a weekend on the slopes
April 4, 2011
Question of the Day: What does the worlds most uncoordinated person do when stranded in Lake Tahoe with a kid that won’t stop asking if she can go skiing/have a snack/go for a swim/watch TV and a husband who skis with a pole in one hand and his iPhone in the other?
Answer: She zones out. And in the process thinks too much about useless crap.
So here are my latest and greatest “pearls of wisdom” from our weekend on the slopes…
- Ski clothes make me look the Michelin man.
- I will never again sign up for a 3 hour snowshoeing expedition.
- I will instead enjoy the snow peaked caps from the safety of my hotel gym treadmill.
- Just because breakfast buffets have 50 choices doesn’t mean I have to have all 50 choices.
- Same goes for a dinner buffet.
- Getting a child in and out of a ski suit for bathroom breaks is reason enough not to go skiing.
And one other super important pearl of wisdom? When your husband proudly walks around with an Internet connection glowing in his shirt pocket…
It’s time to go home.
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While I'm not going to win Mother/Wife of the Year Award anytime soon, I haven't killed anyone yet or shot myself in the head. And that, my friends, is how I calculate success these days. 
FANCY THAT FANCY THIS 
Oooh, Tahoe!!! Fun!
lol sounds like fun!!!
Sounds like a fun weekend. I was in Lake Tahoe when I was really young; I don’t remember any of it though, so I’d like to go back at some point.
I’m always amazed and in awe of parents who take their kids skiing. I find it hard to get myself all bundled up and strapped into skis – can’t imagine taking children to do the same!
Still, sounds like so much fun! I’m one of the most uncoordinated people I know and I love skiiing. For some reason it’s easier than walking through a door without hitting some body part on the frame.
Too funny.
I kinda wonder if I’d be like Ali wanting (no dam it…., insisting) on keeping in touch with the world through internet if I took to the slopes 🙂 Not sure I could do the one handed pole & iPhone in the other business though, that’s quite a feat, but not nearly the feat getting in & out of ski suits 🙂
I’m more of a sitting by the fire place with a nice glass of red “watching” the skiers do their thing type of girl., I think even the gym sounds incredibly energetic…. what an awesome break huh 🙂
Have a great week Ameena 🙂
At Maya’s age I decided that getting in and out of a snowsuit (much like a swimsuit) was too much work, so I just peed myself.
…unfortunately I quickly learned that it’s not nearly as comfortable as peeing in a pool.
At least Maya is a bit smarter than I was.
Glad you guys had a fun weekend in Tahoe! Personally, I’m not a big skier, but the views are always beautiful. I would probably join you at the gym and then be seen by the fireplace later in the day. 🙂
I do love skiing and 3 hours snowshoeing sounds great to me but I am totally with you on the michelin man thing. I just resign myself when I go skiing to looking puffy and with my goggles and hat on, looking like a total dork. I can console myself with the fact that no one could possibly recognize me so at least my dorky puffiness can remain under the radar.
You are one brave mama! I live in the snow and hate going out in it. Skiing and I don’t mix!
But how beautiful is Lake Tahoe????
hehe
Yeah, what’s up with totally unattactive ski gear? I even have supposedly “cute” stuff, but I still look like the State Puff Marshmallow Man.
I like the 50 choices…so fun to mix it up and have a little of everything…I could Phd in sampling….
NOW…as far as ski clothes, how come there aren’t 50 choices for THAT?
Ha! Glad you still managed to have a good time. I can’t wait to try skiing and snowshoeing!! Not looking forward to the ‘outfit’ but oh well, I’ll deal with it when its time. Never been to Tahoe, but will one day. First I’ll make my attempts in Colorado then venture out that way. 🙂
How adorable is Maya in her ski outfit! And just judging by your buffet comments, you and I have great potential to become very good friend’s ;-).
I don’t know what’s worse, a glowing Internet connection in your pocket or a pair of chopsticks sticking out of your pockets. What’s even more sad, you now can probably guess what hubby uses those chopsticks for. Can you blame me for being all sorts of crazy?
next time make maya wear a diaper so you dont have to take her out of all that gear. lol.
i see from the picture you chose to disassociate yourself from your husband by sitting across the aisle. lol.
I’d give anything to be on the slopes of Tahoe!! though I imagine it’s rough with the internet attached husband and getting maya in and out of that snowsuit! 😉 (i know you guys had fun, I just know it!)
