Monday, January 31, 2005

Playing in the snow

Being outside and playing in snow has never been my "thing." Drinking hot chocolate in front of a blazing fireplace while waving out the window at the freezing people in the snow has always been more my style. Even as a kid I disliked the times my parents took me to the mountains to play in the snow. I could never seem to get over the wet socks and freezing red hands long enough to have fun, and besides, I always got carsick driving on the winding, mountain roads. OK, I know what you are thinking: Wow, she sounds like a fun gal! In truth I am a fun gal, I just happen to find my brand of fun in tamer things (and warmer things).

Well, today just happened to be a great day to go sledding. More than a foot of snow outside, the temperature around 45 degrees and brand-new sleds in the garage just waiting to be used. My kids couldn't pass up the chance to jet down a snow-covered hillside on a day like this! So we gathered our gear, bundled up the kids and drove up the block to a friend's house where they have a perfect hill for sledding. Expecting to be the bystander and safety monitor for this venture, my snowboots were unfortunately left at home. I say "unfortunately" because my friend Sarah (the fun mom) decided to slide down a few hills herself, leaving me in the predicament of either joining in or being a party-pooper. Now usually, I am completely happy to choose the party-pooper role, but today was different. For some reason, sledding sounded fun. So, much to my children's surprise, I raced down a couple of hills myself. And guess what? It was fun. Lacking snowboots, I did gather a pantleg full of snow and I ran into a small bush, but otherwise all went well. But the best thing is that I got to laugh and have fun with my kiddos.

The weather forecast is calling for warmer temperatures for the rest of the week and my kids are sad about it. As for me, you can find me next to the fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate in hand, watching them get wet and cold. And I am happy.