Finding Ninee » Sharing our parenting and special needs stories with heart and humor.

Three snow days is a lot of snow days

Admittedly, an unexpected snow day due to cancelled school can be fun. For that single unplanned day, it’s fairly easy to reschedule work meetings, postpone some phone calls, and pretend you’re a little kid who gets to skip school. You play in the snow for a bit,

do some shoveling,

shoeveling snow

and snuggle up and watch TV with cookies. Nice, right? Sure. Something to be thankful for, even. But holy mother of God, THREE days of cancelled school is not something that I was thankful for this past week.

another snow daysmThree snow days is a lot of snow days. Also! MONDAY WAS A HOLIDAY. So no school on Monday, either! And Friday? Friday had a two-hour delay. So we basically had an unplanned no-school week for like the whole week.

Yikes (the nice Tucker word). Fuck (the me word) (although I did have his sitter part of Monday). Seriously, people, I adore my son, and love him more than anything or anybody else, forever and always, times kazillions. But three days of cancelled school after a holiday was a fucking nightmare. I had to conference into my work meetings (I will say that I’m thankful that I was able to conference in for them as being there in person was fairly impossible, so there’s that).

Anyway, so I had three separate one-hour meetings. First meeting. Not bad. Tucker’s entertaining himself with trucks and airplanes, drinking some juice and hardly disturbing the folks on the other end of my phone at all by yelling “I go poo potty” at the top of his lungs.

We had a two-hour window between the meetings, and so we went and played outside a bit more. Which was just as magical and thankful as the other outdoor snowplay was. Until Tucker got it into his head that life would not be complete unless he were able to play with the hose. Keep in mind, it was like 10 degrees out, and the hose was frozen to the ground.

I tried reason.

I tried bribes.

He said “pwease pwease pwease,” and I said “no.”

He cried outside.  He cried inside.

I

I’m telling ya. Seeing this sad, sad face made me consider actually giving him the hose. But I didn’t. Because you know. He’d look sadder with pneumonia.

He threw himself to the floor, and kicked his feet.

He told me that I’m not the boss.

It wasn’t our finest moment.

Once I finally got him calmed down, and back upstairs, it was time for round two of my meetings. I set him up with some milk, the iPad, and crappy kid cartoons on the TV. Surely I could speak to my colleagues for two hours, right?

Not.

First, he tried to hang up my phone. Then he closed my laptop. He pulled out every single toy that he owns and threw them behind the couch. He demanded a cookie. And then two apples. He fake-fell to the floor and pretended horrendous injury. After kissing his fake boo-boos while toggling between speaking and muting my phone, he decided that it was time to play with bubbles in the downstairs sink. I was fine with that. Except that he also left the water running, and, upon exiting the bathroom, locked the door behind him. Of course it’s one of those ridiculously stupid locks that requires a dumb tiny key.

I’m thankful that the water in the sink was only up to just before the overflowing level by the time I found the key and got the door unlocked.

I’m thankful that my husband came home a little early that day, just in time so that I no longer felt the need to lock myself in my own bathroom with a box of Franzia.

I’m also thankful that my husband watched Tucker for a few hours Saturday night so that I could have a lovely happy hour with some of the PAC moms. My margarita(s) were delicious. They looked something like this:

margarita that gives hugs

That there are huge indoor playground places available to us on days when it continues to be cold and gray are also a big thankful thing.

Looks like I found some thankful things hidden in the chaos and less-than-divine parenting moments this week after all.  Of course, this coming week holds two teacher workdays. I’ll leave it to you to figure out whether I’m thankful for that right now or not.

OOH OOH I have another! Which is totally bringing me way past the 10 mark. I’m thankful that this thankful post is like a whopping 5 hours earlier getting posted than usual. I pretty much win. Ok maybe not since people have been posting them since Friday night, and some of them (ah hem you know who you are) actually post twice over the weekend…but it’s still a win for me.

