Mondays are for dreaming: Winter sports with kids

We’re slated for another snowstorm in the middle of this week. In the suburbs where schools shut down sometimes before the flakes even start to fall and where there aren’t always obvious ways to enjoy the snow it can easy to roll your eyes and groan when this happens. But I’ve decided that if it snows and there’s no school, I’m going to figure out a way to get us over to the sledding hill at the state park so that the boys can try out their brand new mini-luge sleds that I bought them for Christmas. Then maybe we’ll come home, whip up some hot chocolate, and start planning our trip to Smugglers’ Notch (also known affectionately as Smuggs), which we’ve been invited to visit next weekend.

There will be of course lots of downhill skiing while we’re there and all four of us will have lessons. I can’t wait to see how the boys do and for me it will be a chance to explore a mountain I’ve never been on. (Rumor has it that I like to explore new places). I’m hoping to work on my mad mogul skills and also hope that the teachers there can help take each of the boys to a new level.

We’ll only be at Smuggs for a few days, but I’m hoping that maybe we’ll be able to squeeze in a few new winter activities too. For example, Smuggs offers an outdoor ice skating rink. I grew up skating on ponds and I’ve always wanted to share the pleasure of outdoor skating with Tommy and Teddy who have only ever skated at one of our town’s two indoor rinks.

I love to cross-country ski and maybe someday will introduce the boys to that as well. But one thing I’ve never tried is snowshoeing. I’ve heard that it is relatively easy to do and I like the thought of taking winter hikes in the woods. At Smuggs they offer guided backcountry tours for families, including one at night. The thing that really appeals to me about snowshoeing is that it would give us an entirely new way to explore our neighborhood (which has a creek and some woods) when it snows.

And although we’ve often been sledding, we’ve never tried tubing in the snow! That looks like something everyone in my family would just love.

Do you have a favorite winter sport that you like to share with your children? If you live somewhere warm, do you travel for it?

And whatever you may be dreaming of this Monday, please feel free to share your link below, linking back to this post from yours!