Category — Ice Skating

I’ve been so discombobulated by the holiday and related travels that I’ve lost track of time, and I forgot to remind you that Natalie at Trendy Tots in Schenectady is offering a special discount to all of you.  If you go from Tuesday December 27th to Saturday December 31st, you can get  20% off  your purchase if you tell them that Katie from Capital District Fun sent you. I visited Trendy Tots and told you more about it in a previous post.

Did you know that 4th graders can ski or snowboard for free at many New York State resorts with the $20 NY 4th Grade Ski & Ride Passport Program? Kids can get a free learn to ski passport or 3 free lift tickets (with an adult ticket purchase) to each of the participating mountains for $20 (or both of the deals for $39). I heard about this awesome program from Sandra at Albany Kid–thanks, Sandra! I’m finally getting around to putting our application for M in the mail tomorrow. Now all we need is some snow. Yeah, I said it. I’m ready.

Oh, and speaking of outdoor winter fun, did you already hear that the Empire State Plaza skating rink will reopen this year? They were aiming for January. I’m excited about this, and I couldn’t remember if I’d mentioned in here already. But hey, free! And thus worth another mention as a  super deal for you!

What a beautiful day! We spent tons of time outside, most of it at Collins Park. In fact, M got a sunburn. Because I’m a bad mother who didn’t put sunscreen on her child.

Well, really, who would’ve guessed that the girls would spend, like, 4 or 5 hours outdoors? After Collins I was sure that they’d collapse on the sofa, but Mary’s granddaughter was visiting and playing outside, so after some food they trooped out again.

Anyway, I’ve suggested Collins Park in Scotia as a sledding destination before, because the parking is right there, and there’s the nearby library and a Dunkin’ Donuts for thawing out/cocoa drinking. I remembered it as a small hill, but it seemed almost treacherously steep today. There’s been a ton of sledding, so it was a quite iced over. I hadn’t noticed, before, that there’s a convenient staircase as well.

The kids loved sledding, but while everyone was sledding, we noticed that the snow was being cleared off of part of Collins Lake.  All of that gleaming ice was calling to us. Pretty soon we were heading to the lake for some sledding and/or sliding.

Look at the huge amount of cleared ice! Do you see the truck-with-plow in the upper left and how teensy it looks? I know!

And of course, on the border there were nice piles of fresh snow to play in. M found it irresistible, even mid-skate. There were some huge piles for a little snow-mountain climbing, which all the kids enjoyed. With all the activity and our winter gear, it felt downright balmy, and one of our friends had brought along a picnic blanket, so we all plopped down and snacked right out on the ice.

It was a wonderful day. Of course, that playroom’s still a pigsty.

Oh, two quick things I’ve been meaning to pass along:  First,  I’ve seen people sledding on what looks like a huge and fun hill just off Hetcheltown Road in Glenville, a bit north of Indian Kill Preserve. Second, you might recall that I was blogging a bit at CBS 6 as katies. I’ve decided to stop because I’ve been busy with other things, but if you’re interested in dabbling in a bit of blogging, I think that they’d love a new volunteer or two. Email me if you’d like details.

Recently we went to our friends’ house to try out their new homemade ice rink.

So, first of all? Completely jealous. Seriously, it’s awesome. Unfortunately we have a small, sloping little yard, so no matter how much I pine (and whine), it’s just not meant to be for us.

Smiling, yes, but crying a little bit inside.

But maybe you could try it. You need some very level ground. In fact, if you believe that you already have level ground, you’re likely to learn that it’s not nearly as level as you thought it was. My friends built a wood frame and lined it with a light-colored tarp (you can see both in the photo above). Then they added water. Presto! Okay, not exactly presto, because there appears to be a bit of finesse involved. Like the corner that turned out to be higher than it appeared and the wind blowing the tarp. Not to mention the constant onslaught of new variations on the “wintry mix” with which a rinkmaster must contend.

But the maintenance and improvements of the rink appear to become a rather compulsive hobby. First there was a PVC-pipe water-distribution system. Then a couple of specially-designed PVC new-skater trainers:

The trainer is a revelation, or at least it was to me. If you’ve ever put a brand-new skater behind a bucket or a chair, you know that: a) they tip over sometimes, and b) they encourage pretty bad form, with the skater often hunched over and dragging their feet along behind them. This PVC-pipe contraption is stable and allows those feet to skate under the body as the Skating Gods intended. The picture above is my daughter using a younger child’s trainer, but the handy dad made trainers sized perfectly for his two kids. One of my girlfriends is waiting for the adult-sized version. He explains:

I made the base 30″ x 30″ and adjusted the height for each kid. The angled pieces are equal, so it makes it easy once you have one side figured out for the height.
Here is the list of materials:

(2) 10′ PVC pipes 1 1/4″Diameter
(6) 90 Deg Fittings
(2) 45 Deg Fittings
(4) “T” Fittings

I didn’t bother gluing for easy adjustment, plus the fittings are so tight they don’t come apart easily.

