Snowday Blowday

I'm just gonna say it-- I hate snow days. I know, I know...I'm a stay at home Mom, I only have one extra kid home, I don't have to scramble at 5am to find childcare, I had 3 kids home everyday for over a year blahblahblah. Listen. I was that Mom dropping my kindergartner off on her first day struggling to see through my tears as I walked my sad ass out the door. I sent a text message to her teacher checking on her when I was still in the damn parking lot. I dreaded the first day of school all summer long because shes my baby and my helpful child who follows direction like a soldier and doesn't growl at me when I ask her to do something like my middle child does. But then something magical happened. She went to school. She made friends. She's learning shit. She's busy all day long. She loves it. And now I do too. Because she's doing all those things and I'm not the damn ringleader of it all struggling to plan out fun, educational activities that will expand their imaginations and land them full ride scholarships to Ivy League colleges.

Maybe its me. Maybe {most definitely} I've set my expectations too high and now that snow days are a reality, I'm expecting way too much. Maybe I need to suck it up and try to make the best out of em and enjoy these days of noise and chaos before they start sleeping in til noon and hiding in their rooms all day but this is my blog and I'll whine if I want too. Here's a breakdown of what Snow days {aka Blowdays} look like in the Jackman household--

Expectation: Receive phone call from school. Smile. Roll over and sleep in until 9am.

Reality: School calls at 5am. Groan. Toss and turn for the next two hours dreading the next 12hrs. Kids wake up at 7am just like every other day.

Expectation: Leisurely morning of not rushing and drinking hot coffee. Cartoons. Stay in pjs til noon. Read books. Relax. Play board games.

Reality: Kids eat breakfast and watch one show before jumping off the couch to go play with every single toy we own in under 35 minutes. Older two fight over the fact that preschooler doesn't really have a snow day because she doesn't go to school on Tuesdays. Someone cries. Everyone whines {me the loudest}.

Expectation: Snow covered yard ready to entertain kids for hours. Snowmen are built. Forts are made. Snowballs are thrown.

Reality: Zero snow. Backyard is flooded. Ice covered roads remove option of killing an hour on an exciting 'adventure' to Tim Hortons for hot coffee and TimBits.

Expectation: Hot chocolate. Homemade chicken noodle soup. Movies. Cuddling on couch.

Reality: More whining. Everyone's bored. No one eats lunch because they've eaten 17 snacks before noon. Preschooler is sick of kindergartner bossing her around. Kindergartner is upset preschooler doesn't 'play right'. Threaten to throw away all of something if they don't start sharing. Seriously consider braving ice covered roads to drive to Arby's and get a job application.

Expectation: Naps. Naps for everyone.

Reality: No naps. Ever. For anyone. Because apparently naps are more boring than walking around and complaining of boredom.

Expectation: Super awesome homemade dinner because I've got nothing but time.

Reality: Throw dinner together last minute because this day blows and I'm over it. Send husband a text to stop and get wine or don't bother coming home. Mean it. 

  {Dinners on snow days.}

Expectation: Fun filled day that leaves everyone exhausted and ready for bed at 8pm and sad they have to go back to school tomorrow.

Reality: Kids bouncing off walls because they built up lots of energy complaining and arguing for the last 12 hrs. Disappear to bathroom to shower and wash away the memory of the day before I lose my shit.  Furiously check tomorrows weather report and pray for blue skies and sunshine and our normal routine and world peace and no more snow days ever.

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