Snow Days

This week was, and I have to say this with all honesty, HORRENDOUS. Let me explain.  I knew a week ago that this week would be a bit of a challenge.  The kids had  3 1/2 days of school for the week, with 1/2 day Thursday followed by a 4 day weekend.  It was the end of the Semester for Mark, meaning exams and projects to finish up.  Along with that, we had the usual after school activities, a doctors appointment, a broken sax and Mark's 14th Birthday.  Not to worry.  I had a plan.

I figured we would muddle through the school days, homework and appointments as always, squeeze in a saxophone appointment and when Thursday came we would set off on a Family adventure.  Sounds good right? Perhaps I should have been savvy to the fact that the universe does not always cooperate and as I have often told my children, It does not evolve around me.  I am, after all fond of the saying, "Life is not Fair.  Deal with it."

I am not all together sure how they arranged it but somehow my children managed to make me truly regret I ever saying those words.

Saturday I came down with a cold.  Not a bad cold, just a little something to make my head hurt and my body ache.  Nothing I couldn't recover from with a little rest and Vitamin C.  Even if I did have to suffer through Sunday with a cold, John would be here to help.   Monday, I knew I would be able to rest and recover.

Sunday, the city a became a buzz with the news that it was going to snow.  I was not worried.  I grew up in the North and new how to deal with snow, besides if I have learned nothing else from living in the South it is that, "Snow" to a southerner doesn't necessarily have to mean accumulated snow. I knew if we did have any snow at all the kids would have a snow day.  This is a slight change it plans but snow days we can deal with.

It came as no surprise when Monday morning we awoke to find 2 1/2 inches of snow on the ground and school cancelled.  Not only was school cancelled, apparently so was life as we knew it.  Schools of all types were closed, Doctor's offices were closed, stores, malls and even McD's closed early.  (I have a theory, not that it can be proven, that they wanted to insure their employees die of Coronary Artery Disease and not inclement weather.)   Even John's plant halted production.  This was the real deal here in SC.  Monday the kids played in the snow all day, had an incredible time.  They became thoroughly exhausted and crashed, at get this, normal bedtime.  Sadly though, school was cancelled for Tuesday on Monday evening.

Tuesday was slightly less fun.  The ice they had predicted came and went making playing outside far less fun and quite a bit wetter.  Only the youngest two braved the elements and then only for 1 hour.  Mark was content to sit like a sloth and watch continuous episodes of Sports Nation and SpongeBob.  John ventured out to work and called to say that most of the major roads were clear.  My head  cold still lingered, improving only slightly from Monday.  My head hurt just enough that I continued to take cough and cold meds.  In hindsite this may have made my day much happier.  I was unaware, at least I think I was, that I was keeping myself in a slightly doped up state.  Therefore, I was only slightly conscious of the unrest that had begun, and completely oblivious of the whining.  This was only to be the beginning as Tuesday I was blind sided by the phone call that cancelled school for Wednesday.

Wednesday the majority of the Stores and offices, not government offices however, were open.  I had had enough of hanging out inside and decided we all needed to get out.  Deciding to get out and actually doing so can be completely different things.  After digging out the truck from 4 inches of ice and snow and spending the morning trying to convince the kids that no they could not go out in their p.j's  we ventured to McD's.  Endangering my coronary vessels seemed like less of a risk then staying in the house with my kids.  The kids were happy to be free from, Healthy Foods, and with not a vegetable in site their moods increased tremendously.  This increase in mood sadly only lasted until we returned home.  At that point the fighting resumed full force causing an increase in the volume of the TV, the whining increased and the twitch in my eye returned with it's friend the migraine.  Certainly they would have school tomorrow.

Thursday I was baffled, shocked and down right pissed off that school was indeed cancelled again. I tried to remain calm.  No matter how much I wanted to scream and shout, "That's not fair! What about ME?  Don't Mom's count?"   I didn't.  Instead we ventured out once again.  This time to look for Mark's Birthday Present, a driveway basketball hoop.  Surely this could be fun.  The fighting progressed from the house to the car.  I was forced to separated Jack and Emma at all times.  It appeared that they could no longer stand the site of one another.  Punishments were handed out like candy, and tears were shed, most of them mine.  I even resorted to forcing everyone to watch only Little House on the Prairie episodes.  ( I was under the delusion that this show would help teach them that their life was not as bad as they thought.)  Apparently I was wrong.  Life was truly that bad.

Thursday night I had nightmares all night and awoke on Friday morning to the Sponge Bob theme song playing in my head. My migraine was back and I was in no mood to be called, "mom"  It was at this point I decided that not only was life NOT FAIR but someone, somewhere had a serious vendetta against me. In a moment of insanity, I decided to take my kids bowling.  I can only think that my lack of sleep had definitely effected my decision making skills.  We took along one of Mark's friends, so that he would not be entirely embarrassed to be seen with us.  The kids bowled 2 games and had a blast.  After bowling Emma's friend called and we picked her up on our way home.  The kids played and entertained one another for the rest of the evening.  I was left to knit and watch, believe it or not, anything I wanted!  GASP.  The fighting was minimal, as was the whining.

I tucked the kids into bed last night grateful that I had survived yet another day off.  I was shocked and amazed when Emma said to me, "This was the Best Week Ever!"  I can only hope it was a once in a lifetime thing.

Only 3 more days until school.