I Needed to Relax, So Mother Nature Sent Me a Snow Day
It is half-way through the school year and my family is feeling the grind. Lots of activities, lots of running to and from different sites, on top of tests, homework, and deadlines. I recently discovered the best cure for combating a mid-school year slump: a snow day!
Snow Day Slow Down
Typically, I am that parent who growls about snow days, because I detest scooping sidewalks and the cold of winter. Probably 90% of the time I would rather have my children home when it is hot. Extending the school year due to a snow day usually irritates me. But this year, I needed that sweet slowness that only an arctic blast or good old-fashioned blizzard can deliver. My kiddos and I required a day to stay in our pajamas and not once have to get buckled up in a vehicle to make it somewhere on time.
I relished the snow day we just had. I took the afternoon off from writing. I ignored the mess of dirty dishes and closed my eyes to the overflowing laundry hampers. My housekeeping and work sacrifices were worth it. I dealt with a messy house and put off some deadlines in order to hang with my kiddos. My crew tore off every couch cushion in residence and made some epic forts. During my sons’ nap time, I powered through the last one hundred pages of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with my daughters. It was glorious. My oldest has already read the entire series and so have I, but we are reliving it again through the eyes of my second grader. The reward for sitting around in flannel pants while reading out loud to each other was settling in for the blu-ray dvd that evening.
Relax, It’s a Snow Day
Mother Nature’s cold blast kept us inside and relaxed me so much. It even made me pretty chill about later than usual bedtimes and dinners that consisted of only fruit, yogurt, and crackers. Yes, it was a school night. But who cares? Because it was also a snow day, and these breaks from the typical routine know no rules.
My family needed the calm and we wanted the fun. The kids eating cinnamon rolls for breakfast and me being able to drink coffee from a ceramic mug and not a to-go tumbler was an added bonus. The morning rush can make or break me most days. Stay-at-homies and working parents all have to deal with the hoopla that is waking kids up and kicking them out the door. I know school cancellations can wreak havoc for some parenting schedules, but this recent snow day for me was a sweet mulligan that allowed a reset for the week.
Snow days are awesome. (They are especially great if a person can wear slippers all day in celebration!) I need to acknowledge more the importance of relaxing and taking the opportunities to be calm when the occasion arises. It is critical to hang up the stresses of everyday parenting life. I worry too much. And the things that keep me up at night are utter nonsense. Youth sports, parent volunteering, my roots growing in at a rapid rate, dinner planning for the week, and taking on too many writing projects are just a few thought bubbles that invade my quest for a dreamless sleep.
Children Deserve a Snow Day
During the mid-term, my kids need a break too. The elementary and preschool agendas of today are much harder than anything I ever had to do as a child. New math and oral presentations are getting conquered by my children, in addition to band practices, sporting events, robotics, role playing, field trips, and book reading. It is equal parts awesome and scary.
Too much technology available in the palm of a hand, can also lead me and my kiddos down a hectic road of stress. We pretty much unplugged for this latest snow day. All events were cancelled, so I was not glued to my phone waiting for text alerts. My children were confined to the indoors, but did not ask for or require the internet to have fun. They were content because they too were relishing this snow day. It was an opportunity to just veg and be a bit lazy.
I like to be busy. However, with about four months left in the school year, it felt good to take a day and truly relax. Permission slips, studying for tests, fractions, and carpooling duties are not going anywhere. Which means, I need to savor the quiet and the peace whenever possible.
Have you had a snow day yet this year? If yes, what did you do? Share your comments with us!