We're headed to Fort Kent tomorrow for a cross country skiing adventure on the 10th Mountain Division trails at the Maine Winter Sports Center in Fort Kent.

We've never been to the area so in anticipation of the 5 1/2 hour drive north we invested in a Yakima roof rack for our cross country skis so we could take the smaller, more fuel efficient car. Our minivan gets about 10 miles to the gallon less than our compact wagon and we think over the course of the winter, having a rack on the smaller car will make a big difference on our overall travel costs this year.

We've also been getting our gear organized, which includes the new headlamps I bought everyone for Christmas so we can have a nighttime cross country ski adventure.

My friend Carl - a wealth of helpful information lately - suggested we also consider packing hot water in our water bottles before hitting the trails up north. Of course I should have realized that there was the strong possibility our water would freeze after even a short time out on the trails up there.

Carl uses an insulated container for his water bottle but after checking them out at a couple of stores, I decided they were too pricey for everyone in the family to get one (they run about $10-12/each and don't include the bottle).

I opted to make something I thought would help keep the water from freezing in our packs on the trip.

I used fleece left over from a previous project and cut to fit each of our water bottles (all different shapes and sizes) and sewed the side and bottom seams. I added a small pocket for an elastic closure at the top.

Then I took an idea from a tote bag the girls made a while back to make a square bottom so that the bottles could stand upright.

Basically, I sewed a triangle at the bottom corner of the bag on each side and trimmed the excess off.

Check out these step-by-step directions if you're interested in how to do this.

The bottles don't stand up perfectly but they'll work well-enough for us on the trail I think.

I ran a little short on material for the large bottle but I'm hopeful it covers enough to keep the contents from freezing.

Do you have any helpful winter gear suggestions? I'm always interested to hear how other people manage their gear in winter on the trail. Post a comment if you've got a tip to share!

Oh yeah, Go Pats!

The groomed trails at Portland's Riverside Golf Course were ideal on Saturday. We had never been cross country skiing here but after so many recommendations to check it out, my family decided it was high time to go.

We loved it.

There were plenty of small hills that were manageable to climb and offered a thrill to ski down.

The groomed trails meandered around the course with twists and turns that kept the trail interesting.

And skiing 3-4 people across was a great feature we haven't had other places (well, without having to worry about passing snowmobiles).

Fun on the hill

My family has plans to explore more cross country ski trails this winter so I'm starting a 'Review' feature with basic information about each trail. If there's anything you'd like to know that is not included here, post a comment and I'll get back to you about it.

TRAIL REVIEW

Trail: Riverside Golf Course, Portland

Length: 8 kilometers of groomed trails

Grooming: Yes, two Classic tracks and a 20-foot wide "freestyle" lane

Parking: Parking at both the North and South course parking lots

Fee: $2.00/per skiier, deposit in box at trailhead

Equipment Rentals: none

Bathroom: North Course Clubhouse is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. for use of the restaurant and restrooms.

Ski Level: Advanced Beginner; young beginners can easily walk to a flat area of the course (don't walk on groomed trail though!) to practice skills without hills

Dog-friendly: yes, on a leash

Kid-friendly factor: GREAT
With bathrooms closeby (if you park next to the clubhouse; see map below) and small hills that are manageable for the advanced beginner, it's a great trail to explore with kids. Skiers can also easily work out short cuts back to the parking lot to shorten the return trip. Bring sleds for younger children in tow for a side trip to some of the great sledding hills on the course.

Other: Tubing/sledding is open to public for $1/person

Kid Rating: Both girls gave this trail 5 stars (on a scale of 1-the worst to 5-the best).

G: The hills are fun to go down and not very hard to climb.
L.: The 2 ski track is fun to double-pole and skiing next to each other in a row is fun. Next time we need to bring a sled too!

Photos from the trail:
Riverside Golf Course

Current Trail Conditions:
Snow reports for cross country ski trails in Maine

Directions:

View Larger Map

Mica the cat is diabetic and his caregivers needed someone with experience in caring for his special needs to take care him over the holiday. Fino checked with me first (which I very much appreciated) before he and the girls offered to bring Mica to our house for a couple of days. (I've been assured Mica will return home on Wednesday.)

