Linaloo

Old skool

Chalkboard paint is probably considered a "not" on a hot or not list of trends these days.  It's one of those things that has been done to death and this project is no exception.  But I had half a tin of leftover paint knocking about and decided to use it up making these placemats I bought on sale (previously a hideous Christmas design).

My children's classrooms have smart boards these days so apparently old skool chalkboard slates rock! The children love them and they're proving quite useful for notes, spellings and calculations at homework time.  Just a light sanding and two coats did the trick.  Although I will point out that good ventillation is a must - I decided to paint these in our basement (outside or in the garage is just too cold) and the paint fumes were ridiculous!

C25K

I'm turning 40 this year and I'm suddenly feeling a bit middle aged.  So I'm using a free C25K podcast to build myself up to running 5K again.  Or should I say jogging.  I'm not an athlete and I'm horribly out of shape, but I have (pre children) run two half marathons, so I know that it's entirely possible.  My new year's resolution is not to compete in a race necessarily, but simply to get fitter, stronger and a little less wobbly in the thigh department.  This week I went for my second run with a friend outside at -14C wearing hubby's yaktrax to stop any spectacular slidey ice wipeouts.  So far so good!

Feels like -25C

We've had a very mild winter so far with relatively little snow.  That all changed this week with a snowstorm on Thursday and the children's first skiing lesson today.  The temperature hovered around the -18C mark with a "feels like" like rating of -25C.  The feels like factor basically accounts for the windchill - so despite barely any flesh on show due to a combination of goggles, ski masks and neck warmers we all returned from a chilly mountain this evening with rosy cheeks and frozen toes. 

The weather also gave my husband a chance to try out a little science experiment we had previously seen on youtube.

 

Empire State of Mind

Shortly after new year we packed up and drove to NYC to spend a few days exploring while my husband was working there.  He's a fairly frequent visitor to Manhattan and this time we decided to all tag along for some family fun.  It's been 15 years since my last (and only) visit.  I'd almost forgotten how breathtaking it is and the children loved the excitiment and noise too.  We were lucky enough to stay in the heart of the city and walked for miles every day taking in all the sites. 

A very memorable way start to the new year!