We had tons of fun skating in the backyard. What’s great is that you can go outside just for an hour (or send the kids out) without having to travel at all. A little exercise in the fresh air is sorely needed at this point in winter. And I have to admit that when we skate at ponds, I frequently have a paranoid fear that there will be a break in the ice and at any moment we’ll have to launch into a chain gang, George Bailey style, to fish somebody out.  So it’s nice to eliminate that anxiety and still enjoy the great outdoors.

Here are some of the links that our friends thought were the most helpful:

• BackyardRink.Net
• My Family Loves It
• Rink Rake: this includes a materials calculator and checklist
• Popular Mechanics: this has one set of instructions on the PVC trainer
• Skating Aids on Flicker: this is the image my friend used as a model for the PVC trainer

The rink was terrific, but we already have improvements in mind for next year. We’re thinking a canopy to protect the rink from the elements, twinkling white lights in the trees, and space for a bonfire at night. Guys, could you get working on it, please?

Does anyone make your own ice rink? Any words of advice or encouragement?

We had pretty much tired ourselves out today by 2 pm.  We saw Rumpelstiltskin at Steamer 10 Theatre, then we had a quick bite at home and headed out to ice skate at Union College.   If  we go to a show again this week, I think we’d make it a nap-time show at 1 pm for a possibly more subdued audience, but the puppeteer was great, and he really appealed to the crowd.   I received an email after my big week-long round-up about the public skating at Union–the hours are updated on their site.

I’ve been loving ice skating lately because it  brings out the best in the sister relationship.  My girls do enjoy each other’s company often–they’ll play for quite a while together, especially if you don’t say something stupid like, “Wow, you girls sure are having fun together today!”, which only reminds them that they’re supposed to be enemies.  But we do have problems.   There tends to be a lot of M-as-Bully and J-as-Victim, although of course I try my best not to label them because, hey, of course I read Siblings Without Rivalry and I know I’m not supposed to be setting them up by giving them a role that they then feel compelled to play out and all of that, blah, blah blah.  Yeah, I know, and I’m doing my best, here.  Incidentally, practically every chapter highlights the main points in comic strip form, so it’s an excellent skimmer.

But anyway, M is competitive, and she’s always trying to compete with J.  I say to M:  J is more than 2 years younger than you, she doesn’t know how to read, she’s not at the big kids’ school yet, she has trouble getting toothpaste out of the tube. . . you don’t need to compete with her because you can wipe the floor with her.  Well, okay, I don’t say it exactly like that, but come on.    So that certain je ne sais quoi that makes ice skating so delightful?  M is better at it than all of us.  She is so deeply secure in her superiority that she will graciously give me pointers on how to skate backwards (“Bend your knees more!  And wiggle your butt, but not too much because it’s so embarrassing, mom!!”), or she will solicitously fetch J a bucket or her mittens.  J will do a “trick” and M will applaud her.  Then J is so overwhelmed with gratitude and love that she hugs M and M sheepishly holds J up when fervent joy threatens to literally bowl them both over.   J did so well today that I couldn’t believe it, and I was 95% proud and excited and 5% worried that if she improves too quickly this special magic will be gone.

Anyway.  In spite of my Chinese post title yesterday, the party last night was celebrating the more generally Asian Lunar New Year, with a big focus on Korean food and culture.   The spread was ridiculously huge and delicious.  I mean, it was out of control.  The highlight was a traditional dish, Bee-Bim Bop.  I Googled it oh-so-briefly and found that there was a kids’ picture book about this very dish.  You start with rice and pile all sorts of things on top of it. . . we had carrots, sprouts, cucumber, anchovies, octupus, kim chi, beef, some sort of noodles, traditional sauce, and some other stuff.  It was super-tasty.

How pretty are these scallion thingies?  When I went to look at the pictures W had taken, I realized that I’d somehow missed eating these–very sad.

They also had a Jesa table set up, with is another Korean tradition, a small memorial with different foods and items offered up to ancestors.  So we had a nice little culture lesson along with the party.  It was all great fun, and when I told M “five more minutes” she said, “Already?!?” even though we’d been there for hours.  Lucky for her, W started chit-chatting and it actually turned out to be another hour.

W had off today–that’s part of the reason why we had to rush and skate today, so that he could test out his new Valentine’s ice skates–so tomorrow the real February break starts in earnest for us.  We’ve had such a busy weekend that I haven’t planned what we’ll do tomorrow at all yet.

We had a great time at Central Park today, and it was a pretty good turnout.  When we showed up, there were about 50 people there, and the kids had already blown through the 50 cups of cocoa (Daddy made some at home later).  It was getting a little bit melty on top, so it was a combination ice skating/muck-about-in-the-slush outing. . . should have worn snow pants.  And I brought my fancy shovel, but I guess I was a little ambitious thinking that I could ice skate, help little J, and shovel.  I’m often a little bit too ambitious.  Instead, I sort of shouted out to random strangers that anyone could borrow it and people looked at me and seemed to be thinking, “Wow, I hope that lady who loves her shovel will quiet down and skate away.”  So I did.

