Luckily I have my winter tires on, I’ve gathered the snow pants, boots, mitts and hats from the Rubbermaid containers and I’ve put an ice scraper in my car’s trunk. However, with a weather bomb arriving by lunchtime today… and being a single mom with classes of my own to attend… my mind was just a little bit spinny through the night as I went through all of the “what if” scenarios… repeatedly checking the weather channel in hopes that things would change.
It’s not just the matter of me driving home in the middle of the storm… though admittedly I’m a wimp when it comes to driving in snow… it’s all the other stuff I’ve never had to deal with before. When I was a stay at home mom, my only job on a possible “snow day” was to make a fresh batch of cookies and double check that I had mini marshmallows in the cupboard for the hot chocolate I was required to have ready when the kids walked through the door with rosy cheeks and brittle toes.
This morning I got up early, had my shower, dried my hair and dressed in warm clothes. I then woke the kids with the full intention of making breakfast and taking a moment to have a little chat with them about what they should do if school was cancelled, what they should do if I took awhile getting home from campus, what they should do if the power went out… you know, typical snow storm things they should be prepared for if they get home earlier than me… which I knew, was highly likely.
Before I had a chance to run through any of it… Bones came into the room as white as a ghost, complaining of having the worst headache of her life and feeling stomach sick… asking if there was any way she could stay home from school and if I could stay home with her.
So… off to bed she went and here I sit… my feet on the coffee table, the fireplace warming the room and a cup of tea in hand. I’m fretting about missing classes as it’s not exactly the best timing but my fears of driving are now gone and there’s not a whole lot I can do about any of it… I can be prepared and prepare the kids for a lot of scenarios, but some things are just unavoidable.
I’ve a day at home to take care of a sick kid and get a bit of homework done and while I’m here… I may as well throw together a batch of cookies and pat myself on the back for having the foresight last week to get my winter tires installed and pick up a bag of marshmallows.