Where Is That Boy's Mother?

Google Images

It's been an unusually snowy and cold winter here.  We used to have winters like this when I was a kid,  and I remember my mom would make me wear a heavy coat, boots, hat, and mittens just to run errands with her.  I thought it was stupid since we would just be in the car, but there are two things about my mother you should know:  1) Never argue with my mother, and 2) My mother makes "Worst Case Scenario" look like a fairly tale compared to what she can imagine.  So I bundled up to sit in the car with the heat on high (because if we slid off the road AND ran out of gas, we would want the car to stay warm as long as possible), and the sweat would run down from my hairline sticking out beneath my wool hat while my hands turned wet inside my double-lined mittens.  My feet actually swelled from the warmth inside my boots, making them so tight I could no longer wiggle my toes.  Even though we

Google Images "A Christmas Story"

never once got in an accident (which would have been hard, because my mom wouldn't drive over 20mph in winter) or ran out of gas or became trapped by falling ice-covered trees or got lost in the two miles between our driveway and the grocery store parking lot, we were prepared.

Some of the lessons I learned from my childhood stayed with me.  When the snow comes and the temperatures drop, I pack an emergency kit in my car.  Just a few basic things that would come in handy if I slid off the road.  I also keep an extra set of gloves, hat, and face shield in my car.  I prefer driving without being all bundled up, but I make sure my winter gear is close at hand.

As most women do, I follow some of the same habits my mother did; the very same habits that made me question her sanity as a child.  I've modified my rules a bit, but I insist my kids never get in their cars during the winter months without being prepared.  They call me the "worry-wart", or sometimes they say "Ok, grandma" to me, which they know I don't like so they say it again.

I think, though, that some of the most satisfying moments in a mom's life come when she gets the opportunity to say "See?  I told you so."  I don't really say it, and the kids won't ever admit it, but they know when I'm right.  Last week, I was driving with my youngest daughter, Bean, during a snow storm.  We passed a pizza place, and this teenaged boy was in the parking area just off the street, on his hands and knees, trying to dig out his car after the snowplow had buried it.  He was wearing jeans and a hoodie, tennis shoes, no hat, and no gloves.  I stopped at the red light and exclaimed to Bean,

"Look at that!  That boy is completely unprepared for winter!  Where is his mother?"  

I couldn't stand it.  I turned the car around, pulled in and parked right next to the boy, jumped out and opened the back of my Yukon.  Pulling out my emergency kit, I quickly assembled the shovel, turned, and held it out to the boy.  He stood and stared at me dumbly, and I said "It's called a shovel.  Use it".  He somewhat warily took the shovel from me and began digging his car out while I watched.  When he was finished, he remarked that the shovel was easier than using his bare hands, so I took the opportunity to lecture him.  I questioned where his hat and gloves were, why was he not wearing a coat and boots, and why did he not have anything in his car to help him out of this situation.  He said,

"Geez, you sound like my mother!"

Ah, so that's where he mother is.  She's sitting at home worrying because her teenaged son wouldn't listen to her and refused to believe he needed the things she begged him to take.  Been there, done that. Because the fact is, I have my car prepared for a winter emergency, but my two older kids don't.  They are in college, they don't listen to me, and they think nothing bad will ever happen to them.

www.samsclub.com

I ordered two Justin Case kits from Sam's Club today.  When they arrive, I will add extra hats, mittens, and socks to the kit, and I WILL put them in their cars the next time they come home.  Nobody is going to look at my kid and say "Where is his mother?"  I am right here, being over-protective and proud of it, and if my kids slide off the road during a snow storm, they can dig themselves out.

These are the items I always have in my car during the winter months, in case you'd like to put together a kit for yourself or your kids:

Bag of Bargain-Brand Kitty Litter
Collapsible Shovel
Emergency Triangle
Tow Strap
Jumper Cable
Thermal Blanket
Basic First-Aid Kit
Gloves, Hat, Socks, and Face Shield
Flashlight and Extra Batteries
Snow Brush/Ice Scraper

The Justin Case from Sam's Club is under $20 and contains most of these items; just add the hat, mittens, socks, and face shield to the pocket on the outside of the case and throw a bag of litter in the trunk, and you are good to go.

It's inexpensive, easy, and will go a long way in helping a bad situation while winter driving.  Don't leave home without it, your mother told you so!

The Snow Day That Shouldn't Have Been

Yesterday was not a fun day.  Or it was.  It depends on how you look at it.

