Columbia Minx Boots Are Functional & Foxy!‏

   

I don't know about you, but finding good winter boots this year has been harder than finding a soul mate! Ok, maybe not that hard, but close enough! LOL I wanted to find winter boots that fit and felt like running shoes, but that were also waterproof and warm. Is that too much to ask? I have kids that are always eager to play in the snow, and I have to walk them to and from the bus stop each school day, so practicality and comfort are a must!

After visiting approximately a dozen stores, I finally found the boots I'd been looking for! I discovered the Columbia Minx™ Mid II Omni-Heat™ boot! Like dating, we often times bypass what was right in front of us all along. You see, most of the stores that I had visited carried my dream winter boots, but I misjudged and dismissed them based on their stylish look as not being practical. Boy was I wrong! When I eventually tried them on, I kicked myself for not giving them a chance at the 1st store I had seen them at. All that time and gas wasted driving from store to store when they were right there all along!

I had originally been looking for ones that had a rubber foot with fabric on the upper part. But after trying on pair after pair of those and various other styles and brands, I could not find one pair that fit snugly or comfortably to my liking.

As I've already said, they are stylish. They looked awesome both on the shelf and on my feet! As soon as I put them on, I knew they were the "one"! They actually felt like running shoes! I had also been looking for boots with laces so that I could adjust the tightness depending on what legwear I would be wearing and to keep the boots nice and secure on my feet. These boots addressed everything I'd been searching for. And they barely weigh anything!

Many boots that I looked at in my travels were heavy already and when you factor in trying to drudge through heavy, wet or deep snow, that's just going to add to the strain of maneuvering through it. The flexibility of the Minx Mid II is an added bonus. If the boot has relatively hard components while in the store at room temperature, then you know that it's going to become harder in colder temps. I love that they are flexible, leaving them malleable no matter how cold it is outside. This just adds to the comfort, and the faux fur trim on the collar and tongue make them really cozy. Their Omni-Grip™ non-marking traction rubber outsoles reduce the chance that you will slip in icy conditions.

Columbia's 2014 Minx Collection features their patented Omni-Heat Reflective Technology and 200g  insulation which are rated for -32C. This, along with their woven synthetic fabric, ensures that your feet will stay warm and dry. While I have not actually tried them in water or slush yet, I have faith that they will do what Columbia has claimed. To provide even more waterproof protection, you could spray them with water repellent which is available at most shoe stores. There are a number of waterproofing spray products on the market and they're typically inexpensive. 

The Columbia Women’s Minx™ Mid II Omni-Heat™ boots come in both a typical full boot style and a Shorty version. The regular boots come in grey, red, white, black & tan, and the Shorty boots come in red, brown, black and a tan print. Here in Canada, the full boots retail for approximately $140 and the Shorty boots for about $110. You can find them in many shoe stores and department stores that typically carry Columbia footwear. Some stores only carry certain colours, so call ahead if you have a specific version in mind. If you are a person who likes to wear thicker socks during the winter months, I would suggest going a 1/2 size larger to give you room. From what I saw, most stores appeared to sell only full sizes. If you require a 1/2 size, you might have better luck purchasing online.  They are also available in youth sizes!

Personally, I favour the full boots in grey. I want them to be deep enough to go out in the snow throughout the winter.  And from experience, I personally find that salt stains and dirt don't show up as much with the grey colour, keeping them looking newer longer. This is why I requested grey for my sample pair.

As a mom who wants and needs to maximize her ability to stay comfortably outside with her kids during winter activities, the Columbia Minx™ Mid II Omni-Heat™ boots are a product that I love! Not only are they comfortable and functional, they look awesome! If you're going to be out playing in the snow, you might as well look good doing it! :)

For a list of winter activities to do with your children this season, check out InfoMommy's 45 Indoor/Outdoor Winter Activities For Your & Your Kids!

To keep up to date with their other products, check out Columbia on Facebook and Twitter!

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post.*****

   

45 Indoor/Outdoor Winter Activities For You & Your Kids!

    

I don't know about you, but pre-kids, I didn't mind occasionally hunkering down and hibernating during the winter. But now that I have kids, I've learned that it's best to keep them busy even if it's frigid outside! So here's a list of things to do together to make this winter fun and exciting, and help keep the cabin fever at bay!

