Snow Day Nostalga
And yet they've been sort of getting along. I even heard Jackson whisper in Maddie's ear, "I love you, Maddie!" And she only slammed the door twice in his face. Progress.
I feel a tad bit like Suzy Homemaker. {This isn't a normal feeling.} Pancakes on the griddle for breakfast. 
Poppyseed Bread for the neighbors for mid-morning snack. 
Grill cheese and tomato soup for lunch.
Stew is in the crocker for supper and we've even invited friends over that live down the street. I feel a bit like the Waltons. {Note to self: Do this more often because as my mother says, everything tastes better when you share with others. So true.}
I spent about an hour and a half shoveling this morning. And I have to say, it just made me really, really happy. Memories of being outside in the snow just came flooding back. I wasn't cold. It was quiet and peaceful. The snow swirled around like crazy and I just felt happy. It was a bit weird, actually. I know that smells can bring you right back to a moment in time. And even sights can do that. But this really was more the overall feel of the mounds of snow and the cold air and the snowflakes falling; it was as if I was a kid again. Hard to explain really.
Oh, and seeing as Chicago Public Schools actually closed their doors today {first time in 12 years} I thought I'd post a plethora of pictures. I figure this will be the one and only time Jackson and Maddie actually get a snow day from school in the next decade!
Jack cut out of work early and together as a family we built a tunnel system in our back yard. Three tunnels all meeting in the middle. That, too, brought back a million memories. {Pics on that tomorrow.}
I think the thing that made today so special was the fact that there were no outside distractions. I couldn't go to the grocery store to get those few items. I didn't have to go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, and back and forth to school for the kids. {Yes, my day is split up into travel bites for school drop off and pick up. 2 kids. 2 different schools. 2 different start and end times.} I couldn't zip hither and yon to do those little errands that eat the time away.
I actually had time at home. A long stretch of time where I didn't even look at the clock. We went by that internal clock. We just did what we felt like in the moment.
I think this will go down in mothering history as one of my favorites ever. I enjoyed the kids. I mean, really enjoyed them. I served them good food but not begrudgingly. I let them help me bake and it didn't matter how long it took for them to get the ingredients from the measuring cups to the big bowl. I played with them off and on all day long, even throwing snow at each other. I worked hard shoveling. And I got in a very short cat nap.
And mix in the memories of my childhood, it was a recipe for a history-making day. One I won't soon forget. {Oh and of course, because I'm the mom, there is zero pictorial proof that I was actually here on this day so it's a good thing I have this blog so they can maybe read someday that I actually was part of the Blizzard of 2011!}