One of my dad’s favorite expressions fits oh-so-well with snow days. This being my first year of life with a child in public school, I have already been indoctrinated on every holiday that must be celebrated by closing school, plus the constant “teacher work days”, “teacher inservice” and “teacher really needs a break from your bratty kids day” (that one I actually agree with). Since the bulk of my youth was spent in Traverse City, the land of snow and gray skies, I associate snow days with pure, unadulterated joy. Primarily because snow days in Northern Michigan are R-A-R-E.
Now, though - not so much. It is now Tuesday evening and tomorrow is yet another day the school will be closed “due to inclement weather”. Mentioning again at the risk of being annoying that I am from Traverse City, the land where a snow day was NEVER called unless people were literally dying in their cars, buried alive in the 20 feet of snow that fell in a 2 hour period of time, combined with temps of -20 below, I have little tolerance for what snow days in Virginia mean. The roads are clear and dry, but there’s a chance that some side road might have some crusty white stuff on it and someone might slip. OH MY GOD CANCEL SCHOOL.
Yeah, I’m bitter.
Which leads me to my analogy. My dad has a saying. In this case, it goes something like this. “Snow days are like boobs. One is not enough, and three is way too many.” The original phrase inserts the word “Stinger” for “Snow Day”, one of his favorite drinks that my mom swears makes him “mean”.
Three is way too many. The kids are cuckoo, there are no movies out they haven’t seen, we’re all tired of playing the snow, I spent $268 at the vet today so the expendable cash is a little low, and, according to my mom, too much tv causes asthma in kids. Is that a wheeze I hear from upstairs? I think it is. God help me, they’ll probably cancel school on Thursday if all the snow doesn’t melt tomorrow. Someone send me alcohol, and fast. Someone also send me a rapid-acting inhaler for my children, because that asthma is a-comin’.
More pictures are up on the March 2009 Snowstorm Extravaganza.
Okay, I totally have to steal your quote for my FB status now. Your father is a genius. If I hear,“I’m bored” one more time I will go nutty.
Hey! I saw all of your great snow photos on Flickr. Would you consider tagging them with rvasnow so they’ll be in the giant collection of Richmond snow photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/RVAsnow/
Oh my! Snow days are like boobs, that’s hilarious! And, it’s dead accurate! We’ve had a few of those this year, were they have called off school and you look outside your window wondering why?!!! I feel your pain, even though I’m not from Michigan, snow days should be used sparingly.
Oh! And your mom’s comment that too much tv causes asthma…makes me giggle!
What!? Three snow days!? Unheard of! Then again, in MN, about 5 months of the year are one long snow day for Coops and I…so send an inhaler our way, too!
bwahahahaha!
I feel for you. I can barely stand getting stuck inside for a typhoon warning—and those last a day at the most—before I’m pushing Noah out in torrential rain just to get him out of my hair. Three days would probably kill me.
Oh, and to add to that tv/asthma thing…keep them off of facebook too. Apparently too much online social networking leads to ADD or something.
We’ve NEVER had 3 snow days in a row. We’ve never even had 2 snow days in a row. Insanity, I tell you! I can’t even imagine it. If it’s under 5 inches here, we usually just get a delayed opening. LOL.
Your mom’s asthma thing reminds me of my dad’s asthma thing… did you know that cats give your children asthma? Yes, they do. By sitting on their chests and sucking the air out of them.
I haven’t had a snow day in years! I so wish for one, but unlikely to happen. And if TV watching causes asthma, I need to watch more TV, cause my lungs suck and I rarely get control over my TV.