Snow Day

Ask anyone what a snow days means to them and they will use adjectives like "relaxing", "fun", "easy", and "chill." Those people don't live in my house. A snow day to me is a day of anarchy. They turn into a bunch of locusts and eat everything in sight. They battle over toys, fight about looking at each other funny and any attempt to enforce structure is met with a whining mutiny. 

If I can get them engaged in some activity, video game, movie, then I can focus on the one kid that is demanding my attention and maybe, have some peace for a few minutes. But mostly, a snow day has me in a ready stance to deal with the evolving state of emergency that is my house.

I don't know why this is, but for some reason, children wake up earlier on weekends and on snow days. I personally think it is their way to get back at us for denying them cookies or some desirable at some point in their lives. So, when we had a snow day on Wednesday, it was no surprise that the first hour of the day started so early. 

Here is a play by play of my first hour:

6:30am: I heard the boys tell the girls,"it's snowing". I heard the girls squeal with glee and then their voices faded as they went downstairs. I stayed in bed and keep dozing.

7am: I heard a fight erupt somewhere downstairs and the screaming carried so well up the stairs. I thanked the builder of my home for making the house so acoustically deficient and continued to lay there hoping it resolved independently.

7:05am: Twin "R" walked into our bedroom and said that #2 & #3 were "having issues" and told us to go help.

7:07am: Husband went downstairs and broke up the brawl.  #1 started screaming because the other two boys were screaming. (Pure example of 100% feedback.)

7:10am: #2 was sent to time out in his room, #3 was sent to timeout in the guest room and #1 threw himself on the floor screaming while trying to look under door to find #3.

7:11am: #1 was told to get up. He got up and ran to his bed while still screaming.

7:12am: We went back to bed and reflected on what had just happened.(Face-palm.)

7:13am: The twins came into our room, climbed into bed with us and told us about their adventures.

7:15am: My alarm went off.

7:16am: The boys emerged from their positions of exile and started playing nicely again.

7:17am: The twins left us to go play with the boys.

7:22am: Percussion marching band is heard throughout the house and getting louder.

7:24am: Marching band arrived.(Magically, no one was poked in the eye with a drum stick.) Glad I was not hung-over. That would have been more painful that it already was.

7:26am: Husband decided he was going to work because the snow was just "snow". Smart man. Though he was leaving me in this crazy house alone. Thanks so much. Well, it will just be me and vodka to manage the house. May the force be with us.    

The kids managed to settle down and find activities for the day. The locusts attacked the kitchen leaving little in their aftermath.  After I got the duct tape off and got myself out of the locked closet, I did manage to clean the basement and gather a bunch of toys and books to donate. So I did accomplish something in spite of being pulled in 14 directions. Relaxing? No. Chill? No. Fun? No. Do I love school days? Yes. There is a reason my kids all have perfect attendance.