Snow fairy watch

Feb 04

I might be the last Ohio mom who is actually hoping for a snow day tomorrow.  If it happens, it will be Snow Day #7, something which is not the norm in these parts.  Many parents are so over snow days this year, and I get it.  I do.  However, I still have a hand up.  I’ll take another.

I can’t help it.  The magic of a snow day never gets old.

When I was a kid, I thought there was nothing better than snow days.  The giddiness still resides in the pit of my stomach.  It’s not that I disliked school; it’s that snow days were so fun.  I remember clamboring to the end of my bed tangled in my bed linens to peer out the window at the bounty of white.  Snow days were always an occasion in our house: special breakfast, friends to play, sledding on the neighborhood hill, hot chocolate with marshmallows, and nary a chore or job list in sight.  Snow days rocked.  The memories are still vivid.

They feel like pins and needles as the feeling returns to my fingers and toes.

They smell like the wood-burning fireplace.

They taste like hot chocolate.

The sound like laughter and squeals on the sledding hill.

They look like a whimsical story tale version of my favorite place: home.

Later I became a teacher with lots of teacher friends all over the city.  My roommates and I would turn the underused television on and watch the strip at the bottom of the screen.  We would call (note this was pre-texting era) each other as our districts rolled across the screen.  The one business-major-turned-business-job-holder roommate would (justifiably) glare at us as she went to bed too late to rise too early.  In the morning we would either revel at our five in the morning phone calls or bemoan the horrid forecasters of false hope.

Now I’m the mom of a school-age child, and she dances a jig at the thought of snow days.  Literally.  Her jig — done to encourage the snow fairies to get serious tonight — was done with reckless abandon and boundless energy.  Ahhh, youth.  ‘Tis a lovely thing to watch.  I’ve got the snow day planned: craft projects organized, special treats ready, extra hugs and snuggles anticipated, and Mommy and Me hot chocolate mugs ready.

I hope she is giddy.  Learning to find joy in the simplest of things: a snow day.

I hope her toys are scattered from here to there.  Evidence of a day well played.

I hope she plays in the snow and imagines herself the queen of this new world for a day.  Free fun.

I hope.

As I emerge and feel good, I want a snow day.  I want a day where time stops, where responsibilities are covered to wait for another day, where we indulge in the unexpected gifts, where we celebrate the simplest of joys.

It’s an excuse to stop.  And smell the roses frolic in the snow.

I still have that giddy feeling of anticipation in my stomach.  I never want to lose that, and oh, how I want my daughters to know that feeling.

So, c’mon snow fairies.  Didn’t you see my jig?

7 comments

  1. Marlayne Skeens /

    Jen ~
    I am soooooooooooooo Happy for Your Snow Fairies, Jigs & Hot Chocolate ~ Sounds like Fun & Making Wonderful Memories 🙂 I too Loved it when I was Young; however, now my old bones say ” SPRING SPRING ” I am wishing for SPRING Fairies 🙂 If Chad was small, I too would be praying for Snow Fairies :-)ENJOY 🙂

  2. Bonnie J /

    I too remember snow days with reckless abandon 🙂 I love the smell of cold air, seeing the trackless snow in the yard, cardinals darting to and fro etc etc. The Lord creates forced slow downs with His Glorious snow 🙂 bring on the hot chocolate and have a great day with your girls. 🙂

  3. Another snow day for us tomorrow.. This is number 8!! Hoping you and Maren have a snow day tomorrow! Enjoy it 🙂

  4. I hope you get your snow day — for you and your girls to create new memories together. ♥

  5. Alicia /

    I hope you get your snow day! We have only had two so far, and this morning will be our third late arrival. I’ll take whatever I can get!

  6. Growing up in OH, then living in MI & NJ we saw many a snow days, but none was as memorable as our first in Beckett Ridge. There were 4 houses on our “side” of the neighborhood and only a handful of families lived over in Rollingwood on the other end of the development. The golf course separated us. Fortunately we knew a family over there and quickly organized a food swap…via sled. The kids thought it all was great fun! I hope Maren’s snow jig worked last night as unexpected snow days provide a special kind of magical fun! ♥p

  7. Charissa /

    I am with you! Bring on the snow which means…movies under the blankets, snow all over my mud room, pink noses and cheeks, and lots of hot chocolate. I would take one everyday! Glad we were able to spend the last one together!