The MacGregor Tubing Hill, formerly known as Rodgers Hill, will officially open to the public on Monday, December the 26th from 2-9 pm. For those looking looking for an affordable way to have fun and get active this winter then this is the place for you. Cost is only $8 per person, and children 5 and under are FREE. Facilities on-site include a fully groomed hill, tow rope system, and an outdoor warm-up area with fire pit. There is also a chalet building with bathrooms, a wood stove, tables and canteen. Last year they played host to just over 8,600 sliders and they are looking to surpass that total this winter. Holiday hours (December 26th until January 8th ) will be from 2pm to 9pm daily. Regular hours of operation outside of the holiday season will be: Friday 6pm-10pm, Saturday 2pm-10pm, & Sunday 2pm-9pm The MacGregor Tubing Hill is located 5 miles south of MacGregor, Manitoba on Road 59W (Rosehill Road) and 1 mile west on Rd 60N. There are signs posted eastbound and westbound on the Trans-Canada Highway #1.  

Take The Shot by Audrey Sabiston Saturday evenings in the winter, when I was a young girl, meant my father tuned the television to Hockey Night in Canada. If I close my eyes I can still feel the heat from the old wood stove and hear the crackling sounds of the fire consuming each stick of carefully placed wood. Often I would make myself a cup of blue ribbon tea (and a teaspoon of white sugar, just like my Dad) and set it on the very most edge of the wood stove keeping it warm throughout the evening for me to sip on. The games I always liked the best were when the Edmonton Oilers were on television so I could watch Wayne Gretzky and his teammates.  A famous line that Wayne Gretzky says is "You miss 100% of the shots you never take" There is much to be learned from that. Did you know that Wayne Gretzky FAILED to Score 82.4% of the time he took a shot on net but he DID score 17.6% of the time? So what have I learned from that statistic? TAKE THE SHOT! Wayne Gretzky missed his shot a lot and every time he did he learned just a little bit more about the rest of the players on the ice and about himself but it never kept him from trying and again and again until he succeeded. I've certainly tried many things in my life. I've taken many shots. On many I've missed, failed and flopped but I did get the experience of disappointment and failure which is one of life's greatest teachers. On some though I took a shot and I was a success. So keep taking your shots. You may miss many, many times but when you succeed it will make all the sacrifices and hard work all worth it.

A winter sleigh ride is a wonderful way to take in the sights and sounds of winter. It's also a perfect way to enjoy this winter wonderland during family outings, wedding parties, conventions and holidays. Our Lil Barnyard, located approximately 15 minutes from Brandon, offers 30-45 minute sleigh rides along a beautiful trail through a peaceful snow covered bush on the south side of the Brandon Hills. They also have available a fire-pit area for you to gather around with your group or family. They can accommodate either large (20-25), or small groups, and are currently accepting bookings most evenings and weekends. Daytime bookings may be available for larger groups. Pricing for a group of 10, or more, is only $8 a person, and for groups of less than 10 the minimum cost is $80. The fire-pit rental is available for $20/half hour use. To book a ride please contact them at 204-728-3645 or email jenn.neufeld@yahoo.ca.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

  Here's a little tale of a sweet 6 year old. It seems grade 1 was getting on his nerves, so he thought he'd try out something different like not listening, for example. So I had an unexpected phone call from his teacher in the evening after the sweet angel was tucked into bed, for a friendly chat about "why the young boy had to STAY INSIDE for 1st recess that morning"........Funny, he hadn't mentioned a word about ANY OF it to me.....AND he'd been extra good that very night..... I wake him up the next morning and tell him to go straight to the table, sit down, And wait for me. In my most intense quiet psycho Mom voice. Full eye contact no blinking. Extremely unsettling. I walk out to the table and stand across from him, and continue with my intense scary psycho Mom stare. Expressionless. The stuff nightmares are made of. He is also no longer blinking at this point. Mouth open ever so slightly. Me: (in a whisper quiet monotone voice) "I talked with your teacher last night." (Dramatically long silent pause) "Anything you'd like to say about what happened at school yesterday? What do you have to say about this?" Grade 1 kid: (spoken slowly and pitch rising at the end): I'm sorry....for....saying the eff word....?" Serenity. NOW. Recently the youngest of the 2 was asking what I'd wish for if I could only have 1 wish. I said I really wasn't sure, but wondered what he'd wish for. He said he hoped I wouldn't die soon because I'm 40 and that's really old. Yours truly, Caley

Our quest for winter family fun took us to The Forks, Winnipeg just recently. It was the first warm winter day in January and the place was packed! It was really great to see so many people enjoying the free activities with their kids. If you've never been to The Forks, (officially the Red River Mutual Trail) to skate I can offer you a few tips. 1) Go early. At 10AM on weekends you will still find free parking but know that the parkade fills up quickly. After that you might find convenient meter parking, but that's $4 per two hours on your credit card or by coins. By 1pm on weekends, you'll be walking from parking lots as far as the baseball stadium. Free family programming/organized events are held Sundays 1:30-3:30pm. And the better the weather, the more people that are in attendance. 2) Bring your own equipment if you have it. (Skate rentals are $3 for children, or $5 for adults, subject to availability.) Also, bring a backpack to tote your boots in. Some people leave their boots in the warming huts or under benches where you put your skates on, but this seems high risk. Since we forgot a backpack that day, we opted to bury the boots (upside down) in the snowbank behind the warming hut. It was a creative and effective solution, masterminded by my son. Our boots were still there 2 hours later when we were done skating for the day. 3) Bring a stick and puck if you like. There are specific hockey areas and nets. 4) The ice is groomed, but it is also river ice (not indoor rink ice) and used by thousands of people. This means you should bring a helmet even if you think you are an accomplished skater.  You are at risk of catching a skate in chips, cracks, soft spots and random debris. Risk of falling is high. You can check out the reported ice conditions at The Forks website. (www.theforks.com) I have found the ice under the bridges to be particularly rough and hazardous.     5) There is more than just the river to skate on. There are iced sidewalk trails which lead you several kilometres around the park site, over bridges and down to the Esplanade Riel Bridge as well. In fact, I'll let you in on a secret. The ice in front of the Scotiabank Stage, or in the 'festival park' area is hardly used. It was in excellent condition and even had music for our skating enjoyment.  We were there nearly an hour and maybe a dozen people or so were in sight, as opposed to the thousands just on the other side of the buildings on the river. 6) The coffee shop in the Johnson Terminal, first floor has fantastic cappuccinos. I like mine with a shot of coconut syrup. And if you're lucky enough to get a seat in their sunny window, you will have an ideal view of the skating oval and main plaza. A perfect place to people watch and soak in the perfection that is in my opinion, one of the greatest public spaces in our province. 7) Making a weekend of it? Or why not make your own overnight stay-cation and book a room at the Inn at The Forks during the week? Rates are as low as $169 per night. The location and convenience gets 5 stars for sure. I'm a big fan.  You are also a hop and a skip out the front door to the Children's Museum. www.childrensmuseum.com Admission is $11 per person, regardless of age. And now, until January 31st admission to the neighbouring Canadian Museum for Human Rights (www.humanrights.ca) is just $5.  See for yourself why everyone is calling Winnipeg, one of the hottest destinations and calling The Forks a must-see attraction in 2017.  Check out these video clips of action from in, and around the forks.       View of the main skating area. Red River Mutual Trail       Best kept secret, crowd free skating location at The Forks.         (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});