Posts

Showing posts from September, 2010

Ski Bunnies - Part Two

Wednesday – Ski Turoa Awesome day. Anita and I realise that we have made it to a significant milestone – all the kids are carrying their own gear – this hasn’t always been the case, and our sense of achievement is probably disproportionate to the actual achievement. However, we will take our successes as they come. Surely development from here should be exponential. Zoe then surprises me by falling apart emotionally while waiting to get on the chairlift. She has fallen off this particular lift before, the chair being just a bit tall for her, but I know she has been on it since. She is obviously scared each time she hops on but manages to hold it together. In the presence of mum however, all the emotions hang out. I give her words to use with the chair lift attendant and encouragement to ask for help. This young woman is very good, talking the process through with Zoe as she helps her get on. The whole process takes about 20 seconds, but it feels much longer. Zoe is obviously

Ski bunnies - part one

Day One Ahhh it’s so good to be here again. I feel a strange affection for this little shack in the middle of the North Island. The cladding has been completed and the house is warmer, even though it has never been cold. It heats very quickly and the layout certainly lends itself to efficient heating, as the fire heats the water and all the bedrooms are off the main living area, so the bedrooms are warm too. Skiing – Turoa. The family wakes at 5am, long before the 6am alarm and early morning ski report. The still-warm embers from the night before are stoked and the fire roars into life again , quickly making our wee home warm and cosy. The kids are relaxed and having fun, tv-less, playing lots of board games, and make-believe games. They occassionlly argue with each other , but I am relaxed that this is healthy too as they learn interpersonal skills and conflict resolution; big terms for normal family life. Breakfast is taken in sittings, and thermoses are filled with coffee an