Sledding

     I stared at the brand new sled that I got last winter, on clearance, at Target and realized that it was shiny, had all of its original stickers and even the price tag. That's unacceptable. So, I sent out a blast text to everyone in my phone who lives in the area and asked them where they go sledding. Most responded with places that charge a fee. I thanked them for their suggestion and deleted those text messages. In a city that is the second hilliest in the United States, it just doesn't make sense to pay to slid down a hill. Then I got 2 unanimous responses: Southeast School in Leominster and Cherry Hill in Lunenburg. I bundled my child and myself in multiple layers of clothing, much like the younger brother from A Christmas Story, grabbed the sled and headed to the closer of the 2 locations.
     Cherry Hill is known for their delicious summer ice cream but I had no idea that the roaring hilltops were also a place for winter fun and exercise. Yes, exercise. That hill is a lot steeper than it looks and climbing back up is a serious leg workout. Two hours later, after flying off the sleds, crashing into other children, flipping through the air, involuntarily eating snow and ice, clearing brush with our bodies, laughing till we literally cried, and screaming while zipping down the steeper parts of the hill, it was decided that this was our new favorite and free winter activity. I decided that as an added exercise I would pull my child up the hill in her sled. That was my day's workout! The sweat dripped down my back made me forget that I was in the snow in 25 degree weather. Yes, exercise can be fun too.
     We got home, cuddled by the heater with hot cocoa and laughed at the adventures of the day. The sled in the corner was now scratched, stickers completely worn off, dripping from the melting snow and there was a slight chip on the front, just the way a sled should look. My daughter laid her head on my arm and said "Thanks Mom, that was the best day ever!"

Sleds are as cheap as $5 at Walmart and clearance for $2-3 at other places. Grab a sled, bundle up yourself and your child(ren) and head to a hill for some winter sledding fun and exercise. Please be aware that this, like most other activities that involve hills and fast moving objects, can cause bodily injury and people with certain injuries should not participate. Sled at your own risk.