Mica needs to be monitored closely and receives insulin shots twice a day, which is going to be an interesting education for the girls.

But, Fino also shared with me yesterday that Mica is apparently always on the prowl for food (his special diet kind as well as anything else) and has a little bladder problem. Fino, being the wonderful husband who knows I'm almost at my limit with cats in the house, decided Mica needed to be contained during his visit with us.

So he and the girls have devised a plan for Mica's Christmas holiday with us....

Dulce was checking things out once Mica arrived.

.. his own personal tent in the girls' playroom.

Of course our other cats are curious about this new visitor but Fino has decided against any face-to-face introductions, the better to keep the holiday injury-free for all our feline friends.

So after Mica arrived last night and ate his special diet dinner and had his insulin shot, G. snuggled down in the tent with him for the night.

Before bed last night though, the girls shot off a quick email to Rudolph at the North Pole to make sure it was clear that Mica was in need of a gift at our house Christmas morning.

We'll see what Santa and Rudolph can work out for tomorrow...

I had a case of mild frostbite last year after sledding in sub-zero temperatures with only a thin pair of gloves. I had a couple of blisters and darkened spots on my hands once I started thawing out, which was a painful experience that lasted days. I have found since that incident, my fingers are cold more often than they ever used to be.

Last week L.'s feet got wet inside her boots and she decided to continue playing outside instead of changing her socks (and boots - she has a couple of pair for just this reason). She never complained about her feet being cold so I had no idea. The next day her swollen toes were red and hot to the touch with a couple of small bruise-like patches on them. She complained about how much her feet hurt for a couple of days afterwards and said she learned her lesson about changing her socks and boots when they get wet inside now.

Yesterday I was chatting with my friend Carl, an avid hiker who takes lots of cold weather hiking trips, about my family's frostbite experiences and he shared his thoughts about Merino wool. I decided it was a necessary investment and he offered a couple of suggestions on discount locations to buy it.

I'm sure those knowledgeable outdoor enthusiasts are asking why we do not have these kind of wool socks and gloves.

The cost. They're about $15-20 for a pair of socks.

Not to mention my kids have never been able to keep a matching pair of socks together. They throw them around and make a fashion statement out of mismatched pairs and I've accepted the fact that losing socks in our house is inevitable.

So spending a lot of money on a single pair of socks has not been something I've been eager to do.

But yesterday I found out the LL Bean outlet in Portland has a GREAT sale going on for Smartwool socks. They range from $7.95-12.95 on sale right now.

I bought a pair for each member of my family (shhhh, they're Christmas presents so don't tell them!) and have hopes that each of us can keep track of a single pair of socks this winter.

We all need a special Christmas wish ...

Even my non-winter sports friends like snow days.

Everything gets canceled and it turns in to a quiet day at home doing things you usually don't have time for.

L. took advantage of her time today by starting a new sewing project - a Raggedy Ann doll. She received the pattern and all the material supplies from grandma yesterday for Christmas and she couldn't wait to get started.

She had a productive morning cutting out all her fabric pieces and embroidering the doll's face and heart.

We also played outside for a while. The girls opted to sled while I decided to ski a loop around my neighborhood to check out the road conditions.

No plows had been by all day so the road was a nice surface to ski on this afternoon.

But the plows finally did make it around to us a few minutes ago and now we have a large snow wall blocking our driveway entrance. I guess I'm going to have to do some shoveling before Fino gets home. He's going to have his hands full snow blowing our long driveway, cutting a path to the chicken coop and digging the trash barrels out of the snow.

But it's great for our cross country skiing adventures. We're planning on exploring some new trails this weekend.

Where do you like to cross country ski in the Portland area?

The Mountain Division Trail had perfect conditions for cross country skiing yesterday.

We visited our favorite hill near the Standish trail head...

... and thoroughly enjoyed our first trek on the MDT this season.

With more snow inland today, it looks to be another week of great skiing conditions in southern Maine.

