Remember how exciting it used to be when a snow day was announced? We'd gather around the TV at 5 AM praying that our school name would scroll past next. In the average winter, we'd get 3-6 days off for snow...which would then be made up by deleting days from spring break or staying in school longer in June.
Of course, I also grew up in the north, where a snow day required an actual appreciable snowfall or severely slick roads.
Here in Texas, I wasn't quite expecting to deal with snow days for my kiddos. I mean, the thought of an inch of snow shutting anything down is just hilarious. But then you consider that there's like 3 snow plows in an area home to six million people...and the lack of services for slick roads makes sense.
My daughter's preschool is closed for the third day in a row. This blows my mind. Especially since that means balancing kid duty and work-from-home duty today. Again. When my kid would actually rather head out the door to play with her friends and I would rather head out the door to work with mine.
What's your kid-and-snow-day strategy? We're loading up on Dora, Play Doh, coloring books, and hiding anything with removable lids or copious amounts of fur. Do I really need to explain that part?
And we're hoping for better weather next week. Because this mom is much less of a snow day fan as an adult than she was as a child!
Companion Pieces
Breakfast at Tiffany's: Texans and Snow
The Officer's Wife: Snow Days and Scheduling
Kids and Snow Days
Published on
Thursday, February 03, 2011
in:
0 to Mom
,
Activities
,
School
,
Time Management
Texans and Snow
Published on
Thursday, February 03, 2011
in:
Life
Before I moved to Texas almost nine years ago, I would have sworn to you that it didn't snow here. After all, I was moving to the area better known for 100+ degree days in the summer than lower-than-freezing in the winter.
My first winter here, we had two days off from work for sleet. My mom hasn't yet stopped teasing me about that.
Last Christmas, we had a foot of snow. A foot! Are you kidding me?
And now, today, we're on our third day of iffy roads and cancelled activities. So I thought I'd offer up three reflections this morning on snow in Texas.
Companion Pieces
0 to Mom: Kids and Snow Days
The Officer's Wife: Snow Days and Scheduling
My first winter here, we had two days off from work for sleet. My mom hasn't yet stopped teasing me about that.
Last Christmas, we had a foot of snow. A foot! Are you kidding me?
And now, today, we're on our third day of iffy roads and cancelled activities. So I thought I'd offer up three reflections this morning on snow in Texas.
- Your SUV is worthless. I love that people think that because they have a big old honking truck or SUV, they can barrel down barely-cleared roads. First, it has to have four wheel drive to make a difference, and many of the SUVs and trucks in Texas do not. Second, the moron sitting up front has to know HOW to handle a four wheel drive for it to do a damn bit of good. Here's a hint: stay home.
- Buy out the entire grocery store. Please. Because in addition to being stuck in your house a whole half mile from the store for ohmygod three days, we may also then get hit by an inland typhoon and a category 15 tornado that rips the very ground from beneath our feet. Seriously. I'm not kidding. I saw it on YouTube.
- Post your plight to Facebook/Twitter/Your(my) Blog. Your friends up north in actual snow belts who are currently staring down 18 inches of fluff will definitely take pity on you and help you to plan out your survival strategy for the sleet that may come tomorrow. And they definitely won't make fun of you to other friends.
Companion Pieces
0 to Mom: Kids and Snow Days
The Officer's Wife: Snow Days and Scheduling
How to Say Good Night
Published on
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
in:
Police Family Life
,
Strategies
Good nights can be hard when Dad is at work instead of at home. Toddlers aren't great at comprehending concepts like "work" or "see you in the morning."
How do you deal with little kids who fuss at bedtime because their police parent is gone to work?
In our house, we try to make everything routine. We read one book with our little girl, say her prayers with her - listing out Dad first, and give kisses to the half dozen stuffed animals that live on her bed. When I'm putting her to bed solo, I always tell her that her Mommy and Daddy love her and we'll both see her in the morning.
Sometimes that doesn't work.
On the nights when it's Fussvile instead of Sleeptown, we call Daddy on his cell phone. Sometimes he can't answer; those darn traffic stops refuse to mold themselves to my schedule. But even when he can't come to the phone, Cate can hear her dad's voice on his voicemail and can leave him a message to say "Hi, Daddy. Miss you. Love you."
And then she usually feels calm enough to sleep...and to look forward to seeing Dad in the morning.
What do you do when this happens?
How do you deal with little kids who fuss at bedtime because their police parent is gone to work?
In our house, we try to make everything routine. We read one book with our little girl, say her prayers with her - listing out Dad first, and give kisses to the half dozen stuffed animals that live on her bed. When I'm putting her to bed solo, I always tell her that her Mommy and Daddy love her and we'll both see her in the morning.
Sometimes that doesn't work.
