Sure, one winter storm was fun, but then we had another, and an hour before I sat down to write this I got a text from my county alerting me that another ice storm is on its way. The text said to have EMERGENCY SUPPLIES READY!
What are the odds that that was a prank text? Because, heads up, if you ever want to absolutely demolish my evening, don’t bother asking me if my refrigerator is running. Instead, text me and say that you’re the county just letting me know that if I don’t have a cellar full of potatoes, now might be the time to get on that.
UGH, WINTER!!!!
I’m ready for daffodils and allergy medication.
After our first lovely snow, it all melted and then we got a second snow immediately followed by a day of ice. I felt very grumpy about it and about the inconvenience of having to bundle up every time I had to go out to the potato cellar.
This wasn’t a pretty snow. It was a bit of snow, covered in ice, topped of with sleet that was actively falling.
But then the kids started getting restless, so I decided it was time to rally. Even if they didn’t stay out long, I reasoned, we’d all work through some frustration simply through the act of getting everyone zipped in and suited up.
Plus, we really do only get a few snow days a year.
The kids (and adults!) were in a huff about going outside, so I put on a performance I entitled, “Snow days are special and we have to take advantage of them!”
(And in light of that performance, I would like to thank The Academy…)
Since no one wanted to go out in the first place, I sort of expected the kids to walk around the yard for a bit, examine the ice on the trees, and then come in.
That is not what they did.
Instead, they got swept up in the magic of the snow (ice!) day. They grabbed sleds and went off in search of a hill.
Completely captivated with the paltry hill they found, they ignored the sleet and their wet hair and soaked-through jackets.
I went out to check on them, planning to watch them a bit, then walk my shivering children back into our warm home. But juuuuuuuuust as I was about to head INSIDE, Mary requested permission to “Do this for the rest of the day.”
Excellent.
I could have just gone inside and left them, but the problem was that the kids had chosen a sledding path that lead directly into a pond.
We talked about the water, the danger of cold and the pond, and I diverted their path. But the track that was the fastest and most fun was the one that took them straight to the water, and I wasn’t willing to abandon them with that much temptation.
I was stuck. Freezing cold, soaking wet, and looking for my exit plan.
How are they enjoying this? I wondered.
It was so cold (have I mentioned that?) and even though I really do love sledding, their hill wasn’t that great.
I thought of my own exclamations earlier, exclamations I made while in my warm living room and cozy slippers. I thought of how the tables had turned. I pushed the kids outside, but they had been the ones who figured out how to make this cold, icy day special.
Snow days are special…
I watched Thomas sled down the hill and run back up, toddling as he maneuvered in his snow clothes. With his red nose, rosy cheeks, and actual sleet dripping from his hair, says, “Mom! I’m NEVER GOING INSIDE AGAIN!”
…we have to take advantage of them.
