Raising Ski Bunnies on a Budget

I love to ski! Love, love, love to ski. I do not love, love, love how much skiing costs.

Skiing is one of the few ways that I can get out of my head and just enjoy myself in the moment. It gives me the opportunity to admire the beauty of nature and clear my head. And, as my family grows, it is quickly becoming an opportunity to share experiences with my children and create memories that will last a lifetime.

When my sisters and I were little, my dad would always say, "I want the girls to be better skiers than any of the boys they date." My sisters and I can definitely hold our own on the hill (them probably more than me) and now that I have the three boys, I can see where he was coming from. I want my boys to become little shredders. To be able to ski any mountain in its entirety with confidence and control. But, above all, I want them to feel the same way that I feel when I am out skiing. To achieve this, I need to get them out on skis as much as possible.

That being said, skiing is expensive. And the more kids you have, the more expensive it becomes. The equipment, lessons, lift tickets, lodging all add up quickly. But, there are ways to save some serious cash if you are willing to be a little flexible with your schedule and take some time to search for options. Here are some tips to affordably getting your little bunnies out on the slopes.

1. Ski mid-week

If you can figure out a way to head to the mountain during the week (not school vacation week, or a holiday week) you can save a TON of money. Maybe your kids aren't in elementary school yet, or are homeschooled, get them out on the slopes! You can find some great deals on mid-week tickets (check out your mountain's promotions). Your kids will have small, possibly even one on one, lessons at ski school and you may get the trails to yourself.


2. Look for mountain promotional packages

Most mountains run promotional ski and stay packages. Pay for lodging and they will throw in the lift ticket, free. Book ahead of time, and they will discount rates for rooms, condos, tickets, and lessons. Commit to staying for a certain amount of time, or on certain days and you can save tons of money. Even some holiday weeks/weekends will have promotional packages. Sign up for newsletters from area mountains so that you can stay on top of their promotions.

3. Buy multi-day tickets

Buying tickets for more than one day saves money off the daily rate. I know the sticker shock is horrific, $83 for a day of skiing doesn't look any better when you multiply that by numbers of days and more than one family member,  but it will shave dollars off your overall cost. I have seen a father drop over $1000 while buying 5 day tickets for his family. Be prepared!

4. Pre-buy lift tickets

Many mountains have e-tickets available (search your mountain's website) which locks you into a date, but costs less than purchasing them on the day that you are skiing. Yes, you run the risk of skiing on a wind-hold day (high winds = no lifts running) or on a below freezing, frost bite warning day, but odds are you will be okay, and save some moolah.

5. Search for deals online

Sites such as Groupon and Liftopia sell discount lift tickets and ski and stay packages. If you keep your eye out, you can get lucky and score a great deal!

6. Be flexible with where you ski

Smaller mountains usually have lower prices overall. If you just want to get the kids out there, then bigger may not necessarily be better. Yes, your ski day may be a little less exhilarating, but for a kid, one bunny hill looks pretty similar to the other.

7. If you have a mountain you love, suck it up and buy a season pass

Seasons passes are the way to go if you have one mountain (or a group of mountains owned by the same company) that you are devoted to. For our mountain, we only have to get in nine ski days to equal the cost of our season's pass. Nine ski days is nothing if you are planning on spending a school vacation week hitting the slopes. Most mountains also have options for seasons passes that may be cheaper, but include certain black out days. Pick what works best for you. SIDE NOTE: Some mountains also have seasons passes for ski lessons, or special ski programs to get your kids skiing faster. Do the math to see if it makes sense for you and your family.

AND check to see if your mountain has a rewards program. You can rack up major points based on what you buy at the mountain. For some programs lift tickets, lessons, purchases in stores and restaurants on mountain all count and you can apply points towards new equipment for your little cherubs (among other things). Bonus!!

Have an older kid? The best deal around is the seasons pass for college students. It is hugely discounted! I am not sure if they are trying to get that portion of the market out on the mountain so they will be sucked into the sport and bring their kids when they get older then spend millions of dollars at their ski resorts (wait a minute...) but if you can prove that you are a full time college student you can save! Part of me wants to enroll back into classes just to get the season's pass. It may be completely worth it!

8. Skiing in your state? See if they have a discount for locals

Sometimes it pays to be a local. Many mountains discount tickets on certain days for residents of the state. These opportunities can sometimes equal huge discounts. Keep your eye out for the dates and bring your drivers license to buy tickets for the whole family. Also, some mountains discount seasons passes for students who attend school in their state. For our favorite mountain, we will save almost $300 when we purchase our school aged son's season pass simply because he is a resident of the state.

9. Look for "healthy kid" programs

Maine has special ski programs that encourage outdoor play and exercise for certain age groups. For example, the WinterKids program gives middle school aged children access to free and reduced lift tickets (as well as other outdoor winter activities) to many mountains across the state.

