Family Ski Travel On a Budget

Travel

Saving Money With Kids, Best Family Ski Resorts 

Okay, I admit it. I'm a family-centric ski bum. My hubbie (who still loves racing and jumping off cliffs I wouldn't dare attempt myself) and all of our four kids -- who were skiing intermediate runs before they turned 4 years old -- love it too. Nothing can stop me and my whole family from heading to the slopes whenever the opportunity arises. 

MommyBlogExpert.com

In fact, I've broken a leg twice during past ski seasons. But, year and year, you can still expect to see me getting off the lift to head down one of my many favorite ski trails. For sure, this passion goes way back to my younger days. For many years before having children, my hubbie and I skiied most of the world's best resorts both in the US and Canada.

Tips to Saving Money on a Family Ski Trip 

We still love to ski but now we do it as a family, and for the most part, we drive instead of fly to our destination.  Especially in our home state of California the quality and quantity of snow this season has been the best in many, many years. BTW, Don't miss my picks for family-friendly skiing in California at the bottom of this post. 

Yes, skiing keeps getting more expensive every year and it really adds up when you're bringing children along. The good news is there are ways to save money on everything from your lift tickets and ski equipment to meals, travel and accomodations.

• Ski locally when possible to avoid overnight expenses 
• Drive instead of fly to your destination 
• Ski in Low Season (typically January - February)
• Plan your ski trips for non-holidays 
• Rent equipment near home and bring with you 
• Shop around for lift ticket specials (mid-week, low season etc) 
• Look for discounts for kids, those with disabilities, seniors 
• Book a condo (instead of hotel rooms) for your family 
• Stay several miles from the base of the mountain 
• Shop for groceries instead of eating meals out 
• Bring food/drinks with you to the mountain each day 
• Seek out end-of-season sales for equipment, ski clothing 
• Borrow ski wear from friends or shop thrift stores 

Here's Mini MommyBlogExpert (my daughter) reporting from Mammoth's slopes during one of our Winter Vacation when she was in elementary school.

Best California Family-Friendly Ski Resorts

• Mountain High,Wrightwood 
• Mammoth Mountain, Mammoth Lakes
• Heavenly, South Lake Tahoe
• Bear Mountain, Big Bear Lake 
• Snow Valley, Running Springs
• Mt. Baldy Resort, Mt. Baldy

Monster Family 2 Nobody's Perfect Movie Release

Movies

MBE partnered with Viva Pictures for this review

Monster Family 2 Review, Coloring Contest, Free Printables

There's some exciting animated movie news to start the new year for families with kids. Monster Family 2: Nobody's Perfect (PG, 2021, Viva Kids Films), which made its big screen debut in October, is available everywhere On Digital and On Demand as of January 4th.

Fans of the original hit movie Monster Family (2017) are of course going to be delighted with this sequel you can now watch at home. But young viewers who are new to the Monster Family will be equally charmed with the performances of returning voice actors Emily Watson (Emma Wishbone), Jason Isaacs (Dracula), Nick Frost (Frank Wishbone), Jessica Brown Findlay (Fay), Catherine Tate (Baba Yaga), and Ethan Rouse (Max Wishbone). New to the cast in Monster Family 2 is Emily Carey as villainess Mila Starr.

The Storyline

The Wishbone family at first glance seems to be just another average, happy family. Life is fairly uneventful with the Wishbone kids Max and Fay are dealing with the pangs and pressures of growing up, while their parents are multi-tasking at work and at home. But as the Monster Family 2 story quickly unfolds, things clearly aren't as perfect on the inside as they seem to outsiders. 

Before we know it, Mila Starr, a monster hunter is plotting to capture the Wishbone family's scary friends King Conga, The Loch Ness Monster, and The Yeti. The Wishbones are determined to upset the evil plan, and set out off on a wild adventure with lots of twists and turns to rescue their friends by transforming themselves into monster characters Vampire, Mummy, Werewolf and Frankenstein.