Anyway, if you’re inspired, the ice is pretty clear there now.  If you’d like to check out another location, here are a couple to try:

• All Over Albany reports that Van Schaik Park in Cohoes is clear.  Click the link to see it in all its splendor.
• Saratoga Spa State Park: friends report that this is clear and nice and the warming hut is a bonus.
• The rumor I heard is that the Crossings in Colonie clears ice and posts a sign by the road to let you know if you can skate on any given day–I tried to call them to confirm today and I got a machine.
• Capital District Parent Pages says that there’s outdoor skating in Glens Falls at Crandall Park or East Field, but I wasn’t able to find much additional information on these.
• CDPP also talked about Swinburne Park in Albany, and I found a bit more information on that one–click the link.

Looking at my ice skating notes, I stumbled on snowshoe information for Guilderland that I must have misplaced when I was doing that post–sorry!

I’m feeling a little bit guilty that this post is not quite as well-researched as I hoped it would be. . . but I’m tired!  Played tag ice skating with Madeleine and it has worn me out!  Plus, there’s a photo!  That’s a new skill for me.   I think I’m going to go take a nap. . . .

OK, I should have known not to post right before going to the downtown Schenectady library.  I always find more good stuff on the bulletin boards there.

So, there was an activity that screamed out, “Katie!!!”  Someone’s organizing a “skate in” at Central Park in Schenectady from 1-3 pm on Saturday, Jan. 16th. This is because the City of Schenectady has decided not to clear the ice for skaters since not enough people skate, anyway.  Well, personally, I sort of understand where they’re coming from, because not too many people skate there, and of course practically every municipality is in a fiscal crunch.  But the skate in appears to be partly a “we’ll show them” move and partly a “let’s do it ourselves & build community” sort of event.   People are asked to bring their own shovels to help clear.  According to the note, they are attempting to get the Schenectady PTO to help by providing free ice-skates, but of course you can also slide on your boots.  Anyway,  I am so there! This includes so many elements of my favorite things:

• ice skating, which my girls love
• embracing winter, which I try to do
• getting the kids involved in something political
• building community
• using our fabulous Dakota Sno-Blade

Now watch, this will be the one day ever that my girls are not in the mood to skate.  We’ll see.  .   .  .

If you simply don’t want to do this, you can take in a free Young Person’s Concert–14-year-old George Lee will be playing the piano at Niskayuna Library at 2 pm on Saturday.  It’s not on their website, but I checked and double checked, so it’s on.

Finally, if you were wondering, like I was, about any big, official observances of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, wonder no more.  There’s a ginormous observance followed by a “Beloved Community March” in downtown Albany.  You might recall from the last post that there’s also an MLK craft going on at the library downtown.  The New York State Museum will also be open.  The Albany Institute of History & Art and the Albany Art Room, alas, are always closed on Monday.  (I am not linking to everything here. . . do you resent me?  Feeling a little lazy–they’re all on the links page).

Guess what?  I figured out how to find the statistics on the number of people who’ve looked at the blog, and it was more than 9!  Yay!  It gives me the energy to keep plugging away.  I’m going to try to learn how to make my links prettier, for one thing.  And one of my big projects this week while I have free babysitters the in-laws visiting will be to gather up a ginormous  links page for all of us to enjoy.  Of course the best thing about their visit is that I’ll be able to avoid the Chipmunks movie entirely.

One thing my in-laws love to do is go to a farmers’ market, so we’ll probably be hitting the Schenectady Greenmarket on Sunday.  It’s open from 10 am to 2 pm.  If you haven’t gotten around to going, you should try it this weekend.  I mean, seriously, don’t you feel like you need to detox a little bit?  Get yourselves some vegetables, make a soup, and you’ll feel better.  Actually, my kids hate going to the farmers’ market because we inevitably run into people we know there and stop to chitchat every five minutes or so.  I’m always joking that they should run a shuttle bus from my church to the market at the rate people troop over there.  So our visits take forever.

But, hey, your schedule’s probably messed up already, so why not totally succumb to it?  Just plan on having your lunch there, especially if you have relatives visiting who will treat you!  And even if nothing they’re serving appeals to you or the kids (which would be tough), there’s always Thai or burritos or Indian food right there.  Whoops!  Now I’m beginning to sound like the lady who used to come into TCBY back when I was a yogurt slinger and she’d ask for the special diet sundae and then substitute fudge and caramel for the fresh fruit toppings it was supposed to contain.  And then we’d all snicker with the contempt you can only find from high school kids at a minimum wage job who are missing a keg party at that very moment.  So maybe you should set aside the pad thai and samosas and head back over to the market.  There’s always music and extraordinarily pleasant people, and they even take food stamps or credit cards.  So what’s not to like?

If  Sunday’s not good for you, the Troy Farmers Market is on Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm.

Speaking of eating some vegetables on the post-holiday detox plan, did you know that ice skating burns a ton of calories?  There’s public skating on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons at  Union’s Messa Rink,  Clifton Park Arena, and  Schenectady County Recreational Facility (by the airport).  They’re all at naptime–there seems to be a conspiracy about that.  But, it’s a relatively cheap activity, and places usually have buckets for the littlest kids to push around.  We’ve skated at Union and SCRF, and Union’s been much quieter when we’ve gone.

I promise, I have more things to do this weekend, but I got lost on a tangent, and I’m trying to learn to pace myself.