Outdoor Activities:
1) Go ice skating.
2) Go tobogganing.
3) Go tubing.
4) Go cross country/downhill skiing.
5) Learn how to snowboard.
6) Learn how to curl.
7) Go snow shoeing.
8) Go ice fishing.
9) Go snowmobiling/skidooing.
10) Play outdoor hockey.
11) Feed chipmunks, squirrels and birds.
12) Plan a night to see the Northern Lights/Aurora Borealis.  
13) Build a snowman.
14) Build a snow fort.
15) Build a bonfire in a safe and appropriate outdoor space.
16) Roast hotdogs & marshmallows on the bonfire.
17) Build your own outdoor skating rink.
18) Make snow angels.
19) Take a hike! Literally! LOL
20) Decorate the snow/snowman with food coloring.
21) Check out local conservation areas/provincial parks for winter activities.

22) Try dog sledding.
23) Google winter carnivals in your area.
24) Check out local maple syrup festivals in late winter.
25) See if there's a winter farmer's market in your area.

Indoor Activities:
26) Have your kids research their ancestry.
27) Make homemade hot chocolate.
28) Check online for winter themed crafts.
29) Play a board game.
30) Put a puzzle together.
31) Play dress up and act out a play or favorite story.
32) Print off some online coloring pages of your child's favorite character.
33) Bake a special treat like cookies or banana bread.
34) Go online and research age appropriate magic tricks to try out.
35) Have a family dance party and/or dance competition.
36) Get tickets to an indoor sports event.

37) Get tickets to ride on your local Santa Train.

38) Make sock puppets then put on a puppet show.

39) Take an old box and shape and decorate it into a puppet theatre.
40) Check out local Chinese New Year festivities.
41) Visit local museums, especially those with children's activities.
42) Explore your local indoor playgrounds.
43) Teach your kids a new craft like knitting, painting, etc.
44) Take in a movie at the theatre, or plan a movie day at home.

45) Cut out old fashion paper snowflakes and paper dolls.

Enjoy your winter! :)

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post.*****

Grizzly Kinder Sleigh Is As Tough As Its Name

   

As many people know, InfoMommy likes to tell you about products that are unique & helpful and I love to share products that I think are great!

I reached out to Streamridge a couple of months back, inquiring about doing a review on their Grizzly Kinder Sleigh. I immediately liked it when perusing online as it was made in Canada, made of wood instead of plastic and seemed a lot sturdier that a typical stapled together sleigh would be. I also liked the price point for a Canadian-made wooden sleigh.

Sometimes I will get turned down and sometimes I get no response at all. Many times I will gladly get shipped the product for review. But only 2 companies have ever invited me to pop by and check out their behind the scenes operation. One of those companies was Medela Canada, the breastpump gurus, and the other was Bauman Sawmill, the makers of the Streamridge Grizzly Kinder Sleigh that I inquired about.

After carving out some time during our summer schedule, I took my kids down to visit them one morning at their sawmill operation just outside of Elmira, Ontario. The drive alone through the countryside was beautiful. Rolling hills, lush green landscape and crops of various produce at the height of their growing season. Horse drawn buggies being driven down the country roads, bringing to mind a much simpler time than today's hustle and bustle in large urban centres.

Mr. Bauman (part owner of Bauman Sawmill/Streamridge) is a tall friendly man with a warm take charge personality. He strikes me as a man who has educated and well thought out beliefs and ideas that he is not afraid to share. I believe that these qualities would make him a great leader! He warmly welcomed me and my children and brought us to their board room. Mr. Bauman was even kind enough to have the forethought to seek the assistance of Helena, one of his employees, to help out with my children while we chatted and completed our tour. As I said to her that morning, I was quite certain that child-minding and assisting with young children had not been part of her job description when she signed on there! I really appreciated that Mr. Bauman, Helena, and Myron Gascho, who is their Customer and Product Coordinator, were open to including my children in the tour. Even if they were eventually getting a bit rowdy in the board room! They are active boys after all! I loved the idea of my children seeing how sleighs are made, and seeing the craftsmanship behind the finished product. Craftsmanship that some would argue is close to becoming a lost art.

Bauman Sawmill was formed in 1995, and makes over 60 varieties of sleighs and toboggans. In fact, they are the exclusive manufacturer for LL Bean sleighs as well! The Streamridge brand name was inspired by their property which runs alongside the Conestoga River, and includes its own ridge along the waterway. Bauman Sawmill provides gainful employment to approximately 60 local residents within Waterloo Region.

Their sleighs are made of locally grown Ash wood, which is a type of wood that is known for its natural fiber strength, and is suited perfectly for bending during production of the sleighs. These trees are ethically harvested by being carefully selected and acquired from private landowners, and are not clear cut like many people might believe or envision. They are hand chosen. When removed, it assists in opening up the tree canopy within that particular forest, aiding in generating new growth, and encouraging further growth in pre-existing trees and other vegetation.

