Snow Day

Ah, a snow day. Somehow they aren't nearly as appealing as they used to be.

When I was a kid, absolutely I wanted a snow day. What could be better? Then as a teacher, I prayed even harder for a snow day. Now, as a parent, snow days are a hassle.

I get sick days and vacation days and now I have work at home days. We do not get snow days. If it even spits snow, Niangua closes. When I taught at Fair Play, we very rarely had snow days. We had lots of farm kids, from farm families with farm 4x4 trucks. The rest of the kids lived in town, less than a block or two from the school. Of course that was 22 years ago when I think folks were a little tougher.

Grace loves snow days. She proclaimed first thing this morning that she was staying in her pajamas all day. No problem. Just let me work, and you can wear whatever you want. She also gets to eat almost anything she wants and watch almost anything she wants on the three or four cartoon channels we have. She loves Dr. Pol and Larry the Cable Guy's Only in America.

She knows how to read enough now and work the remote that she can pick out what she wants from the DVR. THAT is a nice advancement. Everyone is always saying, "Oh they grow so fast, don't you miss when they were little?" Uh no. She can get in and out of the car herself, wipe her own behind, bathe herself (most of the time) and work the remote. I think that's great!

School cancelled this morning at 5:22 am. I didn't sleep well all night waiting for that call and the call that my blood drive at another area HS would be cancelled for the same snow day reason. Did you ever wonder why snow days are never on the weekend? Seriously, think of the last weekend snow day you had. I can't think of even one.

Bryon is a much better snow day parent. He takes her sledding behind the four wheeler, they build snowmen and throw snowballs. I wait for them to come back in and make hot cocoa. I might drink some while they are gone just to make sure it's not poison. Tomorrow Bryon will be home, and I'll go into the office.

Today Grace has eaten God only knows what downstairs, watched about eight hours of television and made so much of a commotion down there I had to go investigate twice. She's made the trip up and down the stairs to and from my office at least two dozen times. I've let the dog into the house, gotten frustrated with her and put her back into the kennel outside four times. I've actually accomplished very, very little. It's frustrating

And people wonder why I don't home school. Can you say "Insane?"