One of our favorite things to do over the holidays is to go to Colorado with our kids for our annual ski trip. We spend Christmas at home with my entire family and then the day after, we pack it all up and head to the mountains.

The best part about this trip is that it is something we do just as a family. It is a time for us to be together without any outside distractions and to do an activity that we all enjoy—ski. In my opinion, there are few sports you can do with your children where you spend an entire day together having so much fun!

Our kids have become quite the skiers too, so much so that they’ve already surpassed their mom! It’s become a running joke in our family that they have to wait for the slow poke mom to get to the bottom. It’s okay with me, though, because I love to see them flying down the mountain together, laughing and having so much fun!

Another great thing about this trip is the way our kids enjoy spending time together. At home, they tend to bicker with each other and fight over silly things. However, when we are on this trip, we don’t see any of this. I think it’s because they only have each other to play with and it forces them to enjoy each others company. It’s a great bonding time for our family when we are creating lasting memories. We plan to continue this tradition for many years to come.

Halleluiah…exams are over and the kids have some well-deserved time off to enjoy the holidays and unwind. It seems like we’ve been on the treadmill since school started in August. It will be nice to spend some good quality time with the family without the worries of homework and school activities.

Funny thing is, we’re only 2 days into the break and I’ve already heard 10 times, “I’m bored!” What’s up with that? Are our kids so used to being over-scheduled that they just don’t know what to do with themselves when they’re not? My usual response to the “I’m bored” statement is, “Bored compared to what?” I want them to actually think about what they are saying; to understand that you don’t have to be scheduled every second of the day.

That being said, I don’t want them to be in front of the TV or computer all day either. So, I have to get creative and come up with some activities we can do that don’t involve getting in the car and spending money! Some ideas I came up with are to pull out the puzzles and games, give them chores they can do around the house, have some good books for them to read, and do holiday baking together. I have found that once they are given the time to unwind and relax, they truly enjoy these family activities and stop worrying about what will happen next.