Stolen Day

My boys on a carousel at the Birmingham Zoo

We live in Alabama, so the snowpocalypse, polar vortex, circumpolar whirl stuff tends to pass us by.  That said, any chance of snow or sub-freezing temperatures can whip folks around here into a bit of a milk-and-bread-grabbing frenzy.  So the potential for icy conditions and single-digit wind chills this week caused a bit of a shift in our back-to-school schedule.

Yesterday was our first day back after Christmas break (both my husband and I work for a local school system).  We reported two hours late - sans students - and had a fairly quiet day of reacquainting ourselves with the groove.  A few minutes after we got home, though, word came in via Twitter, texts, and robocalls that the students' first day back would be postponed til Wednesday due to the cold.  We can't call it a snow day because there won't be any, but I'll take the day nonetheless.

I have family up north who are giggling at us right now for being so squeamish about the balmy teens while they continue business as more-or-less usual in far chillier climes, but that's okay.  What we have on our hands today is what's referred to in our house as a stolen day - a day in which, by choice or by chance, we get a reprieve from the daily routine.  A stolen day such as this one, when it's really too chilly to venture forth, calls for special breakfast (served in the AM or PM), movie watching in our jammies, living room dance parties, video games, and lots of story reading and telling.  More than anything, the requirement is to pay attention to every minute of it and soak up the unexpected time together.

Happy Snow Stolen Day!

P.S. Circumpolar whirl just might be the best legit term ever.