Argh! Another Snow day...how Do You Handle Them?

Last year schools closed for a straight week in the DC region, some have this year as well. I LOVE snow days with my kids, mostly when the place where I work closes too because then I get paid without taking leave or working from home.

We go play in the snow, we get warm with hot chocolate and movies. We play games, take naps, read books, etc. Unlike in Boston, we can often get out on the roads even when it's a snow day, so we will go out to lunch, to the movies, the library, etc. I think that's the best part - getting to go do things with my kids and not being stuck in the house the whole time. That might drive me up a wall because they would get bored.

But basically, even if my work didn't close, I took the day off or would work while the kids watched a movie. They are only little and want to play with me for so long.

So sorry, J.B. I am 100% serious when I say that you can send some of that snow my way. I am a high school teacher, and I could use a few snow days right now. :)

Hope your kids go back to school soon...It's no fun for anyone to be cooped up for so long!

A.

P.S. Seriously...I'll take some snow here....enough to call off school for a couple of days would be great!

I send them out to shovel the driveway. Which usually leads to them going down the block to shovel other driveways for cash. Then they come inside for cocoa and food, hang out for awhile, and then back outside to sled down the big hills on the golf course. By then they're worn out and I let them play video games or watch movies.

I'd love a snow day. We haven't had any yet.

even on our snowiest winters we don't get hammered like you northerners, so i can see how it would get overwhelming, especially with 4 and a work-at-home situation.
snow days here were always such a source of excitement that there just wasn't much of a downside (other than the year we all had the flu and had to hand-shovel 2 feet off the driveway.)
if you can get your real work done at night, i'd shelve ALL of it until then, and just throw yourself into madcap vacation time. go out and build snowmen and sled with them, plan ridiculous elaborate feasts, watch movies together, find a book everyone loves like harry potter or alice in wonderland and read aloud, and every couple of hours declare it video game time and hole up in your room<G>.
getting them to a friend's house is a great strategy too.
hope you can dig out soon!
khairete
S.

I'm one of those rare, insane moms who actually likes my kids home. Not because I think they're so great (which they are, when they aren't being PITA), but because it makes my life easier - they start and end school at two different times (that's four trips out), they pack lunch and leave wrappers and mess for me to clean, and then they come home and the homework battles start. Yeah… just easier for them to be home.

I keep craft kits in the basement for those occasions. Last year my dd was really into rainbow loom, so when I knew we were going to have a big snow I stocked up on different bands and she spent almost a whole day making a ton of bracelets for people. We also have certain movies we watch for snow/rain/sick days, and pretty much veg and watch tv and craft all day. Or bake cut out cookies. I have a ton of cookie cutters for different holidays, st patrick's day, easter, christmas, halloween, etc and sometimes we make a bunch of cookies. My grandma used to let me make cookies out of her leftover pie dough when she made pie, we'd sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar and it was great. I love those memories, so sometimes we make our cookies out of pie dough. It's not the same, but it's nice.

My husband and I always had one or both of us working at home, so it wasn't the problem is it for so many people with outside jobs.

I really feel for people like the bus driver below who don't get paid if their work is called off. We need to take better care of American workers in all fields.

I get equally frustrated with people who consider themselves "essential" when there's a state of emergency and statewide driving ban, as there was in Massachusetts last week. People who drove anyway just created obstacles and rescue work for plows, tow trucks and emergency crews. Drives me crazy.

My son is grown now, but back in the day, we made sure he had some age-appropriate jobs such as getting out the candles should we have a power loss. We got out the long-term activities like big jigsaw puzzles or long board games like Monopoly - if we got tired of them, we set them aside and came back later. They're also doable in power failures. We're at the end of a long line of telephone poles, so any loss anywhere left us without power for TV and computers.

We also sent him outside a lot! We had a lot of kids in the neighborhood so, while we were vigilant about the dangers of snow plows, we didn't think there was anything harmful about getting bundled up! The kids always built extensive snow forts in the yard and out of the piles created by the plows. My son is now a civil engineer in the construction field, and during the state of emergency he stayed home like everyone else. He wound up creating an elaborate snow fort, complete with roof supports and air vents, then taking videos of his girlfriend inside it. Some kids never grow up!

And if I were you, I'd be putting those older kids in charge of mopping up the snow mess and putting wet snow gear in the dryer! Time to make them more and more self-sufficient. If they balk, use code words like "computer" and "car keys" - you'll get more cooperation!

