Sneaky January...

Remember just a few short days ago (also known as: "last Thursday") when I posted about the first delayed opening of the current school year--la la la, what fun, and all that nonsense? Well. Perhaps I offended the prickly Ice Pixies with my sarcasm and lack of appreciation for their chilly..."gifts". The very next day, in the presence of bone-dry roads and cloudy-but-non-precipitating skies, schools closed 2-1/2 hours early...in anticipation of snow. And yes, after the kiddos were safely home, chuckling heartily about their good fortune, it did...flurry. Total accumulation: oh, less than an inch. This time the boys didn't even harbor any foolish notions of actually attempting to play in the thin coating of ice crystals. No, instead they scoffed at the paltry offering, and enjoyed their unexpected afternoon of leisure in the heated comfort of their house, where they could partake of the myriad delights available to them--you know, such luxuries as hot chocolate, pretzels, books, and video games. (Because nothing truly says "Winter" like carb-loading and huddling under a blanket on the couch, right?)

Then the weekend progressed uneventfully, with no weather impact whatsoever. However, just in time for a well-rested return to academic life...the forecast promised freezing rain. You can guess the punchline--a light sheen of slickness on the roads early in the morning means what? Two-hour delay. And as it turns out, being trapped inside together in a confined space for this amount of time provides just enough opportunity for the siblings to harass, annoy, and physically pick at each other until they're One. More. Warning. away from being banished to their respective rooms...for life. (Oh, don't underestimate the all-powerful Mom Threat. I'm not bluffing, I'll do it, I swear!) Today's prize-winning argument revolved around whether Honolulu is located in Hawaii...or Mexico...and culminated in Riley stomping out of Derek's room, sobbing about being punched in the eye. Derek's explanation of the incident? A shrug, a bemused half-smile, and the brief statement: "I tapped him on the head!" Sigh. (By the way, I'm not making this up. This is but one example of the STUPID things they manage to fight about. How am I supposed to rationally deal with that kind of boy...pigheadedness? Answer? I order them--loudly--to Knock. It Off. And, of course, issue ridiculous ultimatums. But at least it gets them separated and shuts them up...for five seconds...)

Back to the bigger meteorological picture--I do have to admit I'm beginning to feel a bit worried. Maybe I'm just suffering from a case of Winter Paranoia (it's a real condition, you can look it up...or I made it up, whatever...) but it feels as though the Frost Gods are toying with us. Like they hear all of our taunting about the weather-that-wasn't, and they're preparing a doozy of a storm to blast our region any time now, thereby demonstrating in no uncertain terms who's really in charge of this frigid season. Or...I'm completely delusional (truly a possibility--hey, you don't have to agree with me!) and next Saturday the groundhog will pop up and deliver the promise of an early Spring. I think we all know that I, personally, will be vigorously cheering on the little rodent. And grabbing an extra fleece throw...and making some more cocoa...and living it up in the conflict-free zone until my sons arrive home for the next Brother Battle...