If I could subtitle this, I’d call this post:
When the Snow Day Does Not Include Snow:
A Lesson from Three Kids on Handling Disappointment
When you expected to wake up to something like this:

…but actually wake up to this…

…it can be a sad day for two 7 year olds and an 8 1/2 year old. I was asked to get on the roof to shovel whatever snow was there to the ground. I said “Nope, but I will make pancakes.”
(I’m taking creative license there… their mom actually asked for pancakes since today is when we’re celebrating her January 26th birthday. The celebration didn’t last as now she has some kind of tummy bug. Pray for her please if you happen to read this on January 23, 2016.)

The amazing thing is how well these three kiddos have handled a day that was supposed to have included snowmen and sleds.
After my delicious take on The Joy of Cooking pancake recipe, my daughter invited me to a viewing of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs- her favorite princess, if not her favorite princess movie.

What made it better was when her two bros showed up and snuggled in with us for most of the show, trying to figure out how to tell which Dwarf was which by clothes and hairstyle vs. general attitude.
In honor of Snow White and her amazing powers over woodland creatures, we had a couple visitors in our backyard much of the morning and early afternoon.
The boys then decided that it was blanket and sheet fort time. Sheet forts are very nostalgic for me, so I was eager to help w/ the engineering part (a fitted king sheet is helpful when using the ‘chairs in a circle’ sheet fort structure).

Their sis settled for the floor pallet until she couldn’t stand it any longer…
After that was lunch. A grilled cheese picnic on the floor, watching Toy Story 2. There was a very fair, civil vote on the movie. Dodged a bullet there. Usually movie selection is where things go off the rails.

There you have it. A peak behind the curtain at the Simply in the Suburbs house on a snow day Saturday that included no snow. No attempts to help you with your productivity, goal setting, or any other such thing.
Just had a nice day, hanging with the kids while their mom was tore up sick in bed, poor girl.
I suppose it is what living simply in the suburbs is all about. Often, I try so hard to define it and design an intentionally simple life, that when it just happens, it was much easier than I expected – and almost easy to miss.