by Joanne Porter



We took the kids skiing at Diamond Peak and sledding at North Tahoe Regional Park during the day. At night we saved money by eating in and each family turns cooking meals. The kids played board games. My boys learned to play Sorry for the first time.
I rented some snow shoes from http://villageskiloft.
After snowshoeing, the moms night out continued with some drinks and yummy food in the bar area of Lone Eagle Grille. The ambiance is welcoming, and the view is amazing if you eat here at lunch. This restaurant smells fantastic even from the outside. I can’t wait to come back here.While the moms were out snowshoeing and catching up at the lounge. At the ski condo, the dads and kids relaxed and bonded. I visited Incline Spirits and the staff here was very friendly and helpful. I bought some unique beer for the dads to have their own beer tasting while the kids hung out and played.
Snow days with toddlers are expensive. Here are some money saving tips that I found useful during this trip:
1) Buy used gear: I found some great stuff earlier on in the season, helmet, snow bibs, snow goggles, mittens, ski jackets for my toddler. There were some new items I bought with Christmas giftcards from Target online when I couldn’t find snow boots that were used in the right shoe sizes. I even bought a pair of winter boots for myself on the facebook marketplace.
Weather can be unpredictable so bringing extra snacks are good when toddlers get rowdy in the car.
6) Wear a helmet for toddler sledding: My oldest would lose control of his sled sometimes to test his limits and bump into a rock with his head. I was thankful he was wearing a helmet. I originally bought it for skiing but it was useful on our sledding excursion.
7) if you have young toddlers, this is an awesome sled for entertaining little ones while waiting for your turn to ski. The four adults in our group took turns skiing and looking after the younger toddlers. We also used this baby sled last year for a snow day when my youngest was 2 yrs old. He still loves being towed in it!!!
8) Bring a baby/todder carrier. Although my 3 year old think he’s a big boy now, he still needs snuggles. We brought our carrier with us on this trip so he can take a nap on me if he needed it at the ski resort. This also helps me keep him safe while carrying ski gear/bag/snacks to and from our car.