Ski School for Kids - the parenting form guide.

In the second part of my Canada series, I look at ski school and in particular, how to send your kids off to learn to ski without suffering a nervous breakdown, dying of guilt or leaving them scarred for life.

As any skier (and I use the term to collectively include snowboarders) knows, ski school is a necessary part of ski life. If you intend to get better at this sport, you will at some stage need to invest (and I do mean invest, it ain't cheap) in ski lessons.

As adults, this is, of course, a choice we make knowing that despite the discomfort (bathroom stops whilst wearing 5 layers clothing including all-in-one hell suits, cold, wet days, throwing oneself down steep mountains) we should theoretically emerge a better skier.

Our kids on the other hand, often have no choice, and they shouldn't really, as very few of them would volunteer to spend a week in a new school, with new friends, new teachers and the very high probability that they will get cold and wet at some point and possibly execute some falls along the way. It's not really an easy, calm safe sport to learn. But it is SOOOO worth it, as we ski elders know.

Once the skills are acquired, the kilometres skied and the magnificent mountain scenery has been experienced, in most cases, the skier is hooked. For life. And so it follows that we must also hook our kids to this sport so that we can go on and travel to snowy climes for the rest of our lives with our amenable kids in tow.

So here are 3 tried and tested strategies we used on our recent trip which enabled us to enjoy a largely drama-free ski school experience.

Give them a Preview
Before we went, I was feeling anxious about how our youngest child, 4 years old, would react to 2 weeks in ski school. It wasn't that long ago, after all, that he'd finally settled into daycare and we were able to enjoy cry-free drop-offs each day. So I embarked on a series of couch youtube sessions with him where we watched kids having fun skiing. We chatted about the gear they wore, the skis, the snow and generally familiarised him with what happens when you go skiing. He started to feel excited and wanted to experience it. Things were looking good...

Teddy and Orsie after ski school.

Be strong and walk away
So once we'd make it to Whistler, and we had wrangled the kids into the 15 layers they would need to take on a day in sub-zero conditions, we took them to ski school. As with most things in Whistler and the North Amercian ski resorts like it, ski school is very well organised. There are fun, welcoming, youthful ski instructors waiting to welcome the kids individually. For the little ones, there are fluffy toys and choc chip cookies awaiting them in their classroom. You just have to get them through this initial introduction and drop-off moment, and you're done, but this moment is not an easy one. Not in my experience.

We had a happy, excited 4-year-old as we approached the ski school, but by the time we introduced Ted to his lovely new teacher Scot, we had tears. And screaming and clinging. Ted was so tightly attached to me that I could have run down the street without holding him and he would have clung on with all 4 limbs like a little koala. He was not budging. With Scot and I both prizing away fingers, promising cookies, hot chocolates and fun times, Ted was not going for it. He was red-faced, crying and desperate to stay with his Mama. It's safe to say that at this point that I felt like someone was stabbing my heart with a large knife. I felt DREADFUL. My baby needed me, he was scared and would have done anything for me to cuddle him up, take him back to our hotel room and snuggle. So what did I do? I left him there, with lovely Scot and walked away feeling broken, gutted and utterly devastated.

As I moped to the lift queue to meet the other adults, I reminded myself that one day he would thank me, that surely within minutes he'd be smiling and eating cookies and that this gift we were giving him would deliver him years of fun memories and adventures. But that day I struggled to put that farewell out of my mind. Was he still crying? Would I hear from the ski school soon? Would they know where to reach me? Would they tell me he was just too upset to partake in the day's activities??

Sure enough at 3pm when I returned to ski school, Ted was strutting around in his ski boots and entertaining his classmates. When he spotted me he ran to me with a huge grin and outstretched arms and told me how he'd been doing flips. (Exaggeration is something he gets from me). The day was fun. He'd enjoyed his day. He learned some things. He had laughed. His teacher assured me the tears were short-lived and he went on to spend a day on the snow with friends laughing and learning. Oh my god THE RELIEF.

Teddy dancing out of ski school.

And that was the worst of it. He still cried at some of the future drop-offs but not for long and not with the same level of abject fear. He understood what was going to happen and he was ok with it. By the end of the 14 days, he missed Scot.

Remind them of it after the event
I'm presently experimenting with this idea and here's my theory. That by keeping the fun alive and reminding the kids of the fun they had skiing, they will again look forward to it and get excited at the prospect of skiing. I'm having the ski school photos framed and we'll find a nice place for them at home. I've looked at photos of the trip with them already and they've both asked when we're going back. The cold and uncertainty has been forgotten for now, and so hopefully with another year of life experience under their belts, the next trip, and its set of drop-offs will be that little bit easier.

A little Family Time...

Yours Truly enjoying a shandy at Merritts.

So after 4 nights of girly time with the Birds, it was time for me to be reunited with my boys (husband, son and step-son) for some nice family snow time. And it was lovely. A lot quieter, a lot less schnapps and some more tame skiing.

