The Day that Wasn't

Today was going to be an amazing day, one for the record books in terms of productivity. I had a babysitter booked for the afternoon. I was going to write for an hour and a half - something amazing - something that would most definitely get published in either the New Yorker or Brain, Child. The juices were going to flow freely onto the page because my holiday to do list would finally be empty.

During the previous hour and half of babysitting, I was going to find the perfect gift for my mother in law, my father in law, my sister, my brother in law, and one more little thing for my youngest niece. I was going to hit Five Below and find dozens of hilarious stocking stuffers for a buck or two that would keep us all laughing through the entire week we will be spending as a family: a wide assortment of pooping figurines, a pocket Rubik's cube, and some fuzzy slippers.

Then tonight, I was going to get a good night's rest instead of stressing about all that I still needed to do before Wednesday. I was going to stop writing notes on colorful post-its and stop searching for lost post-its. I was going to relax, put my feet up, and really focus on getting excited for this time with my family.

But none of that ever happened.

Because this morning, the board of ed called at 5AM to announce that school would be closed for the day because of a forecasted snow storm. When I woke up an hour and a half later, there was no snow on the ground. I couldn't believe how trigger happy they were so early in the season. I imagined that we would get a little dusting and that I could still carry on with my plans.

And then the blizzard hit. No more babysitter. No more shopping. No more writing.

Instead we hung out at home. We played, we read, but mostly we baked.

and we sprinkled,

and then we sprinkled some more.

until we had industrial quantities of butter cookies in every conceivable shape.

I accomplished very little on my list today. I have one less shopping day to get my presents, but somehow my stress decreased. I realized that it won't matter how much there is under the tree, as long as we can spend quality time like I did today. Maybe we'll even make some more cookies!

Today was also the last Parent Bloggers Network blog blast. They partnered with FFDA, a non-profit organization that offers support and assistance for folks who are feeling overwhelmed, both at the holidays and all year long.