I started my day the same way I start every week day.  Up at 4:45am, prepare my hockey coach husband a cup of coffee to go, start his truck, send him off at 5:00am to hockey practice, then with a hot cup o' Joe for me, sit down at my laptop and have some fun.

I turned on the TV, because even though the most recent snowstorm had blown through on Saturday and I assumed that by Monday morning the roads would be clear and the kids would go to school, I never underestimate the power of the IIC (Idiots In Charge) to cancel school on a whim.  Hmmm…two school districts north of town had already announced closings.  No worries, they are rural areas, probably not plowed yet.  We will have school.  Definitely.

Scuba called me on his way to the rink, said the roads are clear, they will have school.  Definitely.

But the "others" on Facebook disagreed.

The "others" are the hockey moms who also get up long before the sun rises to make sure their hockey players leave on time for practice, then snuggle back into bed with cell phones and tablets to have lively interactions on Facebook.  I also throw my bff Debbie into the "others" category.  She doesn't have a hockey player, she just never sleeps.  One of the most interesting parts of my day is the early morning discussions on Facebook with the "others".

But yesterday, the "others" were being very vocal about wanting a snow day.  I am in the minority among moms who hate snow days.  God made schools for a reason, and kids should go there 5 days a week.  So with caution to push the limits without being offensive, I began a lively banter with the "others" about whether the kids should have a snow day.

A Road in the U.P.

They worry about their teenaged kids driving on slippery roads.  I worry that we are raising a generation of kids who will believe that, even though they live in one of the northern most states in America, a few inches of snow means everything stops.  The "others" wouldn't last a day in the U.P.!

At this point the TV has added a few new announcements at the bottom of the screen.  I started counting school delays and closings, because there are certain rules that the IIC is supposed to follow regarding snow days.  My kids go to Catholic Schools, and the general rule is that 4 other districts in our county have to have a delay or closing in order for us to follow suit.  At this point, the count was 2 closed, 2 delayed, but the city schools were still open, which means we have busses.  So we're still ok.

As the "others" and I continued our argument about whether our kids should go to school, one of the hockey moms posted a comment about something making noise outside her window.  Though Jo was mildly concerned, she did not want to get out of her warm bed to investigate.  I suggested it might be a bear, even though we have no bears this far south in Michigan.  That got her going!

Now another school has announced a closing, and one more delay.  But city schools are still open, and the count was at 3 closings and 3 delays, so we're good.  Surely, we would have school, right?

I offered to drive over to Jo's with my camera to capture her bear in the act, but mostly to prove that the roads in her neighborhood were fine.  She insisted the bus could not drive on her unplowed road.  Wimps.  But it was 1degree outside, and my car had 10 inches of snow piled on it, so I stayed put, eyes glued to the TV.

Our Road

By 6:15, no announcement had been made regarding our schools, so I prepared to wake Bean and get her ready for school.  5 minutes later, they cancelled school.  Really?  But the roads are not that bad.

I was incensed, and took it out on all the "others" who were waiting, wishing, hoping for a snow day.  Two minutes later, Bean sent me a text message from her bedroom asking if she could get up since she already knows school is cancelled.  My day just went down the toilet.

Bean and I went to the grocery store.  I drove her to another town 30 minutes away to play in the snow with a friend.  I ran errands.  The roads were clear, and there was absolutely no reason the kids should have a snow day.  This bothered me so much that I couldn't get past it all day.  Why aren't they in school?  Who makes this decision?  I want answers!

I became so agitated at the spineless, nameless person who is teaching our kids to be lazy and fearful, I finally had to find a way to seek some peace.  I grabbed my camera, and did what I do best; I went outside.

There is something special about being outside right after a snowstorm.  The air is so clear and crisp, everything is blanketed in white, and sounds are muted.  The quiet is complete and all senses are awake.  I walked, I took pictures, I breathed.  I listened, and filled myself with the clean scent, felt the cold air.  It made me feel so alive!  I needed my own snow day, a day to experience the elements of a Michigan winter and remember why I choose to live here.  It helped me to understand that maybe the kids need a snow day, too, not to sit in a stuffy classroom and stare out the window, but to bundle up and go outside to build a snowman, jump in a snowbank, run and play, and nurture a love for nature any time of year.  Bean was off with a friend, staying outside
and laughing, not like a teenager, but like a kid who delights in something as simple as snow.  I was a solitary soul embracing the woods, the wind, the cold, and I found my peace, painted white and waiting for me to leave my footprints in its virgin ground.  When you walk in the snow, you leave a message to Mother Nature that says "I was here".

