I’m sure it has snowed on Valentine’s Day before, but I can’t remember ever waking up on February 14th to a legitimate winter wonderland. I read in the news that 49 of our 50 states had snow this week. Crazy!
I’m pretty sure I would have remembered a white Valentine’s Day. When I was a little girl, my parents would get my sister and me Valentine gift bags full of stuffed animals, chocolate and suckers, heart-decorated socks, lip gloss, and other items little girls love.
Then in high school, my girlfriends and I anxiously anticipated our names being called over the loud speaker to see if someone had sent us flowers to the office. Luckily, my mom and another mom always sent at least a carnation so we could appear to have a sweetheart at times when we did not.
Valentine’s Day memories from college are a bit vague, probably because we were all too broke to do anything other than eat at the dining hall then watch a movie or order Papa John’s pizza. Valentine’s dates with my husband have been sweet and special, nice dinners and simple gifts.
When I was teaching full-time, we always hosted a dance on or around Valentine’s Day so the parents of our adolescents would have child care and could go on a date. I hold a lot of Valentine’s memories, but none involve this much snow.
I’m typically a sufferer of cabin fever, but during this storm, it hasn’t been so bad. Perhaps it’s because my family desperately needed some time together due to our busy schedules, and the snow forced us all to slow down. We played, cleaned, watched movies, cooked, and just hung out. I was even battling strep throat for part of our arctic vacation and still enjoyed myself. Perhaps I did not get cabin fever because my five-year old is obsessed with sledding and would go out with Daddy and not return for three hours, eliminating three hours of potential sibling fighting. Ahhh…peace.
The little one isn’t too keen on the white stuff. He and I pretty much hunkered down inside while the big boys stayed out sledding, building snow forts, throwing snowballs, and designing snowmen/snow-women. Perhaps I didn’t get cabin fever because we’re lucky enough to live in one of those neighborhoods like the one in Sandlot where when one kid drags his sled up The Hill, all the kids (and parents) come out with their sleds and before we know it, there are 12 people at the top of The Hill, pairing up and sled swapping, strategizing how to make the ride faster or more fun.
We also have good friends who are from Iowa and will drive in any type of weather. I love this about them because I know that even in a snowstorm like this one, they’ll drive over to visit. They came yesterday, and the boys practiced snowboarding down The Hill before we fed them snow cream with sprinkles for dinner.
I guess our frigid staycation has to end today. The main roads are clear (sort of), and it’s supposed to warm up today (slightly). Furthermore, we have some necessary errands to run since we’ve been inside for three days. Don’t get me wrong, I am a little excited about wearing something other than pajamas or sledding clothes, but I have truly, truly enjoyed this time.
From the pictures on Facebook and Instagram, it seems like everyone, no matter the age, has been able to relax and have a little fun over the past several days. I know I personally was smack in the middle of life’s rat race, and so I thank God that he blanketed my world in snow so I could stop and remember that the big things in life aren’t as important as the little things.
I hope you will have some time with your loved ones today or this weekend. Got any big plans? Either way, have a wonderful Valentine’s Day. I know that I will never forget this one.
We don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, so I’ll be doing double spin classes and catching up on my DVR 🙂
We have about a foot of snow here in MA and we are getting more snow on Satruday. And next Tuesday…..
I must admit, it is fun seeing all the snow photos. But I am glad to be one of the areas (Orlando) that saw absolutely no snow. It is a bit chilly here though. I can’t wear flip flops today 🙂
I love Valentine’s Day! The snow…living in Wisconsin 90% of our Valentine’s Days are cold & snowy! Maybe that is one reason I like Valentine’s Day – a great break from cabin fever!
I’m sure the snow has been fun for those that don’t usually get it. We moved from South Dakota to Texas last summer, and this winter has been entirely too cold, icy and snowy for me! I moved South for better weather darn it!! LOL. That being said TODAY is a gorgeous day, what a February day in Texas should be like, so I’m happy about it. Happy Valentine’s Day.
The snowboarding picture is so CUTE, i love it. I’m with your little one, I stayed in while Hubby and the kids played in the snow. My kids are teens now but they still love to build a snowman on a fun snow day.
We had a ton of snow here too! I’m glad the snow forced us to slow down! The hubby had a mini vacation from work and we had a blast playing in it!
We have enjoyed the family time during the snow here in Georgia too. I’m ready for it to warm up now though. I need to wear my flip flops soon!!
Too funny!! I keep saying it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, or Welcome to New York. My kiddos are loving the snow, so I’m following suit. Charlotte roads are still pretty bad (at least the side roads) but luckily we don’t have to get out until Tuesday.
Aw- your frigid staycation actually looked like a nice family time 🙂
I’m so glad you were able to make the most of the crazy weather, especially since it was so needed! Sounds like you live in a great neighborhood too, which always makes these things a bit more bearable. 🙂
Lots of snow play here too! It’s been nice to be snowed in. It’s a good chance to connect and just be together
I just love how you maximized your time with all the snow. That sounds like a total blast with everything you did!
You can keep the snow! We got a little bit and luckily, it was gone pretty quickly. It was cool to show my dog snow for the first time, he started eating it!
OH boy did it snow bad here in NH … we have like 18″ or so …. it’s insane! I stayed inside where it was warm both Thursday and Friday while it kept snowing and snowing.
We already had snow that hadn’t melted all the way when we got another 4-5 inches on Valentine’s Day. We didn’t have any plans though, we knew it was coming so we decided to just stay home. Looks like your family had a great time in the snow!!
We’ve got at least 2 feet by now and I wish i could be like your happy kid and play in it… Looking forward to spring and sun.
You and your little one seem to have had a great time in the snow. I only like eating the snow with my little ones. The rest of the snow does not impressme.
Love the pictures! We have a lot of snow here too. I’m sure it has made for some excellent memories!
Snow days are so much fun – in small doses. I don’t mind having my family cooped up inside of our cozy home, even if my husband needs to do some work while he’s here. I’m glad that you were able to enjoy a little bit of snow play with your family!
Our snow was gone by Valentine’s Day, but we did have snow earlier this week. It’s so strange to have had so much snow this year! We rarely get any and we’ve had so much this year.
Our snow was gone by Valentine’s Day but my situation was drastically different. I was stuck 7 hrs away from my sick child due to the ice and snow in Atlanta. I was not a happy camper
Looks like you had a nice day! I am in one of the states with no snow, but we had a nice day too!
Looks like a fun day in the snow. Ours had pretty much all melted by the 14th, but we had a ton on the 13th.