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Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Snow Days and Being Snowed Under

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I'm a modern woman. I bring home the bacon (at least the part my husband doesn't bring home), fry it up in the pan…and all that jazz. Mostly this means I feel like I'm holding back an avalanche all the time, constantly on triage to deal with whatever just exploded. Day job, writing life, children, dog, house: it all takes more "me" to manage than there is, so on any given day I'm only managing it some it well. Choose your metaphor: treading water, running through soft sand, juggling. It all comes down to more to do than there is time for.

Then come snow days. And I'm stuck at home. I can't go to school and teach other people's children. I tell you, snow days can really be a blessing. Sure, they add a level of chaos to our lives, but while I'm snowed under outside, I can push a plow through some of the messes in here!

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Teaching is rough in that taking a sick day doesn't let you out of the work--you still have to prepare the lesson for your substitute, fever or not! But on a snow day, no one is teaching. So unlike my husband who can and therefore had to work from home, I was free to work on other things. I can't work from home (except on a few of the myriad tasks). My classes aren't here.

This year's snow days were beautifully timed for me. I had just received two sets of edits on two different projects, both due at almost the same time. (They weren't supposed to come at the same time, but, you know: life and delays). Even though snow days mean that my own children require more attention and that neighborhood children will become part of the fray, it still meant that I could spare several more hours for writing projects than is normal on a workday.

Heck I even had time to watch a couple of movies with my children.

Am I caught up? Heck no! But I think I've uncovered the top third of my head, including my nose. I can almost breathe! Hurray for snow days!

14 comments:

  1. That's awesome that you had more time to spend on writing projects! My work would never close no matter how much snow there is, but I walk there so it isn't too bad.

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    1. It really did feel like a nice confluence of events. I got a two-hour delay this morning, too. So more editing time!

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  2. Watching a couple of movies with your children is not only fun, it soothes the soul. Happy snow days!

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    1. It does :-) It's been fun showing them some old favorites.

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  3. Yay for snow days! We never get snow here, so we never get snow days....

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    1. When I lived in Nome, Alaska, we used to have "sun days." You couldn't close for snow . . .that was like six months! But we did occasionally close for the unexpected awesomely beautiful day.

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  4. I still look into school closings during snowstorms and get a little excited when my district is on the list. I'm not a teacher or parent and I'm definitely past attending classes.
    Maybe it's my inner child.

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    1. I love that. Maybe we're all still looking for a weather-provided excuse to shirk our duties for a day and just play.

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  5. I've never had a snow day...but if I did I would be writing up a storm. And reading, of course. :)

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    1. It's also excellent weather for hot cocoa and fireplace enjoyment.

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  6. There really is something special about snow days. It's been a while since we had one, but I love how snow days sound: there's a special stillness in the air; no traffic noise; muffled sounds of children playing, and fire crackling. And yes, day to day duties and responsibilities give way to play and relaxation.
    Lovely post, Samantha.

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    1. That stillness is far too rare in my busy daily life. That must be why it feels so awesome when it arrives.

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  7. We never get snow days here, as crappy winter weather is a fact of life. :)

    I wish more people appreciated all the work that teachers do. The majority have no idea. A close friend teaches at an elementary school, and she's always running herself ragged.

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    1. Thanks! It's always good to be appreciated :-) I need to learn to love something easy someday.

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