10. Be flexible with when you ski during the season

If you can get the jump on the season or wait until the end of the season to hit the slopes you can save some money. Deals pop up around these times because mountains are trying to get skiers to the slopes when they may not have winter on their mind. Take advantage!

I know just how lucky I am to be able to consider us a "skiing family." The kids LOVE to go up to the mountain and I have had SO many chats with older parents on chairlifts who share how everything from the two hour drive north, to quiet nights in the condo, to spending the days on the slopes, helped their families bond and stay close throughout the tumultuous teenage years. (NOT looking forward to those years, BTW.)

The benefits of doing something you love as a family completely outweigh the costs of the sport itself. Yes, sometimes we have to decide which days to ski for the sake of our budget. But there are ways to make it happen as long as you are willing to look at all your options and make good choices.
If you haven't tried skiing out, try it! All I can say is one day out there could make you a believer.

A Simple Thank You

I am a big believer in sending thank you notes. They not only show that you are grateful for the gift, or gesture, or time, or small act of kindness, or person, or whatever, but it also shows the person that you are willing to put some time and effort into showing that gratitude. Plus, it's nice to get something other the bills in the mail.

I am trying to teach my sons the importance of being grateful for what they have, so they send thank you notes too. Until very recently none of my children were actually able to write a thank you note, but that didn't get them out of sending little notes of thanks. Typically I write their words for them, or hold their little hands to help them form the letter all the while saying the shape that I am making.

To get the kids in on the act so that they are showing their thanks in their own way, I simply put a large piece of blank paper in front of them and let them go to town. Sometimes they use crayons, sometimes markers, in the most recent case, for their Christmas thank you cards, they used paint that Santa brought them.

Here is Ben's masterpiece:

And Max's on the left:

I then cut the paper into card shapes and we write the notes together. 

I like to think that the act of giving thanks is rubbing off on them. Last year Ben wrote this sweet little message on his new chalkboard.

And Max spent most of Christmas morning thanking Santa. 

I also hope that these little homemade cards are creating small moments of joy in the people who receive them. 

Do you still send thank you cards? Do you have your kids send them? If you have young kids, How do you get around the whole inability to write part? 

A Letter to my Colleagues Upon the End of Maternity Leave or, the Worst Day Evah'

Dear Colleagues,

I write this letter to you upon the eve of my return to work. I know that my absence may have made many of your lives more difficult. You may have missed my whitty banter, or my ability to tell it like it is. Perhaps you have dreaded the day that I returned since the day I left. However you are feeling, you may decide that the nice thing to do would be to welcome me back. I mean this in the nicest way...please don't.

You see any kind words, or general questions about my baby, who I just left with someone who is not me, will undoubtedly bring on the water works. I know that you may not understand my fragile emotional state on this day, so here I will try to explain why I am a freaking mess.

Maternity leave is the only time where it is expected that a mom's entire focus should be devoted to rest, heal, and bond with her newborn. She has, perhaps for the first time in her life, been allowed, even encouraged, to "put [her] feet up," "get as much sleep as possible," and "let [her] husband (or others) do all of the housework, cooking, and care taking of any other children" so that she can cuddle, kiss, snuggle, and bond with her baby.

During this time, the bond between a mother and her newborn is so connected that the baby may only be able to be calmed by the mother. As the baby grows he/she saves special smiles just for Mom, laughs for the first time with Mom, and spends hours cuddling with Mom. As you can imagine allowing something else to get in the way of all these special smiles, coos, and cuddles is not ideal.  A mother returning to work is dealing with the absence of these moments. She is also dealing with the fact that someone else is experiencing these moments with HER child. A child who is just beginning to reveal a little of his or her personality and becoming an adorable social being.

Additionally, she is exhausted because (if she is lucky) her child sleeps for six hours at night. Her breasts are painfully engorged because she is no longer allowed to choose when to feed her baby, but instead must plan her pumping sessions according to her work schedule. Oh, and those pumping sessions? Those are done hidden away in a closet where she will spend the twenty minutes or so crying because she is stuck in a closet attached to a machine instead of snuggling with her beautiful baby. The day will be never-ending and your "thoughtful" inquiries will only help to remind her that she is not where she would like to be.

So, on this end of my maternity leave, this worst day ever, please, please, please, don't ask. And, if you do, be prepared for tears. Also, don't try to chat with me at the end of the day because I plan to be out the door as soon as humanly possible and if you make it take a moment longer I will snap your head off.

If you would like to help support me, allow me a few extra moments to get myself together, don't point out the red rimmed eyes, disheveled hair, or dark circles, and if I am late for everything, pretend that I am not. No, I am not excited to be back at work. No, I did not miss it. No, I do not care about anything that is happening around me. Right now, I just want to be home with my child.

