Yellow Snow Day

Today was a day out of time. Like the snow days of my childhood, but not really.

At about mid-morning yesterday, I got a call that the kids' school was closing and I needed to come pick them up. Something about a water main break. So my husband (who was home very early from work) and I headed out.

It wasn't until we were in the car on the way to school that we found out the whole city was on a boil order. We picked the kids up and went out to lunch (not at all concerned about boiled water) and ran a few errands.

By the time we were driving back home, they announced that all of the public schools in the county were dismissing early.

The good news is that we don't live in the same city or county as the kids' school. We had water and flushing toilets aplenty.

By 1:45 in the afternoon the news stations were reporting that the problem was almost fixed.

By 4:00 the county had canceled school for today. All of the private schools and day cares followed suit.

By 3:30 the water problem was fixed.

Hmmmm. Seems there is something a little off in that timeline. I am always amazed at how the county here is so quick to cancel school. Maybe they're jealous of the snow days they get "up north"?

So my husband was on his first day of leave today. The kids were out of school, but the neighborhood kids weren't because of the county line. You've got to love being a private school kid sometimes.

It felt a little weird to have an unexpected day free. Like we were playing hookie or something.

We had our drama today though. We've all been struggling to adjust to having my husband home. The kids are also going through this horrible phase where they can't seem to stop arguing.

My kids have always gotten along so well. This is breaking my heart. I had been blaming it on being together so much over Christmas break, but now my mother's guilt is rearing its ugly head.

When my husband came home from a trip to the playground with them, he announced to me, "The kids are awful!"

He didn't say that the kids were awful or that the kids behaved awfully. He said that they are awful.

I had nothing to say to that but, "Well, thanks."

Of course he quickly backtracked but the words are already stamped on my heart.

Reunions are hard. No doubt about it. I am so happy to have him home. But I should have remembered better that the stress of reintegrating your family is actually worse than the stress of being apart.

Even on a day out of time.

Here's to boring days of routine. Like flushing toilets at closed schools, may they make a quick return.