Have you heard, it’s been snowing a bit in Boston! (And by a bit, I mean that basically that when people say “when hell freezes over,” I’m pretty sure they mean Boston this winter.) Kids have missed more days of school than there are snow days. (In fact, in Somerville where I live, they were enclosed the entire week before school vacation due to snow on roofs!) Sidewalks and parking spots have disappeared. Hell, entire vehicles have disappeared, trapped under several feet of snow and not to be seen again probably until June, cause that’s probably how long it will take for the snow to melt.
Aside from the fact that there is way more snow than there was, well, ever in all the time I have lived in Boston, having a toddler during this snowmageddon is really quite exhausting. (Man, if only I knew how easy I had it last winter when Eve was a newborn!) This is a little glimpse into my every day life for the next few months.
1. Get your diaper bag
2. Make sure that you have the requisite extra set of clothes, diapers, wipes and snack needed to leave the house with your toddler.
3. Realize the cheerios container is empty and refill it.
4. Redirect your toddler, who is emptying her clothing drawer, to the toys and books.
5. Grab your child’s hat, gloves and snowsuit from the entryway downstairs.
6. Reassure your toddler that you will be right back as she starts to cry because you have left her sight.
7. Repack the diaper bag that your toddler has managed to unpack in the time it took to grab her outerwear.
8. Remind her that she just ate breakfast and she can have a snack when you reach your destination as she pleads “Num num!” repeatedly while pointing to the cheerios container.
9. Put your toddler’s hat on.
10. Put your toddler’s hat back on after she takes it off.
11. Put on a glove.
12. Put on the other glove.
13. Put the first glove back on that she took off using her teeth.
14. Wrangle your toddler into her snowsuit.
15. Tell her how this isn’t fun for you either as she screams bloody murder.
16. Bring her downstairs to the entryway.
17. Realize you left the diaper bag upstairs and sprint back up to get it.
18. Put your boots on.
19. Pull your toddler away from the stairs she is now trying to scale in her slippery snowsuit.
20. Put your coat on.
21. Pull your toddler away from the stairs.
21. Put your hat on.
22. Pull your toddler away from the stairs.
23. Put your gloves on.
24. Pull your toddler away from the stairs.
25. Put on the carrier.
26. Place your toddler in the carrier.
27. Attempt to lengthen the straps which are too short to fit over your bulky winter coat.
28. Mutter expletives under your breath as you wiggle your arms in what appears to a very awkward-looking and decidedly unsexy rendition of the Macarena as try to grab the buckle of the carrier from behind your back that is juuuuust out of reach.
29. Reposition your toddler who is now pushing herself away from you and trying to hang upside down and appears to be sweating a bit under the many layers.
30. Make sure that your toddler is strapped safely in the carrier.
31. Put your toddler’s hat, which has mysteriously fallen off, back on her head.
32. Grab your keys & leave the house.
33. Realize you left the diaper bag inside and go back in.
34. Replace your toddler’s hat again.
35. Double and triple-check that you have everything.
36. Leave the house and lock up behind you.
38. Look up the street to to see that you are missing the bus that is just now driving by.
39. Cry a little inside and count down how many days until spring.
In all seriousness, I’m very thankful that we’ve been safe and that I can walk places with Eve so that I don’t lose my mind we can still get out and do things.
How has winter been for you?
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To be honest this is why I don go many places with my girls one winter as I just don’t have it in me by this point of winter to deal with it. Thank god it is finally March next week and very much got the spring countdown going here, as well.
I am so ready for spring, Janine! There are afternoons where I would like to get out with Eve but I just can’t deal with the thought of getting us all bundled up again. Less than 4 weeks until spring!
I feel for you. I remember growing up in New York as a kid and being snowed in with my mom. While I’m sure it was stressful for her and boring for me I still have awesome memories of the snow.
Oh yeah, snow was awesome as a kid! As an adult, you have to deal with the realities of the mess and extra work it brings.
I totally relate to this, but with us, it’s always when we go out to the pool. It’s so hot in the summers here that it’s literally a 50 step process to go outside for 20 minutes. Plus, the repeats of diaper changes and stripping off all of the clothing over and over again. Oh mom life…:)
Oh I can only imagine how hot it must get there during the summer and what a process it is to get two small children to the pool!
I can’t even imagine what this is like! I am spoiled growing up in South Florida, but my poor kids are begging to see ‘real’ snow! 🙂
I would gladly ship them some snow if I could!
When I was wearing Malone during the winter, I always got a gigantic jacket and zipped him up inside of me! Worked like a charm!
That’s smart! I know they have these coat extenders that makes your coat bigger–perhaps next time I will invest in one of those. 🙂
HAHA!!! Bev, loved this! I have totally been there, I remember working-up a sweat in the cold trying to wrangle a toddler, handle a baby, while the big kid tried to help me out the door. The hats, the gloves and the boots… oh my!
I’m hoping things will calm down for you weather wise. We actually have our first “snow day” tomorrow. It’s suppose to freeze overnight, so pretty much the Charleston County will be shut down.
XOXO
Oh yeah, hope you were all safe! I know snow in the South is so different than up here where we’re equipped to handle it. And I imagine this will only get more challenging as I have more kids!
So, you’re saying there will be more?
YES!!!! 🙂
XOXO
This made me crack up and so relate!
I’m sure no matter the weather or where you are going it is always a process to get out of the house with a toddler!
Love, love, love this. Can I use this when family asks “why haven’t you had kids yet”? Response: “Just saving myself from the next Snowmageddon.” In all seriousness, with all this snow Baby Boom 2015 in about 9 months. 🙂
Oh my goodness, I know! Gonna be lots of babies born this November 😉
One step that you don’t have, which might mean you’re lucky, is that with Des – all of this can happen and I’ll have him outside and THEN realize he has a dirty diaper! So I have to go back inside, take off all his winter wear, change his diaper, and start it all over again.
Boo!
That’s the worst! I’ve been very lucky not having to deal with this winter, though it happened all. the. time. last winter when Eve was a tiny baby.
Snowmageddon… LOL… love it!
Ummm, I live in Alberta. We have snow for 5-6 months out of the year, so I have this down!
Thanks for sharing and for the chuckles.
xoxo
Oh man, my hats off to you and everyone who lives in an area where this type of snow is normal every year! I honestly don’t know how you do it.
Ha ha just the title of this post alone made me laugh. I live in the suburbs of NJ so we go through all of this and then really have no where to go so end up playing/standing stationary in one place for five minutes until the toddler wants to go back inside. After all of that! Hopefully Mother Nature will be kind to us and spring will come early. (P.S. Stopping over from SITS Saturday Sharefest, thanks for linking up!)
Oh, I grew up in the NJ suburbs! We’ve taken our toddler out for about a total of 3 minutes to play in the snow ’cause it’s been so cold! I’m glad we live within walking distance of friends’ homes and stores and such, otherwise I would go crazy this winter! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Very entertaining. I’ve lived in New ENgland my whole life and this snow has been a first for me. I was in college during the other record breaker 1995-1996 so I only caught glimpses of the many feet of snow that winter dropped. If only the snow clothes weren’t so bulky and cumbersome!!!
Oh I know! I call my toddler marshmallow baby cause she reminds me of a pink version of the Marshmallow Man in her bulky snow suit. Let’s hope March is a calmer month weather-wise!