Snow Day

Last Friday wasn't a snow day, exactly.  At least not as far as the Worcester Public Schools were concerned.  But I didn't grow up in Worcester, and after almost nine years of living in this city of a thousand hills, I've reached the point where if it's icy out, I'm not driving.  Marc had another early meeting, so he couldn't drive them to school, and my road wasn't even plowed yet.  I did attempt it, at one point.  I went halfway down the hill to where we had parked the minivan (because of the parking ban, we couldn't park right in front of the house, and Marc's car was in the driveway) and I got the van all cleared off, and even turned it around to go back up the hill.  But I couldn't get any farther up the hill than that, so I just reversed back to the curb and decided that I'd have a snow day.

It was delightful.  Both Jessie and Sam were so tickled pink about missing school.  Not that either of them are candidates for perfect attendance awards, but if they miss school, I at least make them pretend to be sick.  They have to stay in bed and anytime they start to have fun, I warn them that I could still bring them in.  If you're well enough to play, you're well enough to go to school.  But on Friday - they were perfectly healthy - and still able to stay home, and their joy was boundless. 

It turned out to be a perfect kind of day.  They got along well, Jessica worked all day on her book report that's due at the end of the month and Sam spent a good part of the day coloring.  I seriously considered homeschooling - actually, I seriously consider it a lot, because my kids don't like goin to school - and Friday was one of those days when it seemed as though they might actually learn more, academically, at home, than they do at school.  Sam did colors and letters and Jessie really worked her little butt off on that report.  And they were both so cheerful about it. 

While Julianna was napping (God bless the toddler nap), we played chess.  My grandfather died about a year and a half ago, and I inherited his chessboard.  The one that he taught me to play on, and it's especially poignant to play with my children on it.  We had snacks and cocoa, and I taught them to play on Friday - and it's going to be one of the memories that I play back in my head when I'm very old.