Orsie on skis for the first time.

A real joy for Trent and I was to put our baby possum on skis (Komperdell Under 3's) for the very first time. I think he found the sliding sensation a little weird at first but he certainly took to using the poles.

Biba Turnbull and Tana Hardwick

We also watched our friend Tana's daughter Biba compete in a BoarderCross comp which she ended up winning. Go Beebs! 

But the highlight of the week was definitely my birthday which we celebrated in style. Lloydy and I had lunch at Kareela Hutte then we collected the boys from ski school/kindy and ventured on over to the Cliquot in the Snow apres bar at the Alpine Hotel. We sipped on champers with Tana and our super cool snowboarding champ Biba and the boys toasted marchmallows. Bliss!

Trent at the Veuve bar.

36 and happy at the Veuve Bar

Toasted marshmallows... mmmm.

Aunty Tana and Orsie

TL and I at my birthday lunch.

Birds Ski Weekend

The Birds! (Top: Frannie, Soph, Ali, Tana. Bottom: Trudie, Rennel).

The Birds At the base of the Kosciusko Express L-R (Frannie, Lizzie, Soph, Rennel, Trudie, Tana and Ali)

You may recall that I go away with some equally amazing chicks on an annual ski weekend. Having recently returned, I feel kind of sad to no longer be with the birds in the mountains, having a whale of a time. Ah, so much fun.

Rennelly AKA The Puffin our only boarder.

We skied pretty hard this year, in years gone by pre-kids, we partied a bit harder, but this time it was all about pulling some great turns, finding new lines and of course lots of laughs.

Tana (team captain) in the carpark downing a coffee.

Day 2 was an absolute cracker. Like every day, we were up for first lifts or thereabouts, we skied under bright blue skies and we nailed that illusive jewell here in Australia when we found ourselves skiing dry, fresh, non-icy, non-slushy snow. There was no powder (just a little windblown stuff here and there) but that didn't dampen spirits. You see Aussie skiers are used to less than fabulous ski conditions. We learn to turn on ice, to stop in mixtures of slush and barely covered grass. So when we arrived in Thredbo 2 weeks ago and saw the runs covered in a thick blanket of white we celebrated. That's the jackpot.

Sev and Nic AKA the Tassie Devil and The Mexican Walking Fish

So back to Day 2, we skied hard til 2pm exploring all of Karels top backcountry, Trudes and I finding better and better lines through the windblown, the basin, Gold Course bowl, Cannonball, the Bluff, the Central Spur and a few cheeky tree runs near the super trail. FUN!

On the hill. Soph, Trudie and Tana.

Then it was off to lunch at Merritts where the chicken laksa surprised us (with how good it was) and the schnapps were plentiful. We stayed til last lifts at 4pm, skied home with full bellies and giggles non-stop.

Birds at Lunch. Kareela Hutte. Frannie on Right.

Dinners were also impressive. Sante on the Friday night for tapas and great service (thanks James!) and take-away pizza enjoyed in our glamorous pad, Elevation where we had earlier enjoyed the view and the always impressive Thredbo flare run and fireworks. That is a tradition that never grows old with me. Even at 36 (yes, thank you, it's a new thing), I still get butterflies when watching it. Long may that wonderful Thredbo tradition continue.

Trudes and Soph.

And speaking of wonderful traditions, long may our BSW continue. A very big thank you for our tour organiser Tana for such a wondeful weekend. I LOVED it.  xxx

Happy Easter Show!!!

It's not Easter in Sydney in my opinion, without a visit to the Royal Easter Show. So today despite the driving rain, we packed up the boys and headed west for our annual dose of animals, wacky rides, devonshire tea and show bags.

Orsie feeding a chicken.
First up it was a ride on the tea-cups which I must say, made me far more nauseous than any of the scarier rides I've been on. Nausea not improved by Trent's calls from the side of vom-inducing "warm, fish milkshakes," seeing my growing queasiness... Orsie wasn't mad on it either.

Riley, Orsie and I on the Teacup ride. Blahhh.

Then it was a wander through the cattle displays, the baby animal farmyard (Orsie was much keener on this) and a good look at various goats, piggies and bulls. Just the smell of all the horse manure make me want to whack on the Drizabone and Akubra with genuine feelings of wanting to be a country gal, even if just for an hour or so.

Orsie patting a sheep.

and a goat...

Onto the CWA cafe for wonderful home-made scones with jam and cream. Delicious. So good. And just so ideal on a wet day at the show.

Orsie eating some sweet corn for lunch.

Then it was a quick look at the cake decoration and craft displays, a wild ride for Trudes and I on the Taipan roller coaster (so much fun, see below) and then my one and only sideshow alley game for the day. It was one where you stand behind the line and throw darts at balloons in order to reveal a prize behind once they pop. Never was great at darts...

Trudes and I on the mighty Taipan!