Dahhhhlingm only go skiing to Switzerland. At least you can apres ski, and it will have all the perks you are accustomed to (expensive handbags, fur coats, and tea sandwiches).
I too, have zero coordination and can think of nothing worse than being in the cold, hoping not to sprain or crack something. Point the way to the dinner buffet!
PS: I think it’s awesome you guys are starting Maya on skiing early. I wish my parents had done that. Maybe then, I wouldn’t be such a spaz now :S
Were you there this past weekend? I had some friends go up and it looked absolutely gorge!!
We were there this past weekend…we just got back an hour ago!
my favorite part of skiing is always sitting in the lodge drinking hot cocoa
I have never been skiing! Just for the fact that it would be a hassle to take off the ski clothes to go potty, it sounds pretty unappealing to me, LOL.
They should make children’s ski clothes with snaps. Like onesies. Actually make that ALL ski clothes. Adults need snaps too.
Michelin Man – that’s me in my northface winter coat. Good thing spring is springing!
Oh my, the slopes can kill your spirit if you aren’t careful 😉 Looks like you made it out alive though! The buffets sound VERY good though, hope you had of all the 50 choices…
I remember trying to get out of the snowsuit to pee when I was little. That was NOT fun.
Beautiful view from that first photo! And Maya looks adorable in her gear.
I wouldn’t go on any slopes or do anything like ski/board. I tried it once. Needless to say it was a major fail on my part. Never again. I will make sure that my future husband has no interest in such a thing, and if he does that he never asks me to join him.
Have a great evening! 🙂
I. Am. Jealous.
I’ll trade you one full-time job and two part-time jobs for your next trip to Lake Tahoe. You can keep the kid and husband. I’ll bring my two cats. And you thought a kid in a ski suit was hard… Deal or no deal?
You have a deal…if you take my husband and child too…
I hate snow. I hate getting my feet wet and getting in that puffy outfit. Blah. I’m with you on admiring the snow from the treadmill.
So true!!! I don’t know how people raise children anywhere other than Los Angeles or Arizona. The amount of clothes needed to keep a kid warm. And, it never fails… as soon as I get one kid all bundled, she has to go pee!
Onesy snow suits suck. I LOL’d at Ali’s pole-in-one-hand and iphone-in-other. Hope he doesnt’ end up with some horrible condition due to all the EMF!
If YOU look like the Michelin man, no one else has a chance to look normal. For a while there, they had those yoga-pant-like ski pants- they looked way better than the stuffed sausage ones now.
I actually love snow shoe-ing- I took myself off in Banff last year and wished I had done so sooner! I prefer that to skiing.
Glad you’re home- looking forward to seeing you.
Speaking of your accommodation- isn’t the body lotion there just heavenly?
well i’d have answered your question with “have a drink. or two” but to each his own 😉
for someone who considers herself athletic i definitely have zero coordination. i went skiing for the first time this winter and…well let’s just say i haven’t gone back.
Haha, ski clothes make everyone look like the Michelin Man. Puffy winter clothes are not the most flattering attire, although Maya does look really cute in her ski suit.
I haven’t been skiing since I was 5 years old. I didn’t like it because I hated bitter cold winds and bulky clothes. I still do, actually…
Tahoe-> fun! I am laughing silly over your michelin man attire. You should put a picture of yourself too, Ameena!
I’m not a fan of throwing on 300 layers to go ski in the cold. BUT – it does look like fun 🙂 And Mayas hair is so beautiful!
1. YOU PUT A BOW IN MAYA’S HAIR. Adore.
2. From now on you really need to tweet me before you sign up for “activities.” Snowshoeing is definitely on the list of Overly-Strenuous Activities That Provide Zero Gratification Relative To The Amount Of Effort Exerted-list.
3. The thought of wrangling myself in and out of ski clothing is enough of a reason to not go skiing. I can’t imagine being charged with attempting to assist another human.
I call it an appendage. Do people ever put those gadgets down. That picture of your husband is funny. And I will never live in the snow because of all the dressing and undressing. How does anything get done?
My best part? The ending. You drove it home baby!
i have to make a trip out there again!
As one who lives in an area where there is potential for snow 8 months out of the year (I got very sad and depressed when I learned that fact), I would agree that bulky winter clothes and children do not mix. Nor do they mix with adults. I hear Lake Tahoe is absolutely beautiful, but I’d only ever want to visit in the summer.
