Snow Days!

So this week we had THREE snow days. THREE.

On one of these days we were pretty much housebound. It was hard work. I know Social media is showing a lot of people out sledging and having the time of their lives, however, for some very badly equipped individuals like us, this wasn’t an option.
No sledge, my only wellies had a massive hole in them, one pair of size 18 month waterproof trousers between 2 kids (aged 3 & 5) and no waterproof gloves.

We managed a snowman in the garden, which was A LOT harder than it looked, but that was about it. After about 10 mins the kids were bored, and cold.

So if you find yourself housebound, by snow, or rain, or sick but not sick kids (chicken pox) here are a few of the things that helped me by.


1. Delay getting dressed for as long as possible.

You my friend, are going nowhere, so enjoy the lack of school run prep. Enjoy not having to shout ‘get dressed and stop watching TV’ fifty times, and have another cup of tea. Let the kids watch too much telly, lose yourself in your phone, and do a bit of low grade parenting for an hour (or 2). Boredom will set in soon enough, so enjoy the peace while it lasts.


2. Embrace the mess.

Snow days do not make a tidy home. FACT. It is quite likely, that to avoid the kids having too much screen time, you will need to get out EVERY toy they own. This will make a mess. Your husband will walk in the door and say ‘blimey, what’s happened here!’. You might be tempted to throw something at him, but don’t. Just say with a sweet smile ‘we’ve been making memories’ the pour yourself a glass of wine.

3. Get crafty

I know it seems obvious, but it doesn't have to be anything major or well thought out. Just anything that will keep them busy, and stop them fighting over who gets the new Barbie car, and who gets the one Mummy found in the charity shop with one wing mirror! Get out whatever you have, play doh, colouring, paints, stickers….. Get them to make them a paper crown and decorate it, cut out scraps of paper and glue. Yes it’s messy but, like I say, embrace it. 

4. Make a den

Always a winner. Great for tea parties, and eating lunch!! (even if it is with the tablet)


5. Have a Disco

Being stuck in doors is hard core even for little ones. I noticed mine got a bid fidgety, but couldn’t concentrate on anything. So I cranked up the tunes (Trolls) and had a 20 minute disco before tea! It did the trick!

Its not ideal being stuck in all day, but it in some ways it was nice to do some proper playing and not always be rushing from here to there.

Wouldn’t want to do it all the time though, I need the great outdoors to keep me sane!!