Ten Things of Thankful

Your hosts: A Fly on our (Chicken Coop) Wall, Considerings, Finding Ninee, Getting Literal, I Want Backsies, Mother of Imperfection, Rewritten, Thankful Me, The Meaning of Me, The Wakefield Doctrine



by Kristi Campbell

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  • Considerer - FIRST!January 26, 2014 – 7:13 pmReplyCancel

  • Considerer - OUF! Hells bells, I’ve been trying for that FIRST all weekend, and I’ve been playing catch-up and not managed it, so THANK YOU for letting me finally get one in there before bed at the end of my weekend! YOU WIN! I WIN! WHOOT!

    Love, love, LOVE the slideshow of Tucker and all his glorious snowy adorableness. So sad that he didn’t realise about the hose and pneumonia and you not being the boss (he might realise that now…)

    Your margarita looks perfect 😀

    I hope the two days next week provide some also thankful moments in amongst the chaos and challenge of missing school (for both of you) and that the SNOW GOES AWAY! Good grief it seems never-ending!January 26, 2014 – 7:16 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Um okay not exactly making a girl feel good because I alerted you to it and all, being all super special proud that I was 5 hours early. But um okay, if that’s a win..
      Love the slideshow too. my first ever. Ugh here’s to the seemingly neverending snow crap….January 27, 2014 – 9:44 pmReplyCancel

      • Considerer - :p I’ll take it, cos I was checking the TToT before bed anyway and I would’ve been here anyway.

        Hope the snow goes for you

        (love the reply notification)January 28, 2014 – 1:26 amReplyCancel

  • Mike - Oh poor Tucker! That picture of you crying is the exact same place I’m often at on Monday mornings, buddy 🙂 Kristi, what a saint you are for getting through those 3 days. No easy task indeed and thank goodness your husband came to the rescue just in time. LOL…Franzia and locked in your bathroom. Sorry, I still have the giggles over that one. Fantastic post and pat yourself on the back frequently for being such a wonderful mom! You are immensely admired for the parenting you and your husband do from this commenter 🙂January 26, 2014 – 7:20 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Ach I agree Mike, poor Tucker but seriously? UGH to him wanting the dang hose. Seriously. And thank you. Thank you that we found one another and thank you for this most excellent comment!January 27, 2014 – 9:47 pmReplyCancel

  • zoe - don’t hate …. double bloggers… my kid is 24 and while I too am not the boss and never was , he now can play with the effing hose and get effing pneumonia if he wants as he is now making his own decisions… ie Im sure somewhere there is a 24 year old in shorts in a polar vortex playing with a hose! Wait here a minute will ya while I go call my kid and tell him to stay away from hoses and put on some warm clothes…be right back!January 26, 2014 – 7:40 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - ZOE. you total show-off. First a Seuss thing and then Hemingway? Yay whatever to the whole no hate stuff. Although I could never hate you…still.
      UGH to the shorts?? OMG. wait. never mind. I’m wearing shorts.January 27, 2014 – 9:57 pmReplyCancel

  • Nicole @ Work in Sweats Mama - I’m bracing myself for the possibility of three snow days – or at least cancellations – this week. The temps are supposed to dip dangerously low again. Last week the hubs had to deal with the delays while I was on a biz trip to sunny, warm California. Wintertime is hell on working parents!January 26, 2014 – 8:07 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Winter this year sucks. It just does, Nicole. Huge and big and UGH. We just got a hypothermia warning…school better be okay….January 27, 2014 – 9:58 pmReplyCancel

  • Janine Huldie - I also had three days home with both my girls and my husband this past week. Monday was Martin Luther King Day, Tuesday it was snowing and coming down pretty badly by the time the girls should have been in pre-school (even Kevin was let out at 2 pm from work) and Wednesday was a snow day. So, by Thursday, I pretty forced myself to drag my two kids to school to try to get some work done. Trust me not my most productive week either and seriously those margaritas sound amazing right about now to me!January 26, 2014 – 8:15 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Ugh Janine, I know! It’s just too much! The margaritas were awesome. Wish I had one now and here’s to us both having our kids in school this week. I’m frightened about the hypothermia alert already….January 27, 2014 – 9:59 pmReplyCancel