On the nights when it's Fussvile instead of Sleeptown, we call Daddy on his cell phone. Sometimes he can't answer; those darn traffic stops refuse to mold themselves to my schedule. But even when he can't come to the phone, Cate can hear her dad's voice on his voicemail and can leave him a message to say "Hi, Daddy. Miss you. Love you."
And then she usually feels calm enough to sleep...and to look forward to seeing Dad in the morning.
What do you do when this happens?
Police Pets in DFW
Published on
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
in:
Police Family Life
,
Resources
If you are a police family and live in the Dallas Fort Worth area, check out this excellent resource:
Vaccination Station, presenting Operation Vaccination, provides lower-cost veterinary services to the public on set dates at set non-clinic locations. But what's of interest to law enforcement families is this:
"Free rabies vaccinations for the pets of firemen, teachers & law enforcement officers with picture ID."
What a nice thing to do! Hurry over to Vaccination Station to check out where they'll be next so you can go get your pets vaccinated.
And as always when participating in offers meant for law enforcement families, remember to say thank you!
Vaccination Station, presenting Operation Vaccination, provides lower-cost veterinary services to the public on set dates at set non-clinic locations. But what's of interest to law enforcement families is this:
"Free rabies vaccinations for the pets of firemen, teachers & law enforcement officers with picture ID."
What a nice thing to do! Hurry over to Vaccination Station to check out where they'll be next so you can go get your pets vaccinated.
And as always when participating in offers meant for law enforcement families, remember to say thank you!
Sick While On Duty
Published on
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
in:
Police Family Life
,
Strategies
I had a S.W.O.D. weekend this past week - Sick While On Duty. It sucked, but could have been much worse. Here's how I coped:
I was sick - had the flu plus an upper respiratory infection - and it was the hubby's on-weekend at work. My kids - ages 27 months and 6 months - definitely weren't up for caring for themselves. And the hubby was either at work or sleeping a majority of the weekend. When you have 3 back-to-back 12-hour overnight shifts, it's hard to do anything BUT sleep when you're at home!
The Setting:
My youngest's bedroom, complete with crib for him, bed for me, and a TV. My daughter's bedroom was next door.
The Supplies:
For three whole days, I was wary of going up and down stairs while sick and dizzy. So I minimized my trips. The first day, I only had to go back downstairs once. The second and third days I made a total of 3 trips up/down per day. And we hibernated. By alternating movies, shows, and toys, the kids stayed occupied and I had time to lay down fairly often and rest. Didn't get much sleep, but just the act of resting while sick is awesome. I engaged the toddler in helping the infant with toys and holding his bottle, so I could minimize the spread of germs. And although unhealthy, we ate junkier food that I didn't have to spend time preparing or get dizzy carrying up and down the stairs.
While the hubby was home, he did some of the major clothing changes and meal preps. Otherwise, we stayed out of his way to let him get some sleep and avoid passing him my germs.
What are your strategies for coping when you're sick and have kids to care for, but your other half is on-duty instead of at home?
I was sick - had the flu plus an upper respiratory infection - and it was the hubby's on-weekend at work. My kids - ages 27 months and 6 months - definitely weren't up for caring for themselves. And the hubby was either at work or sleeping a majority of the weekend. When you have 3 back-to-back 12-hour overnight shifts, it's hard to do anything BUT sleep when you're at home!
The Setting:
My youngest's bedroom, complete with crib for him, bed for me, and a TV. My daughter's bedroom was next door.
The Supplies:
- Mask (so I didn't spread my germs)
- Tray loaded with:
- Water bottles
- Water-filled baby bottles
- Formula container
- Empty container to store meds-contaminated breast milk for pump-and-dump
- Several juice-filled sippy cups
- Snacks for babies
- Snacks for toddlers
- More snacks for adults
- Roll of paper towel
- Kid-Friendly DVDs
- Medicine
- Tissues
- Diapers, wipes, pull ups
- Toys for a variety of ages
- A gate to prevent escape-minded kiddos
For three whole days, I was wary of going up and down stairs while sick and dizzy. So I minimized my trips. The first day, I only had to go back downstairs once. The second and third days I made a total of 3 trips up/down per day. And we hibernated. By alternating movies, shows, and toys, the kids stayed occupied and I had time to lay down fairly often and rest. Didn't get much sleep, but just the act of resting while sick is awesome. I engaged the toddler in helping the infant with toys and holding his bottle, so I could minimize the spread of germs. And although unhealthy, we ate junkier food that I didn't have to spend time preparing or get dizzy carrying up and down the stairs.
While the hubby was home, he did some of the major clothing changes and meal preps. Otherwise, we stayed out of his way to let him get some sleep and avoid passing him my germs.
What are your strategies for coping when you're sick and have kids to care for, but your other half is on-duty instead of at home?
