I'm grouchy and this post is complain-y.

We had a snow day today. It was a gorgeous snow day - bright sun, sparkly snow, just barely above freezing temperatures. I was actually really excited to go spend some time outside with the kids.

Except Zane and Katrina didn't want to go outside. They wanted to stay inside. And then, when i forced them to come out with me, there was a whole to-do with finding Houston's boots, and then he decided that, okay, maybe he did want his snowpants after all. And meanwhile, we were all waiting down at the corner, and Emma was becoming impatient.... It was 30-40 minutes AFTER i'd started getting the kids moving that we finally got on our way. It was like having toddlers again!

And then Emma.... Oh, you guys. Emma. She is never, ever going for a walk again. Or, at least not until spring. She just drags me along, and it's hazardous and no fun at all.

We walked to the hill so the kids could go sledding. Emma immediately Lost. Her. Mind. I wrapped her leash around a pole so that she wouldn't drag me down the hill, but she wanted nothing more than to attack and destroy the sleds, and she almost immediately lunged hard enough that she actually broke the clasp on her collar and took off down the hill. She came back up pretty quickly, and i grabbed her collar...which she immediately backed out of. So i got her put back together, left the kids at the hill, walked back home with Emma, and grumpily threw her in her crate.

Walking back toward the hill, i was thinking, "Well! Now i can enjoy myself! No dog to drag me along! We can just have fun!" And that's when Katrina met me, walking back toward home, because she had snow in her boots and she was so! cold! and couldn't we just go home now? Please?! I tried to tell her to suck it up (in a nicer way, though) and just shake the boot out, because it really wasn't that cold, but she started working herself up to a full-on meltdown. And then Houston and Zane came walking back, because Zane's glove had come off and his hand had gotten snow on it, and he was so! cold! and couldn't we just go home?

I handed Houston the keys and said, "Fine!!! Go home! I'll just go for a walk by myself!" (I'm so mature.) Except by then i was incredibly grumpy and sad and disappointed, so i walked half a block and just turned around and went home.

And, to be fair, we played games and did fun stuff, but i was just so disappointed in today. Sigh. And i'm usually the one who just wants to curl up under a blanket all day, too.