Should've Been A Snow Day

I have just completed my most hectic day of snow ever.  Normally I anticipate these days all winter long considering they are so few and far between.   But, normally {and appropriately} school and all other activities are canceled. 

So it started a little something like this, just a normal Tuesday...get Jack off to school, drop Maggie at pre-school, and take Lucy to music class.  The snow started falling on our way to music and Lu and I both admired it from the car window.  She was in sweet awe.  It was truly beautiful.

By the time Lucy and I headed out the music class door it was really falling.  My car did a little slippy slide in the parking lot {I was not expecting that so soon}.  So, I decided to pick Maggie up from school early and head home.  And I am so glad I did.  

Now here is when it got crazy.  Just trying to get to Mags was insane.   Lines of cars and fender benders everywhere.  My getting Maggie early turned into 20 minutes late. Lucy and I slipped in the parking lot {and not in the car this time}.  Still feeling the pain from that one.  

4 miles and one hour and 43 minutes later we made it home safely.  Yes, I watched the clock...and the ice all over the road and the spinning out of control cars to the left and right of me.  I must admit I'm not a seasoned snow driver, but I must also note that driving in weather related conditions rarely bothers me.  Well, this time it surely did. 

Let me draw you a mental picture.  Lucy is screaming bloody murder because she is nearly 2 hours over due for nap by this point, I am hitting ice every 50 feet and losing control of the car on the curviest road in the whole city, Maggie is repeatedly asking, "Mommy are we going to make it home?",  Elmo is singing 'la la la la la la la la' on DVD {it was all I could do to keep the girls at bay},  and all the while I'm getting calls, texts, and emails that Jack's school is being dismissed early.  

I prayed a lot.  And in between the prayers I would brace Maggie for an upcoming crash.  It went something like this, "Maggie I don't want you to get scared but our car is about to hit that {fill in the blank with tree, fire hydrant, bumper, etc}, but we are going very slow and we will be just fine.  Mommy loves you"  Then I prayed some more.

More than once I hit the nav button to see exactly how many miles we were from home.  When we got down to 1.2, I was certain that I could park my rig on the side of the road and walk these girls home.  Maggie talked me out of it.

And thankfully with the help of our guardian angel {whom we prayed out loud to several times} we made it home safely.

I have never been so happy to see my driveway in my entire life and boy was I tempted to call  both of my kid's schools and give them my thoughts on what I think, "should've been a snow day".  What were they thinking?

So the majority of my day was spent looking at this in front of me {compliments of Maggie and the iphone}

And these sweet things behind me {snowman get up and all}.

And although that was the bulk of my day and the bulk of my stress, getting home and seeing Lucy experience snow for the first time, Maggie taste snow flakes on her tongue, and knowing Jack was home safely {via a gracious neighbor who actually had to walk the boys home after parking her car}, I was finally at peace and ready to enjoy the gift of snow.

And now that those fools at the county office have come to their senses and called for a real snow day tomorrow, I plan to enjoy the day the with my kids...OUT of the car and IN the snow.