President's Day Ice Day

Well, our schools were closed today, but it wasn't because of the weather. It was because it's President's Day.

Which, it's good that we didn't have to waste a regular school day that will need to be made up...and it's good that working parents, for the most part, were home with their kids...and it was good that we knew in advance that we were going to be out-of-school because it was on our school calendar...and it's good that it happened on a holiday because lots of things are closed so there already wasn't going to be as much traffic on the roads.

All good.

Plus, they announced that the mall in Little Rock was going to be closed. This is a huge deal. I know the powers-that-be at the mall probably thought it was going to be a big shopping day, what with it being a holiday and people shopping the sales...and I feel bad for the money they lost. But I think it was a good move, because the second people find out their schools are closed but the mall is open, they will act the fool and try to get there. Even if they can't get out of their driveways, they will find a way to drive to the mall on an interstate that's a sheet of ice.

Oh, I know. I've seen it.

Here where we live...we didn't get much snow, if any. We did have some sleet and freezing rain, but we still have power, thankfully. My husband works for the utility company, and ice storms mean long days for all of the employees...whether they work in an office, or out on the lines. And the days are really long for the families who are at home with the kids.

My boys vowed to "sleep in," and I WHOLE-HEARTEDLY seconded that emotion! :) BUT, Jim got up early to check email and outages in the state and see what was going on...and I woke up and never did go back to sleep. The next thing I know, I hear our I'm-not-a-morning-person-senior-in-high-school son in there talking with Jim...and then I hear Joshua walking around upstairs...and it's 7 a.m. ON A HOLIDAY. What in THE world?

I asked Joshua why he didn't sleep longer and he said, "I wanted to sleep-in, but my body wouldn't let me."

Of course, he gets up at 6 a.m. on a normal day...so I guess, for him, sleeping until 7 a.m. IS good.

The kids and I hung out here all day, and it was glorious. I'm sure it would NOT have been glorious if we'd been without power, like over 31,000 households in our state. I ran my washer and dryer all day. I put a roast, potatoes and carrots in the crock-pot, and it made our home smell yummy and cozy. I ran my dishwasher twice.

I don't know what it is about snow/ice days, but I tend to be strangely productive on these days.

I was really mindful of the blessing of electricity, and really thankful that we had plenty of food. And there was such peace in knowing that we could relax and watch movies and just feel...safe.

It's a luxury that many in our world don't have.

Clark's girlfriend walked over to our house, and she stayed most of the day. We enjoyed that a lot. This morning, before she got here, Joshua and Clark were in the other room playing a game on their PlayStation. I love, love, LOVED hearing them laughing and cutting up together.

We found out earlier tonight that our schools are out again tomorrow. SO EXCITED! I love finding out school is closed before the day OF, ya know? So many times, the decisions are made based on the condition of the "back roads" the busses have to take...and they typically make those decisions between 5-5:30 in the morning. And, honestly, if you have to get up at 5 a.m. to find out if you have school or not, you might as well have school. BECAUSE YOU ARE UP ALREADY.

Can I get an Amen?

"He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes..." Psalm 147:16