While I’m a huge fan of snow and sports that are related to snow, as a childless person, I cannot imagine being in the snow with a little being. I think that I would probably sign up my offspring for an 8-hour ski school class and then happily go about my day, skiing on my own, having a beer or two either on or off the slopes, spending an hour in the hot tub and THEN picking up my child. At that point, I should be nice and relaxed and could drown out my offspring’s possible whining.
And THAT is why I should not have children!
But I admit that weekend getaways can sometimes (oftentimes) be more trouble than they are worth. Hopefully you stayed in a nice place?!?
Funny you write this Kristina because Maya did go to a ski class…all day long! And I went to the gym, a yoga class, had a facial and a massage. And that is why I shouldn’t have children (a child) either!!
Okay, that is too funny. This must be the reason that most of my good friends with kids aren’t about to win “mother of the year award”!
I have to say that I have never been skiing and I have no immediate plans to as the thought of it truly intimidates me. I don’t know how you did it with a kid in tow as those suits do not look very bendy/flexible. And having to struggle just to make it to the bathroom – forget about it!
Ever wonder why Brown people don’t do winter sports?
I am SO not looking forward to the hypothetical-future-child snowsuit bathroom break situation. There are so many ways this could go wrong. Is it child abuse or prudent parenting to make your kids wear diapers to go skiing until they are old enough to go on their own?
… Just asking.
I think it’s impossible to look cute in snow clothes. This is my excuse for having a really horrific looking ski suit!
How beautiful!! I hope you had fun, it looks like it was absolutely gorgeous. Maya looks so sweet in her ski suit–hope it wasn’t too much of a pain!
I love looking at the mountains, but I’m not a winter sports girl…at all. Thanks for sharing this with me tonight. Laughter and visual beauty has brought me much comfort during these hard days. Your blog is a burst of brightness. I hope you have a happy and safe Wednesday. Hug the ones you love!
why does ali is so obsessed with work ??? Its a bit over the top don’t u think ?
But did YOU have fun, Ameena? 🙂
and THAT my friend, is why I haven’t been skiing.
I would pay to see your husband ski and talk on the phone at the same time, preferably on black diamond. I love Maya’s ski suit btw.
I have never been skiing, but your thoughts on looking like the Michelin Man are enough to make me not want to go. Where we are going in Japan has lots of snow so I am thinking I will need to give in, learn, and do it often. I will also probably be doing the same as Ali with the iPhone out.
LOL..I love the pearls of wisdom.”Internet ” connection in pocket..i know.P is same with his blackberry.He was typing out mails when we were on honeymoon.
Lake Tahoe..is it fun? We are planning to go in summers.
Lake Tahoe is definitely fun and very, very pretty! I bet the summer would be even more gorgeous.
I am not one to enjoy snow activities. So i agree with you on all counts. But Maya does look pretty darn cuter in that snowsuit! 🙂
Agree with you on the buffet, disagree about snowshoeing, what happened? We ski every winter weekend, yes- every friggin’ weekend. Want to go into business making flattering ski clothes?
so nice….i want pics of you in your outfit and more interior shots of the ritz…come on now! so jealous, am dying to get on the slopes!
xoxoxoxo
Have I mentioned how adorable your daughter is? Gorgeous even. Those are some wonderful tidbits. Of course, they are useless to me since the closest you’ll get me to downhill skiing is my typing the words downhill skiing.
Pretty picture, Maya looks super cute, and Ali does too so not to leave him out =)…skiing is fun but very cold on the extremities.
We have been planning for a while now to visit Lake Tahoe. It’s not too far for us.. we stay in CA, but somehow it’s just for happening. Beautiful post! 🙂
I somehow never liked skiing. Probably got to be something to do with how awfully bad I am at it. So I think all you complaints are rational.
Maya looks like a serious skier 🙂
Haha! I love the Ritz at South Lake Tahoe though- it’s so nice! We used to stay at the Marriott residence inn at Heavenly over there but the Ritz is so much better 🙂 My mama doesn’t ski either- she just lounges around, peruses the boutiques and relaxes while my dad, sister, and I go up on the mountain.
So pretty there. Haven’t gone in the winter for a long time. Summer is gorgeous!
Oh you crack me up… excellent tips there 🙂 Hope you had a great time!
“But what else are buffets for?”, says the extra poundage in my thighs. 😉
I will never again sign up for a 3 hour snowshoeing expedition………………….this just cracked me up LOL