The high points of the past couple of days of Snowpocalypse 2010:

* Going out after the kids were in bed Friday night to build a snowman with my husband.

* Watching the kids’ amazed experssion at the sheer volume of snow.

* Finally reaching the stage where I barely had to help the kids get their snow gear on.

*The fact that the kids lasted hours playing in the snow rather than the minutes of a few years ago.

*The creative games they invented from burrowing polar animals

to king of the mountain — and there were plenty of mountains once the dig out began.

* Having invested in a nieghborhood snowblower after the snow of ‘03.

*The team effort of digging out the neighborhood. It’s much more fun shoveling in a group and goes much faster too.

* Getting reacquainted with old neighbors and getting better aquanted with new ones over chili and beer.

*The icey cold beer from the convenient snow bank out back. Nothing eases sore muscles better.

*The fact that we might have to start all over again this afternoon as another snow blast comes in.

My 5-year-old has been on edge lately. He’s been spending a lot of time in tears. I’m not talking “cute, teary, little boy” tears. I’m talking full out “would you please be quiet?” wails.

The other day, he picked up the cat by the neck so I sternly told him to put the cat down and never pick her up that way again. (Ok, so maybe I yelled a little). In any case, he went straight to the corner and started to wail. Then he proceeded to march upstairs to his room where he grabbed his pillow and started stuffing all his favorite animals into the case.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m running away and never coming back,” he wailed.

Really? Because I told him sternly (ok, maybe I yelled) not to carry the cat by the neck?

Huh. I wonder how far he would have gotten if I hadn’t stopped him. I’m sure that no matter how far, I would have still heard him wailing.

This blog is written by my co-editor Cheryl Clemens:

I’m writing this Thursday, so by the time you read it, things most likely will be even whiter outside.

As many of you know, I’m not a fan of snow. I’m a 100 percent run-to-the-Giant-for-milk-and-toilet-paper-kind-of-girl and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Luckily, I’m balanced out by a husband who grew up in the Midwest. His philosophy is the more snow the better.

Well, I did all my panic shopping late Wednesday night, and I’ve got everything I need to work at home for at least two days, if necessary.

So for this snowstorm, I’m going to do my best to enjoy instead of fret. I’m going to look out the window and see the snow as beautiful, not as an impediment to getting where I want to go. I’m not going to get frustrated when there is snow tracked all over the foyer, or when the dryer runs constantly full of snowpants, gloves and scarves. I’m not going to judge the neighbor who never shovels his part of the sidewalk, and I’m going to go outside while it’s still snowing to enjoy the white stuff up close.

And if all else fails, I’ll go down in the basement (dark, few windows, big screen TV) and wait for Monday.

My husband and I used to ski any chance we could get. We weren’t the Coloroado type skiers or even the kind likely to head to Vermont for a ski vacation — we didn’t have that kind of money. But still, we loved to ski.

We were the type to volunteer to chaperone the youth group ski trip. Or to stay in a bunk room that slept 10 to 12 friends at some nearby resort. Or we would just head out for an evening on the slopes of Liberty or White Tail. We even invested in our own skis in 1995. They were cutting edge at the time, and we put them to good use for a couple of seasons.

But then I got pregnant with Maggie. And our skiing came to an abrupt halt.

Now we’ve got four kids — none of which is really clamoring to learn how to ski. And really, this is a good thing because to outfit them, rent skis, pay for lessons and buy a lift ticket — we are talking over $100 per kid for one day.

But lately Chris and I have heard the mountains calling. So this week, I took our skiis in for waxing and to have the bindings checked. But when I walked through the door of the store where we purchased the skis, the young guys working couldn’t hide their amazement. First they snickered at the binding protectors, then at the bindings themselves, and lastly just at the skis. It’s like I had returned from the dark ages. They couldn’t believe that I still had the “pledge card” that insured lifetime maintenance.

