Who doesn't love a ski holiday? Especially when you can drive to your destination in a few short hours! It's a huge advantage to living in the snowy north of Canada. We (well, mostly hubby really) had arranged a week in Lake Placid with another couple and a family of 4 who are friends from back home and who are all on North American postings. We were excited not only about the skiing, but about sightseeing around the old Olympic venue facilities and spending time with friends.
So, on the last Saturday in January, we loaded up the trusty Odyssey full of clothes, gear and kids, popped the skis on the roof and hit the road to Lake Placid. The kids were good in the car, and the lunch stop in Cornwall was very exciting for them, as we found that the McDonalds had an indoor playground - a real rarity, so it was great for them to run and climb and burn off some energy. Crossing the border into the US is always a hassle, as we need to get out of the car, be fingerprinted etc, but thankfully it was super quiet and the staff were all friendly and smiled indulgently as the kids ran around. The drive through the Adirondacks into Lake Placid was pretty too, and we made good time and arrived mid-afternoon to our fabulous house. It was plenty big enough for 6 adults and 5 kids, with loads of rooms for everyone to sleep, 4 bathrooms, a fireplace, a converted deck area where the kids could play and be out of the way as well as a hot tub on the back deck. What more could you want?
Sunday dawned bright, sunny....and very cold. We all wore many layers and full face masks to cope with the -25 at the base and -35 at the summit of Whiteface mountain. At least it wasn't windy :) It was a good first day finding runs we liked on the mountain and we were all ready to come home at the end of the day. The parents were all taking turns to stay home with the kids, so the friend on duty that day looked a little worn out but the kids were all happy. On the second day we put the kids into daycare (the younger ones) and a ski and play day (the older two) and hit the slopes again. I decided to sign up for a lesson to improve my skills and was pleasantly surprised to find myself alone for my 2 hour group lesson. Good value! My instructor was a local so we had some good chats on the lifts and he gave me some suggestions of runs I would like, as well as of course honing my skiing. The third day I ended up being the only one of our friends skiing (hubby was having his turn with the kids) and it was cold again, with wind this time. It worked out okay though - I just got the gondola up the mountain every time. Sure it meant taking your skis on and off each time, but it's much warmer then being on a chairlift alone (which happened often as it wasn't very crowded midweek) and also much more conducive to chatting. One of the friendly ski patrol also pointed out where some deer were grazing under the gondola so I kept my eye out for them for the rest of the holiday - they had lovely fuzzy winter coats and looked super cute. The Wednesday was my fourth day of skiing straight so I was starting to feel a little tired. We had the kids in the daycare again which worked out well - by the end of the day when I'd had enough I skied across to the Kid's area and watched Miss 4 at the end of her afternoon lesson. She looked like she was having a ball - easily getting on and off the chairlift, turning and following her instructor with ease and even keeping her skis in parallel. Hubby and I are very happy with how she's taken to it.
After 4 days if skiing, I was ready to do some sightseeing. Hubby and I spent the next day (whilst another friend kindly watched the kids) checking out the Olympic venues. We went to the ski jump which is still used for training; you can catch the lift to the top and see just how mad they are to go down and leap off. The old stadium(s) (there was one from the 1932 games which they extended and built a new rink in for the 1980 games) are open to the public; we did a tour so got to hear lots of anecdotes. (Lots of cool stories about the early bobsledders and how mad they were - google pictures of the old bobsleds and you'll see why!!)There is also an Olympic museum attached to the stadium, which is quite small but has a few interesting bits and pieces. The highlight for us though was the bobsled experience. Yep - you can pay money to sit in a bobsled (with a driver and a brakeman to push you off) and hurtle down the track. Quite an intense experience and over very quickly!! I have a whole new respect for those athletes who sprint so quickly, then cram themselves into their sleds in seconds. The track is still used often for training - in fact we were told that the Aussie Olympians (bobsled and skeleton) did some training there a few weeks before. I can definitely recommend it if you're ever in the neighbourhood....
