Snowy day in YVR

This morning was full of snowy travels

This morning I woke up to my worst fear...tons of snow the day we start our road trip to California. Tons of snow for Vancouver, that is. And then my husband woke up to tell me he wasn't feeling well and wasn't going to work. Well crap...that meant the morning routine and getting the kids to school and daycare was all on me. Although every part of me wanted to curl into a ball and hide, knowing that in less then 12 hours I'd be on my way to warmth and relaxation helped get me out of bed and getting the day started. Everything was going smoothly until it was time to go. You know your children are try Vancouverites when you start bundling them up in all their snow gear, including snow pants, and one of them says, "There's so much clothes!" Yes, sweetheart, welcome to Mommy's childhood!

Snow covered Skytrain lines make
me glad I wasn't commuting today!

Anyway, once the kids were all bundled, we set off on our trek to daycare to drop off Etienne, and then back up to the school to drop off Coralie. I think it was at this point that both my kids may have been a bit sad that we were leaving tonight. I mean, kids love snow, it's a fact! But kids in Vancouver, who get to enjoy snow so rarely, lose their minds when they see white stuff, imagining all the amazing snowmen, forts and snowball fights they can have in the shortest imaginable time, because the snow has been know to disappear before lunchtime. So to satisfy some of their snowy fun, and because I know how slow my 5 year old son walks, I dusted off our sled and pulled them along. Hearing my son squeal certainly kept me smiling while I lugged 100lbs of kid, making the journey much more fun as I recalled the similar joy I would experience in the snow when I was a kid.

A couple of very happy kids...I hope sandy
beaches make them this happy, too!

So, I'll admit, as excited I am for the warmth that is California, seeing all this white stuff right before Christmas is pretty magical. It brings back happy memories of my childhood growing up in the Ottawa and Toronto area, and even if it's brief, I get to see how excited a little bit of white stuff can make my kids. Of course, not giving it a thought myself, the principal at our school joked that he should get a photo of me and our mode of transportation this morning for the blog. I guess living so close to everything, I wouldn't even dream of driving, but as the known car free mom, showing up pulling a sled was probably a little funny, although I wasn't alone. All I can hope is one day my kids return the favour!