  • Tamara - Ah, those crying kid photos! I’d just as soon give him a puppy if he looked at me like that!
    I’m sending you warm sunshine. I actually have some to give. And boxes of Franzia. Franzia is always here for you, and so am I.January 26, 2014 – 8:29 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - OMG I’d so give him a puppy…or anything really. And hahah to the Franzia!January 27, 2014 – 10:25 pmReplyCancel

  • Kristi - My sister shared this on facebook the other day, and after your conference call experience, I thought you might appreciate it, too:

    http://youtu.be/DYu_bGbZiiQJanuary 26, 2014 – 8:57 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - OMG Other Kristi, that is perfect and I’m so sharing it with my coworkers! Thank you!January 27, 2014 – 10:26 pmReplyCancel

  • Lisa @ The Meaning of Me - “I’m thankful that the water in the sink was only up to just before the overflowing level by the time I found the key and got the door unlocked.” Now that is a statement of thanks by a woman who knows what is really important in life. Go you!

    No twosies from me…had a hard enough time getting one out!

    Don’t those tears just get you every time? I admit I am a terrible sucker – have to really steel myself to not be affected by the big huge tears. I try.

    Have a wonderful week!January 26, 2014 – 9:42 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Ugh, Lisa. Seriously, the water flowing behind the locked door was big stress. Big. And yeah, the tears get me every time. I’d like to have given him the hose….January 27, 2014 – 10:27 pmReplyCancel

  • clark - “Because you know. He’d look sadder with pneumonia.”

    (my favorite line from the totally ‘good’ Post.)

    so, I will say that I got something special from your Post this week because I can now say that I actually know someone (in real life) who has actually used those weird-assed bent wire ‘keys’.

    here’s to warming weather!January 26, 2014 – 9:47 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - HAHAH yeah, the pneumonia thing was a factor, thank goodness because I was tempted. UGH to the stupid keys! And yes. warmer weather please. Please?January 27, 2014 – 10:28 pmReplyCancel

  • Dyanne @ I Want Backsies - How do you ever tell that sad little face “No”?

    Is it terrible that I laughed at your description of your second conference call? Because if it is, then I didn’t laugh one bit.January 26, 2014 – 10:09 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Nah, the conference call thing did suck. Big suck. Glad you laughed. And you’re right. Saying no to that face just plain sucks.January 27, 2014 – 10:29 pmReplyCancel

  • Sarah - I feel ya,sister. My birthday present for tomorrow is that Maggie goes back to school after only ONE day last week. I’m ready. Leo and I are going to bake chocolate cake and the sit down and eat it.January 26, 2014 – 10:11 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - HAHAHAH I love that you reminded me of your birthday again HERE and YAY for your birthday!!! And to chocolate cake. happy birthday dude. You. xoJanuary 27, 2014 – 10:32 pmReplyCancel

  • Kenya G. Johnson - I know you saw me whining on FB. Really just coming off of Christmas break makes the extra days off “not welcome”. We only had a 2-hr delay one day but Thursday and Friday were teacher’s workdays. When you work from home a snow day just means more stuff to juggle. So I’m feelin you and so glad you found something to be thankful about. I’ll consider my thankful options this week as I anticipate snow days here in the Carolinas.January 26, 2014 – 10:15 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Oh Kenya. It just gets painful, yeah? NOT WELCOME is it exactly. Ugh. Seriously ugh. And your new kitchen??? Yikes. Here’s to no snow days. Except tomorrow as I know you already have one…January 27, 2014 – 10:34 pmReplyCancel

  • Chris Carter - Okay- I am laughing HYSTERICALLY right now!!! This post just cracks me UP!!!! Why? Because it is SO. WHAT. WOULD. HAPPEN. TO. ME!!! And that face? Tucker? Crying? OHMYGOSH that FACE!! I want to fly my ass over there right NOW and hold him and never let go!!!

    Oh good Lord, I hope you had SEVERAL of those adorable little marg guys!! You SO earned it!

    Bless your heart!! The hose!? Oh man… still laughing picturing the entire scene play out….