That night, after the kids were in bed, the other adults all decided to go out for a skate on the outdoor speed skating track. I don't even own skates so was happy to stay home. On the couch with a cup of tea as they got back, the first thing I'm told by a friend is "There's a bit of blood, but it's not as bad as it looks.." What?? Yep - hubby had crashed on the ice, and despite his helmet, opened up a cut above his eye, as well as hurting his shoulder. His eye was turning interesting shades of purple and swelling up before our eyes. Thankfully, one of our friends has paramedic experience, so she dashed off to the chemist and came back with supplies to patch him up. The biggest downside was that he missed his last day of skiing the next day (while I was staying home with the kids) as he couldn't see well enough. He has now sworn off skating!
It had been a great holiday but like all good things it had to end. We stopped in Saranac Lake on the drive home to check out their ice castle (seriously, they had a castle by the lake made of enormous blocks of ice) before heading back over the border and home.....to many loads of washing. An uneventful drive, although it started to snow quite heavily by the time we made it home. It's always good to sleep in your own bed again and certainly easier to get the twins to go to bed.
Of course, this time of year is also when Ottawa/Gatineau has their winter festival - Winterlude or Bal de Neige. The day after we arrived home, we headed across the river to check out their ice slides. Great fun. They had some that could fit the whole family, as well as loads of smaller ones. The kids all loved them, but the twins were a bit little to walk up the steep snowy hills themselves so hubby and I had to carry them up - so we lost interest well before they did! They had some other activities, but it was jam packed as the weather was mild, and hard to move around with lots of fresh snow, so we settled with ice slides and a Beavertail snack before coming home.
The next weekend we headed into Ottawa to check out the ice sculptures.Again, they were very impressive and again they had stuff for kids - blocks of coloured ice to 'build' with, as well as small coloured cubes to help build art with. All three loved it. We also caught the tail end of a timed ice sculpting challenge - it's amazing what they do with quite crude tools. It was a sunny day so the canal was busy with skaters too - no one in our family though!
Apart from that it's just been the usual busy. Dinner at a friend's house, playdates (including one we went to on sled as there was too much fresh snow on the footpath to consider taking the pram) a night ski (our local hill feels very small after Whiteface) and the usual school and playgroup routine. Today was interesting in that it was the warmest day we've had virtually since winter started (ie it was above zero) and it rained all day. With the snow banks everywhere there is nowhere for the rain to go, so there are massive puddles everywhere which will freeze overnight so we're expecting an icy day tomorrow!
The year is speeding away. This weekend we're planning to head to Mont Saint Marie for a day of skiing, next weekend there is a school dance and a night out and it's also only two weeks until the March break from school. Where does the time go???
Friday 21 February 2014
Monday 3 February 2014
A bit late - Christmas, New Year and more on winter
Blimey! Where has the time gone? I was hoping to blog before we went on holiday last week (more on that later) but it never happened, and now I realise that I haven't written for a month and a half and have lots to share. Here goes...
When I last wrote, the year was winding up. The kids all had a great last week of school. The younger classes all had a pyjama day, where they got to take their teddy bears in, have milk and cookies for morning tea and be read "The Night Before Christmas" which I think is such a cute idea. Miss 4 had actually been feeling a little unwell, but thankfully was okay to make it to school or she would have been devastated! The classes all had Christmas parties too - the twins' class needed the parents to stay which was okay. They had lots of fun craft activities for the kids (including Fruit Loop necklaces to make - once the girls figured out they could eat them not much crafting happened!!) and a visit from Santa. The twins decided they were still scared of Santa so no photo there, but they still had lots of fun. At least Miss 4 was excited to see Santa in her class.
The weekend before Christmas we caught up with some good friends for drinks. She's Aussie and had her parents visiting, and they brought along some Aussie goodies for us (Twisties anyone?) Six kids running around, lots of drinks and nibbles, listening to familiar accents - great fun. The Monday night before Christmas we went into the city to check out the Christmas lights. The good thing is you can go out quite early as it gets dark by 4:30 at that time of year, unfortunately, we didn't think the lights were that great and it was actually damn cold that night. Oh well, the kids were happy as we had dinner out in Byward Market.
