So this morning I shared the story of our snow day with my sister. Seeing as I didn't cry my way through it and seeing how I read some of your other fun snow day stories like
here and
here (more like perpetual snow days!) and
here and
here. I thought I would put mine to "paper" for future reference.
It started out so beautifully. It was the night before the actual snow day, of course. The kids were sound asleep and blissfully unaware, the house was relatively picked up (you notice I didn't write cleaned up) and I was sitting on the couch just watching the snow dance it's way down illuminated by the street lights. And it was so peaceful.
Then morning came. About 6:15 the kids started clambering over me in bed where I was desperately waiting for the phone call that would allow me to skip scrambling around to get the kids out the door and on the bus in short order. Wanting to prolong my peace by half a millisecond I sent the kids to the same couch I had sat at the night before and told them to peek out the curtains.
I then enjoyed that half a millisecond between the time they vacanted the bed and returned screeching and hollering and demanding to be let out of doors.
So I weighed my options. The promised rain would probably be on us soon. I could let them out immediately to enjoy the snow before the rain AND risk the wrath of my neighbors when my children woke them all from their peaceful slumber or make them eat breakfast first, thus cutting short their time without rain but maintain my loving neighborhood relationships.
In a show of practicality I, of course, chose the later.
Thus, there we were making breakfast and shovelling it in as fast as we could all the while making promises of a trip to the "park" to try sledding down the hills on our garbage and rubbermaid lids.
The first 2 kids were out the door by 8:15 and I was already hot under the collar. There is something about fighting about which ORDER the necessary gloves, pants, scarves, coats etc. go on that brings out my nastiest self. I don't feel like listening to the way you prefer it goes on. I'm going for the best time management and the whining is NOT included in my idea of effectiveness.
On to child number 3 and I was searching for matching mittens that were NOT where they were supposed to be. But here came child number 2 to the door. "Come help, come help, Leah lost her boot in the snow. I sat number 3 on the stairs and told him to wait patiently while I went to his sister's aid. I grabbed a pair of shoes, shoved my feet in and headed out the door only to discover Leah was already on her way back to the house by herself... in her socks.
I informed her as patiently as I could (really it wasn't her fault the snow bank gobbled her boot) that she was back to # 3 in the queue and I couldn't fairly help her until her 2 brothers were ready to go. Sam in a typical show of support sat down beside her in the mud room to wait it out.
Ten more minutes and number 3 was cheerfully heading outside.
Onto number 4 who is the biggest outside lover of all and was rather impatiently waiting. I had barely started getting his stuff together and number 3 came running back inside hooting and hollering that he desperately needed to "poop!". I couldn't help it, I sighed. I sighed deeply. And then wispered a thank you to the intelligent people who designed snow pants for kids with a zipper in the inseam. Number 3 was on his way again in mere minutes and it was back to number 4.
But there was number 1 and 2. They sat there with no boots, no socks and no mittens to speak of. I was almost going to have to start all over with them!
Never mind I was working on number 4. Got him dressed and cheerfully on his way.
Went looking for number 5 but she was hiding hoping to avoid having to go out in the cold and wet altogether. She and I, we're kindred spirits.
Howbeit, promises had been made so we were all going to go out there whether we liked it or not. I decided to skip number 5 a few more minutes and get 1 and 2 straightened out. Done. Whew. My ears were a little steamy but they were once again outside.
Number 5 and I had a battle about whether or not she was going to wear her brother's jammies but since I was older, wiser and stronger I zipped them up knowing she was going to be much warmer because of it.
And then we headed outside. It was only 45 minutes since the first kids had gone out the door.
It didn't take 5 steps from the door to realize that Iwasn't going to be pushing the babies in no stroller so we all headed out to the park on foot. Maybe I should have just left it. It was tough going already on the way there. The way back was not. going. to. be. fun.
The sole purpose of the park was to try our hand at sledding down the hills. The first thing the kids did was take a look and start freaking out that the sled wasn't going to be able to stop before the slough. They were 100 precent convinced they were going to drown. I firmly reminded them that this was the reason we were here and they were going to at least try. I would save them if they got even close to dipping their finger tips.
