Snow Day Report
Yet another snow day yesterday -- I think that was #5 for this school year, which bodes ill for June, sigh. But unlike our previous snow day a couple weeks ago, when we were told to expect 8-12 inches and got barely 2, this one actually did involve a real snowstorm. I think we got like 10 inches or something. And it mostly fell during the morning commute hours, so I give thanks once again for having a job I can do from home, and an understanding boss.
We spent the morning mostly just hanging out. I tried to get a bit of work done. I also contacted the guy who shoveled our sidewalk and driveway last time, and he agreed to come by. I suggested that he come at 1:00 because I had a phone meeting scheduled for 3:15, so of course the meeting got rescheduled to 1:00. Oh well. The meeting was short and the guy didn't need much direction in terms of the shoveling. It sure is a relief to be able to hand over some cash and not have to kill my already-bad back with shoveling. Though I do kind of long for the days when the kids will someday be able to do it themselves. Maybe if I offer to pay them? ;)
During most of that, the kids were pretty much watching TV and/or playing with their various electronic devices -- although, at one point, I realized that it had been waaaaay too quiet for a while, so I got a little nervous and went looking for them. It turned out that Isaac was in his bedroom doing homework(!!) and Ruthie was lying on my bed, "resting" quietly (!!). Whoa.
Anyway, eventually I insisted that the kids put on their winter gear and come outside with me to play in the snow. Oh, how they grumbled and moaned and whined about putting aside their electronic devices and being forced to leave the house!! Ruthie declared firmly that she didn't WAAANT to pretend to have fun. ;) (reference to a conversation we had on a previous occasion where she whined about me making her do something, and I said she didn't have to have fun, she could just pretend)
Of course, once we got out into the snow, everyone did have a good time. (Either that, or they have become VERY good actors.) We went across the street to the school parking lot, which had been plowed but was empty of cars. There was a huge mountain of snow in the corner, and we climbed on it, threw parts of it at each other, rolled down it, slid down it on our bellies (some of us ;) ), and so forth. Good fun was had until we all got snow down our shirts and decided enough was enough. ;) So back inside for the obligatory cup of hot cocoa, and Ruthie after removing her wet things decided that she was perfectly toasty in just her underwear and socks, so she ran around like that half-naked for most of the rest of the afternoon.
Later, Ruthie helped me peel and chop vegetables for stir-fry, which she had never done before. I was a bit nervous about letting her use a knife, but I keep thinking of that Montessori chart that has been floating around Facebook lately, showing that kids ages 6-7 are old enough to peel potatoes and carrots and chop vegetables. And of course Ruthie did fine. She peeled some carrots and cut up broccoli, cauliflower, and yellow bell pepper. Then she went off to watch some TV, and came back a little later to help with the actual cooking (i.e., to hold the spatula and stir the veggies in the pan). Of course, when the food was ready, she declined to eat any of it. Sigh. Isaac, on the other hand, who had actually requested stir-fry for dinner (have I mentioned how much I love it when a kid makes a request like that), ate two bowlfuls. So I guess that's a win. All those smarmy online parenting guides that say "let kids help cook, it'll make them more interested in eating new things" can bite me. ;)
Unfortunately, later in the day it snowed a little more, just enough to make things unpleasantly crunchy/crusty. I knew I should have gone out in the evening to clear off my car again, but I was too lazy, so we had to do it this morning in a rush on our way to school. The kids helped...a little...but since they both refused to put on gloves, it didn't take long before they gave up on the ice scraping thing. Oh well. On the plus side, Isaac says that on the day after a snow day the school is more lenient about tardiness. This sentence shall serve as a placeholder for a longer post on the topic of the school's fear-mongering about tardiness and how much it irritates me that they get Isaac all worked up and anxious about being late. :P
So anyway, that was our snow day in a nutshell. Not a bad day, all things considered. But still, I wish I could believe it was the last snow day of this year...alas, the weather forecasters don't seem to think that's likely. Sigh.
We spent the morning mostly just hanging out. I tried to get a bit of work done. I also contacted the guy who shoveled our sidewalk and driveway last time, and he agreed to come by. I suggested that he come at 1:00 because I had a phone meeting scheduled for 3:15, so of course the meeting got rescheduled to 1:00. Oh well. The meeting was short and the guy didn't need much direction in terms of the shoveling. It sure is a relief to be able to hand over some cash and not have to kill my already-bad back with shoveling. Though I do kind of long for the days when the kids will someday be able to do it themselves. Maybe if I offer to pay them? ;)
During most of that, the kids were pretty much watching TV and/or playing with their various electronic devices -- although, at one point, I realized that it had been waaaaay too quiet for a while, so I got a little nervous and went looking for them. It turned out that Isaac was in his bedroom doing homework(!!) and Ruthie was lying on my bed, "resting" quietly (!!). Whoa.
Anyway, eventually I insisted that the kids put on their winter gear and come outside with me to play in the snow. Oh, how they grumbled and moaned and whined about putting aside their electronic devices and being forced to leave the house!! Ruthie declared firmly that she didn't WAAANT to pretend to have fun. ;) (reference to a conversation we had on a previous occasion where she whined about me making her do something, and I said she didn't have to have fun, she could just pretend)
Of course, once we got out into the snow, everyone did have a good time. (Either that, or they have become VERY good actors.) We went across the street to the school parking lot, which had been plowed but was empty of cars. There was a huge mountain of snow in the corner, and we climbed on it, threw parts of it at each other, rolled down it, slid down it on our bellies (some of us ;) ), and so forth. Good fun was had until we all got snow down our shirts and decided enough was enough. ;) So back inside for the obligatory cup of hot cocoa, and Ruthie after removing her wet things decided that she was perfectly toasty in just her underwear and socks, so she ran around like that half-naked for most of the rest of the afternoon.
Later, Ruthie helped me peel and chop vegetables for stir-fry, which she had never done before. I was a bit nervous about letting her use a knife, but I keep thinking of that Montessori chart that has been floating around Facebook lately, showing that kids ages 6-7 are old enough to peel potatoes and carrots and chop vegetables. And of course Ruthie did fine. She peeled some carrots and cut up broccoli, cauliflower, and yellow bell pepper. Then she went off to watch some TV, and came back a little later to help with the actual cooking (i.e., to hold the spatula and stir the veggies in the pan). Of course, when the food was ready, she declined to eat any of it. Sigh. Isaac, on the other hand, who had actually requested stir-fry for dinner (have I mentioned how much I love it when a kid makes a request like that), ate two bowlfuls. So I guess that's a win. All those smarmy online parenting guides that say "let kids help cook, it'll make them more interested in eating new things" can bite me. ;)
Unfortunately, later in the day it snowed a little more, just enough to make things unpleasantly crunchy/crusty. I knew I should have gone out in the evening to clear off my car again, but I was too lazy, so we had to do it this morning in a rush on our way to school. The kids helped...a little...but since they both refused to put on gloves, it didn't take long before they gave up on the ice scraping thing. Oh well. On the plus side, Isaac says that on the day after a snow day the school is more lenient about tardiness. This sentence shall serve as a placeholder for a longer post on the topic of the school's fear-mongering about tardiness and how much it irritates me that they get Isaac all worked up and anxious about being late. :P
So anyway, that was our snow day in a nutshell. Not a bad day, all things considered. But still, I wish I could believe it was the last snow day of this year...alas, the weather forecasters don't seem to think that's likely. Sigh.