How to survive the snowmageddon of 2010

How to survive the snowmageddon of 2010

Posted on February 10th, 2010 by Nancy DeGregorio

If you live in the Northeast part of the United States, you’re probably up to your eyeballs in snow. Certain areas, including mine, have been socked with the second snowmageddon within a week. It’s creating a lot of stress for mothers everywhere — schools are closed and toddler classes are canceled. The roads are impassable, and even if they weren’t, it’s impossible to dig the minivan out from the mountain of snow anyway. What’s a mother to do with an endless stretch of days indoors with a bunch of kids? Here are some ideas to keep your children entertained and you stress-free while stuck in the house.

Send your children to school, even if school is closed. Remember when Grandpa used to tell you stories of how he walked fourteen miles to school twice a day, in the snow, without any shoes? Well, this is your opportunity to teach your children what life was like back in the good old days. Tell them school is open and make them walk to school. Hey, at least they have shoes, unlike Grandpa. When they realize that school is closed, they’ll be upset at first. But later on, they’ll love you for helping them build “character”.
Play hide and seek. Keep this classic game alive by asking your child to count to 100 while you “hide” in your bedroom closet. Make sure you lock the door, ensuring that your child won’t be able to find you for at least an hour, maybe two if you’re lucky.
Start crafting. Now is the perfect opportunity to show your child how fun a glue gun can be. Your child might “accidentally” glue his hands together, thereby ensuring that he won’t be able to throw any more toys all over the room. Less cleanup for you!
Watch television. Announce to your child that Mickey Mouse and friends are stuck in the snow and can’t make it to the television set. Then spend the next few hours catching up on all the shows you’ve been missing since you started watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Your kids may be a little angry, but do you really think listening to Mickey’s high-pitched, squeaky voice all day is going to keep you sane?
Teach your child to use the phone. Create a new game where you have your child call every government agency in the area. The game is over when he is finally able to get through to a live human being. With so many government workers staying home due to snow days, your child will be hard-pressed to find anyone to pick up the phone. This game should keep him occupied for at least a week.
When all else fails, you could always jump out of the window. Don’t worry, you won’t be harmed. You’re only going to land safely in a sixteen feet pile of fluffy white snow.