By Tuesday afternoon, both my son and daughter's schools had decided they'd be closed Wednesday. This struck me as a little hasty, a little drastic. It was highly inconvenient timing as I
A. was at the absolute height of my sickness, an upper respiratory something or other that has laid me low, oh low this week
B. have a deadline today, the fulfillment of which seemed unlikely if everything went according to plan, much less if I was violently ill and if I had no child care.
In other words, I was Scrooging on Snow Day.
To be clear, I am not the sort of person who uses an umbrella in the snow. I am not heartless. I like snow . . . once or twice a year. I take the kids out and build snowmen and go sledding and all the other perky activities required of me, and I do it with a smile. But when its the 4th or 5th big snowfall of the season, and I've had a pounding sinus headache for three days and can't hear out of one ear, AND I have a deadline, I do not embrace the snow. I curse the snow.
Tuesday night, after I read Primo his bedtime story (just finished Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and are on to Dahl's The BFG), he got up to go to bed. And the sweet darling that he is, he looked back at me,lying in bed in my pink fleece bathrobe and crooked eyeglasses, with a pile of snotrags beside me, and I guess he felt the need to encourage me, so he said:
"I think tomorrow will be a better day for you, Mommy. Its a snow day so you won't have to take us to school which will make it easier for you."
Because the really tough thing is taking the kids to school, not being stuck at home with them all day and night when I'm supposed to be working.
Bless his little heart. I did feel guilty after that, and so yesterday we did all of our favorite snow day activities
1. Watched Alice in Wonderland
2. Made Cinnamon Rolls with copius icing
3. Read chapters and chapters of Roald Dahl
4. Took out every single toy, book and game and left the mess there like some team of servingwomen would take care of it
David even took them outside to eat the freshfallen snow.
It was an easier day after all.
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