Kaycee says...: Not The Coolest Mom

When I rolled out of bed at 5:30am this morning after hitting my snooze button 3x, I saw that I had a voicemail on my phone from the school district. I was clueless as to why they would be calling so early. I checked the voicemail and heard that the

"school would be closed due to inclement weather." And "to stay safe."

I scratched my head and thought for a moment. Hmm..Inclement weather? I mean, it's been cold {like really cold..record setting temps,cold} but I knew nothing of any inclement weather to come.

I turned on the news and sure enough, all of the school closings across the state were scrolling across the bottom of the TV screen. The meteorologist just so happened to be talking as well, informing us of the freezing rain that was to be expected all day today with a low temp of 28. Blehhh... How did I not know anything about this?!

Oh well, I had arrangements to be made and people to contact. I think I sent 10 different people a text message this morning , stating that I would not be able to make it to work due to the girls schools being closed. TEN people! First, I text my employer and coworkers, letting them know that I would not be able to make it due to the circumstances and offered my sincere apologies... and begged them not to fire me. {They obviously did not and thanked me for letting them know and also informed me to "stay safe.}

Then I text the girls Nana and the Babysitter to let them know that I would not be there with the girls for our normal 7am drop off. Then, I text my MOM and DAD, simply because I knew they would be texting me within minutes to check on me and make sure that I was not driving. Basically, I beat them to it so they wouldn't ding my phone while I was trying to crawl back into bed with my cup of coffee.

I felt like I had tackled the world's problems by 6am. I contemplated going back to bed, but then instead decided to finish my pot of coffee that was already brewed and watch the news in peace before the monsters woke. It was a great decision because not only did I get to enjoy my coffee alone, but also started pancakes, a load of laundry, and the dishwasher. The girls, in fact, did not wake up until 8am. That.never.happens!

Happy "day of inclement weather" to me {because you know, we don't get snow in Arkansas, only freezing, disgusting rain!}

Anyway, once they were awake, they were thrilled to see their Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes. They couldn't have cared less that they were Gluten Free and jam packed with Greek Yogurt, mashed bananas, and chocolate chips! It was just a yummy no-school-day treat!

{This is pre-syrup, butter and powdered sugar yumminess!!}

After breakfast, the girls were HYPED AND WIRED! We had a morning full of babydolls, dancing party, cleaning out closets, cleaning bathrooms, and a picnic on the floor with goldfish, potato chips, and juice while watching Tinkerbell.

I finally sat down and went through their backpacks again to find the papers about their Valentine's Day Boxes they have to create. I remember doing those as a child and it was such a delightful experience. My grandma would always help me and I was always so proud of my decorated shoebox!
But, times have changed, and apparently Pinterest is to blame. CDC has had to make a VDay Box the past two years and each year, I feel more inclined to do something bigger and better because all of her friends have this elaborately decorated BOX. It's craziness. I can't compete. I have three little kids and work full time. It's a BOX for Pete's sake. But, of course, CDC is emotional and gets her feelings hurt if her BOX is not comparable, so I try to be the "Cool mom" {that I promise, I am not} and help her make a stand out BOX that she will remember for years.

Her Kindergarten year, I knew nothing of this fad, and we made... well, a BOX, like I did when I was a kid.{and she loved it, mind you. We still have it in her closet!}

{The Kindergarten BOX - 2012}

But when her first grade year required a decorated BOX, I got word of all of the unique things people were doing and Pinterest was in full swing by then, so all of the pictures of the outrageous BOXES were circling the internet. I tried... I really did, but at the end of it all, I was kind of bummed because she couldn't really help me with ANY of it because I tried so hard to make it awesome! That's not the point of the project. The point is for the kids to make a BOX that their friends can put their VDay cards in. It is not a competition of who has the most over the top extravagant creation, it's about them being creative and making something they are proud of.

{The 1st grade BOX - 2013}

So, this year CDC and CRC are making their own BOXES. I will help and be there for guidance, but they will do it and they will be that much prouder of it because THEY did it THEMSELVES! So, I'm raising the white flag.
I am not the coolest mom and I will never be the coolest mom, but by gosh, I will do it my way and my kids will be just fine. #babam!