Ski Holiday at Easter - What Fun!?!

the girls on piste

Well it finally looks as though Spring has arrived!! And boy am I glad, the weather brings a lovely feeling to life in general doesn't it? I have to say I'm feeling really well rested after a week in the Alps where it was also really sunny and warm! 21 degrees on one afternoon!!

Skiing with our family and another family is such a good idea, share the kids, share the babysitting, divide and conquer on the piste! The four children aged between 2 and 8 had a ball - every morning they went to ski school while we went out for a pootle on the slopes. The two older girls were in the same class so had each other for company, the 4 year old boy made lots of friend and my 2 year old girl went dragging her heels to creche. (read Kicking and Screaming for dragging her heels)

our group - minus the 2 year old who is in creche

Now I felt as though the holiday ought to be for everyone so almost everyday I collected my youngest before lunch so she could have time with us in the afternoon and maybe take in a swim. The older kids would all gather and feed - it was a bit animalistic as they were so famished after ski-ing all morning,
and then before you knew it we were being pestered to go back out on the slopes.

After a few days the kids got really confident and as we were situated right next to the nursery run, they begged for us to let them go round and around on the button lift. Of course we were being all sensible about it and taking it in turns to watch every little move closely, but after a while you can get a bit distracted, especially as I was standing next to a rather inviting petite luge, (baby toboggan). So the next thing you know I'm 20 Euros lighter and the proud new owner of a Ferrari red toboggan, so I gather up the 2 year old and the 4 year old for a spot of skidding around. The older two are by now just left on their merry-go-round of a button lift and shooshing down the nursery slope so they are fine.

The 4 year old getting his certficate

Well you'd have thought it would have been plain sailing or should I say sledging, as it was all enclosed with an inflated rim a la bouncy castle style, but the first time the boy went down the slope he literally went through and under the inflated enclosure. Luckily they had a bit of netting too otherwise he'd have been off down the piste. Well, after seeing his face crumpled with tears the 2 year old was understandably reticent about her turn on my snow Ferrari! After a bit of coaxing, I managed to get her to put her feet in the sled and let the break go, so off she went with a little push from mum to send her in her way. Well no-one had noticed the snow hole in the area (when I say no-one I mean of course, me) So in the sled went sending her flying out and over in to the snow. Which she is of course petrified of because it's cold and wet! This of course ended up with the 2 year old in tears too. Anyone having fun yet!!??

the girls again - everyone say fromage!

 There was only one thing for it, Mum would have a go to show everyone it really was a lot of fun and then we were all going to run the gauntlet again! So I squeezed my bottom into a sled designed for a child, I held on tight and got someone to give me a push!! Oh what fun! Until I realised I was careering towards the ESF ski school chalet, so to avoid collision I launched myself off in full flow only to land unceremoniously in a pile of slushy snow just under the window of the ESF ski-school where there was a group of dishy cool ESF instructors gathering for the afternoon session - who noticed. SHAMED!

There was only one thing for it, I picked myself up, collected my toboggan and tried to style it out as all a bit of a laugh for the benefit of the kids! The kids had of course stopped crying and were laughing too (and pointing) so it wasn't a complete disaster and they could then be persuaded to have another go. At this point the older girls had finally tired of shooshing round in a loop skied over to us demanding their turn and making the little ones cry for completely different reasons. It was time to go in, everyone was completely shattered. So we trudged to the chalet with all our gear and as we walk in through the door, the girls pipe up, "can we go swimming now??", "yeah shouted the other two, We want to go swimming!" - relaxing holiday anyone??