Dreading, Surviving, and Thriving in(!?) a Cold Snap

My spouse and I have a nightly ritual of watching the local news before bed, and last night the major story was the upcoming cold snap that will harass the Midwest. I’d been aware this was coming; however, I had previously thought that we’d be spared any precipitation. Last night the meteorologist informed us of our 100% chance of receiving ice/snow/wintry mix tomorrow and of the likelihood of school closures throughout the state.

Immediately my mood went black. With the extreme nature of this cold spell—the forecasted record-breaking cold temperatures for five long days, I am anticipating that my daughter’s school will be closed all week. My daughter is still at an age where she can’t (or won’t) entertain herself. I get nothing done when she is home with me. The Anticipation Monster was looming, and I was feeling overwhelmed with despair (autonomy).

After ranting to my husband (who is about to leave on a work trip and will be unavailable to help with my hardships, except as emotional support), he responded, “All you have to do is survive.” I fell asleep alternately brooding about how miserable my life will be this week and daydreaming of packing up the dogs and kid and driving them out of the path of the polar vortex.

My husband’s words were percolating in my subconsciousness overnight, and I awoke in a much brighter state of mind. I am once again battling my expectations. Firstly, a local meteorologist dubbed “Oklahoma’s weather expert” usually does a segment at the change of seasons to give us an idea of what to expect in the next few months. In November, he told us we could expect a “mild winter.” Does record cold temperatures sound like “mild” to you? As Buddy the Elf says:

Expectation #1 going unmet.

I also expect my daughter to go to school five days a week except for previously scheduled holidays and breaks. In the past four weeks, she’s been at home with me seven extra days (not counting holidays) due to weather and illness (the flu was so pervasive here they were closing school districts across the state). We’re averaging almost two days of lost productivity a week.

Am I Going to Bed with Gilda? Yes, my expectations are at an ideal level. How can I reset my expectations? Maybe understand that the weather patterns are more unstable due to the rising global temperatures, and extreme weather events are becoming more common. Perhaps I can also remind myself that schools are germ factories and kids are going to get sick.

My husband’s suggestion to go into survival mode also helped me shift my expectations. Keeping in mind that these next few days are unusual and all of us are going into survival mode means that I can relax some of my rules and restrictions as a parent. I normally do my best to limit Pumpkin’s device usage to a couple of hours per day. If she’s getting bored and I need to focus on something else, this might be the time to ignore the clock. I normally insist we have dinner together. If we’re driving each other crazy, perhaps I let her have a “picnic” dinner with her stuffed animals in a different room. Normally I only allow her a small sugary treat once per day. If I need to distract her from a nerve-grating activity (say, singing loudly into her karaoke machine), I might have her help me bake cookies and enjoy a special bonus treat. After all, these are not “normal” times.

But I think I can do better than survive. I intend to thrive. In one of my moms groups, there are two contingents: the moms who grumble about snow days and the moms who are super perky and excited about snow days (“I love getting the extra time with the kids!”). I am obviously one of the former (I feel like I get plenty of time with my kid already), and I normally find the latter truly annoying. However, perhaps I can take inspiration from the perky, excited moms and Sell It Like a Master Salesman.

Every situation has positives and negatives. If I were to put a marketing spin on being snowed in, I might sell the situation as such:

Spend four cozy days with a delightful, smart and funny five year old! Forget the world outside exists and hunker down in warm blankets next to a blazing fireplace. Get in touch with your inner child by playing board games, putting together puzzles, and revisiting favorite books and movies. Drink delicious teas and make a comforting stew. Make your hygge fantasy come true!

Anyway, wish me luck! And if the polar vortex has impacted you, as well, I hope you find a way to survive and perhaps thrive yourself. If you have any favorite tips for surviving a long shut-in, please share them in the comments!