My son playing in the snow. (elatedexhaustion.com)
“No, no, no, no,” I repeated to myself over and over. “Don’t list it. Not again.”
I watched with baited breath as it cycled through. They are always in alphabetical order. His was coming up soon.
And there it was. Henrico County Schools were closed. Again. (And Chesterfield and Richmond in that case.)
“I really don’t have time for this. How can I get my work done when school is cancelled every other day? It’s too cold, then it’s snowing, then it’s parent teacher conferences and the holiday. Really, can’t they just have school? It’s not even supposed to get bad until later in the day!”
I tend to spout off when I’m frustrated. Uh-hem.
“I’m sorry, babe. I know you’ve got a lot going on right now. I can try to come home early so you can get some work done,” my husband countered in an attempt to calm the spiral that I had turned into.
“I just don’t know what to do with him. We are running out of things…” I trailed, trying to come up with ideas.
“Movie day?” my husband asked.
“He’s had so many of those lately,” I quickly dismissed his suggestion.
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” he responded as the TV regained his attention.
And there I was, left pondering how to keep a 4 year old entertained during yet another full day without school.
I googled it. “Have a movie marathon day!” said the internet.
I looked on Pinterest. “Do all of these amazing activities that you do not have the time to prepare or the materials for!” said the website that I love to look at but can never quite achieve the same results as.
I checked Facebook and Twitter and found statuses expressing similar dissatisfaction with the inconvenience of rearranging plans for the next day because the little ones don’t have school.
And then I realized how ridiculous I was being.
I was frustrated because my son being home from school meant I would be missing my plans of working from home on my writing, cleaning, and catching up on laundry.
I was frustrated that my morning TV would now probably include Disney Jr. instead of the TODAY show and that my lunch would no longer be a peaceful moment alone, but would rather include a chatty four year old and a lot of ketchup.
What if, I thought, what if having a snow day meant having an amazing day.
What if I didn’t get the work done that I’d planned?
What if the bathroom goes one more day without scrubbing?
What if the laundry basket continues to overflow?
What if I used the snow day as a day to spend with my son, and instead of checking off my to-do list I made memories?
So I had a new plan. A plan to spend an amazing day with my son and leave the to-do list unchecked.
Well, except for the laundry. The little one will need clothes to wear when school opens again.
Love it or dread it: how do you feel about snow days? Let us know in the comments below and give us your best snow day activity suggestions!
Snow Day got you down?
Keep you kids occupied with crafts
From the Archives:
Richmond Snow Days and the negative effects on parents: an unscientific study