Christmas Eve, hubby didn't have to work and we were all ready for Christmas Day, so we went out to the Science Museum. We'd been once before and thought it was just okay, but when we went back we realised that we'd missed a big section that had been closed on our previous visit, which included the Crazy Kitchen and kid's play area. Our three all had lots of fun, and the trains were a bit hit again too.
Christmas Day was sunny and cold. A pretty day, but not great for outdoor play. Because it was just us, it was a bit weird - once we'd opened the presents we really didn't have anything to do. The boulangerie in the market was open so we headed to the city for a morning coffee and Christmas cookies for the kids. Of course, we also had a hot turkey dinner with gravy, roast veg and cranberry jelly followed by pudding for dessert - I doubt we'll be doing that again any Christmas soon!
We were actually quite busy in the week between Christmas and New Year. Miss 4 was signed up for 3 mornings of ski lessons. We'd tried her at skiing last year, and she never quite got it, but being another year older and that bit stronger made a huge difference. She loved it, was a real trouper even thought the first day was very cold and was super excited to get off the magic carpet and onto the chairlift and up the proper hill on the last day. Hubby mentioned that he could take her skiing sometime now, and she was worried that Dad wouldn't keep up with her! In that week we also had our neighbours over for drinks and a catch up, visited the Aviation Museum (the kids love climbing in all the planes), went to the pub for dinner and had one of hubby's work friends over for dinner with his family (they have 4 kids so it was madness but fun).
An unplanned adventure for the week was when a very naughty twin climbed (well, fell really) our of her cot. Damn - that meant we had to convert their cots into toddler beds, which meant that they wouldn't stay in bed and kept getting up in the night and wandering around. It was particularly disconcerting when you woke in the middle of the night to find a little person standing next to your bed staring at you! After a rough couple of weeks, we eventually solved the problem with a special clock that shows the sun and a sleeping star, and a child gate on their bedroom door.
New Year's Eve arrived and we actually had plans! We haven't often bothered since we had kids, but this year we had friends over - one of Miss 4's school friends with her parents who we get along with well. As it was just 3 of them we'd arranged for a sleepover, and the kids were super excited. It was a lovely night - we had dinner, put the twins to bed, set the girls up with a movie and played board games. We eventually convinced the girls to go to sleep and made it past midnight to see in the New Year. We were all a bit tired the next day and were happy to have a quiet day at home.
It was very cold the first few days of the new year - the maximum temperatures were in the -20s and the wind chill was in the -30s. To avoid cabin fever, I thought I'd take the girls out to pick up a few things at the shops and buy them lunch. Sadly the car had other ideas - it was too cold to start. Yep, when it's super cold car batteries struggle to provide enough charge to start the car. The poor kids were so disappointed, as it was too cold to play outside so they were just stuck in the house. Thankfully, we managed to get out the next day for a playdate so it wasn't all bad.
The weather warmed up for the weekend, so hubby and I celebrated our anniversary by going for a night ski. It was my first night ski and I have to say I'm a fan - the slopes are really pretty under lights. It can be a little hard to judge the slopes at dusk, but apart from that it was great. We headed out for dinner at the Chelsea Pub afterwards,which has pretty upmarket pub food and our meals were delicious. Skiing also earns you dessert and the sugar tart was delicious too :) We took the kids for some outside play the next day - sledding at the Governor-General's. Fresh snow made it very hard for for us, and the twins were a little unsure at the start, but we got them sliding down the hill after a little persuasion. Miss 4 never needs any encouragement.
