A little ice skating ...

... maybe more like ice sliding.

Tuesday evening, it started to sleet. We already had a couple of inches of snow so this was adding a nice, hard, crusty top to everything. By Wednesday morning, we had close to a half inch of ice and all the schools in the area were closed. I really needed to be in the office for a 10am meeting so, we headed out, as usual, in the minivan. Our neighborhood streets were a mess. I would never have believed anyone had even tried to plow them if I hadn't seen the snowplow myself.

I took it slow and got to the main streets without incident. The roads looked clear and I even called the hubby to let him know that, regardless of the fact the news was begging people to stay home, it was safe to travel to work, should he chose to go into the office.

I was pretty surprised when I got to daycare and saw that like our neighborhood, no one had made a dent in the parking lot ice. There was a small path from the parking lot to the front door that had been shoveled but, of course, no parking spaces anywhere nearby. I parked as close as I could - in the handicap spot - which is completely not like me but, I wanted to limit the amount of ice I would have to cross with both the shmoo and little hugs.

I got both kids out of same side of the van, holding little hugs, and squeezing the shmoo's hand. We managed to get to the sidewalk pretty easily but that is where the problem began. I asked the shmoo to carefully step up onto the sidewalk, which he did, and instantly slid off. Luckily, I was holding him tightly enough that neither knees nor bottom hit the ground. This is about the time another mother came out and decided to help by telling me, "be careful, its really slippery", "yes, I know", I responded, all while trying to get the shmoo up onto the sidewalk and keep from slipping and dropping little hugs.

Finally, the shmoo gets on the sidewalk. Success, but short lived. Every step, he slips and, while not falling, isn't going anywhere, he just slides back to where he started.

Helpful mom says "its really slippery", "yes, I know", "but, its really, really slippery, be careful". Again, "yes, I know". So, now she tries to provide some useful information, "but its really slippery and you are holding a baby". After a deep breath, I finally look at her and calmly respond, "yes, I know". Helpful mom finally realizes, she's not really being helpful and states, "yea, I guess you know its slippery and you know you're holding a baby, that was really dumb of me", "yes, I know" - only this time, my response was in my head and she finally stops watching us and gets in her car.

I suddenly realize that our current strategy is getting us nowhere and I have a brilliant idea. I tell the shmoo to carefully put his hands on the ground and start trying to crawl towards the grass (between the building and the sidewalk). This new idea seems promising as he gains a couple of centimeters so, I give him a push to slide him the rest of the way. And, even though I tell him (almost daily) "Do NOT walk in the garden", I say "today, you need to walk in the garden, stomp through the ice and snow until you get to the part of the sidewalk that is shoveled". He followed my directions exactly - making sure to stomp hard and enjoyed every moment. Best thing all week. I know this because he told every single person he saw - parent, teacher, director, fellow children - that his mom never lets him walk in the garden but today he got to stomp the ice all the way through it. Yea mom.

When I couldn't step up onto the sidewalk (and I was not about to crawl), I decided to take a different route - I walked through the parking lot, making sure to step only on the broken ice, where I could break through, until I got as close as possible to the shoveled walk. Now, why didn't I think of that earlier?

I really like snow. I think if its going to be cold, everything should be covered in snow but, I could do without the ice.

Stay warm.