Due to reports like this and weather forecasts like this, we have decided to postpone our trip to the snow.

We had to make a decision last night, so we could cancel our accommodation booking without losing our money.
I first heard news of the inclement weather on Wednesday, and I have to say, it completely ruined my day.
I was FREAKING OUT about telling the boys we might not be able to go. But we want them to really enjoy themselves. Somehow, I don’t think “heavy showers, blizzard conditions, cold southwesterlies and severe gales” would serve that purpose very well.

My own memory of seeing snow for the first time is NOT a great one. The weather was awful; strong winds, heavy rain and sleet (not snow, sleet). Mum & Dad still took us up the mountain, since we’d come all that way. I remember sliding down the hill a couple of times, and then high-tailing it for the changing rooms to get out of my freezing cold & wet clothes. Not a lot of fun.

My kids have been sooooooo looking forward to this trip. Remember, Tyler has never seen real snow (Snow Planet doesn’t count!) and Ethan can’t remember going when he was a toddler. They have been literally counting down the days for the last month. Tyler often heads up to his bedroom and comes down wearing his thermals, snow jacket and gloves, asking “how long until the snow?” …

You can understand my anxiety about breaking the news to them, no?

Well, they WERE upset. But they took it a LOT better than I expected. A lot better than me, truth be told. I may (or may not) have cried and pounded my fists and shouted “BUT IT’S NOT FAIR!” on Wednesday.
Ahem.

But I am super proud of my boys and how well they handled such a HUGE disappointment.
Seriously, it is HUGE. We don’t live near the snow. It’s a 5-hour drive away. We don’t spend 3 months a year shovelling piles of white stuff from our driveways. Our school never closes for a “Snow Day”. Rob is a keen snowboarder, but doesn’t get down to the fields as much as he’d like. He LOVES winter, and he loves snow. Naturally, he is good at passing that enthusiasm on to the boys, who just can’t wait to experience it for themselves. They want to make snow angels and snowmen, and have snowball fights. Stuff that lots of kids get to do in their own backyards, whenever they want.
I guess we need to remember that we’ve got the beach in our backyard – and I know many people would love to be that close to the ocean.

Anyway, we have rescheduled our trip for the last weekend in August. Luckily, we managed to get accommodation at the same place.
Ethan stated (rather maturely) that 2 weeks is “not that long” to wait. I reminded him that 2 weeks is, in fact, FOURTEEN DAYS, and his response: “that’s okay, I don’t mind.”

Can I just say … sigh of relief?!