School was back on the Monday and I think everyone was glad to be back in a routine, especially as the weather had made it difficult to make the most of the Christmas break. We managed to plan some playdates too so the week went quickly. It was a movie kind of weekend. Hubby and I had thought about another night ski, but it was a little too cold to be pleasant so we made the most of having a babysitter to get out anyway. We hadn't been out for dinner and a movie in ages. On Sunday I took Miss 4 to see "Frozen" in 3D - a great fun movie, although she was a little freaked out by the 3D at first. The next week flew by too with school and playdates and we kept busy on the weekend with Skyping friends and family and a trip to the Children's Museum.
The second last week of January, we were gearing up for a skiing holiday to Lake Placid (which will have to wait until the next blog). It was cold again, but I headed out one night for a solo night ski, to get another ski under my belt before we hit Whiteface Mountain. It was surprisingly not too bad skiing in -19 as it wasn't windy. Another advantage was that it was pretty quiet so at times I felt like I had the runs to myself. Again the week flew by with the usual routine - I was supposed to write this blog that week too, but it didn't quite happen.
I do have to comment that we really have noticed the cold this year - we have had far more days of below average temperatures then last year. It can be pretty rough to stay busy and keep the kids amused when it's a maximum of -20 something, windchill of even more and you feel like you're being slapped in the face by the cold every time you step out the door. On the flipside, we have realised how much about winter here just seems normal now - like when you suddenly notice that 1/6th of the supermarket carpark is lost under a pile of plowed snow, or when it seems completely normal to have an igloo and a snow tunnel in your backyard.
So the next blog will hopefully be a little sooner then usual, and I can tell you all about our trip to Lake Placid and Winterlude here in Ottawa. Until then :)
When I last wrote, the year was winding up. The kids all had a great last week of school. The younger classes all had a pyjama day, where they got to take their teddy bears in, have milk and cookies for morning tea and be read "The Night Before Christmas" which I think is such a cute idea. Miss 4 had actually been feeling a little unwell, but thankfully was okay to make it to school or she would have been devastated! The classes all had Christmas parties too - the twins' class needed the parents to stay which was okay. They had lots of fun craft activities for the kids (including Fruit Loop necklaces to make - once the girls figured out they could eat them not much crafting happened!!) and a visit from Santa. The twins decided they were still scared of Santa so no photo there, but they still had lots of fun. At least Miss 4 was excited to see Santa in her class.
The weekend before Christmas we caught up with some good friends for drinks. She's Aussie and had her parents visiting, and they brought along some Aussie goodies for us (Twisties anyone?) Six kids running around, lots of drinks and nibbles, listening to familiar accents - great fun. The Monday night before Christmas we went into the city to check out the Christmas lights. The good thing is you can go out quite early as it gets dark by 4:30 at that time of year, unfortunately, we didn't think the lights were that great and it was actually damn cold that night. Oh well, the kids were happy as we had dinner out in Byward Market.
Christmas Eve, hubby didn't have to work and we were all ready for Christmas Day, so we went out to the Science Museum. We'd been once before and thought it was just okay, but when we went back we realised that we'd missed a big section that had been closed on our previous visit, which included the Crazy Kitchen and kid's play area. Our three all had lots of fun, and the trains were a bit hit again too.
Christmas Day was sunny and cold. A pretty day, but not great for outdoor play. Because it was just us, it was a bit weird - once we'd opened the presents we really didn't have anything to do. The boulangerie in the market was open so we headed to the city for a morning coffee and Christmas cookies for the kids. Of course, we also had a hot turkey dinner with gravy, roast veg and cranberry jelly followed by pudding for dessert - I doubt we'll be doing that again any Christmas soon!
We were actually quite busy in the week between Christmas and New Year. Miss 4 was signed up for 3 mornings of ski lessons. We'd tried her at skiing last year, and she never quite got it, but being another year older and that bit stronger made a huge difference. She loved it, was a real trouper even thought the first day was very cold and was super excited to get off the magic carpet and onto the chairlift and up the proper hill on the last day. Hubby mentioned that he could take her skiing sometime now, and she was worried that Dad wouldn't keep up with her! In that week we also had our neighbours over for drinks and a catch up, visited the Aviation Museum (the kids love climbing in all the planes), went to the pub for dinner and had one of hubby's work friends over for dinner with his family (they have 4 kids so it was madness but fun).