Once the trees have been processed into lumber, they are typically stacked for drying outside for approximately one year. Drying them in this slow manner, allows for the natural fiber strength to be preserved. Keeping the natural fiber strength is important, at it allows the lumber to be bent during the steam bending process.

Each component of these sleds are made in Waterloo Region and are made by hand, along with tools of the trade and some machinery. They are not fabricated in a factory, where robotic instruments do all the work. These are made from start to finish by real people here in Canada! Even the varnish type coating on them is not done by spraying, but done by hand dipping into troughs of water based finish. This method keeps dangerous particles out of the air and reduces waste, as the drippings go right back into the finish toughs for re-use on the next sleigh. They are then hung in rows to dry.

Walking through the production area, various areas are reminiscent of Santa's workshop. A number of partially finished sleighs hung in a perfect line waiting for their finish to be applies. Instead of elves, you have skilled craftsmen & craftswomen who are mindfully sanding wood to make sure that there are no splinters, screwing pieces together, bending wood for the sleigh runners, along with other tasks. Their product room featuring all of their accessories, sleigh pads and sleigh designs also has a warm feel to it. It really got me in the mood for winter... Almost!

Mr. Gascho then took us for a tour of the actual Sawmill which is offsite, and then to a harness & tack shop where they actually sew all the sleigh pads on the upper level. Imagine colourful bolts of fabric everywhere, ready to be used to make the sleigh pads, horse blankets and a number of other items they make there on a daily basis! Where a man was actually sewing leather for horse tack! Mr. Gascho's patience and humour when we temporarily lost one of my toddler's shoes was appreciated, as was his ability to tailor the tour to ensure that my kids were not hungry enough to start eating lumber for lunch!

With the small amount of wood waste that can occur with breakage, uneven ends or during the sawmilling itself, Bauman Sawmill uses this matter to make bedding for animals, and also uses it to fuel their wood burning heaters. These wood burning heaters also serve to heat their production area and warm up water for the steam that is essential to bending the wood for the sleighs. Examples of reduce, re-use and recycle at its finest! Their methods of making these sleighs, where at each individual stage are touched by real people - not just machines, and their apparent care taken to eliminate waste makes me believe that they really are trying and doing their part in leaving a small carbon footprint.

The Grizzly Kinder Sleigh is designed for kids aged 1-3 years of age. It has curled runners on the front, which I think makes for reducing the amount of times you get stuck in snow from the front when navigating through snow drifts, and blowing snow. This would have come in real handy with the winter we had last year! The metal wear bars on the runners give the sleigh not only extra gliding power, but also helps reduce wear and tear on the runners themselves. These Streamridge sleighs would be a hit not only for Christmas morning, but a fantastic investment for someone who is starting their family! These sleighs are built to last a lot longer than your typical stapled together sleigh and a sure bet that they will last for use with subsequent children and for generations to come if treated kindly!  You can almost be guaranteed a partial return on investment with these sleighs as well, if you are the type who likes to sell your no longer needed items on websites like Kijiji! How cool would you be as the Grandma and/or Grandpa who put that under the tree this year?! If you're small enough, you might even get a ride in it! And by small, I mean toddler sized!

As previously stated, they have a number of sleigh styles to meet your needs. For all of you parents or grandparents of multiples out there, they even have a dual version of the Grizzly Kinder Sleigh, called the Grizzly Dual Sleigh! This is perfect for twins or siblings that are close in age between 1 and 3 years of age!

The 1/2" thick rustic red and black lumberjack type polyester sleigh pad design are new to this year's models. It gives them an even more authentic look than their previous plain red pads. Having the sleigh pad helps to stop drafts from coming in and around the sides of the sleigh, and help provide more comfort and warmth on longer sleigh rides. The braided pull rope, which is also locally braided here in Ontario, is thicker than a lot of other sleighs out there, and adds comfort for the hands of the parents or whoever's pulling the sleigh. I was going to say that the only thing I'd change is to add a seatbelt, but they actually sell those too!

The Grizzly Kinder Sleigh retails for approximately $169.99CAN. At this price point, I think it's a great investment! You get a well-crafted Canadian handmade sled, made locally in Ontario. They are available for purchase from Home Hardware, online at Toys R Us Canada, and at various small retailers throughout the country. You can also purchase a selection of different accessories which are available for purchase online.

Sleigh dimensions are 33" long, 14 1/2" wide and 13 1/4" high. The Grizzly Kinder Sleigh weighs 9 1/2 pounds, which is great to help add extra traction when pulling through snow. And there's no assembly required.... Unless of course, you're making your own snow! :)

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post.*****