Sleet, sleet, go away...

Anyone in the Ottawa-Gatineau area would be hard pressed to crack a smile when they looked out the window this morning. What started as a light snowfall quickly turned into blistering cold winds and sharp ice pellets on the face. The lucky ones got to stay home and close the blinds. The rest of us had to brave the less-than-perfect weather. Where's the justice?

Not only did I have to go out in the joyful mess, but I had to do it with two grumpy children. Declan had preschool this morning and I had to open up the playgroup Jackson and I attend on Tuesdays because the usual key person was home with a sick child. I practically dragged a screaming Declan down the road to school because he claimed he couldn't see with the ice pellets hitting his face (a good argument, although my argument that standing still wasn't getting us out of the bad weather any faster was better). Meanwhile I was holding Jackson with a runny nose mess down his face, a school bag, a purse and a bag containing snacks for playgroup (it was my turn to provide snack - yet another reason to force myself out the door).

Two screaming children, one distraught mother and a whole lot of bad weather. What a fun Tuesday!

Days like today make me want to take my hat off to parents everywhere who need to bring their children out of the home on a daily basis, through rain, sleet, snow and tantrums. Because, while there are some downsides to being a stay-at-home-mom, one of the "perks", if you will, is that I can sometimes choose to, well, stay-at-home. Had I not committed myself to running the playgroup and providing snack today, I would have called Declan's school, curled up on the couch and watched Treehouse TV with my boys.

However, I must stress how much I love going to playgroup. I always snicker to myself when someone tells me their children are getting a lot out of it. Truth be told, I go for me and the fact that Jackson likes it is a side benefit. Selfish, but true. It's a scheduled outing in a safe environment where my toddler can run off and enjoy himself while I have a cup of coffee and chat. Our group this year is wonderful, too. Mostly moms but we also have a few really great stay-at-home-dads; a sign of changing times. Seeing how nurturing and loving these fathers are is heartwarming. I love how roles are becoming less about gender and more about who has the skills to do the job best.

I'm happy to say that it only took about five minutes to scrape off the van for the drive home. I also managed to grab a sandwich/coffee/donut combo at Tim Hortons, which I only ate after doing pilates, which Jackson let me do because he's been asleep for two hours(!!)

The weather outside is frightful, but Amanda is feeling far more delightful.