Later, when I picked Bean up to bring her home, her cheeks were rosy and her eyes were bright.  All the way home, I listened to her excited chatter about what she did outside all day, and she reminded me of…me.  It was a good snow day.

This morning on Facebook, Jo informed me that even though we got an additional inch of snow last night, the kids would have school and her bear did not make a return appearance.  All I had to do was plant the tiniest seed of thought, and I've got Jo snuggled in her bed listening for a bear that could not exist here.  Ain't life grand?

I hope that today, wherever you are and whatever you're doing, you find your moment of peace.  Just go outside, peace is waiting for you.

A Dusting of Snow Is Not A Weather Situation!

We have a weather prediction for 1-2" of snow tonight.  The kids will probably get a Snow Day tomorrow.

Really?  Yup.  Two years ago, my kids got a Snow Day in March when it was 40 F and raining.  But give us a half-inch of ice on the road, and school is not cancelled.  I like to refer to this phenomenon as "The IIC Effect".

IIC is an acronym for "Idiots In Charge".  I don't know who the nameless, faceless people are who make the decision to cancel school because of weather, but I do know they gather in a dark room in the wee hours of the morning and play a Russian Roulette game to make their determination.  A roll of the dice, a spin of the wheel, and a life-altering choice is made by Lady Luck whether to let the kiddies go to school that day.

That must be the case, because there is no rhyme or reason to the qualifying factors for a snow day.  I can say this, though, with certainty; a dusting of snow is not a weather situation.  Yet the IIC goes into a blind panic as soon as the white stuff starts to fall, and cancels school.

I know the arguments I'll get from other moms.  They say young drivers should not be on the road, they just want to keep their kids safe.  But if young drivers never drive on slippery roads, how will they learn to drive on slippery roads?  Ten years from now, will we live in a nation where everything shuts down all winter because nobody knows how to drive?

My biggest problem with this argument, though, is the fact that when school gets cancelled for a Snow Day, all those young drivers get in their cars and drive to my house.  It's my own fault.  I created a winter wonderland at my house, with snowmobiles and an ice rink and ample opportunities for the girls' "pretend-model"                      photo shoots.

Blizzard of '78
Google Images

We don't get as much snow now as we did when I was a kid.  I still vividly remember the Blizzard of '78, when the record-low barometric pressure of 955 created the perfect scenario for 16.1 inches of snow to fall in one day.  It continued snowing for 3 days.  My dad attached the snowplow to our Jeep and pushed all the snow in our parking lot into one corner, building a giant snow mound which towered over the garage roof and beckoned us to play.  My cousins and all the neighborhood kids came over, and using shovels we dug the most incredible maze of snow tunnels through the mound. Then we packed the snow down hard on top and designed an elaborate series of slides.  We played King of the Mountain, Eskimos, and Bobsledding. I stayed out all day.  When my mother finally made me come inside after dark, I limped up the stairs because I had not been able to feel my toes since noon.  I took my boots off, and as my toes began reacting to the warm air, I experienced pain like I had never felt before.  I literally wanted my mother to take a butcher knife and just cut my toes off.  It was the best day ever.

That was a snow day.  These days, when all the kids descend upon my peaceful home, they have to completely clear the front yard of it's 2" of snow just to build a snowman.  That's not a snow day.  Its an irritating day.

But today the weatherman will issue a Winter Weather Advisory for 1-2" of snow, and tonight the grocery store will have long lines of moms stocking up for the big snow day tomorrow.  Snacks, hot chocolate, and big steaming pots of chili will adorn kitchen tables everywhere while moms wear out the dryers trying to keep the kids' mittens and socks dry.  Adults will be texting each other to talk about how bad the roads are.  Kids will play outside all day and make a mess of the yard and drip dirty snow on the mudroom floor and post thousands of pictures on Instagram that all look the same:  "Here we are, not in school, playing in the snow even though the grass is still peeking through."

Be careful out there folks!

This dusting of snow we are supposed to get tonight is going to wreak havoc in my busy schedule.  But what do I know?  I bow down to the IIC who, in its wisdom, makes decisions based on fear of lawsuits and designed to foster a generation of people scared to leave their homes in the Winter.  The next generation of movers and shakers will be unable to cope with northern winters.  I hope Florida has room for all of them.