I’ve been really excited about planning out weekends recently, and I planned this weekend to be the weekend of snow.
Today started with a snowshow trip with the whole family. We left Basil crated at home because dogs were not allowed on the trail. Poor Lydia felt sick from the windy car ride at first, but we insisted she keep walking because it was expensive and a huge todo to get us all on the trail. For the most part, the other kids started out strong, but within 15-20 minutes the kids were waning. See pictures and video below:
After another 5-10 minutes kids were melting down about how difficult the snowshoeing was, and Lily and I talked sternly with the kids about the need to have some level of grit and pain tolerance. At one point Lydia and Mary were at or near tears. We took a break, threw some snowballs for fun, and talked about having a positive mindset. Then, everyone, turned it around. Clarissa fell asleep on my shoulders (which was fine because at least she wasn’t slowing us down), and Ammon, Mary and Lydia all walked back with no whining, complaining or issues that I remember. I think I even heard Lydia suggest to Mary to talk through their stuffed animal imagination game together. Lily and I gave them a lot of praise for fixing their mindset and being so great on the way back. Here is a video and some pictures of the home stretch:
It was a bit intense handling all the kids on the trail, especially when people were melting down, but I still had an amazing time, and the forest was so pretty. I also think it was very very good for the kids, especially since it’s just harder to get outside during Covid in the winter.
Lily then took the kids home while I stayed at the Nordic Center to ski with my friend Daniel Olsen. Daniel purchased a ski lesson for me for my birthday (for Cross-country skiing) and then we planned to ski together after the lesson. Lily was so kind to take care of the kids so I could stay up in the mountains and ski with my good friend Daniel.
I started the ski lesson right after we loaded the kids in the car after snow-shoeing. The lesson was so helpful. I learned the following important things about cross country skiing.
- Poles should mostly drag behind you (gripped loosely) until it is time for them to bite (catch the snow) and help you balance and push forward.
- You want to glide with each foot stroke
- Make sure you have all your weight on the leg that is pushing so you can actually grip the snow down and move forward. Even better if you can push down and back at the same time to help you grip the snow when you push off of your gripping foot.
- Look ahead. If you look down, it will mess up your posture.
- Keep ankles and knees bent and loose. If you straighten your ankles, you will fall. Act like a slouchy teenager if you need help getting the hang of the right relaxed posture.
- The motion is a lot like jogging, foot to foot.
- And Daniel taught me when turning to look where I want to turn and that will help me to turn my body.
After the lesson, I skied with Daniel, and I had the most incredible time. I accidentally left my gloves in the car, but it didn’t matter because of how warm it was. The weather was incredible, the views were amazing, and I was really getting the hang of gliding. I loved going up hills and letting my arms kick in to save me and help me to keep going up-hill and not downhill. It was such an incredible cardiovascular workout. And I loved the company. Daniel is such a good friend and I’m so grateful for his gift of the lesson and the fact that we got to ski together!!
Back at home, Lily and I walked Basil with Ammon and Mary. I think they really enjoyed holding Basil’s leash!
Another thing I want to mention is that Lily has been very diligent about Mary’s music practice and also helping Ammon with his reading lessons. Mary learned a whole piece this week, and Ammon is really progressing in his reading. Also, Lydia has been a star about making sure her harp gets done 5 days a week. They are all doing such great work!