But as it turns out the bindings’ lifetime was already over. After looking them up in some parts catelog, the salesman actually called them “condemned.” They are so old, they aren’t allowed to work on them, he explained. “It’s too dangerous,” he said, very apologetically.

Meanwhile, I’m thinking “WHAT?? These skiis are still new! We just got them! They are shiny and pretty and totally cool looking!” At least that’s how it feels. I remember the day we bought those skis like it was yesterday.

But apparently, they are dinosaurs. Another young guy hanging out behind the counter suggested it would be better if we rented skis.
“You will have much more fun, and it will be much easier on your knees if you rent,” he said.

I wanted to yell at him “I had plenty of fun on these skis 12 years ago, dude!” But I didn’t. I started thinking about what he was saying. I’m an old lady and my skis are even older. My knees are not what they used to be, and I’m going to need all the help I can get if I’m going to attempt to ski for the first time in 12 years.

Suddenly, hitting the slopes doesn’t seem like such a great idea after all.

We spent last weekend in Cumberland for a swim meet. By my kids’ reaction, you would have thought we went to an exotic resort.

First, I must explain that we rarely travel except to my parents summer home in Rhode Island every August. So a hotel room is a royal treat. They didn’t care that all six of us were crammed into one room and that two of us had to sleep on the floor — that was insignificant when you factor in watching Cable TV. We don’t have Cable at home so this was exciting enough, but being able to watch in in bed just made it pure heaven.

Then add in the fact that they had friends also staying in the hotel. They could wander around and find their friends and hang out in their friend’s rooms. It was like one big progressive party.

And lastly, there was a pool at the hotel. They didn’t seem to care that they spent all day Satruday at a swim meet at the Cumberland Y — as soon as we returned to the hotel Saturday evening, they wanted to get in the pool. And they spent most of the evening there.

So next time we are thinking about a vacation for the family — we really don’t need to think past the closest hotel. All we need is Cable TV and the kids will think it was the best vacation ever.

For anyone considering a trip to Vegas, let me say from the start that this is a trip best planned for adults.

Are there family friendly things to see and do in Vegas? Of course. But if you plan to stay on the strip, understand that it is a very adult culture. Night and day there are people on the street handing out x-rated photos of girls and hotlines to call. In our taxi on the way to the hotel our first day, we stopped at a red light next to a bank of free publications with photos of every kind of girl and act you can imagine.

And if that doesn’t deter you, consider that there are tons of bachelor and bachelorette parties there. On our way to breakfast each morning we passed drunken groups trying to make their way back to the hotels. If you bring your kids to Vegas, be prepared to have them exposed to many things that might need explaining.

Having said that, if you are an adult, Las Vegas is like a grownup Disney World. The food and restaurants are excellent, you can play any game you can imagine, shop for days and never hit the same store twice and there are so many interesting sites to see.

We stayed at the Bellagio, an amazing luxury hotel on the strip. The casino was enormous (and clean) and there were no shortage of restaurants to eat in. Plus the service was impeccable. Make sure you request a room overlooking the fountains out front. Some friends of ours have stayed at the Paris right across the street and loved it as well.

Where to eat. Vegas is known for its amazing buffets, and breakfast is a good time to try them out. They’re most reasonably priced then ($15 to $20 per person) and you can select everything from omelets made to order to seafood salad to Belgian waffles with every imaginable topping. We also enjoyed Mon Ami Gabi in the Paris hotel. You can eat outside and people watch and the food was top-notch (particularly the french toast and home made corned beef hash). On the weekends they have a make-your-own Bloody Mary bar.

If you’re a sports fan, watch the game at The Pub in the Monte Carlo or O’Shea’s right on the strip. The Pub had better food (the sliders are amazing), but O’Shea’s was much more homey. Prepare to make friend because it’s always one big party there.

