I don't have many memories from childhood, but one that I remember quite clearly is going outside for recess on bitter-cold days. And I'm talking about likely in the 30s and 40s. As far as I'm concerned, we shouldn't have gone outside for recess unless it was at least 60.
Fast forward to the present, and I hear Karol expressing the same apprehension. "Can you pick us up before play time?" and "I don't want to get to school until the kids come back inside," are frequent requests on even mildly cold days.
Top that with an hour long train ride and walking 3 long blocks against the biting wind...no thank you! Not to mention that going to school with the double stroller (because we're limited to stations with elevators) means a total of 5 hours on the subways, just commuting to and from school for me, and the subways aren't a whole lot warmer than the outside.
Today Matt called to tell me it was even colder out today than it was yesterday - which was nearly unbearable as it was - so I bundled everyone layer by layer, got out the big double stroller and loaded it with the BundleMe and the plastic wind/rain cover, and we headed out. Pushing against the wind, Reagan screaming, and Max tearing up, not because he was crying, just because the cold wind was that harsh on his eyes, we made it all the way to Lenox & 135th, where the subway is. However, we were on the opposite corner of the elevator, which meant another 3 or 4 minutes in the cold crossing the streets and waiting on lights.
And this is just the beginning of the trip. Maybe I'm a wuss. Maybe I shouldn't have let a little wind mess up my whole day and all the work I put in to just getting out of the house. But I don't care.
A woman at the corner told me to cover up the baby's (already covered) neck. I wanted to punch her in the face. DON'T YOU SEE I'M A LITTLE $^#$@ BUSY??? DO YOU THINK I NEED YOUR PARENTING ADVICE??? But of course I didn't say that. I gave her a terse "Thank you," and turned the stroller around, back toward the apartment. I bent down to talk to the older kids, "Do you think it'd be okay if we didn't go to school today?" "Sure!" they responded. So we pushed back to the apartment.
It's not that they don't want to go to school. In fact, they love it there. It's just the getting there that sucks. They seem to hate it as much as I do, and even on not-so-cold days they still aren't fans. So now we're back at home, enjoying a much-deserved cup of hot chocolate and a gingerbread cookie.
I already have an earache from being out in the cold, how is that possible?
Anyway, we'll undoubtedly make up for missing school by doing a good deal of homeschool while they're here today. And even though it'll still be horrible out tomorrow, we'll try again, and I'll probably guilt myself into getting all the way to school this time. On Thursday Matt will be home to help. It won't make it any warmer, and probably not much easier, but at least I'll have somebody to b*tch to about it. And Friday - which is supposed to bring snow with it - there's no school anyway (praise God!).
For all you suckers that don't have the glorious option of just staying in, good luck!
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