Snow Day!

To all the young moms out there whose kids woke up this morning running to the window to look at the snow, begging to go out and play ... the moms who will have piles of wet clothes and boots all over the house and puddles of water up and down the hall ... the moms who will have to hunt for gloves and socks and hunt for more when the first batch gets wet and cold ... the moms who are already tired and who know that while a snow day is lots of fun for the kids, it's also a lot of work for the moms. To all of you moms, I only have one piece of advice: enjoy it!

I think back over the years when my kids were younger and we had snow days. I've done the whole routine of getting everyone geared up to go out and then the job of cleaning up afterwards. There have been times when I've been grumpy (to put it mildly) about it. I've complained about tramping snow through the house and the piles of soaking clothes in the laundry room. I've complained about having to hunt for boots and sleds and gloves. Looking back, I wish I could take those times back. I wish I would have just enjoyed them more. Yes, I know it's a lot of work piled on to the normal day-to-day workload. I've been there. But I also know it is worth it. It is so worth it. I look back and those are some of my best memories with my kids -- watching them run to the window to see the snow and having so much fun playing together.

Today it was just Oliver and me playing in the snow and I missed those times when all the kids were together. My big kids are at college and Mary Margaret stayed warm inside, getting her school work done. Jack Henry had gone out earlier and was playing up the road with a neighbor. So Oliver and I bundled up and trudged outside. I realized that even with just one tiny person it's still a chore to get him dressed and out the door. Just like old times, there are puddles on the floor and boots all over the garage. The dryer is full of gloves and scarves and hats getting dry for round two. But I know now what I didn't know when I was younger: one day you will look back and will miss the mess and the activity. You will wish you could go back and do it all over again.

So, to all the young moms, enjoy this day and this snow. Enjoy the mess and the work and the chaos.