Snake Dens; CHECK!

Here is a brief description of our day trip on Mother's Day weekend to the

Narcisse Snake Dens!!

As usual we (ok I ) packed everything but the kitchen sink, just in case!

Out of everything, THIS above was well worth it. We LOVE Road Trip Bingo (found here)

I love it because it actually engages the children into the trip and the drive. And REALLY, they just plain love the fun of it!

One of our first stops was here at the Teulon landmark.

I love taking the kids' picture at landmarks like this! It's a GREAT reason to pull over, and stretch your legs!! Not to mention that I hope it helps the kids remember their trip!

Our next stop was just prior to the actual snake dens in the town of Narcisse.

My wonderful hubby spotted this statue, and pulled over for my sake! And let me tell you, I would have been very sad if we missed this one!!

Once again, we all jumped out of the vehicle and the kids ran over to the snake pile. They got to the statue and started to resume the "oh so familiar" family photo op, when to our surprise "someone" was already waiting for their photographic debut!

YEP, snakes were all over the rocks below the "large snakes"!!! So EXCITING & COOL!

We were very LUCKY to have ran into some "brave" locals that introduced us to these little guys, and ensured us that the snakes were virtually harmless!! I feel SO fortunate to have met these VERY kind and friendly people! I think they REALLY made our trip so much better!

I think these people may have been the highlight of our snake adventure!

Sadly we had to rush through this moment, as we were racing some BIG BLACK Clouds... 

Check out that rear view mirror!! YIKES!!!

...and of course when in a hurry, you are always bound to hit a train...

OR a horse parade!?! Yep, we ran into a major traffic/horse jam!! 

But it was WAY more interesting than a train, that is for sure!!

Almost 2 hours of driving, FINALLY The Narcisse Snake Dens! ... and due to those mega storm clouds, we skipped the traditional family photo on the landmark (*sniffle*) and opted for a quick drive by shooting instead...

So here is what the first (of 3 or 4?) snake dens looked like:

and with a bit of a closer view you should be able to spot a snake or two...

We were told that den #2 was more active, and so we quickly carried on, and hit the path running (almost literally)...

And along that path, what better to see on our first official Manitoba day trip, but our provincial flower!! The Manitoba Prairie Crocus!!

And here are the snakes at den #2...

And THEN the storm hit!! We RAN all the way back to the truck!!!

So, SADLY our 2 hour drive was followed by just a quick "peek-see" at the snakes.

I think we were all a bit disappointed... but we carried on and tried to make the best of the rest of the day...

All 5 of us piled back into the truck soaking wet, disappointed, and a little miserable, turned around and started for home... 

We decided to take scenic route (as we so often do)....leaving the storm behind us... and only blue skies and rainbows ahead of us the whole way (well almost)...

Here are just a couple photos I took of a GORGEOUS Manitoba prairie and sky... notice the faint rainbow in the sky!

Since our final destination was drastically shortened (thanks to Mother Nature), we decided to see if those snakes at the big snake statue were in the mood for some more company {the kids REALLY wanted some more "hands on"} and luckily they were!!! This time they were warmer and more active though...

After running around the beautiful surrounding field, trying to catch a snake, we all happily (this time) piled back into the truck, warmer, happier, and much dryer. We then set our sights for Winnipeg Beach (initially Gimli, but those roads were way too rough!)

Here is the Totem Pole at Winnipeg Beach... and I have to tell you that THE WEIRDEST thing happened just a couple minutes prior to this photo... we saw the end of the rainbow. SERIOUSLY!!! It was the craziest thing... (but no gold or Leprechauns!!?) I wonder what that means??

Because of the rain, and the HUNGRY children we did not stop and get out for photos with this Big Guy either... However I was OK with that, as we frequent this area often!! We will be back for more!

Some quick rainbow photos out on the lake.

And then we hit up a greasy spoon (wish I would have photographed that!).

With only 1 last stop! (this one we actually jumped out and did family photos!!)

We went home! Good Times were had by all! ;)

Writing a Pysanky!!

Last night I joined my daughter's Girl Guides of Canada Sparks Unit on a field trip. We went to the Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre (here in Winnipeg) to learn about the art of writing a Pysanky. This is SUCH a beautiful craft! I had such a great time, and just had to share our experience. 

Here are a few things we learned:

This is one of the main tools used, its a Traditional Kistka.

Hmmm smells like honey! Beeswax is also needed to write a Pysanky.

It "goes in" the Kistka.

A candle, for heating/melting the wax that is in the Kistka, that will be used to write a Pysanky.

Egg Dyes. We used yellow, orange, red, and then black, all in that order.

And this is how "we" write a Pysanky!

To learn all the details I would highly recommend an educational visit to the Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre!! It was a GREAT experience!

Writing Ukrainian Pysanky (Easter Eggs)

A teaser for the next post...

Wonderful Wizarding World

Like most 8 year old boys these days, my son loves anything "Harry Potter". And my little girl doesn't stray far from the interest of most kindergarten girls. If it's about princesses, dressing up and anything fairytale or magical, my 5 year old adores it. So if your kids share the same interests, and you want to feed those imaginations, this post is for you. 

"Bathtub Potions" have been a favourite around here for a while. If you've got kids you know all about the magical mixings of soaps, shampoos, and bubble bath! And now that Spring has sprung here in Winnipeg "Backyard Potions" have made a strong comeback; thanks to the reminder from the kids' friend, J!

Perhaps these backyard potions aren't as popular as the bathtub variety, so let me just confirm the real magical power of these mixings. I had no idea how magical these potions really were, until I saw it with my own eyes. However I'm sure my idea of magic differed from my kids' ideas. The magic I saw was the shared common interest between a brother and a sister three years different. Sunday morning they were in the backyard creating real magic. They were talking the "same language", sharing ideas, and for a moment living in the same fantasy world! Well I did what most moms would do; I scrambled through everything I could trying to gather props to foster this moment of pure imagination & creation that was happening between the children who as of late would rather yell, whine, tattle tale, and bug each other to no end.

So here is what I came up with, substitute as needed:

-Kinder Egg containers (those little yellow containers that house the "surprise" found in the Kinder Egg chocolate) 

-a small plastic organizer (meant for small office supplies like paper clips & thumb tacs ) previously bought from the DollarStore (phew! glad THAT dollar didn't end up being a waste)

- a variety of old *past due?* spices & herbs. These are very authentic looking ingredients, that easily pass for "dried frog spit" as my son called it. Anything from plain black pepper, to Oregano to Mustard or Celery seed.

-old medicine cups & droppers

-a variety of contianers to mix in, or to use to "sprinkle with"

-toothpicks for mixing potions

- and maybe most importantly (at least to the girls) is sparkles of any kind (It's the *magic*)

The rest is pretty self explanatory, just give it to your kids and watch the "magic" happen!!

I would have LOVED to put this together and given it as a surprise gift to my children.... although they were pretty surprised & VERY thankful! However without their lead, I would not have thought of this on my own!

The best part is (besides watching your children create a magical world) is that most of the items are free (found around the house), or bought from your local Dollar Store. Also these "potion packs" can be refilled over & over again! 

Hope your kids enjoy it as much as mine did!!

p.s.

don't forget the stick from the backyard tree- carve off some of the bark & *POOF* a real magical wand!!!