why snow days are hard.

I work for a school as a school counselor and I live in Mich.igan.  The combination of these two facts mean that occassionally I get paid to stay at home due to inclement weather.  Those early morning texts are always nice to receive as it means I can turn off my alarm and go back to bed until Piper wakes me up.  They also mean a day at home with my girl where we can run errands together, play, and just enjoy a nice, relaxing day at home.  Last week that text meant I could push back my daily run from 5:30am to 8am and that I could go an extra mile.  Just something little that was so good for me.

Today was another snow day.  When I first heard rumors that we might end up getting one last night, I immediately started praying that the weather would be bad enough for it to happen.  I spent Saturday in bed with some sort of virus and so I felt like I got jipped out of one day of my weekend.  Getting today off meant that I still got two full days of being able to finish projects around the house and play with my girl.  It also meant that I could run to the doctor for an antibiotic for the sinus infection I've been fighting without misisng work or family time.

So, it sounds like I love snow days, right?  Well, I do!  Who wouldn't like being paid to be at home?  The downside is that snow days are hard on me emotionally.  I know I sound a bit dramatic, but it's the truth.  I have worked in some capacity outside of the home since Piper was 3 months old.  At first I just worked two days a week and it was pretty easy peasy.  When an opportunity to move to full time opened up last April, I took it because we were facing having to do IVF cycles and my income would help us afford that.  We were hoping that I would get pregnant from that cycle and my full time employment would be temporary (lasting only 8 months).  Well, MBL lost his job and I accepted a new one and somehow I have now been working full time outside of the home for 10 months.  When MBL was offered his new job, I immediately started dreaming about quitting my job.  Don't get me wrong, I actually love what I do, but I love staying at home more.  I want to be the one playing with my daughter.  I want to provide for my family by caring for my child and taking care of our home (cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc).  When it came down to it, however, it seemed really unfair for me to leave my job in the middle of the school year.  And if I stay until my doc writes me off for STD (I'm hoping for 37 weeks!), then I will get paid until August.  And considering we are looking at having to purchase two new cars and a new house in the next year, that income will definitely be put to good use!

Basically, I'm counting down the days until I will be a SAHM again.  As of today it was going to be 47 work days, so I guess it's 46!  I know that being a SAHM is a lot of work, but days like this remind me of all the rewards that come with it.  I love just watching Piper play and learn new things.  She seriously amazes me!  So, while I love having an extra day at home, snow days are hard because it reminds me of what I'm missing at home when I'm at work and that's a tough reminder.

Does your job give you snow days?  What kind of weather are you experiencing right now?  What did you use to do on snow days as a kid?