Snowmageddon



The kids got so silly they ended up
wearing their swim goggles
around the house.

Early last week every network channel news was predicting a major snow storm on Tuesday night; one they dubbed "Snowmageddon". Funny, I know.

Now, in Oklahoma one of two things happens when the weather people predict major storms - either we get nothing at all or we get a doozy of a storm. They are rarely half right. In this case, they were right on with the estimated arrival (seriously down to the actual hour it would start) and relative size of storm.

Thankfully Ian had gymnastics on Monday, as usual, but by 10:30pm that night, the ice and snow had arrived. And it continued. And continued. And continued. With snow falls of nearly 14 inches, drifts that were 2-3 feet deep, and actual air temperatures in the negative degrees (before factoring in wind chills), schools were closed from Tuesday through Friday. The kids and I remained in the house from Monday night until Saturday mid-day (other than a brief trip out to play in the snow). And if you've ever been home-bound with multiple children who don't just go to their room and play on their own, you know JUST how trying that amount of togetherness can be on everyone involved. Wow.

These are bar stool-height chairs on our
back patio. Deep snow!

The first few days were a breeze, all things considered. Daddy was home so they had an extra playmate and I had my trusty sidekick. We played hide-and-seek, board games, play-doh, painted pictures, made chocolate pudding, set up the train set, built a blanket fort...and after several days of repeating those activities, and a few others thrown in out of desperation, we got a reprieve when the temperatures went above freezing on Friday and the big thaw began. Mark was able to get to work that day. We were sad to see him go but I think he was a bit relieved to escape to the office for a bit.


And our sanity was saved when Gram and Papa Bob had the kids over for some playtime on Saturday so Mark and I could have a few hours of not being Mom and Dad. We were able to get out to church on Sunday and then saw Mark's parents and Aunt Nell that evening for dinner.

The kids taking a sled ride.

Despite the bitter temperatures we did manage to get the kids out into the snow on Thursday for some sledding, snow angels, and a few silly attempts at driving their "jeeps" into the snow. Boy did they need that outdoor time. Fun was had by all.

I could understand enduring this type of winter weather if we lived up north but this is so unusual for this region. You know it's an odd winter when Dallas gets six inches of snow.


The kids were convinced their "jeeps"
were tough enough for the snow.

With snow lingering nearly a week later, the weather people are predicting yet another big storm for tomorrow night that will potentially bring another 10" of snow with it. Arg!

I think every mother in our area is gritting their teeth at the thought of having these stir-crazy kids at home for several more days. I'm praying the forecasters are wrong this time!

Stay tuned....