TRAIL REVIEW

Trail: Mountain Division Trail, Standish

Length: approx. 5 miles one way

Grooming: No, but snowmobiles pack down snow so it has a groomed feel to it

Parking: Parking at Johnson Field on Route 35 in Standish

Fee: None

Equipment Rentals: none

Bathroom: Porta-potty at Johnson Field

Ski Level: Beginner

Dog-friendly: yes, on a leash

Kid-friendly factor: GOOD
The Porta-potty is a nice feature at the trailhead. Snowmobiles are permitted on these trails so families skiing with kids should stay to one side and keep an ear out for approaching snowmobiles. My family has found snowmobilers on this trail to be curteous and slow down around skiers.

Kid Rating: Both girls gave this trail 4 stars (on a scale of 1-the worst to 5-the best).

G: It's fun. I like the hills on the trails but I don't like the snowmobiles so much. Their gas really smells when they pass us.
L: I like going down the hills. Some are big and some are just little. They are mostly easy to ski up but there is one big hill that is kind of hard.

Other: The warming hut at Johnson Field is a nice place for a snack break on a cold day.

Photos from the trail:
More photos from the MDT

Current Trail Conditions:
Snow reports for cross country ski trails in Maine

Directions:

View Larger Map

There is a reason why we have yet to decorate our Christmas tree.

Here is reason number 1 and 2.

We do however have our Santa's village up and running and the cats are not the least interested in that. And after 11 years of collecting pieces for the now very large - and illuminated - village display, it is the only reason the kids aren't really upset about the Christmas tree trimming delay.

Of course the girls could help get the tree decorated sooner if they didn't encourage the kittens' antics and they actually tried to get them out of the tree.

On Saturday L. and I took a trip to Pineland Farm to pick up our ski club's rental order from the Maine Winter Sports Center and decided to take advantage of the trip to do some skiing there as well.

The clouds were so low in the ski it felt like we could almost touch them.

There were only a couple of bare spots on the trail even after four days since the last storm.

L. stopped to decide which way we should go.

We opted for the easy downward slope and into the open field.

But eventually we had to make our way up the big hill.

And this hill may not look very big, but at the end of an hour of skiing, it was a killer. Of course L. made it all look so easy -- all 65 pounds of her.

My 10-year-old is already kicking my butt skiing this year ... which is a weird but not surprising since she is getting older and is in much better shape than I am. I need to get exercising soon because L is going to start gloating and I'm not ready for that just yet.

Afterwards L. and I enjoyed some fresh baked bread and soup from Foley's Bakery at Pineland's Welcome Center.

Skiing before Christmas is such a nice change from the snowless Decembers of the past few years. And it's a lot more fun getting in shape on skis than walking loops around my neighborhood.

The girls got plenty of wear in their Mrs. Claus capes this week.

At the Portland Ice Arena's holiday party...

... and grandpa's annual Christmas card photo.

And I'm happy to report that none of the cats were locked in the car with the keys this year. Although Toddy still remembers as he cried in the car and through most of the photos. He was rewarded with a kitty treat for his bravery and is quite content to never leave the house again (well, until he's forced to endure next year's picture).

The girls have really enjoyed the snow this week, especially with their furry neighborhood friend (he's a well-trained dog that the girls adore, unlike the crazy one we have problems with).

Alas, I must make a mention about grandpa's help snow-blowing our big driveway. Fino was having trouble with the snowblower and grandpa came to the rescue.

Thanks grandpa!

After my entry about eating ham, not turkey for Thanksgiving this year, I received an email from children's author Lisa Suhay about her book, "Pardon Me. It's Ham, Not Turkey."

An excerpt from her email:

After spending six months getting the president to acknowledge Virginia’s Thanksgiving history with our campaign and book, "Pardon Me. It’s Ham, Not Turkey," it was great to see your story.

It turns out many believe the first Thanksgiving was actually held a year before Plymouth Rock at Berkeley Plantation. And since the President 'pardons' a turkey before Thanksgiving Day every year - you gotta read this year's pardon about the turkey name - the author and a growing number of supporters have been lobbying for a pig to receive that pardon instead. Apparently this pardon ceremony is a tradition that started quite a while ago, although who started the tradition isn't so clear.

So Suhay's book and the website are out to set the record straight with the Pig Pardon campaign.