The first one gingerly sat down and tried to push off. The garbage lid sank into the soft powder. The second one demanded the first one move out of the way in order to show everyone how sledding is done. The garbage lid sank into the soft powder. The Mama demanded they all stop whining and crying and she would show them it did so work. So she took a nice long rubbermaid lid, tossed in on top of the snow, stepped a few steps back, took a running leap and belly flopped onto the lid fully expecting it would nicely concede and take her sailing down the gentle slope. Un-uh. The rubbermaid and the mama both sank into the soft powder. With an oooff!
Time to abort that plan and come up with something quick before everyone was wailing. Before I could come up with something great some dude on a quad having the time of his life came skootching by. In his defense he was not being careless, he did not come anywhere near us, he never once endangered the life of my children. But you would have thought he drove them over the way my brave children screamed!
Well afrer some fun times of throwing some into the snow and jumping off benches and rolling a gigantic snowball the cries of the cold and wet ones convinced me it was time to head home again. I walked over to Cara where she had been deposited and stayed from the moment of our arrival and headed toward the entrance.
Oh, what a kadoodle! I had kids who couldn't walk for their coldness, kids who couldn't walk for their tiredness, kids who wouldn't walk for fear the quad might suddenly appear and drive over them and it was a LONG way home.
We got there. I stripped most of them of their wet clothes, left Cody still cheerfully playing and ran back to the park with my camera to get a picture of Sam's snow ball. I had promised you know!
I nearly stayed there. It was so quiet without my gang. But alas, although I could see our driveway, and I could see there wasn't anyone running out onto the road looking for me, I thought it was best to quickly make my way back inside the house. And what I sight to greet me. There were wet clothes seemingly everywhere. There were kids that needed dry clothes on. There were kids demanding hot chocolate. There were breakfast dishes to be cleaned up.
And so like every other mother out there I got to work. It felt much better once things were a bit organized and I could think back on my morning and laugh. And be glad I'd made the effort. And be thankful I live in the part of the country where it snows so infrequently.
And be thankful for readers like you who will read this entire story in all it's ramblings, nod your heads in empathy and laugh with me.
But God has been gracious (it's a reoccuring theme in our life - undeserved blessing) and now our babies are 2 and both Opa and Oma are still healthy and our babies know the blessing of knowing and visiting their great - grandparents.
And kneeling. That's right she's balancing up on her knees. And smiling :)
Here she was still getting up into position but yes, she is up on her knees.
went for a walk in the pouring rain!...
Came home got changed and then went to pick Leah & Sam up for an early day home from school. Then Opa and Nana took 9 of their grandchildren and went for a walk by the river. I think they threw a few other grand parent- aged people for a surprise! Got everyone some fries to warm up their tummies and then came home and got changed again. I'm sure my children were very thankful for these energetic dear ones who were willing to brave the wind and possible rain and do these special things.
And then we played a game together recommended and provided for by my sweet sis-in-law Leanne. What a hoot! For a night of fun try Creationary or pictionary with legos.
Which left Martin very distressed and wondering how on earth Rach guessed alligator in .75 seconds flat. I mean, isn't that obvious!!?
Back to Steve who was trying to create a very disproportionate waffle to try and lead the guys to guess waffle iron which they never would have guessed because apparently it's obviously a waffle maker not a waffle iron.
And Jeff, he's wondering what the problem is with his bros who can't get his obvious computer.
And then there's Yen who led the girls to obvious victory with some stellar creations like holding up a long skinny yellow piece which Rach instantly and obviously guessed to be a giraffe, and her burying a man "underground" and holding the "grass" over top and topping it with tombstones for cementary, or her sending the man who had gone over a cliff in his car to the hospital where same green "grass" piece obviously became the roof for the ER!
And of course you can't leave out me who, being the scorekeeper obviously fudged the record keeping to be sure us girls came out the winners!