Finally, a blitz of the show bag pavilion yielded strong results with Orsie on debut with the Diego and Sesame St bags, Riley taking home the Man United, Lego and Cadbury bags and Trent and I opting for a bit of Cadbury and Freddo action - old school but still good.

Good fun, worth doing but kind of also glad it's done for another year.

Swim Time

So, Orson Leo had his very first swimming lesson last week... phwoar, what a ride that was. It was a mixture of tears, laughter, sheer terror and excitement. And that was just me. He loved it at first and the teacher even called him "a very compliant student!" but once a few other babies started screaming, it was all on. Orsie went out in sympathy  - "ARGHHHHHH! Mummy how could you do this to me!!!!!!!!!!!" Anyway, he seemed to chill out towards then end and he LOVED his first ever hot shower afterwards so onwards and upwards.

"I Just Changed A Nappy on the Floor of Zigolini's".

There are few better ways to kick off a day than with a big belly laugh and my friend Leash gave me that yesterday morning when I caught up with her for brunch. Leash gave me a kiss and muttered the line above with fantastic deadpan delivery.

So it turns out that it's true what all those sage people with children say about kids soiling their nappies at the most inopportune times. Little Sammy managed to do some work right then and there in the chi chi Woollahra cafe prompting Leash to have to change her on the floor in front of other patrons and as luck (or not as the case may be) Orsie and I were running late as he too decided to produce a little something for me just as we were leaving the house. Good times.

Ah anyway, Sammy is a sight to behold with the most fantastic hair I've ever seen on a baby and these gorgeously smiling big blue eyes. She recently had to have a haircut because her hair was starting to look as though it was shaping itself into a comb-over.

So we enjoyed a fabulously civilised meal (for me it was the omelette and Leash had the scrambled eggs) and a great old chat.  We covered it all off... our babies, husbands, lack of sleep, food, Isabel Marant jackets and shopping. It was nice.

We then wandered over to the very fabulous Victor Churchill butcher to continue the conversation (ovens, steaks, whether our husbands cook dinner when we're out, schnitzels). Next stop was Seed. This is always dangerous territory for me and my credit card and today was no different. You see the four letters S.A.L.E were in the window so as a result Orsie has some new winter wardrobe additions. All very necessary of course. There was less chatting here as we were split up - Leash shopped the right hand side of the store where the girls clothes are positioned, and I the right. Then it was a cheeky squiz in Lesley McKays book shop, an old fave which always inspires me to pick up a book. (FYI, Pip they'd sold out of the Dukan Diet too). Topics covered here included kids books, kids birthday cards and reading to babies. And our final stop was the newsagent. There were a few new home magazines that I needed to pick up as I am currently deeply entrenched in kitchen renovation planning. It was outside the newsagent that our final items were tabled - prams, maternity leave, working from home and the (apparently) very difficult phase when one has to transition from full time motherhood to full time work.

I think I can safely say that we managed to solve at least some of the problems in our little world... there's no rush of course, we've got plenty more time to sort it out.

Thanks Leash. It was fun.

The Exersaucer Saved My Life

You see Orsie's teething right now. No, it's not as bad as you'd imagine. No vomiting, incessant screaming etc. but let's just say he's a little... clingy. Where he's normally very happy to amuse himself while I put the washing on the line (or in the dryer as the case seems to be at the moment), right now, he wants me in the same room at all times. Tricky. Don't get me wrong, I love snuggling with him on the sofa, he is the perfect cuddle size right now, but a lady can't be doing this all day long now can she???

Enter the Exersaucer. I first came upon the Exersaucer in Singapore when Nicole kindly lent hers to Prudie while we were staying with her. Orsie loved it. So I made it my mission to track one of these puppies down when I got home. Trudes very helpfully let me know that Toys R Us sell one for $79 (believe me that's a bargain compared to the $300+ gadget Baby Bunting was trying to peddle) so I set out to snare me an Exersauser and snare I did.

Let's just say Orsie is a very happy person.

POSTSCRIPT: Please note. I wrote this about 5 days ago and as of today I can confidently say that teething absolutely does involves screaming.

Happy New Mum!

Meet Orson! Cute huh? This is one of the first ever pics of him smiling. I never understood why new mums banged on so much about their baby's first smile but can now attest that it is indeed a big deal and a moment that can make your month.

He was born on the 5th of November at 2.38am and he's now 7 wks old. It's been an interesting 7 weeks - so much to learn on my part but it's starting to feel easier now. He seems to be inching towards being more settled and I feel more chilled... and that's got to be a good thing.

The "journey" (to borrow from cheesy reality TV parlance) began back in February when young Orson was conceived in Paris after a very memorable meal at restaurant Chez L'Ami Louis. I can't say it was a cheap meal but it sure was delicious. Fois gras, roast chicken, salad and fries and a rich chocolate cake... nothing fussy, just great French food. Is it any wonder a cool little man like this was created after such fare?