Gratituesday - Snow Day!

Yesterday we took a snow day! Sunday we got enough snow that the kids spent awhile out playing in it, and it was still there when we got up yesterday morning so after breakfast and such the kids wanted to go play in it so out the door they went. Around noon it started snowing again, Yay! More Snow! And yes, the kids were STILL OUT THERE! Around 1:15 I finally suggested they come in & eat some lunch so they came in for hot chocolate & sandwiches and as soon as they were done they WENT BACK OUTSIDE! DH came home around 4:30, kids were still out there. Soon after that I turned the outside lights on for them. And sometime after 6pm they finally called it a day & came in for supper (and more hot chocolate LOL). They were out there ALL DAY! They had a blast! They got a wonderful dose of fresh air (that's been abit lacking lately with our colder than normal (for here) temperatures, I can't blame them for not wanting to go out & play when it's in the single digits!

So . . . did school happen yesterday? Nope! Did the normal Monday chores happen yesterday? Nope, unless Mom did them. Do I think that's a bad thing? Nope! They got tons of fresh air & exercise (needless to say they slept well last night LOL). And they went ALL DAY LONG without once squabbling to the point that I heard them or had to referee (I can't swear they never did, but nothing very major since I peaked out on them regularly & can hear raised voices through the windows even when closed).

And today is shaping up to be another such day. I did sneak in a couple quick chores while they were in for lunch, and they came in on their own around noon saying they were cold and asking for a tea party instead of hot chocolate so we had a tea party, then ate lunch, and THEN they went back out. So perhaps it's abit colder today than yesterday? Or the cold is building up in their systems & they can't handle it as long? I don't know . . . We'll see if they last out there all afternoon.

I love that we have the flexibility to do this! And yes, while I think chores are important, I also think flexibility is important too. In the grand scheme of life the fact that the microwave door didn't get cleaned this week seems pretty minor compared to a great day outdoors playing happily together!

And so, today, I'm thankful once again for our lifestyle. I'm thankful that the kids can play outdoors all day w/o any scrambling to rearrange schedules. I'm thankful that such days don't mean missed work, with lost pay or taking vacation time for me. I'm thankful that we live somewhere that it's safe for the kids to play outside on their own (because I can tell you I'd have frozen solid LONG before they came in yesterday if I'd had to be out with them).

See more Gratituesday posts on Laura's blog.