Out on the Ice

With my husband having a full week off from work between Christmas and New Years, my goal was to spend meaningful family time with the girls and to do something memorable together. While we knew it would be an undertaking introducing our 4 and near-6-year-old to ice skating, we decided to take them to their first skating rink today.

One of our biggest 'fears' was how to layer our constricting clothes-phobic girls in warm clothes without making them miserable. Thankfully they trusted us (for once!) when we explained that having extra layers would not only keep them warm and dry, but also protect their body parts if they had a fall on the hard ice. We managed to suit them up and put on their skates without a single whimper. :)

They truly had a blast! We did spend the first few rounds holding them up on their feet with all our muscle strength, but they did get the hang of it enough to hold just one hand and go around some more. The skating session was 2 hours long, and aside from the 10 minute Zamboni break, we were out on the ice the rest of the time.

Then to top off the afternoon, the girls came home to cocoa, a warm fire and a viewing of a recent favorite film, "Ice Princess" from Disney. The movie has its own website where you can learn about skating moves, view clips and hear music from the movie : http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/liveaction/iceprincess/home.html

We were so proud of our little 'ice princesses', and the biggest compliment to the sport: both girls are ready to go skating again tomorrow... We can't wait for the Vancouver Olmpics in February, 43 days from now in case you're wondering!