Snow Day

It's been a snowy winter for us here in PA.  We've had a few snow days already & even one day that school was closed because of sub-zero temperatures!  Today is yet another snow day.  And, while I really do love the snow and I do like the idea of being able to hibernate inside the coziness of my house, I also have to say that I'm going a bit stir crazy!

The boys already had a long weekend.  They had off Friday AND Monday for Martin Luther King Day.  And, now here we are with another day off because of snow  on Tuesday.  They haven't gone to school for a full week since before Christmas vacation began!  And I think we're  all ready to get back into our routine.

However, this  morning as  I looked at the  snow & I felt the  excitement of my children...SNOW and a DAY OFF....I thought about the kind of mom I want to be, the kind of mom I often think about. I want to be a fun mom.  Do you know that it's probably been years since I actually went out and PLAYED in the snow with my boys.  Oh, I've stood there & watched sometimes or ran outside to snap a few pictures, but usually I just watch from the kitchen window inside my nice, warm house.

I recently read a story that someone had linked to on Facebook.  I won't go through the whole story here.  But suffice to say it was one of those that are touching...and maybe just a little sappy.  But, the part of the story that really stuck with me was a mom who decided to run & dance in the rain with her daughter.  I want to be the kind of mom who dances in the rain with her children.  Or for that matter, who plays in the snow & screams her head off while sledding down the hill with them.

So what was I waiting for?

I threw on my boots & put a pair of sweat pants over my jeans because I don't have a proper pair of snowpants.  Thankfully I DO have a good winter jacket my parents bought me for Christmas a couple years back.  I couldn't find my hat & gloves so I grabbed an extra hat & pair of gloves that belong to my boys (Ugh!  How are they big enough that I can wear some of their things now?)  And out I went.

A couple of my boys were already planning to head  out again.  Another one was planning on staying in for a bit.  He had just come back inside.  But, when I announced that I was heading out with them, there was a bit of disbelief at first.  But, then they ALL ran for their snow stuff to head outside with Mom.

I sledded with each of them.  I screamed like a crazy woman going down the hill.  I got cold & wet.  My non-snowpant covered bottom was freezing.  I just hung out with my boys.  I thought about taking out a camera to capture 'fun in the snow' moments.  But, I decided instead just to be out there with them.  In the moment.

And, I gotta say, it was pretty cool.