Snow days

It's been a relatively snowy winter, especially at the wrong time (or right time, if you're a kid hoping to miss a day of school). Three straight Mondays, in fact, school has been snowed or iced out.

Like anything, snow days are great in small doses -- a fun treat! -- but aren't quite as much fun if they happen too often. Looking back on them with the space of a week or two, I can remember both positives and negatives.

- On the first snowy day, we made little snowmen on the back deck, then went out front, together, to make a big one. Jack said our snowman should have a snow dog, so we made both. I think in the past I've sometimes taken the lead/taken control of the snowman building, so I didn't do that this year. I rolled the biggest snowball and helped them lift their middle and head onto the snowman, but I let them pick and place the rocks, sticks, carrot and wardrobe. Uh, but I made the dog all by myself. And it was totally awesome. So was their snowman.

- On another snowy day (same one? I don't remember) we went sledding at a nearby park with friends. Best part about this trip was that the friends were one of Jack's best friends for years and a younger girl who we're not always sure Kate is great friends with. But in fact, she and Kate played and slid together the whole time, often waiting for each other so they could go together on the same two-person sled, wiping out and laughing, getting up, chattering away about it, and doing it all over again. Really nice to see. Jack spent the whole time with his other friend and picked up various minor injuries including a bloody chin, but was not only no worse for the wear but went back for a second sledding trip after lunch. The kind of day that makes you glad you live near friends and can walk to a snowy park.

- One day wasn't snow but rather pelting, freezing rain. We stayed inside and watched an old family movie on Netflix, Honey I Shrunk the Kids. It was a little slow starting and I was afraid I'd have to switch to a more recent era movie that I'd hate like The Smurfs 2 or something, but once they got shrunk down the film picked up and the kids got into it. We made popcorn and hot chocolate and enjoyed the day.

- We painted, and the kids made wild Aquarium scenes with weird hybird animals, I think prompted by Jack. Why make fish and sharks when you can make some genetic mutant that has a shark fin and tentacles? They wore my old T-shirts and got paint on themselves and the kitchen floor, but the art was colorful and original and beautiful.

- Other times during the day they play together, sometimes board games (though those often turn into fights because Kate never wins), more often with their toys, having school and other activities for Kate's dolls and their stuffed animals. I sometimes sit in on these games but they're speaking a whole other language of playing.

- Sometimes I try to work, or read, or clean up the house, or just relax. The tough part is sometimes feeling like I should be doing more, or less, or more involved with them, taking advantage of a 7- and 10-year-old with a day off because every so often it strikes me that they're 7 and 10. Jack is basically too old for some things we used to love doing with him. Kate is getting there. I love and fear them getting older.

These gloomier thoughts are a little silly. Yesterday I bought Kate a stuffed animal for Valentine's Day and not Jack. And I think I still feel uncertain about it. I know he's too old, know that really neither of them need these things. And yet I am already missing it.

Now they're off on vacation for the next week, with a Vermont trip included. I'm hoping to write about all of it, every other day if not more. (Let's set modest goals, here.) Now I'll go see what they're doing. And if anyone wants to play a game. Or maybe with stuffed animals.