Since March 1st, National Pig Day, the campaign has been dedicated to setting the historical record straight concerning the first Thanksgiving - which was held at what is now known as Berkeley Plantation in Virginia. President Bush is scheduled to speak at Berkeley Plantation on Monday, Nov. 19th. We're excited to celebrate this historic event.

And yup, President Bush did visit the Plantation this year.

The book arrived on my desk yesterday, which is the very day of the historical Berkeley Plantation celebration (Dec. 4).

I never could have guessed winning that pig at the Cumberland Fair this year would educate my family in so many different ways...

On Sunday I went through all the snowpants from the storage closet in anticipation of the snow yesterday. I had the girls try on the entire stockpile of snow pants (10 pairs total), all of varying sizes I've picked up from second-hand or end-of-season clearance sales over the years.

Each of the girls found two pairs of snowpants that fit them and I was psyched (no last minute runs to the store on Sunday for me ;-). The bummer was that all those snow pants were dark. Actually 3 of the 4 are black, which also look just like Fino's snowpants.

I thought that everyone having similar looking snowpants was going to be a problem this year. So the girls picked out some ribbon and tied it on to their stuff so we could identify them hanging on the rack.

This may or may not help keep us organized this winter but I thought it was worth a shot. But I ran short of ideas on how to find matching gloves and mittens in the big box we have.

Any suggestions?

The kids have been outside in the snow all morning and the whole family is enjoying the first snow fall of the season. (And it sure is a whopper!)

The kids had fun sledding on the small hill in our backyard this morning.

The ducks didn't seem to mind the snow either.

L. demonstrated her snow angel making abilities and gave it her own special touch. She is my creative thinker who is more self-aware than I sometimes give her credit for. I think it's more me thinking she doesn't really understand the implications of her ideas about things even though I'm pretty sure she does...

Making a snow angel

Happy snow day in Maine!

The Pirates played a great game last night, beating the Worcester Sharks 6-3.

It was a fun game to be a fan in the stands. There was plenty to yell and cheer about as you can see in this video. And just for the record, my crew was very happy to hear the old "Hey" goal song back in action (the one they ditched just wasn't as much fun).

6 Goals, 1 night

And I actually caught one of the goals on video (doesn't always happen that I have the camera on at the right time but I got lucky)

Dixon's Goal

Since the team was on a roll scoring goals, the behind-the-scenes guys got on one too with the music selections. The crowd in our section loved it.

Music fun at Pirates games

The highlight of the game for L. and her friend A. (beyond the team playing well and winning of course!) was the balloon guy. L.'s been begging me at every game we've been to this season to get a balloon animal. I finally gave her the $2 to get one last night.

Go Pirates!

The girls went from target shooting with daddy earlier in the week to Sewing Club with mommy at the end of it.

We're going for well-rounded at our house.

The girls helped finish up the craft sale projects and made some ornaments to decorate the library's Christmas tree.

L. also learned how to use a Knifty Knitter with one of the sewing club's adult volunteers and has been busy making hats ... for her cats.

Sort of gives a whole new meaning to Dr. Seuss' tale for us.

I've also been sewing this week since I told the girls last year that I would make them Mrs. Claus capes for their various Christmas activities this month (with no such luck they would have forgotten that offer!).

Last year a friend let them borrow costume capes for the Portland Ice Arena's Christmas party and both girls loved the whole idea of them.

2006 photo from the skating party

But when it came time to make the capes, both girls wanted fleece and white fur instead of felt material. Felt would have been much easier to manage but I saw their point when they said the fleece capes would keep them warmer while ice skating and Christmas caroling as well as posing for our annual Christmas card picture (which will hopefully not involve locking Toddy the blind cat - and the keys - in the car again).

So I picked up some red fleece at JoAnn Fabrics $2.79/yard sale last weekend and some white fur fleece and got to work modifying a pattern I already had to make the capes.

Working with fleece fur is a real drag because it's really, really MESSY!

It sheds everywhere before even cutting it. I'm sure we'll be cleaning up the stray lint from this material for weeks to come.

But once the edges were folded over and sewn (which jammed up the machine multiple times), it stopped shedding so it does have some redeeming qualities afterall.

The girls said they thought the clean up hassle was worth it (I did have to agree their idea worked out in the end) and are ready for their various Christmas holiday activities this month.