The Great Sky Con and Selective Laziness

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I couldn't sleep last night. I was too excited. The forecast promised snow, and I may have mentioned it once or twice before, but I am always eager for that first real snowfall. Last night, however, my delight translated to insomnia. First, there was the age old issue of the cold feet keeping me awake. When I finally fell asleep, I continuously awoke wondering if it was snowing yet. I wanted to run to the window and look out to see, but fear of my feet getting cold and keeping me awake for hours more kept me snuggled in bed. After eons of agony and anticipation akin to a child waiting for Christmas morning, dawn approached in the form of Keith clunking around in the kitchen. It was 6:30, which was late enough, I reasoned. I got up and found Keith huddled in front of the heater beneath the sink, eating a bowl of cereal. The boy loves cereal. I laughed at the guilty face, mouth dripping with milk, as he looked up at me. I winked, and crept to the window, frantically beckoning him to follow. Together, we knelt on the couch and pressed our noses to the glass peering through the darkness, to see if the weatherman's promise had been fulfilled.

There it was, small and taunting, barely visible to the human eye. Beneath our imaginary microscope we were able to divine that it really truly was snow!

Softly, lazily falling, like a senior in high school who doesn't want to go to class but knows he has to, the flakes with attitude eventually, reluctantly touched down. An attitude that, unfortunately, rubbed off on all of us.

"Who wants pancakes?" I shout whispered.  Faye had joined us in our spying out the window position and at the mention of pancakes, both kids squealed loudly, oblivious that the baby

might still need some sleep, which is why I was whispering. 

Knowing I held some very powerful bargaining chips in my hands, I instructed them both to get dressed, make their beds, clean the bathroom, and for Keith to get everything ready for school. Loudly they complained, but since I wielded all the power, they were prompt to obey.

Pancakes were had, in a mostly clean house on the first snowfall of the year, my friends. And that is what a Thanksgiving miracle is all about. Because I am still giving thanks. It is a tradition that needs repeating. Maybe when the sky mans up, so to speak, and isn't so greedy with the snow, we will do it again.

But the promise of more snow held strong my desires, and optimism and expectancy were high all morning. We were late getting out the door. Something about everyone refusing to get in the van because the dusting of white on the grass and driveway were so much more fun. No longer could I bribe the kids with pancakes so I resorted to begging and pleading with them to get into the van. The big kids grudgingly obeyed, but I had to chase Beth down the street as she shrieked happily and tried to catch the wimpy snowdots on her tongue whilst dodging me. The girl is so good with her serpentine run the snakes are jealous. However, much to her dismay, I am the mom, and moms always win. It was a hollow victory as we were super late and I do the morning carpool, thus making everyone else late.

Mischief is brewing in those eyes, can you see it?

When we got home, the girls and I got our snow clothes on and went outside for our First Snowfall of the Year Walk. Since it was a measly taunting snowfall, we walked around the cul de sac. I didn't have time for much more, nor did I want to commemorate that as the first snowfall. Besides, I had to dust off the driveway and put salt down so Mimi wouldn't slip when she got here. Beth hated her snowsuit and tried to tear the gloves off nearly the whole time we were outside. I learned that 12 months just doesn't fit her anymore, and yet 2T is still way too big. But she did love playing in the snow. And Faye, well, she was like a... what is the equivalent to fish in water when it comes to snow? An Eskimo in its element! Boom! It is going to be a thing now, Eskimo in its element. Suffice it to say, they were deliriously happy out in that 18* weather, flirting with the sky dandruff.

We came inside and warmed up with some cocoa and marshmallows. And then the day began. Just a regular day now that the novelty of fake snow wore off the little ones. Business as usual. I cleaned out the fridge, did some laundry, helped Faye with some homework, put dinner in the crockpot. Just usual stuff.

Jeffrey got home from work and then Keith came home from school and the hilarity and rough-housing began.

Beth grabbed an armful of books and followed me around and she and I snuggled and read the same two pages over and over and over. She shrieked every time we turned to the cat page. And then she mewed for the next half hour, waiting for people to either laugh or comment on it. She would walk up to someone, stand right in front of them and then mew. She wouldn't stop until she got the expected response or praise, and then she would move on to someone else. And she made the rounds. Faye joined in on the reading part and was Beth's greatest encourager.

After another jaunt into the cold to check on their fortress, the kids came in with cheeks and noses glowing and eyes bright from the fresh air and running around. Of course they were treated to cocoa. Again.

she never stops moving. Never.

Finally, when the day was over, I got to help Keith with his spelling. He has a spelling test tomorrow, and we wanted to be prepared. I sat down with him and had him do a mock spelling test.

That kid is all kinds of smart, except he sometimes makes things much harder than they need to be. For the word "safe," at first he spelled it "Saeph." And for the word "snake," he spelled it "snaeck." When I corrected Keith on the "safe" spelling, he was indignant.

"But that doesn't make sense. Why would it end in 'F'? Ph says fffff. Besides, read it. It still says 'safe.'"

I laughed, barely able to get out my explanation that 'F' as in Faye also makes the fffff sound. I then had him take the test again. This time he got them all right. Just to make sure it stuck with him, I had him write each word three times.

And then Faye asked if I would tuck her into bed, and Beth ran away from me, knowing I was coming to put her to bed. She hid behind her closet door, opened her dresser drawer (which is in her closet) and threw socks at me. This was completely backwards from the norm. Usually Faye is the one hiding and playing while Beth is in her room, binki dug out from under her crib and clamped firmly in her mouth, one hand rubbing her eyes while the other is patting her bed as she looks imploringly at me.

Finally, all the kids were in bed. I quickly straightened up the kitchen. Some rice from dinner was on the floor, and thinking it would be too much effort to get the broom, I bent over and picked up the rice.

Every grain. 

By hand. 

Because that was so much easier than doing a quick sweep of the area, right? That is what my friend calls Selective Laziness, and I have it bad tonight. Another example? Blogging instead of sleeping.

Will I ever learn? 

So, with the kids in bed

zzzzzzzzzzzz...