    Sigh. Chuckle. Sigh again…January 27, 2014 – 12:01 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Yeah, yeah…please fly over here (where are you anyway? because my brain is shot) and hold him. I’m good with the holding him part but him saying PWEASE PWEASE over doing the *&^%%%% hose? Not so much. Sigh. And chuckle.January 27, 2014 – 10:36 pmReplyCancel

  • Linda Atwell - Out One Ear - Why is it so much funnier when someone else is having one of those “suck” days??? And your description of it had me almost peeing my pants. Yes. I remember those days with Lindsey. And I love her a gazillion times over also, but there were moments when I wanted something different.

    You do win on getting your list done sooner because I just finished mine. Have a great week Kristi. And hopefully they won’t cancel school anymore. I don’t know if I could take another crying Tucker picture. He’s even adorable with tears running down his cheeks. How does he manage that?January 27, 2014 – 1:00 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - HAHA Linda, I guess because the suck days make us feel less alone? (like googling special needs mama sucks because that too sometimes)
      OMG I could have just plucked off my ears this week. Seriously. I feel guilty and all of that but OMG sometimes it DOES SUCK. This week SUCKED. Him wanting the hose? Ouch. And I guess all of the babies are adorable with tears. He asked me to see the crying pics tonight, which I think might be big? too?January 27, 2014 – 10:42 pmReplyCancel

  • Dana - I feel your pain, Kristi. Gwen was emptying her laundry basket last night and commented on how there was so much less than usual. Then we realized that it was because she spent most of the week home and in her pajamas. So I guess I’m thankful that I have less laundry to do today. Woohoo.January 27, 2014 – 6:52 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Dana, that’s funny that Gwen wondered about her laundry basket. I wondered about mine too until I realized I’d had the same stinky clothes.January 27, 2014 – 10:43 pmReplyCancel

  • Ginny Marie - Oh, I would have been tempted to let him play with the hose anyway, too! We have had only one full week on school in January; now we have today and tomorrow off because of the extreme cold, so we can’t even go outside to play in the snow! At least I’m a preschool teacher, so when my kids are off, I’m off, too.January 27, 2014 – 7:22 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Well at least you’re off, Ginny Marie but seriously? Are you ready for school or what? I almost kissed our shortbus driver when he came today.January 27, 2014 – 10:48 pmReplyCancel

  • Lisa @ Golden Spoons - Last week was nuts!!!! My kids ended up only going to school on Tuesday (when they got dismissed 2 hours early) and Thursday. Plus, my hubby was out of town Monday-Thursday. I wasn’t trying to work, thank goodness, but it was maddening!January 27, 2014 – 8:33 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - OMG Lisa, I’m sorry to hear that your husband was out of town. I don’t know how single mamas do it really. UGH to the snow days. One is fun. But after that??? NOT.January 27, 2014 – 10:49 pmReplyCancel

  • thedoseofreality - Awwww!! His poor little face…I would have totally given him the hose! 😉 I definitely feel like snow days are only fun when there is just one of them!-AshleyJanuary 27, 2014 – 9:20 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - yeah. one snow day is like a prize. three? four with the holiday? a fucking nightmare. UGH.January 27, 2014 – 10:50 pmReplyCancel

  • Emily - That margarita drawing says it all…I’m glad you were able to get out and have one (or two) of those…hmmm, you’ve given me the motivation to be thankful too and go get myself a margarita at some point this week…January 27, 2014 – 9:41 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Me too, Emily. Me, too. Sigh. Have one. Have TWO!! (maybe you should even have three????)January 27, 2014 – 10:51 pmReplyCancel

  • Laura - We have another “snow” day today as well. Thankfully we missed out on the extra foot of snow we were supposed to have, but it’s been below zero all day and dropping, so we’ll probably have another one tomorrow. Oh goodie!January 27, 2014 – 1:45 pmReplyCancel

