Flagstaff Feb. 2020

We spent the weekend in Flagstaff celebrating our friend's birthday. They rented a small off the grid eco cabin and we invited ourselves to join them! I had a lab report due and a group project introduction to write, but thankfully we have understanding friends and family and I spent the afternoon upon arrival working on Biology while my brother in law worked on covering a news story in Scottsdale. Once we were all done working we made dinner and drinks. I stopped drinking alcohol about a month and a half ago and only give myself one day a month to enjoy intoxication. It's not really a big deal, but I just noticed I was drinking more than I felt necessary, and observed people living healthy happy lifestyles rarely use alcohol, so I cut way back. I might have started snacking and drinking la croix like crazy to make up for it, but I think once I really adjust I won't miss it and will have more energy. I think it's important to do check ins with our bodies to see what we can offer our vessel to support our health. Another offering for my body is quality time with friends and family, taking breaks from working to just enjoy our time together. We played card games, danced by the fire, played in the snow and laughed with friends. I needed this weekend. I needed to decompress, to forget about debts owed, projects due, emails awaiting replies. Here's a glimpse into our cabin getaway;

p.s. home videos are my new creative outlet. 

songs include: Celine Dion's Ashes + Offspring the kids aren't alright.

 caught studying.

 Husband - the dog whisper.

 Couldn't find a birthday cake I liked so I made cinnamon rolls.

And we woke up to snow in the morning!  V didn't have snow pants and proceeded to play in the snow in her pajamas for about 2 hours.

 everyone was so happy!

 especially this pup.

My nephew pup; Miles.

my team.

 they made a snowman! V told me it was Olaf.

The drive back was quite the winter blanket.  We're not used to any of this cold white powder, thankfully the Husband drove because it got a lot more foggy on our way back as you can see in the video at the beginning.  Sending getaway vibes to everyone reading this, you all need a break, we all do. 

What to Pack for Kids on a Snow Trip.

 We decided to drive up to Flagstaff after Christmas to catch a bit of the snow this weekend,  They got 12-18 inches in some areas.

Last time we tried to make it up to play in the snow it was a whole 2* f and we lasted only seconds. This time we thought we'd have better luck with the slightly warmer weather and proper warm gear, but turns out I still forgot a few things, here's what I can suggest for those desert dwellers taking a quick day trip to the snow, who maybe don't have all the full winter gear.

For each kid you'll need:

• 1 warm hat
• 1 pair of waterproof gloves or mittens. - these would be perfect because they have extra arm protection so snow can't get in!
• 1 waterproof warm jacket (pink one here, blue one here)
• long sleeve shirts and hoodie for under the jacket and indoors
• 2 pairs of socks - one on in the snow which will inevitably get wet no matter how careful you are, and one dry pair to put on after the snow.
• Rain boots or better yet snow boots if you can find used or cheap - they're worth the investment since they actually tighten up around the pants and you cold buy a size up and get two seasons out of them.
• Toe Warmers
• 2 pairs of warm pants - because one pair will get wet when playing in snow, even with snow pants.
• Snow pants if planning ahead - since this was last minute we didn't have snow pants but they're reasonably priced so wouldn't be a bad idea if planning for winter weather, it rarely snows nearby so when it does we hop in the car, not a lot of planning ahead over here. 
• Blankets - as soon as the kids got in the car we threw a blanket over them while they changed their clothes and blasted the heater, 
• Tea - I brewed hot peppermint tea before we left, put it in the termos and it was still steaming when we got there, 

Warmer kids mean longer snow ball fights.

Seriously though, about the extra clothes and socks, it took our youngest more time in the car than she was even in the snow to stop crying.  I forgot to pack an extra pair of socks thinking that they were protected since the boots were waterproof but no, they got snow all up and in those boots, and apparently the feet warmers weren't sufficient once their feet were wet.  So much crying.  To be fair she was tired, but also she was plenty warm,

What do you bring on your quick trips to the snow?