An unplanned adventure for the week was when a very naughty twin climbed (well, fell really) our of her cot. Damn - that meant we had to convert their cots into toddler beds, which meant that they wouldn't stay in bed and kept getting up in the night and wandering around. It was particularly disconcerting when you woke in the middle of the night to find a little person standing next to your bed staring at you! After a rough couple of weeks, we eventually solved the problem with a special clock that shows the sun and a sleeping star, and a child gate on their bedroom door.
New Year's Eve arrived and we actually had plans! We haven't often bothered since we had kids, but this year we had friends over - one of Miss 4's school friends with her parents who we get along with well. As it was just 3 of them we'd arranged for a sleepover, and the kids were super excited. It was a lovely night - we had dinner, put the twins to bed, set the girls up with a movie and played board games. We eventually convinced the girls to go to sleep and made it past midnight to see in the New Year. We were all a bit tired the next day and were happy to have a quiet day at home.
It was very cold the first few days of the new year - the maximum temperatures were in the -20s and the wind chill was in the -30s. To avoid cabin fever, I thought I'd take the girls out to pick up a few things at the shops and buy them lunch. Sadly the car had other ideas - it was too cold to start. Yep, when it's super cold car batteries struggle to provide enough charge to start the car. The poor kids were so disappointed, as it was too cold to play outside so they were just stuck in the house. Thankfully, we managed to get out the next day for a playdate so it wasn't all bad.
The weather warmed up for the weekend, so hubby and I celebrated our anniversary by going for a night ski. It was my first night ski and I have to say I'm a fan - the slopes are really pretty under lights. It can be a little hard to judge the slopes at dusk, but apart from that it was great. We headed out for dinner at the Chelsea Pub afterwards,which has pretty upmarket pub food and our meals were delicious. Skiing also earns you dessert and the sugar tart was delicious too :) We took the kids for some outside play the next day - sledding at the Governor-General's. Fresh snow made it very hard for for us, and the twins were a little unsure at the start, but we got them sliding down the hill after a little persuasion. Miss 4 never needs any encouragement.
School was back on the Monday and I think everyone was glad to be back in a routine, especially as the weather had made it difficult to make the most of the Christmas break. We managed to plan some playdates too so the week went quickly. It was a movie kind of weekend. Hubby and I had thought about another night ski, but it was a little too cold to be pleasant so we made the most of having a babysitter to get out anyway. We hadn't been out for dinner and a movie in ages. On Sunday I took Miss 4 to see "Frozen" in 3D - a great fun movie, although she was a little freaked out by the 3D at first. The next week flew by too with school and playdates and we kept busy on the weekend with Skyping friends and family and a trip to the Children's Museum.
The second last week of January, we were gearing up for a skiing holiday to Lake Placid (which will have to wait until the next blog). It was cold again, but I headed out one night for a solo night ski, to get another ski under my belt before we hit Whiteface Mountain. It was surprisingly not too bad skiing in -19 as it wasn't windy. Another advantage was that it was pretty quiet so at times I felt like I had the runs to myself. Again the week flew by with the usual routine - I was supposed to write this blog that week too, but it didn't quite happen.
I do have to comment that we really have noticed the cold this year - we have had far more days of below average temperatures then last year. It can be pretty rough to stay busy and keep the kids amused when it's a maximum of -20 something, windchill of even more and you feel like you're being slapped in the face by the cold every time you step out the door. On the flipside, we have realised how much about winter here just seems normal now - like when you suddenly notice that 1/6th of the supermarket carpark is lost under a pile of plowed snow, or when it seems completely normal to have an igloo and a snow tunnel in your backyard.
So the next blog will hopefully be a little sooner then usual, and I can tell you all about our trip to Lake Placid and Winterlude here in Ottawa. Until then :)
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