I Say No to Snow

I’m going to contradict myself. In a previous post I stated that one of the reasons that we love living here is because most years we get snow.

I take it all back. I DON’T LIKE SNOW. Ok, that’s not quite true. Yes, it’s fun to play in, sledding, making a snowman. However, the reality is that before the fun, it’s a huge drag and bad things happen when it snows.

We’re currently experiencing what the news channels have dubbed an ‘artic blast’. In other words it’s freezing – in fact well below.  Today, it’s not set to rise above 22 degrees Fahrenheit. For those more familiar with centigrade, to put this in perspective I believe 32 degrees Fahrenheit is 0 degrees in centigrade.  And we have about 4 inches of snow – enough to grind much of Seattle and surrounding cities to a halt. Thankfully on Monday Ben left work early, but for many it was a 4 – 8 hour commute home as cars bumped into one another and trucks came off the road.

To add to the drama while I was driving home on Monday my low tire pressure light came on in the car. Last time this happened we woke  up to a flat tire. Keen to avoid this again, I wanted to get to a garage to pump up the tires. And I had to pick up Jemima from school. But as the snow was falling fast and the roads were beginning to clog up, the last thing I wanted to do was take Billy with me – just in case I got half way down the road and ended up with a flat and being stuck for hours waiting for a tow (I’m under no illusions about my ability, or lack of to change a tire, least of all in the snow).  And that was the reason why Ben came home early – he picked Jemima up on the way, stayed home with the kids, while I fixed the tire.

  This itself had it’s dramas – the pressure gauge wasn’t working properly because it was so cold, my fingers stopped working properly because it was so cold and then I ran out of quarters - before I’d pumped up the one tire that was low.  Thankfully, I nice man called John came to my rescue, gave me some quarters and helped me out of a bind. On a normal day, this would have been a hassle, but in the freezing cold and snow, it was hideous.

Yesterday was slightly more fun. Jemima’s school was closed so it was a snow day.  In theory fun – an opportunity to sled down the hill, build a snowman and generally frolic around in the powder. And it was a beautiful day – not a cloud in the sky, albeit freezing. However, have you every tried helping a four year old go sledding with a baby as well. Or indeed building a snowman. For starters, Billy thought being bundled up in a snowsuit (that is too big for him if I’m honest) was less than fun. And being put into a Baby Bjorn and practically tipped upside down whenever I gave Jemima a push on the sled, was more than he was happy to handle. And I can’t say I blame him.  Then the cold finally hit Jemima – and at one point I had both of them screaming.  A cup of hot chocolate inside did solve that but not before a good amount of complaining.  And of course, 2 hours later she wanted to got out and doing it all again. And it takes a long time to get Jemima, Billy and myself rugged up for this weather.  Needless to say, after two plays in the snow, hours of arts and crafts inside, I finally gave in and resorted to the worst of parenting tools – the TV. I got 45 minutes peace while Billy slept and Jemima watched the Wiggles Christmas Movie.

Thankfully today, Jemima’s school is open.  I’m unsure who was more excited – me or her!