Snow Snow Go Away

I couldn't let another day pass without venting about all this snow.  If you don't live in a part of the world that has been smothered by snow storm after snow storm after wintry mix, here's a visual:

It's snowing.

It snowed.

Some version of the above two photos is outside my door, day after day.  And I'm sick of it.  Not just because it's cold or because it requires me to dig out my ungaraged car and clean it off and warm it up before going anywhere.  And not just because my front stoop is hopelessly covered in ice or I fear death by icicle when I go to the bank.

Getting yourself and a toddler equipped for the snow covered outdoors is a friggin pain.  The gear is incredible - multiple clothing layers, enormous coats, hats, mittens, scarves and boots.  My normally sturdy toddler is an impossibly drunken sumo wrestler under all the woolen, downy weight.  My glove covered hands can never find my keys.  We both slip, constantly.  She can't see under her over sized hat that never seems to just sit on her head.  Meanwhile, I usually forget my hat and we have to go back.  If we have to carry anything other than ourselves, it will add ten minutes to the process.

When we finally make it to the car, approximately twenty six minutes have passed since we began putting on our coats.

Then, the car seat project begins.  I usually take off her puffy coat once we're in the car thanks to all those horrible reports about the dangers of your baby/toddler wearing a big down coat in a car seat.  But, the car is absolutely freezing.  Usually colder than outside.  How is that even possible?  So, the car has to warm up before I can take off her coat because, as mentioned, it's absolutely freezing.  Other than not wanting her to be terribly cold, the last thing I need is for her to get pneumonia.  We've already been battling every winter cold (and stomach bug) that exists in the world.  

It's been forty minutes since we embarked on our winter errand and I finally pull the car out of the driveway.  If I'm lucky we can actually go forth, if not I realize that I've forgotten the letter I need to mail or the shoes that I need to return back in the house.  And, when that happens, I sit there (listening to Down by the Bay off of Raffi's Greatest Hits) and wonder how the hell one does this with two kids.