Snow Days?

When I was in about 6th or 7th grade, we had the blizzard of  '77 and we only went to school about 3 days during the month of January.  One of the best parts of all those snow days was we had so many snow days that we didn't have to make them up!  There is a little snow in the forcast tonight and I can't help but wish, right along with the kids that school would be cancelled!  The only struggle I have is that unfortunately we have to make up our snow days now.  I miss those homeschooling days when we still had school but quickly ran through our lessons so the snow would be there to run in and then when we were cold, we'd sit by the fire and read-sometimes the entire afternoon.  So will we have a snow day?  I don't know but one thing I do know is that I'd love to turn back the clock, some days to 1977 when the biggest concern I had was listening to WAKO to see if we would have school the next day.  My favorite words those days, were..."no school for Unit 20"!  We'd run around out house and I'm sure there were moments when my mom was wishing the news would be a little different, but she never showed it.  We'd come in from playing, there would be hot chocolate and cinnamon toast made under the broiler.  We'd stand by the fire, and warm our hands but being part of that family was what warmed my heart.  Some days, I just want to turn back the clock to around 2004 when my kids were younger, and we had so much snow at Christmas time.  I miss those days, when my kids were little, when making them hot chocolate could be enough to warm them all the way through.  When reading together was not a rare thing but a daily part of our lives.  Now as the years are quickly passing, much like those big snow falls...I realize that we need to live in the moment.  We need to embrace those snowfalls-or life moments when they are thrust upon us.  We need to make sure that we're not sitting by the radio waiting to hear the news but that we're living in the moment and loving the snowfall and capturng every snowflake we can.  Catch the snowflake-it may melt on your tongue but it will create an amazing memory.  I'm catching every snowflake I can because just like those big snow falls in the past, I'll find a time when I look back on those special memories are all it takes to warm my heart.

2011

2011

Just the other day we were thinking about 2011, weren't we supposed to be living in space and driving cars that fly by now?  When I was little I loved to watch the Jetsons cartoon on TV.  This space age family seemed to have it all.  All Jane had to do was call for her robot and suddenly dinner would appear, or George would call for the dog and suddenly the newspaper would appear.  They could jet from place to place without ever having to pay more than $3.00 for a tank of gas and from my vantage point, life seemed easy.  Well 2011 is here, and life isn't always easy but when I really stop and think about it, I have to wonder if I would really want it any different.  I would miss the experience of making a pie with Tess, if we had a robot to do it for us.  I would miss those frantic moments in the kitchen, when all hands are on deck and we're pulling dinner together before we head out the door.  I'd miss those moments in the car driving from one activity to the next when some of the best conversations are possible.  I heard someone use the term "windshield time" this past week and I was reminded that I am thankful for those windshield moments with my husband and kids.  So what do I appreciate that is "technology driven" in 2011?  I love the times when I check my facebook and there is a note from my daughter just reminding me that she loves me.  I loved the afternoon this week, in the cafe at Barnes and Noble with my daughter, her playing on the computer, me reading on my Nook.  I love the sound of electric guitars from the basement.  I love watching a football game on a big screen TV.  I love seeing one of the boys so intense in a video game that the world around him is momentarily forgotten.  So, here's to 2011, I'm not driving a space ship, I'm not calling up a robot, but I'm sharing my life, a little at a time, using some amazing technology that can serve the purpose of drawing us closer to people we see everyday or people we haven't seen for years.  I'm thinking by 2020-the Jetson's life may be here but we'll all be longing for the "good old days"!  Happy New Year