Monday Morning Wrap-Up

First of all, I want to send my thoughts to everyone who has been hit so hard by the snow storms. I hope that you and your families are safe and sound. We were able to sneak away for our annual winter trip to Big Bear. It’s just a couple of hours away from us and a great way for our children to actually experience snow. We love getting them on the slopes as well as just breathing in the fresh mountain air. We were outside almost 100% of the time which was fantastic. Here is our Monday Morning Wrap-Up of the trip.

Sledding on the side of the house was pretty key. We normally take one day and go tubing. Which of course is fun but it’s pricey and the kids were more than happy to escape waiting in line and to sled whenever they felt like it. I grew up in the snow when I was younger so this brought back so many amazing memories.

The kids built the sweetest snowman. And almonds and raspberries were all I had on hand and I think it’s so cute. Most of the snow was more like ice but the kids enjoyed it nonetheless.

We rent the same house each year (it’s beautiful) and if you are ever looking for a place to rent in Big Bear, just shoot me an email and I can give you the details.

Of course building snow forts led to some serious snow wars. It was kids versus parents and it was nothing short of hilarious.

And if you are wondering why my child is in shorts in the snow it’s because we were inside playing games and suddenly I looked out the window and yelled, “It’s snowing!!” My kiddos never really experience that so they grabbed the closest clothes and ran outside. At least he grabbed boots. It snowed for all of two minutes. Yep, two glorious minutes. But I thanked the good man upstairs as I had prayed for snow so they could at least see it falling. And yes, I realize to all of the East coast families I sound nuts but as Southern California dwellers, we just don’t see the snow very often.

We worked for two days on these tunnels. The kids were heaven.

And holy cow, this boy can ski. I think watching him ski is one of my favorite things to do ever. He really is crazy talented and an even better instructor for our kiddos. But make no mistake about it, after paying for lift tickets and rentals, the first two runs with the kids were a disaster. They had not skied since last year and they were ready to throw in the towel. My husband was so encouraging and got them to continue. After the next two runs they were back and better than ever. They didn’t want to come off of the mountain. It was a good lesson in perseverance.

And we realized on this trip that helmets are a good way to go. I think because we grew up skiing without them so I never really thought about it. But helmets are on my list for the next trip. Want to keep these babies in one piece!

Where to Eat in Big Bear:

As far as eating, we prefer to plan ahead and eat most of our meals at the house. Especially after a day of skiing (soup and grilled cheese sandwiches work great!). Because we were there three nights we ventured out one of the nights to the Big Bear Lake Brewing Company. We arrived around 5:30 and waited for about an hour. If you go, and it is good, go early. It’s loud and very casual and a fun place to go. Our kids were wiped out and in retrospect we should have saved the money and stayed home. But next time we may hit it up for lunch. Right next door is a restaurant called Peppercorn Grille. We have gone there for years. Even back when we just has Riley in the infant carrier. As with most vacation spots, it’s overpriced but it is very relaxing and quiet. Food is good and the service has always been great. To be perfectly honest, you don’t go to Big Bear for the food but those two spots have done the trick when we were up for going out. Hope that helps if you are planning a getaway anytime soon.

Besides being outside 90% of the time, we LOVE playing games and lounging. These two games are fantastic. We LOVE Machi Koro. Have you heard of it? It was a gift from my parents to our son for Christmas. So much strategy involved and the kids could not get enough of it. Highly recommend both of these. Hours of fun!

Thanks for letting me share our weekend getaway. And as always it’s so nice to come home. I am the crazy one who washes and changes all the sheets before we leave so we come home to fresh beds. Every time (when I am running around like mad the day of the trip) my husband gives me a hard time. And each time we walk back in the house tired and ready for bed, everyone is so thankful. My parents used to clean their way out of our home when we would go away and I thought they were nuts! Guess I am nuts, too!

Happy Monday, all! I have a feeling I will be meal planning and grocery shopping.