  • Kerri - Holy crap you are my hero. Seriously you had conference calls on top of snow days (which by the way I hear they cancelled before the snow actually dropped out of the sky. what the heck is up with that!!!) I think snow days are just wrong. Wrong i tell you.January 27, 2014 – 3:17 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - KERRI!!! UGH UGH UGH the stupid snow days. Don’t get me started. YES they called it before there was a flake in the air. They need to look at 1979 me and get the whole moon boot walk with plastic baggies over my socks thing!!!January 27, 2014 – 10:54 pmReplyCancel

      • Kerri - I was telling Abby how I used to have to WALK to school and by the time I got there my hair was frozenJanuary 28, 2014 – 9:15 amReplyCancel

  • Angel The Alien - I hope it gets warmer so he can go back to school! Schools here are cancelled today and tomorrow because of the cold. I imagine it would be hard being stuck indoors with a little kid for that many days in a row!!!January 27, 2014 – 7:02 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Angel, thanks, sweets, me too. Me, too. It is SO hard for Tucker to have no school and it being freezing out so that playing outside only lasts like 30 minutes. What to do the rest of the day? Puzzles, Play Dough, all of it, it’s so SHORT.January 27, 2014 – 10:55 pmReplyCancel

  • Rachel - One of the many things that I love about you is that you are able to find thankful amidst the not-so-thankful. As well as humor. And the wherewithal to take a photo of your kid while he’s crying, b/c it makes a great blog moment. And so that you can bribe him when he’s older. I could go on about the things I love about you, but I think I’ll stop now.January 27, 2014 – 10:44 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Um Rachel. Love love you but it was damn hard to find the thankful this week. Also believe it or not he wanted me to take the crying photo. I’d taken so many, I think he wanted to see what his emotions looked like from the outside, which is huge. HHAH to bribing him when he’s older. I’ll have to remember that!!January 27, 2014 – 10:57 pmReplyCancel

  • Robert - Ah being the boss….of course I’m only third in our little chain of command and used to be fourth before our dog passed away. A very sad day.

    Anyway…your patience is much appreciated and tested after being locked up with Tucker our not so little treasure and would-be tyrant. I love you! You rule!!!!!January 27, 2014 – 10:51 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - jeez thanks, R. My patience is appreciated? Howz about you buy me that massage then?
      and I love you too.January 27, 2014 – 10:58 pmReplyCancel

  • Lady Lilith - Your children are adorable. They look like they are having fun in the snow.January 27, 2014 – 11:23 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Thanks, Lady Lilith. It’s actually just the one child but I put in a ton of photos!January 28, 2014 – 9:34 amReplyCancel

  • Yvonne - It sounds like you had a rough week. Well done you that you managed to find thankfulness anyway. I can remember the days when phone calls were impossible. Young kids really want us to be with them when we are with them don’t they? I’m not sure at what age that stopped, but definitely I can phone or Skype or chat to friends and only my husband interrupts these days! 🙂
    Here’s to no snow days for you this week!January 28, 2014 – 8:53 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Thanks, Yvonne! We do have two teacher work days but since they’re planned and all that, I was able to arrange a sitter for part of the time. It’s funny – Tucker is happy amusing himself UNTIL I try to get on the phone. Then well, not so much.January 28, 2014 – 9:36 amReplyCancel

  • that cynking feeling - Poor kiddo. And poor mommy.January 28, 2014 – 11:32 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Yeah, it wasn’t that fun. I hear there’s more snow coming this week. Not clapping my hands over that.February 1, 2014 – 10:10 pmReplyCancel

  • Michelle - I’m with you…three days of snow days is too many. Sadly, my kids still interrupt me on business calls. You would think that by the time they were teenagers they would have learned. I am going to have to buckle down, clean my office and lock the door. And by the way, that margarita looks quite tempting!January 29, 2014 – 7:46 pmReplyCancel

  • Brittnei - How did I miss this post. Definitely changed my bloglovin settings so I can see each blog’s posts that I follow. Sounds like it was a tough few days. Toddlers can be something else as well. I can definitely see what you mean with how they act sometimes. Glad you got through it 🙂February 2, 2014 – 9:18 pmReplyCancel

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