And finally, don't expect this to change for a few days. The second day is not as terrible as the first, but it is still pretty bad.

Thank you for listening,

A new mom

The Days are Flying

In a few short days I will be returning to work after three months of maternity leave. My heart is breaking. I want to stay home with ever fiber of my being. I am going to miss this face more than I can bear. Even writing this is bringing tears to my eyes.

I know I have done this twice before, but it seems that each time it gets more and more difficult. Maybe it is because I see how quickly my oldest son is growing up and becoming independent, growing away from me. I know that I need to cherish each and every moment that I have with my boys. Sometimes I feel that life is running away from me and before I know it my babies will be grown and living their own lives. Sometimes I feel that I need to re-prioritize and figure out some way to stay home...let my professional life go and find time to focus on my family.

I know that this is a struggle that many others have had. How do you swing staying home? How do you let go of your professional identity and all of the time and training that you have devoted to your professional life, knowing that you may never be able to get your foot in the door again? Right now, I would let it all go to stay home and snuggle with my sweet boy.

Let the countdown to Christmas begin!

I know this one is a little early, but I figured if anyone wanted to try this idea for filling their advent calenders they would need a few days to get everything together. Plus, the Christmas tree lighting in town is tonight so ready or not, here come the holidays!

I love our advent "calendar." It is from L.L. Bean. I actually dreamed about owning it for a few years but couldn't justify the price tag. One day The Hubs' mom showed up at our door with it. Love her!
 

Every year I try to come up with something interesting to hide in it for the boys. The first year I bought a  bucket of little green army men which fit okay in the little boxes on the lighthouse. Certain men fit better than others and it took a little bit to figure out which ones we could use, but it wasn't candy which was my whole goal so I felt like I was winning.

The next year I caved and bought Hershey Kisses to put in the boxes. It was easier since I had two boys who I needed to make happy and more than one kiss fit in some of the boxes. The year after that I resorted to the chocolate again because I was tired and running out of ideas that would work for both boys.

Last year we had little Lego kits that we stole from a Lego advent calendar that Grandma got us. That was a hit for a few days, but I ended up putting most of them together in the end.

Then, one day, I was wasting some time scrolling through Pinterest when I can across this:

 What??? Give "experiences" rather than little trinkets or chocolate? Sounds good to me! And, this idea comes with bonuses (even better)!

The bonuses:
#1 We try to squeeze in a ton of events every holiday season. These events can easily become cards  for the lighthouse and since I get to load up the advent "calendar," I can make sure that the events are pulled on the correct day.
#2 There is an "unwrap a book" card. I have always loved the idea of unwrapping a book as a kind of countdown to Christmas, but I didn't really want to have 25 new books (holy expensive)  and have to find homes for them in addition to the new gifts.
#3 Some of the cards that I have seen/came up with have to do with the kids doing something nice for someone else, i.e. buy a gift to donate, wrap and bring a gift to the neighbors, etc... This way the boys can see that the holidays are also about doing nice things for others and not just about getting presents.

It took me a little while to come up with a variety of things and, I will admit, some have to do with candy, but overall I think there is a nice variety in the adventures that we will be experiencing this December. Thanks to Kim and her awesome blog post I had a great starting point. Many of the experiences below are borrowed from her.

1. Go to the Sparkle Parade 
2. Cut down our tree (more on that tradition here)
3. Put up some holiday lights/ decorate your bedrooms
4. Walk around town and look at the lights
5. Buy and donate a gift to a needy child
6. Make hot chocolate
7. Unwrap a book (this one will probably be used more than once)
8. Family movie night
9. Go out to eat as a family (the boys LOVE restaurants and we hardly ever go.)
10. Decorate Cookies
11. Go for a walk in the woods and collect branches for a wreath
12. Wrap a gift for the neighbors
13. Go on a light drive (LOVE this! We do it every year and have been since before we had kids)
14. Eat a candy cane
15. Go to a holiday movie at the movie theater (one of the local movie theaters has a free movie morning for kids)
16. Visit Santa
17. Go ice skating
18. Make a gift for someone else
19. Bake a treat
20. Go snowshoeing/skiing (depending on the snow)
21. Go to a holiday party
22. Get Chinese Food and have a picnic by the tree (the Chinese food request has been happening weekly and we have yet to get it.)
23. Decorate a tree. (This one has many possibilities. There are lots of "trees" that you could decorate.)
24. Open our Christmas Eve box (More on this little tradition later...)

Other ideas:
Make a gingerbread house
Take a winter walk on the beach
Go to a holiday party/ Have a holiday party
Bring a dinner to someone else
Donate food for a needy family (we actually do this one before Thanksgiving)

That is what I have so far. I plan to blog about some of these experiences as we go. Do you have any other ideas that I could add?  How do you countdown to Christmas? What is your advent calendar tradition?