If you’re going out for a special dinner, consider Sensi in the Bellagio. Seafood is the specialty here, but the menu also hints at Italian and Asian flavors. The red curry of diver scallops featured coconut cream, chili paste, cilantro and Kaffir lime and was out of this world, as was the surf and turf beef carpaccio appetizer.

For a late night dinner, try BLT Burger in The Mirage. Burgers is all they do and each variety our party sampled was perfectly cooked. Our favorites included the lamb tandoori burger, handmade waffle fries and the hot wings, which were huge.

We saw the Terry Fator show at The Mirage. Fator’s ventriloquist act won “America’s Got Talent” and now he has his own theater in Vegas. Great show, PG rated, lots of laughs.

We also got tickets to a night of boxing at Planet Hollywood. Loud, crazy and lots of fun, if you like the fights.

We truly had a blast in Vegas, and if you’re planning a visit, I hope you do too. Shoot me a message if you have any questions and I’ll help, if I can.

This blog was written by my co-editor Cheryl Clemens.

As I mentioned yesterday, hubby and I just returned from five child-free days in Las Vegas.

Was it romantic? Absolutely! In fact, I’d like to share a few things about my husband of 20 years that I’d forgotten:

1. I miss eating breakfast alone with him. It was so nice to wake up and head out for the first meal of the day alone. We talked about the night before, made a few loose plans for the day and simply enjoyed waking up together.

2. I really enjoy holding my husband’s hand. He has huge hands, and mine feels tiny in his grasp. I’d forgotten how nice it is to stroll around, holding hands. Even when we’re not talking, the connection feels good. We have to do that more often.

3. My husband is a lot of fun to be around. I hadn’t completely forgotten that one, but being together 24/7 reminded me of how much we laugh when we’re together. He has a great sense of humor and always knows the right thing to say to me when I’m in a funk.

4. All right, this one is rated R, but I miss seeing my husband naked a lot. With three kids in the house, we’re always rushing to throw clothes on in the morning or after a shower. The kids respect our privacy, but as any parent can tell you, all it takes is one slip-up for a huge embarrassing scene to unfold. At the hotel we showered together, took our time dressing and were never in a rush to cover up. It was liberating and sexy and I really miss it.

5. Finally, after 23 years together, I still think my husband is the best looking guy in the room. It was fun to dress up in Vegas and go out at night. My husband has been known to come home from an afternoon out covered head to toe in mud from a pickup football game, but he sure cleans up nicely when it counts.

Tomorrow is Part 3: Where we stayed and what we did.

This blog was written by my co-editor Cheryl Clemens:

Hubby and I recently returned from five child-free days in Las Vegas with three other couples.

I blogged a few weeks ago about how much I was looking forward to this trip, our first extended one alone in years. I looked forward to reconnecting with my husband, having fun with our friends and exploring a new city.

What I didn’t expect was the ease with which I relaxed and truly had a good time. It didn’t take long to realize this was the first trip since I became a mother that was truly a vacation.

* I wasn’t the activity director for the group.
* I wasn’t constantly concerned that everyone was having a good time.
* I wasn’t cooking or cleaning.

I really just relaxed, had fun and enjoyed myself. One day we woke up, ate breakfast (with Bloody Mary’s, of course), went back to the hotel and slept til 1. One night we were having so much fun we didn’t get around to eating dinner until 11 p.m. (2 a.m. our time). We played in the casinos, saw shows and just walked the streets and took it all in.

It made me re-think our family vacations.

Now that the kids are older, it’s not necessary for me to plan everything. They can research and schedule just as well as I can. And no amount of my worrying is going to ensure that someone has a good time. If they do, great. If not, maybe they’ll enjoy the next activity. And I’ll never again take down time for granted on a vacation.

Most importantly, I’ve realized there doesn’t need to be something planned for every minute. Spending part of each day relaxing is a good thing. It clears your mind. And when you’ve had enough, you’re even more ready to go out and try something new and different.

OK, so much for the general overview. Tomorrow I’ll talk romance.