Ah. Snow Days. Remember as a kid, watching the flakes start to fall. And Fall. Temperatures plunging. Hoping. Praying. Calling friends back and forth. "Have you heard anything?" Bugging the local radio station. Watching the television for an announcement. Not doing homework, going to bed, betting on the weather. Your Mom or Dad coming in, early the next morning. "You can go back to sleep." NO SCHOOL TODAY!
When my kids were all home, a Snow Day was always like a holiday. Time for a big breakfast. Older kids on four-wheelers, pulling sleds. Younger kids making snowmen and snow ice cream. Calls to my husband with a grocery list and a request for movie rentals (remember those?). Chicken Noodle Soup and Grilled Cheeses for lunch-usually for at least 8 to 10 kids. Keeping the fire going all day. Chili or Beef Stew simmering on the stove for dinner. Someone was always making cookies or brownies. Maybe even a game of Uno around the fire as we watched "The Karate Kid" or "The Terminator". The first day was exciting, A second day? Less so.
Sleeping children and teenagers everywhere Some mine. Some not. Dirty dishes. Wet clothes dripping in the back hall. The washer and dryer going non-stop. "We don't have anything to eat!" Another grocery run. The Winter Wonderland is turning to slush and mud. Tracks in the hall and up the stairs. Bickering. Arguing. "There's not anything to do...." Then, "will you drop us off at (insert) the mall, the skating rink, the movie, the friend who lives clear across town."
I kept my 4 and 2 year old grandchildren this weekend for what was to be a two night assignment. The weather changed and the ice and snow kept their frantic parents in terminals and airport hotels as they scrambled to get back home. My daughter said I sounded passive aggressive when she called to tell me the airport was closed and they would try to get out the next day. I knew the weather was not their fault, but I was beginning to feel like Jack Nicholson in The Shining.
A cold morning starts early with little ones. You know it is going to be a long day when you resort to Play Dough at 7:45 A.M. You have made a train out of the bar stools and chuga chuga'd until you lose your voice. You blow up the bouncy house in the living room and try to keep the new puppy from tearing a hole in it as your two grandchildren crash into each other.
You just hope they don't need medical attention from the jumping as your car is under 2 inches of ice. You read "Fancy Nancy" and "Thomas the Train" until the words are memorized. The Barney DVD drones endlessly in the background. I love you. You Love me........A snack of Cheetos and juice kills 7 minutes. We make No-Bake Cookies. We make valentines. We make messes. And of course, we make memories.
Parents are now home (two and a half hours from the Tulsa airport to Muskogee in the wee hours this morning ) and all is right with the world. I was not disappointed to get to my house and to my middle-age life. A leisurely coffee and the paper. Taking a shower without an audience. Avoiding the kitchen. Conversations with my husband and my friends. Peace and quiet .
It's been great here at the house this morning. Just great. Great.
Hmm... Well....Maybe I'll just put my snow boots on and walk over to the kids and see what my grand babies are up to.
Snow Ice Cream is something we always made on Snow Days. Here's an easy recipe.
3 cups loose, clean, snow.
2 tablespoons milk or cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Adjust milk or snow to the consistency you desire.
I have also used Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk and omitted the sugar. It is pretty yummy but of course anything with Eagle Brand is delicious! Chrissie
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3 comments:
My Mom used raw eggs in our snow icecream -would anyone do that now? It was delicious.
we would also boil syrup to I guess a hard ball stage and make designs in the snow- the syrup would harden and make a kind of molaassy candy-guaranteed to pull your fillings out, if we'd had any.
1st day 2nd day .....now we're on the third day! AHHHH..............
OK Enough already 1st day 2nd day 3rd day FOURTH day Lord help us. My 14 year old could be working on science fair but has chosen to play Wii or sleep all day. I am using my "ugly" face. My 11 year old has made our house the neighborhood sledding central becasue we are at the top of the hill. I need a lock on the fridge and to rent a carpet shampoo machine for my entire house. Please let them come back to school-please!!
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