And the winter drags on

I use to like snowdays, the sleeping in, relaxing.  This year I’ve changed my mind.  I enjoyed the first four snowdays.  Then I didn’t.  There is so much snow I don’t know where to put it.  Yesterday I drove past a 36 foot pile of snow with a digger on top moving piles of snow around to make room for the upcoming 6 inches we’re expecting tomorrow. 

Status Updates

Marcy:  Ceiling in her family room leaked.   Status:  House has fans, workmen, doesn't have a ceiling.  I'm going with delighted.

Husband:  Shoveled snow off the roof – didn’t fall off!  I’m very happy! Status:   Cold and bitter

Me:  Shoveled an obscene amount of snow & got a message from the mailman to shovel out my mailbox.  Status:  Worried, jealous of anyone with a snowblower

Bri:  Slept in more mornings than expected & had extra time to do homework.  Status:  Math Nerd

Jake:  Threw an ice scrapper on the roof & is going to sleep in the snow again next week.  Status:  Crazy

Will:  Had four/eight home therapy sessions this month + one makeup session.   Why do snowdays fall on therapy days?  Status:  Stimmy

Lizzy:  Made little trails in the snow & went snowshoeing for PE; still sleeping under piles of blankets, with two pajamas pants, shirt and fleece.  Status:  warm, adorable and happy

Snowdays – Now they’re cutting into our Vacation

We got 13 INCHES OF SNOW, in just the LAST STORM!  School won’t get out until June 22^nd now.  I am so tired of snow and snowdays and shoveling and complaints about shoveling, and my kids throwing *things on the roof when they’re suppose to be shoveling!

Honestly at this point, I’d probably cry if my 70 year-old neighbor didn’t snowblow out the end of my driveway every snow storm!  Yes, I have become the kind of person who wants their 70 year-old neighbor to work while I stay inside, curled up with a book, under a blanket, with a babysitter watching my kids so they don’t disturb me.  Ugly isn’t it?  I am ashamed … but not ashamed enough to go outside a couple of hours sooner to shovel out the end of my own driveway.

I had some ugly thoughts today while I was shoveling.  Shocking I know, sorry to disappoint!  I decided I was going to tell my husband if he didn’t get rid of the trailer in front of my **house this year I was going to stop shoveling his side of the driveway.  And I decided we’re getting a snowblower for next year.

*Things like an ice scrapper because that’s really useful on the roof.  Then perhaps one of the kids could kind of bang on the roof with the shovel because nothing bad can come from that!  … Can it?

**The trailer he bought when we were going to move to Texas and sold our house and I moved with 4 children into a 2 bedroom apartment for one month because it had TWO bathrooms and I really need TWO bathrooms so I chose that apartment over the one with 5 bedrooms and ONE bathroom.  And we ended up changing our mind about moving to Texas because William and services and schools.  And I ended up living in the 2 bedroom apartment for 6 months while I looked for another house to buy – but at least it had TWO BATHROOMS!  That made everything better!  But the trailer – yeah, we still have it.  I don’t know why.  We don’t use it and I have shoveled around it for two years.  I know that I could do something about it but I have cultivated trailer helplessness.

Early Release

During the last few days every time someone mentioned the upcoming two storms I ignored them.  I pretended they didn’t exist.  However, my denial is now intersecting with the weather.  Unfortunately, the weather is winning.  And all my kids are coming home early.  Yay?

Marcy called me to see if I wanted to pick up Will and Pete from school.  “No, I want him to sleep there overnight.”  I responded. (Well, not really but I want him to go to school tomorrow!)  I wonder if him home services will be canceled today?  Considering I am 0/2 … probably.

And if you’ll excuse me – I think I better go start shoveling.

More Snow

Yesterday was another snow day.  I’m done with snow days.  I really wanted 1. all of my many children to go to school and 2. not to have to spend hours outside moving mounds of snow/ice.  Thank goodness for my 70 year-old neighbor and his snow blower!  I’d kiss him but I fear if I did he would stop digging out the end of my driveway.

Brianne said that we should invest in a snow blower.  I told her I only invest in things that go up in value.  I am thinking about buying a snow blower or dropping my Y membership.  Well, not necessarily.

And yes, Will spent most of the day pantless.  And yes, I realize that this really could be a problem when he’s twenty five.

The Second Day of the Three Day weekend

Me:  Official Title --Baking Queen, yesterday I made Will GFCF bread and donuts.  The donuts had squash and applesauce, so I will add Healthy to my title.  Then I cooked pinto beans in my pressure cooker and made taco soup and French bread on my nifty French bread pan that I have only used once in about 14 years (why did I buy it – unknown).  Forced children to shovel driveway – official title:  Slavedriver.  Status:  Tired.

Husband:  Flew back from Toronto, grabbed sleeping bag, went off to sleep in a tent in the snow with scoutlings.  (Jealous much?)  Status:  Assumed cold.

Brianne:  Effectively got siblings to shovel most of the driveway (she has skills), played a lot of Kingdom Hearts, washed dinner dishes.  Status:  Briannella

Jacob:  Shoveled a lot of snow, *packed for camping, went camping.  Status:  Hopefully alive, warm and happy.

William:  Didn’t wear pants the whole day, played on iPad and ate donuts and bread.  Didn’t have school or home therapy.  Status:  Best! Day! Ever!

Elizabeth:  Great sport, shoveled a lot of snow.  Decided she wanted a iPod asked if she could do extra jobs around the house to earn money, rejected suggested jobs and came up with her own.  Status:  iEnvy of Jacob.  (And of course, completely adorable.)

*Sometimes I think my children are very lucky that they don’t have to survive on their own because I don’t think they would survive to adulthood.  Jake was wearing cloth gardening gloves when he got in the van for me to drive him to the scout camp.  To camp … in the snow.

Status at the motherof4 Household

Me:  Was called “red-headed sunshine” in an email.  Slept in until 8:45 am (did awaken at 5:35 initially, got dressed, went down stairs, was informed seminary/school was cancelled, went back upstairs, took off clothes, went back to bed).  Status:  Confused – was called “red-headed sunshine” , but all children are home, Will is hooting, was planning on writing presentation on teaching and including children with special needs in church for training.  Must make breakfast.

Husband: is somewhere in either Detroit or Toronto, hoping to get a flight back to Boston before tomorrow because tonight he is scheduled to take scoutlings on a campout/freezeout.  Status: Unknown – and that’s the literal truth.

Brianne:  SNOWDAY, still in bed, midterm delayed, no school, can chat with collected boy on phone … Status: naturally happy.  Have not informed her that she is shoveling the driveway.

Jacob:  SNOWDAY, slept in, no school, currently planning full day of watching TV, playing video games, etc., looking forward to camping in the snow with other 13 year-old boys.  Status:  Ecstatic.  Have not informed him that he is shoveling the driveway.

William:  Snowday (aka at home), hooting in living room while typing on iPad, not wearing pants, no therapy today.  Status:  Unknown, but he sounds happy.

Lizzy:  SNOWDAY, slept in, watching TV, planning a day filled with TV, playing with Calypso, snacking.  Status:  Happy.  Have not informed her that she is shoveling the driveway.