I used to buy legos on sale and stash them away for a day I needed to work without too many interruptions. It is cheaper than a babysitter and kept my son quiet for hours. Then I try to go outside and play at least once a day, so I can have fun too! It's hard when you are holed up and working on fun weather days. Having the neighbor kids over helped to entertain them too. Great idea to see if yours can play with friends. :)

Ugh, and now I see the parade was moved to Wednesday! You can't cut a break!

:)

When we were growing up we lived where we got lots of snow.
Unless you got a foot between 2am and 6am the plows would have the roads cleared and life went on no matter what.
We spent much of our time shoveling the driveway (whether we got a day off or not).
Before school - shovel the driveway - after school - shovel the driveway - before bedtime - shovel the driveway.
(It's one of the main reasons I moved away after college.)
We didn't get a snow thrower till I was 16.
Make sure the kids get plenty of time outside - it really helps to tire them out.

I have teens, which means you prod them to make sure they are alive...and I can work from home. At least I don't have to put up with crazy Laura, all day, down the hall, Febrezing her skanky...with her cold that is going on three months.

I want a snow day so bad it hurts

No, you don't. She is so freaking crazy our COO, CFO, and payroll manager are afraid to fire her. Think going postal. Still, yes, she sprays herself down with Febreze several times a day.... Oh, you will like this, she bought a new bra, Victoria Secret, she flashed about 90% of the office. One little old lady she made her feel the bra. She accidentally smokes at her desk. The biggest thing to me is she has an accounting degree from an unaccredited college and cannot do six grade math.

Or do you just want funny like she steals the air freshener beads from my office and stuffs them in her pockets?

Better yet, she steals my food...

Does this mean your son can go to the Patriot's celebration parade? :)

Didn't get to chime in on your other thread and didn't know if you made a decision. Perhaps there is a silver lining to all the snow! ;)

I feel you.
I'm lucky because my schedule is REALLY flexible.
But there are weeks I'm sure I'm going to lose my mind because of the randomness & unpredictability of the snow days. (Is that a word? Lol)

I drive the school bus, so a snow day means I don't work. It's a double edge sword for me. It's always nice to sleep past 4:30 am, but I don't get paid either so...Anyhow, my daughter is away at college so I just use my time as a free day. I usually just catch up on TV or read a good book. When my daughter was home, snow days were movie marathon days, but those just aren't the same by myself. We have a 2 hour delay this morning so I'm killing time on the computer while I procrastinate because I really don't want to shovel out the car one second before it's completely necessary.

Although it is cold here we only get on average about four feet of snow all winter. We haven't had a blizzard shut down the city in about 15 years, and that was only 1 1/2 feet in a day. Last winter we had a total of 6 feet of snow, but no closures. I would actually enjoy a snow day very much right about now.

I totally emphasize. Last week we had early dismissal on Monday for the oncoming blizzard, then THREE days off from school (around 30 inches of snow around here) then delayed start on Friday, delayed start today and delayed start tomorrow. Add to that MLK Day a couple weeks ago, 2 weeks off for the holidays a couple weeks before that, and an upcoming week off for winter break. I work from home, so although my hours take a hit, at least I'm not in danger of being fired. I don't know how regular working moms and dads are handling it.

I only have one kiddo, which makes it tougher in some ways. I've been getting a lot of "Look, Mom. Look!" the past several days. He doesn't really get that I have to work. Sometimes he can play with the older neighbor kid, but not always. Can I just say that kids today are total wimps about the snow? I grew up in Lake effect snow country and it seems like we were out in it for hours. Mine can last only about 30 minutes here, 30 minutes there before begging to come in.

We did sort through all the old toys and games in the basement, so one productive thing accomplished!

Hope you dig out soon. I'm not expecting to see my yard again until April at this rate.

I'm sure I'll be understandably hated by all who are in the blizzard states, but gosh, I would just love a snow day. Just one.

I can't justify sitting on the couch reading and sipping my tea during the day when the weather is good, so that is my snow day fantasy.

We got a snow day in December 2008 when we had a few inches of snow. We played in the snow and had snowball fights. I'd say we're due for another snow day, but it doesn't look like it's going to be anytime this winter.

I think your plan is a good one: enjoy the day; send the kids out to play with friends; do a little work here and there; and save the bulk for night. Stay safe and warm!

J. F.