Snowed In Days in the Empty Nest

                                                                     

I went deep last month. Thought I'd go lighter this time. Thinking light and fluffy? Light and white? How 'bout light and white as snow? 

Baby, it's cold outside. Have we had enough? Groundhogs everywhere agree we're up to more of the same. We just experienced 2 shut-down weekends in a row. First one justified due to ice. Second one justified due to the light, fluffy white stuff. We got almost 4 inches. That isn't a usual happening around here. It's a rarity. A true treat. It was a beautiful sight to behold as I enjoyed beholding it from inside my warm house, by my warm fire covered by my warm blanket.

Snowed In Days in the Empty Nest where all is calm and all is bright. A time to pause. A time to disconnect. A time to step back. A time to rest up.

None of these things were remotely possible when our nests were full with all our young-ins. Those kids of ours made us step up instead of stepping back. A mere inch of white precipitation doubled our work load. Many worn-out young parents are wearily acknowledging this contrast as they slosh their way through Snowed In Days with a Full Nest. 

Today as I'm writing, it is a designated "snow day" in my county. A "virtual learning day" is declared for all local school districts. Our streets are clear. Our temperatures will rise into the 50's. But the powers-that-be decided it necessary to continue precaution through today. Parents are scrambling to set up child care or alter their work schedules again. If home, they are overseeing school studies, making meals, providing snacks, cleaning up minute-by-minute messes all while coming up with creative means to eradicate boredom in all. 

Remember those days? My memory is cloudy - kinda like a snow day.

At the first proclamation of potential snow, we are beyond thrilled of the chance to experience this rare occurrence with our children. It's a big deal! The grocery stores sold out of bread and milk before we got there but we'll be fine! We quickly realize we did not fully give this snow event the full respect it deserved. We are not adequately prepared.

We begin the snowy morning with high hope to sleep in late. We don't have to get anyone anywhere at any certain time. No wake-up alarm needed but young Susie has awakened Johnny eager with sheer glee of the first snow sighting. Kiddos are up so you are up. Their excitement-filled eyes are staring you down from inches away. They are in competition with your comforter as it calls you to remain warm and comforted. Your comforter loses out. 

The thrill of a snow day lessens.

You have no choice but to get up. To assess the rare responsibilities that await you. You feel compelled to construct a hot and hearty breakfast. Everyone is going to need that to have the energy for the day. Necessary, right? It's what all good moms do. You find only 3 eggs and a quarter of a gallon of milk in your refrig. Plan B of dry cereal.

Super Mom ambition lessens.

Next you begin the investigative endeavor of finding assorted coats, matches for all mittens, woolen scarves for all, and sweater caps to fit over different sized heads. You soon realize what fit last snow is not fitting this snow. You need this gear once every 3 years so why would you expect much to still fit? You dare to look for water-proof boots that would be somewhat around the correct size for each set of feet. You aren't going for perfection here. You found a couple of permissible options. For the others, Ziplock bags rubber-banded around tennis shoes will have to do. You make a mental note to add all-weather boots to your shopping list. 

Importance to fully clothe all lessens.

The best you-come-up-with gear is gathered. Now to gather your crew. Not easy either. They were bugging the daylights out of you begging all morning to go outside. Now when the time comes, they are missing in action. One by one the lost are found. 

The tall task begins of getting all dressed and ready for the frigid conditions that await. It takes approximately 12 minutes per child to load the approximately 12 layers of clothing necessary for warmth on each. By the time you get to your last child, your 1st child has been dressed for 45 minutes and is profusely sweating due to all the warm layers. You are yet to be layered but profusely sweat due to all the stress!

An hour has gone by and finally out the door you go. Yes, you too must go. To supervise. To console. To break up fights over who's turn it is to ride the one sled. It's way colder than you thought. Way colder than you'd like. No one under the age of 10 seems too cold at this moment. You're frost-bit and ready to call it quit after 20.

You're asked to take a ride on the sled. You do. You are asked if you know how to make a snow angel. You do. You are asked to be in a snowball fight. You decline. You get pelted with snowballs anyway.

You declare that's enough. It's time to go inside. Everyone needs to thaw out. Specifically, you. It takes a tad less time to de-construct the layers than it did to build the barrier. De-layering still takes a full 6 minutes per child. Then you must find places and spaces to hang all this wet gear all over the place. It covers the fireplace and blocks the heat from warming your frozen toes. You need extra thawing because there were no boots found for your feet in your size. Your red toes match your red nose. 

This too will pass. An hour does pass. Gear still wet. Kids bored and want back out. This soon? You just got comfortable in your relaxing. Pausing. Reflecting. Well. Okay. Sure. Go ask your dad...

My Snowed In Days in my Empty Nest these past 2 weekends didn't look anything like these past 2 weeks for young mommas. I do remember when so I do appreciate now. 

My Snowed In Days of Today:

Slow days

Lazy nap days

Staying warm & dry days 

Staying inside days

Not having to hide my snacks days

Not having to share my snacks days

No one needing me days

Only bundling myself days

No judgement of quality of my snow angel days

No one hits me with snowballs days

No Ziplock bags on my shoes days

Not having to get my back side to fit on a sleek sled days

No slipping on the one piece of ice still outside that my feet find to fall days

For full disclosure...I do have this dog. I have to monitor his goings in and goings out of the snow. He hasn't been around the fluffy stuff much in his 13-year life and didn't much know what to do with it. He did pee on our doormat instead of braving the cold to go a few steps further into the yard to do his business. Later when he did his business, he was outside way too long. We became concerned knowing he was typically sprinting in and out of the cold in a flash for each bathroom break. Not this time. Minute by minute added up to too many minutes. It had been so long that we were getting ready to go out for the hunt. Suddenly our next-door neighbor called sharing a cute little fella came a knocking on their patio door. He was requesting entrance into their house for warmth. It's a good thing his redeeming quality is cuteness. Guess our cute little guy lost his sense of smell marking where home was located and ventured far off the trail. They housed him momentarily until we ventured out of the warmth of our home to retrieve his highness lostness back home. 

Our hope to not leave the house lessens.

Guess we never outgrow watching over some one...our children - furry and not - even on Snowed In Days in the Empty Nest!

How did you spend your Snowed In Days? Comment below...Can't wait to hear! 😊

Here comes snow.

Let it blow.

Enjoy the flow

of chill and slow.