Watch the Official Movie Trailer

Free Movie-Inspired Printables

With such a fun movie available to see at home, here are some family-friendly free printables from Viva Kids Films to share with you and your children. Included are several worksheets as well as a Monster Family 2-inspired coloring contest with some great prizes to win which you can enter on Instagram. There's also an adorable kids Frankenstein mask craft boys and girls can make with a little help from Mom, Dad or other responsible caregiver. All of these should keep the kids busy and happy during snow days or when it's just too plain cold to play outside all winter!

More About Monster Family 2

Monster Family 2: Nobody's Perfect is On Digital and On Demand as of January 4. Buy or rent it on Amazon, iTunes, Redbox, DirecTV and more. Learn more about this family animated feature film by following Viva Kids Films on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube as well as visit the Viva Pictures site. 

Virtual New Years Eve for Families and Kids

Celebrations

DIY Party, Craft, Activity Ideas to Celebrate 

The new year is almost here. Who's ready to say goodbye to 2021 and hello to a hopefully brighter, healthier 2022 by celebrating safely with your family and children? I thought so! So let's get on with it with some quick and easy ways to make your New Year's Eve celebration meaningful and fun.

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See the NY Times Square Ball Drop from Anywhere

Living in Manhattan does have its advantages like attending this iconic New York spectacle IRL. But in 2020, unfortunately that big outdoor event for locals was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. 

This year members of the public have the option to return to that traditional venue once more. However, due to the spike in cases caused by the latest strain Omicron, everyone attending is required to wear a face mask as well as show proof of full vaccination and valid photo identification. As an additional precaution, outdoor viewing areas will be limited to fewer people to allow for social distancing. 

The modified event will be televised and also live streamed commercial-free on the internet on sites such as Times Square NYC and others starting at 6 pm ET. You can also join the countdown live as well as learn all about the world's most famous Ball's history. A full schedule of activities and list of performers is available here.

New York City is already abuzz right now. Among the many festivities leading up to the New Year is event sponsor Kia America's arrival this morning to Times Square after 4000 miles touring the US with the 2022 lights in tow. 

Host a Virtual New Year's Eve Party

With Facebook Live, YouTube Live, What's App, and Zoom, there are so many ways to get together some friends or family and invite them to a virtual New Year's Eve celebration with everyone staying safely at home. All you need to do is give everyone some advance notice by texting/sending out email invitations.

 

Encourage your virtual guests to round up their own party food/drinks and decor and sign in to your group at the appointed time (making sure everyone is online at the right time zone where they live) to join the fun and revelry. 

Check out my personal picks for the perfect 2022 New Year's Eve party supplies at the bottom of this post, still all available for delivery by 12/31/21 as of the time this post went live. Alternately, you can run out to big box party stores like Party City or to your local party supply shop.

Stage a Small At-Home Gathering for Family

Another easy-peasy idea is to just have a simple, but fun celebration with your kids and those you live with. Get your children involved in planning the food/drinks and activities in advance. Make sure your pantry is stocked with snacks and if your kids love helping in the kitchen, bake some cookies or other special treats for your party. 

Don't forget to have the ingredients onhand to make some non-alcoholic mocktails for the kids. Using juiced and bottled drink mixes you'd be surprised how easy it is to use your blender to make sweet drinks (Strawberry Margaritas, Pina Coladas, Shirley Temples etc) without adding any liquor. Another kid-friendly idea is cookies and milk served in plastic champagne glasses with colored sprinkles around the glass' rim.

As far as entertainment, the family of course can easily watch the New York Times Square festivities on TV or online. There's also Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Paramount+, HBOmax, and others. But, if you want to do something different, also consider taking the kids to the library and let them pick out and borrow some free DVDs or Blu-ray movies to watch as a family. Playing board games together, which don't require an internet connection or smartphone, are also good ways to enjoy time together and bond as a family.

If your children enjoy art projects, why not get your kids involved by making this photo cardboard booth craft Crayola thought up, by cutting out a hard board frame and painting and decorating it, then start snapping photos of your kids with the frame, as well as all the party preparations and your little celebration itself.  For more fun ideas like this, check out MBE's New Year's Eve DIY Pinterest Board. 

Take Lots of Photos

It goes unsaid that you should definitely take lots of photos with your smartphone no matter how you choose to welcome the new year and share your celebration with your friends and loved ones!

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