Our Snowy Day

This morning was our town's first snow of the season. The Littlest One upon looking out the window into the hushed glowing hue, exclaimed "We have Snow White!" With a morning to drink in the loveliness of an approaching winter, and enough energy fueled by the four little boys in my home, we set out to make our first snow day the Best Snow Day Ever!

First on the agenda was a newspaper "snowball" fight to have a practice run before we were outside with the real stuff. This is a very important step for sensitive ones who are too young to remember snow ball fights from previous years. There are certain ground rules for the game that are more easily forgiven when dealing with dry paper balls softly crumpled. Almost no one likes a wet, cold snowball thrown right in the face.  (Ask the person before you throw at them. Aim for below their shoulders. If someone gets upset, the throwing stops until we check on them.) The fight was a full blown giggle fest with the only injury being when I accidentally bonked the Littlest One in the face with my foot. Oops! After 10 minutes or so, we were ready for some breakfast and onto the next project.

 

Although a bit blurry, I am hoping that you can see the smiles that shown as we completed our very own fort complete with Christmas Lights. A kitchen table, a huge stack of blankets and pillows, and some imagination made this space a perfect place for them to hide and play.

After the boys pretended with their 'fort', 'cave', and 'boat', we washed hands and set out to make gingerbread men cookies. Last week we had read Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett. We were ready to make our own gingerbread men, women, and children. The children helped add ingredients (yes, I cheated and did a store bought mix), stir, roll the dough, and cut out the cookies. As they came out of the oven, we bundled up and headed outdoors to enjoy the snow while they cooled.

 

There is nothing more joyful than a child playing in the first snow of the season. They threw handfuls and shovelfuls into the air, shouting, "IT'S SNOWING!" They squealed with delight as they chased me around the yard, throwing snowballs as fast as they could scoop them. They piled snow onto the slide and watched it slip quickly down onto the ground. Finally cold and wet, we left nature's playland and headed inside for some warm tea.


A few squirts of icing and a couple gumdrops and raisins later, we were enjoying our gingerbread men. Today I learned that it is the simple pleasures in life that bring the greatest joy. Some crumpled up newspaper, a stack of blankets and a table, fresh snow, some cookies and tea. These are the things that make my heart feel warm with love for my children, the earth, and my life.

Warm Wishes to You During Your Snowy Days

Namaste ~