Do you know what it is like living with a child that YEARNS for a snow day? I mean, I know ALL kids love a good snow day if for nothing else they get to stay home from school.
But Mahlie is OBSESSED with the snow. Which makes our typical “non-snow” snow days all the more disappointing. Waking up saying, “no school, you have a snow day” brings her running out of her room to look expectantly out the window. What she sees is bare driveway, uncovered cars, and streets not needing to be plowed.
“But mommy, there’s NO SNOW!!!!”
Yeah, I know. We’ve had numerous “snow days” where the accumulation isn’t enough to create even the most meager of snowmen.
To make it worse, news of the huge snowfalls in the northeast are all over the place. Mahlie’s cousins all live in the affected areas and she’s been looking longingly at the texted pictures of her Grammy and Grandpa’s yard covered in 5 feet of snow.
Her family in the NE, however, are on the other end of that spectrum now, cursing at the sky at the mere mention of a flake. Yep, things have gotten out of hand up there. I mean, the Mayor of Boston had to come out and publicly denounce jumping out one’s window into the snow.
Seriously.
So when Mahlie woke up Tuesday morning, she ran to every single window in the house, drew up each blind to make sure there was snow outside ALL the windows.
“Mahlie, relax!” we tell her, as she is scurrying around like a demented blind mouse only wearing her underwear.
“Relax? Who can relax at a time like this?”
Out came the boots and the mittens and the hats and the snow pants, which have been sitting largely unused in our front closet. I had to pull Sarah’s out from the attic.
The ensuing play session is what one would think of a snow day- eating snow, falling in the snow, shoveling snow, losing gloves in the snow, complaining about hands being cold out in the snow.
Mahlie stayed out in the snow all day practically. She helped the neighbors shovel their driveway. She re-shoveled our driveway. She sat in a snow bank, just staring at the sky. I asked her what she was doing.
“Just snowlaxing”.
That girl.
Now we are on our second snow day. My school district where I work is open on time. Hers is out for the day. Second snow day in a row for her and billionth day off for me that is not a day off for me. Since my husband had “stuff to do” in a location not close to Sarah’s daycare, she stayed home with me. Oh, and I’m sick. So this will be fun.
I’m watching the Today show and there are sections dedicated to “what to do on a snow day” and some expert is giving all kinds of suggestions for keeping your kids busy.
There are lists and sites and books and Pinterest boards dedicated to indoor activities to keep your kids busy on snow days.
Here is what I do with my kids: bundle them up and throw them out. When they come back in, I turn the TV on and tell them not to bother mommy unless someone is bleeding. When they get “sooooo boooored!” I tell them to figure it out. There is whining and complaining.
But then there is play and laughter and giggling and made up games.
Oh, there is also yelling and crying and “she did it!” comments yelled from the other room.
But that’s okay.
Because it’s a snow day. That’s what my mom did with us, so can’t be that bad!
Hot chocolate with whipped cream and sprinkles. Snow day tradition.
There may have been a bit of “flinging the younger sister into the snowbank” going on here. When I asked, Mahlie just said, “I’m helping her.”
We only have 3 snow shovels for a reason. Excuse me while I go refresh my coffee.
Our Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, bred for this kind of weather, is taking it all in….
Hope you have a great crazy day!
My Special Kind of Crazy 