Finding Time--Oh, Glorious Snow Days

Giles County School's Inclement Weather & Schedule Information

           

	Regular Schedule
	1 Hour Late Schedule
	2 Hour Late Schedule  1-12-15
	Closed
	1 Hour Early Release
	2 Hour Early Release
	Other – Student Holiday / Teacher Workday - Parent-Teacher Conferences 9am-Noon

Oh, snow days,

How do I love thee?

Let me count the ways...

If you are a teacher, married to a teacher, or have ever experienced the pure bliss of a snow day or a delayed school schedule, then you know exactly what I'm talking about!!!  I know I'm supposed to say that watching students learn brings me joy, and it does, but if I'm completely honest, snow days and 2 hour delays are AH-MAY-ZING!!! And if I'm really, really honest, sometimes it's about all that helps me get through the dark, cold days of January and February.  (Shh, don't tell anyone.)  I know I'm not the only one here that feels like a kid again waiting to see our county's name scroll across the TV or get that heavenly sent robotic phone call that says, "Giles County Public Schools will be closed, January 8, 2015."



This morning I looked at the school closings, as I habitually do almost every morning even if there is absolutely no chance of snow in the forecast, and was so excited to see that surrounding counties were delayed.  Oh, how my heart jumped!  We are usually one of the last schools to make the decisions, so I snuggled down in my flannel sheets for a few more minutes, hoping beyond hope that something would change.  Refresh, refresh, refresh--no change.  With a sigh and a pleading look to the heavens, I shuffled my lazy butt to the shower.  As I was stepping out, ring, ring, ring, no one calls our house at 5:55 a.m., so I knew it could only be one thing!!!!!!!!!  2 hours late--thank you freezing rain!!

I was a little miffed that I had already taken a shower and hadn't wait a little bit longer, but I fixed my hair, put on a robe and decided to make the best of my two found hours.

Here's what I was able to accomplish in my 2 hours:

• put away 2 loads of laundry
• wash and dry another load
• read a chapter in Too Busy Not To Pray
• play My Little Ponies with Camdyn
• snuggle the kiddos for a few extra minutes
• eat breakfast (this is usually a real struggle for me in the mornings)
• catch up on blogs and begin this post
• pray
• empty the dishwasher
• make my bed (this NEVER gets done on regular mornings)
• and leave the house NOT in a rush--no yelling, fussing, or eye rolling!

Let's be honest, no one loves to get up early.  We would all rather fall into that bliss of sleep where the pressures and stress of every day seem almost non-existent.  But, sooner or later, we all have to wake up and face whatever the day may bring.  However, giving yourself a little bit of extra time in the mornings may be worth the sacrifice of missing out on a little extra sleep.  Now if you are still in that season of life where you are getting up nightly with babies, just file this idea away for a couple of years.  There was a time when anything short of the roof collapsing would would have blasted me out of bed ANY earlier than I had to.

It saddens me a little to think that my initial response was sadness over the loss of a little bit of extra sleep and what I would have not been able to accomplish.  Once I can crawl out of bed and peel my eyes open in the shower, I really do love extra time in the mornings.  I feel such a sense of relief that many of the chores I would do this evening are finished!  I will have more time with my kiddos and not feel so much like a robot going through the motions this evening, trying to get everything done.

What a great lesson I learned this morning!  There is so much I want to accomplish in this life and I'm not going to get it done lying in bed.  Maybe I should start getting up even earlier some mornings.  Well, not every morning.  Maybe I should just hope for more snow!

Are you willing to get up early to find extra time?  What do you think you could accomplish with a few extra minutes or hours?  Is getting up early worth it to you?  I'd love to hear what you think!

*Linking up with Works For Me Wednesdays*