Well, 2008 has officially seen its first snow here in ATL. My kids were soooo enthralled. Cut them some slack...they've only lived in the south. My husband and I - from Cleveland - tried to dampen their snow-happy-spirits the other night as they were saying how fun it would be to play in snow. True. It can be fun. Sledding. That's fun. Having the headin'-for-the-state-pen neighbor kid hold your face in the snow. Not fun. Trying to make igloos. Yeah, that's fun. Not likely, but fun. Having that same neighbor kid beam you in the face with a snowball. Not fun. Shoveling the sidewalks, driveway [which had to be a couple miles long] and Antioch Road. Not fun. We know the truth. We tried to tell them the horrors of having your mother dress you for an hour -and your siblings- putting your feet in empty bread bags to keep your feet dry from the snow that would inevitably get into your boots and melt [this never worked by the way!], having your mother lead you out the door to...a blizzard!!!My brother and I would be out for what seemed like 30mins, but in retrospect it was probably closer to >1min! We'd clamor at the door. See, we'd have to clamor and scream and cry: "MoM!!"...because she would lock the door [I know!!!].
Our kids wouldn't hear of "you'd get sick of it". So when it started snowing around 4pm today, they were cheering and dancing! 4 of us were at the high school, Paul was driving home and Dani and the boys were home. On our way home from the school it was really coming down! Those nice big fluffy flakes. When the little girls saw that it started sticking you would've thought it was Christmas morning!
I called Dani to see if it was snowing at the house:
Dani: Hello
Me: Hi...[cut off]
Dani: IT'S SNOWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When we got home at 6pm, Dani had made dinner for them [Paul and I had, what else...ckn salad :O( ] and it was DONE [I need to be gone at dinnertime more often...if anyone was to get dinner done in the realm of "dinnertime"...it's her!]. She had coats on the boys already - who were waiting for "Mommy to come home". So Kayla ate dinner while the rest of the kids went outside to play in the snow. There could've been an inch on the ground.
Dani told me what Joseph said, getting all excited about the snow [being 2yo, I think this was his first snow!], as she told him how they'd play in the snow when I got home. He said, "Dani, can I do this?" - where he proceeded to lie down on the floor and move his arms and legs back and forth. How in the world does he know what a snow angel is? Dani told me... it's Noggin.
So, they got to play outside, in their glory. Paul came home, changed and went out with them. He tried finding some gloves for the ones who didn't have any on..."Did we lose some gloves?". I replied: "No. We just have more kids now than the last time it snowed in GA!". So...I've got kids coming in and out, "Mommy! I need gloves." "Mommy! I'm cold". Blah. Blah. Blah. In the meantime - my hardwood floors are getting more trashed by all the wet snow. I told them to stop coming in and out or the next time they came in it would be for good. They just couldn't help themselves. So, you know what I did? I locked the door!!!
8 comments:
Your descriptions of what it was like when you were growing up are so true! Do you remember "idiot" mittens? they had the string going from one had to the other, and it went through the arms of your jacket. The mean old neighbor kid could grab one of your arms and make you hit yourself in the head with the other arm!
Yes! Bill Cosby comes to mind :O)
LOL!!! The mention of plastic baggies on your feet inside your boots brought the memories flooding back (I grew up in Michigan)! And yes, my mom locked the door, too. Since I had all 4 of my boys in Minnesota, I sure do appreciate that impulse! I just remember bundling my toddlers up so much they looked like the stay-puft marshmallow men, and could barely walk. You'd work for half an hour to get them dressed, then they'd beg to come back in after about 3 minutes outside. Yup, lock the door, definitely! :-) The snow here in Georgia is MUCH better! Who cares if you don't have gloves - it's only one night, enjoy it anyway! My oldest son was scandalized that he could wear socks on his hands for make-do gloves - "But won't I get frostbite, mom?" No, honey, this isn't Minnesota, you're not going to get frostbit in Georgia when you're playing in snow for 45 minutes! Oh, it was SUCH fun - and this morning, it's all gone - horray! :-)
My kids were really excited too, just to watch from the window! I had run out to the store just before it started. Poor hubby had to drive home in it though.
I'm from NY so we had the whole plastic bag in boots thing going, too. I'm actually glad I don't have to deal with it. All the snow puddles and people getting cold and coming in, then wanting to go back out... ugh... it's never as idyllic as a fresh snowfall makes you think it will be!! As a mom I can't even imagine. At least we had a back yard and a mud room growing up.
My dad grew up in Cleveland and tells of some blizzard where the snow was so packed they climbed a mound and were able to touch the top of the street light.
Growing up in El Paso, TX we used the sock/glove thing cuz no one owned gloves.
And, to answer your question, yes we homeschool.
Oh and just cuz mamajen says she grew up in Michigan (though she could have pulled a Krenzel)...O-H
well, there was the blizzard of '78. i think some of the snow drifts were over 20'. our school bus couldn't make it down our street to take us home b/c the street was blocked by a wall-of-a snow drift. there were some people helping us children with their own vehicles and snowmobiles. I don't remember exactly how I made it home, but I do remember a kind man helping out who had icicles hanging from his beard!! Now that's a blizzard!
I'm jealous of your Atl. snow, but not of the Cleveland snow! I think I can remember snow sticking 3 times here in LA.
I mean, it's snows sometimes, but rarely does it stick.
I have no experience with snow so I liked reading about this. Hopefully we'll take the kids to the mountains this winter so they can have some fun with snow!
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