel free to take liberties with the cooking times and measurements (I know I did).

Wishing you a Meaty Christmas season,

– Brodie

Brodie’s Boozy Bacon Burger Dog Sliders

Makes about 24 oversized sliders

INGREDIENTS:

• 150 g diced pancetta
• 500g peppercorn bacon
• 3lb ground chuck/sirloin (80/20 mix)
• 2 heads of garlic, roasted
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup fresh breadcrumbs
• brick of aged cheddar (2 – 5 years)
• 2 large white onions
• 1 large yellow onion
• stone ground mustard
• yellow mustard (for cooking)
• jalapeño tabasco Sauce
• worcestershire sauce
• salt & pepper
• 2oz of whiskey
• 1 coil of good kielbasa (in Regina? go to the Ukrainian Co-op)
• 2 dozen tray buns

1. Roast garlic – preheat oven to 400; cut tops off garlic heads; place in muffin pan, drizzle with olive oil and cover each with foil; bake for 35 minutes or until cloves are brown and soft

2. On the stovetop, put bacon, pancetta and half a white onion (diced) in a frying pan. Add few dashes of Worcestershire sauce and a tsp of ground mustard, and cook until done. Spread on a baking sheet and place paper towel on top. Add mixture to food processor. Add roasted garlic, tsp of fat from frying pan and whiskey. Pulse until a smooth-ish chunky consistency.

3. Add mixture to beef. Add eggs, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, tbsp of ground mustard and hot sauce. Mix together, then form into slider-sized balls. Add a chunk of cheddar to each burger and wrap burger around it. Push flat.

4. Preheat electric griddle to 350 – 400. Add a squirt of yellow mustard on griddle and place burger on top (forms a really nice crust) push sliced yellow and white onions into top of burger. Flip after a few minutes and cook until juice comes out clear. (Tip: I found adding a little water and covering with a lid made them juicy, but kept the nice crust.)

5. BBQ kielbasa and slice into dill pickle-sized pieces. Garnish burgers with kielbasa.

Don't Hate, Decorate.