Alison's Rant On Snowplows

It's going to be a long lonely weekend for me this weekend. Chris got called in for a liver transplant this afternoon right after he got home, so I probably won't see him again until tomorrow afternoon - right before he has to leave for his weekend long moonlighting shift. Luckily, we have a busy morning scheduled tomorrow and lots of new snow on the ground to go sledding on Saturday. I found some really great snowsuits for E and T (REI and Columbia) at a used clothing store (they were brand new and only $40), so they should be nice and toasty warm when I MAKE them come outside with me tomorrow to shovel the sidewalks.
M has been bugging me about wanting to play in the small mountain of snow piled in the middle of our cul-de-sac, but I have been reluctant to let him because I am so scared a snowplow will come by and bury him. It didn't help my case when he watched two teenagers having a great time sledding down that snow pile this evening while I was making dinner. I guess I could take him out there tomorrow when the two younger brothers are napping - at least then I could watch for the dreaded snowplows. I tell you, they never come when you want them to come, and then they are always there when you don't want them (like when you want to play on a snow pile, when someone is parked in front of your house (which means there will be a huge mound of snow left unplowed because of some very uncourteous person), it's 5am and all you hear is metal grinding on pavement and "beep beep beep beep beep", or when you just finished shoveling the sidewalk and now get to start all over but this time with very dense, heavy snowplow runoff). I didn't realize how much snowplows annoy me until right now. I am just so unimpressed with the job my city does. It takes like two days for them to even get to our street, and when they do, they leave like two inches of hard compacted crud on the street - which turns into snow potholes and muddy slush. And then, I am always getting stuck behind them - but they are never plowing - just driving up and down my road. Why can't they lower the stupid blade and actually do some good while they are driving past my house making all that racket?!? Okay, I'm done with that now. On to other things...
I have to say, I had forgotten how much work it is to get three kids fed, bathed, and into bed at night by myself. I started making dinner at 4:30pm, and it is now 7:20pm and I still have one kid awake (M of course). I must admit that E makes it easy on me; he just came up to me and said, "Mommy, I tired. I want to take a sleep." Well, I tired too, but I don't get to take a sleep yet. There's still shoveling to do, garbage to take out, dishes to wash, toys to pick up, and laundry to put away. At least the blog got done! And the playing and snuggling with the kids. The important things.
Two more quick facts from the Mickelson family: T is feeding himself now - and quite well. There is really very little food on the floor or in his seat. I think most of it is actually making it in his mouth. Also, I gave up on T's baby car seat today. He just doesn't fit in it anymore, so I bought E a new booster seat (just like M's), and now T can have E's old big kid car seat. My baby is growing up!