I’m on day 2 of snow days after two weeks of being out of the office for the holidays. I’m going stir crazy. I’m stressed with my work to-do list. And really, I just want to play in the snow. But I’m an adult and all, and part of a small boutique firm…so I’m trying to do the responsible thing and be at least half-engaged during these snow days.
Here’s how successful it’s been:
Yesterday, I had a “2-hrs on, 2-hrs off strategy.” Smart, right? I spent the first 2 hrs of the morning getting the kids in the snow. Sledding down our driveway, with me shoveling the spot where my husband’s truck belongs. During that time, we also came inside to have breakfast, where I experienced flashback to my restaurant server days! More milk. More waffles (Eggo – come on, you didn’t think I made WAFFLES did you?!?). Bacon – we don’t have bacon. What’s that smells??? My spinach-egg breakfast burrito…quickly confiscated by my tiny daughter who scarfed the whole thing down.
I barely had time to choke down a hard boiled egg and make coffee before running into my home office to prep for my first conference call. The kids amazingly seemed to settle into the fact that they’d be entertaining themselves, with the help of our big screen TV, while I needed to work for a bit…but I was wrong.
During the conference call, my daughter decided to cut up a pom pom and make it “snow” inside. I had shiny tinsel pieces of pom pom in every – and I mean EVERY – room in my house. My son, who undoubtedly participated in the “snow storm,” was then disgusted that he couldn’t play hockey in the hall (with foam hockey pucks) because the tinsel kept getting tangled around the pucks. It was time to clean – according to him.
According to me – it was time to get back outside. Operation Exhaustion was in progress. Problem was…I exhausted MYSELF during the play. I may be 30-something, but I grew up in the desert. That means I have 18 years of childhood winter fun to make up with adult snow play. I happily volunteer to make sled runs, build jumps, shovel more snow on places getting thin, etc.
By the time we came in for lunch – I was very ready for my own nap and trying hard not to snap at my tired 4-year-old who needed one also. Somehow, we all made it through lunch without a major meltdown and I got a movie on for the kids to hopefully crash in front of. It worked for my daughter…not so much for my son. He wanted to play hockey. And in order to play hockey, we would need to clean.
You can guess how the rest of the day went. By the time my husband got home from work, I was all too ready to lay down and drink a beer. But no, there was dinner to make and I really needed to do some of the work I missed while entertaining kids and cleaning up messes made during conference calls, etc.
Today is another snow day. One of my friends posted a gorgeous pic of her two girls playing in the snow with the caption “Snow Day #2. Whohoo!!!” I can’t tell you how much I want that to be MY caption.
I have a flexible job, but I end up feeling stretched in every direction on days like today. My kids. My job. My house. My husband. My friends. I was even stupid enough – after cleaning yesterday – to extend an invitation to friends to use my house as a sledding home base and sled one of the many runs in my cul de sac. Really?!? I was extremely relieved when we got a good 10 inches overnight and it became clear no one would be driving anywhere to sled.
Sigh…so here I am. I survived two conference calls today. There’s been some successful snow play, but without me even wanting to get in the white stuff. My kids are playing. I am checking my phone for client emails, etc. Maybe it wouldn’t be this stressful if I hadn’t just been out of the office for the holidays!
Thankfully, I only had to avoid one major disaster – when during my morning conference call C decided to “love” on a canvas picture we have of my husbands late mother – by putting STICKERS all over it. Thank God the stickers peeled off without damaging the picture.
Oh, and there was the moment when she asked me for her pom pom and screamed at how mean I am because I had thrown it away…along with all the snow she tirelessly made yesterday. :o) Thankfully, my son’s temper tantrum only involved him lying in the middle of the room, face down, moaning about how bored he was because I was working instead of sledding with him. And EXTRA thankfully, my clients and co-workers laugh instead of cry when I apologize for being a hot mess and scattered while on the calls.
Sigh. So. Now with my glass of wine firmly in hand…”Snow Day #2. Who-hoo.”
Can’t wait to see what Snow Day #3 has in store…especially considering they’ve extended our Winter Storm Warning through 5 pm Friday, with lots more snow on the way. Who. Hoo.
Much Love, H.
(originally published on LifesETC.com 1/7/16)