I have to admit, I really do love a good snow day! Yesterday’s early dismissal wouldn’t count as a “good” snow day. We didn’t even all get in until after 3 o’clock so the day was nearly over. I wound up cooking a huge pot of pulled chicken which is a good dinner for our family since each of us could eat it the way that we wanted to. Other than that, we did not get much done. We couldn’t even get a head start on the shoveling because it was snowing so hard! There just was no point.
For me, a good snow day is one that is called the night before. No early morning phone call to wake us up. No need to set an alarm clock, no worrying about getting homework done since we already did it. A night where we can actually stay up late and watch a movie or play a game! Nowhere to rush to in the morning. Just a day where we could get up late, make waffles and get things done around the house! Staying in pajamas not having to get dressed to go out… It all sounds luxurious and self-indulgent!
For me the worst part of a snow day ironically is the snow! Sure it’s pretty when it is falling but cleaning it all up is the worst! I love the silence and the beauty of the snow but I really hate being cold…and I am always cold! I bring a sweater with me wherever we go, even in the summer. My youngest son loves the snow. He and Dave were out in it for hours today snowboarding on the big hill in town. Sledding was never a big thrill for me. Growing up, our house had a big hill in the front yard, but I think it took up more time to bundle up enough to go out and play, than it did to take the few rides down the hill before I’d be too cold and want to go back inside! I I have tried skiing, but for a girl who really dislikes the cold, I just did not find it to be much fun.
In reality though, all those thoughts of a relaxing, “never get out of my pajamas snow day,” didn’t really happen today. Even though the kids slept in, Emmy Lou woke us up early and since the snow was too deep for her to walk in, Dave had to go out and shovel a path while I carried her out to the street for her walk. I think she just might dislike the snow as much as I do! So much for staying in our pajamas! Since we were already outside we just decided to start shoveling the loooooong driveway. Fortunately, despite the snow being so deep, it was light so between us and the neighbor we got it done fairly quickly… and surprising us in another random act of kindness our other neighbor came over and let us borrow his snow-blower for the biggest part of the driveway. That made the job go a little more quickly than normal. We had the job done in less than two hours and by the time we went inside, Drew was awake and we did have those waffles for breakfast. A nice hot breakfast is something we don’t get to have often on school days, so that was a nice treat.
I decided to make a big pot of Braciole for dinner and invite my dad and brothers. Unfortunately we did not have all of the ingredients so I decided to brave the roads and go to the grocery store, (so much for not leaving the house!) Before I left I went on line and I saw that there was a class at Viva Z. I had assumed they’d be canceled. I never get to a morning exercise class and since I was going out anyway, I decided I would go. Another advantage having the day off!
The roads were much better than I expected them to be. On a sad note, I had TWO wakes that I needed to get to this afternoon. If we had been at school, I might not have been able to get to both of them. The snow day made it so that I could get to them both. After going through two of them ourselves last year, I know how important it is to the family to be there so I was glad to be able to have gotten to the both of them.
Even though the snow day that I had envisioned in my mind… staying home in my pajamas, snuggled under a blanket on the couch, watching senseless TV all day long…. didn’t turn out the way it was supposed to, it actually turned into a really productive day off. Now….we just cannot have anymore before it cuts into our scheduled days off! Even though it is only January, I am ready for the snow to be over. I wonder if we can get through the next few months without anymore!?!?
A Project for Kindness 