Otherwise known as: How I Get Stuck in the House and Then We All Regret It
I love snow. Playing in it, shoveling it, sledding on it, throwing it, and yes, actually driving in it. (Mind you I haven’t done too much of that in the last few years, so call it fond memories perhaps?). As I was saying, I love snow, but I really hate dealing with it in winter. The layers, the wetting of gloves and faces and underpants because-he-couldn’t-make-it-home-in-time, the contrast between a cozy bed and a freezing cold porch, the amount of time it takes to dress 3 people to go out, the number of calories they consume while playing in the snow which necessitates pockets full of uncrushable snacks, and I could really go on and on. I get tired just thinking about it.
I hate dealing with it all, and so we don’t get out every day. We need to, quite frankly, or we’ll all tear each other to shreds. Like we’ve been doing the last two days. I know a lot of it stems from homeschooling, and the fact that we don’t HAVE to be out the door at a certain time, making it much easier to push it off until it’s time for another meal or something, and then before I know it it’s getting dark again. We did actually get out today, sledding in the park on some wonderful fresh powder snow, and after the crusty tempers wore off we had a great time! Why can’t I remember this every morning? Perhaps I need a big Go Outside sign on my fridge or something? It only takes walking out the door to be glad that we went through the rigmarole of getting all our stuff together, so why don’t I do it more often?
I want to hibernate, but my kids don’t. Therein lies the rub. There might be knitting going on, lots of reading, and Lego marathons, but when it comes down to it all, we need more exercise. I need to run more to keep sane (though it’s hard in Vibrams when the ground is slushy, or so my current excuse goes) and they need to get out in fresh air and sunshine. I think I simply have to try harder, and remind myself of the consequences. Perhaps scheduling more outdoor playdates would help? Or committing to more frequent library trips? Something has to change.