Sometimes, we feel like we get into a rut. Jobs. Obligations. Laundry. The every day things that make us forget to stop and enjoy our lives. Forrest. Trees.
So much so, that we forget to have fun.
We forget to breathe.
This weekend, we had a much-needed mini escape.
We were the parents who randomly packed up the minivan… (Yes, we drive a minivan. We rock the minivan.)
And drove to Georgia for a day.
Because sometimes, it’s fun to just drive somewhere.
This adventure included tiger hats. We realized later that kids in massive crowds of children donning tiger heads on their noggins are much easier to spot, after all. Jamin and I do not have matching hats. I think we should remedy that so we can be that family. We’re pretty close already.
(In other news, my children will one day loathe me for posting this photo)
In case you guys were curious, it doesn’t really snow in the deep south.
When it does snow, we’re all southern with our high maintenance frou-frou requirements. We have a list. It goes a little something like this:
1. Only on a weekday so we miss school/work.
2. Two days at the absolute max. That’s the most cold we can actually handle.
3. While we would love a blizzard, deep down we all know it needs to be melted in the two day requirement because there is no driving. Everyone stays in because people reach a new level of apocalyptic scramble-to-the-grocery-store-for-the-last-loaf-of-bread-the-zombies-are-coming-bat-crap-cray-cray mode. If you dropped a bunch of southerners in a blizzard in Colorado, let’s face it… We would all suffer a delicate combination of spontaneous implosion, frostbite and murder all in the name of beef jerky. It would get passive aggressively ugly, fast.
But back to snow days… You can’t really fault us. I mean, we kind of deserve not to drive on a day so rare as to hold actual snow in the tropics. We don’t know how to salt, shovel and chain things. It’s complicated and foreign. We do a little dance and get all excited in front of the window. It’s almost too much for us to bare. Prayer for snow by southern children is part of our birthright.
Because of the general lack of snowflake fun, we are known to go so far as to actually make our own snow.
We shoot ice out of a machine and then go for snow angels in the mud. It’s ingenuity at it’s finest, and epic southern fun.
We also totally got on a big tube as a family and did this.
And this.
We were bundled up and ready to go with aforementioned massive tiger hats, and then it quickly turned to sixty degree weather. I was sweating in my ski pants. So I was standing in Georgia in sixty degree sunshine and slush. Wearing ski pants. All in the name of a good time. I felt a little stereotypical.
But let’s not miss the moral of the story. I totally squeezed into my circa 2000 ski pants from when my parents did actually live in Colorado.
I was proud. And sweaty.
And a busted can of biscuits.
All in the name of wet hiney prevention.
I may have gotten a little carried away.
The kids weren’t sure what to think about the snow. It’s only snowed twice in significant amounts since they were born here in the tropics, and only Aiden was old enough to play in it. Malone fell once and his screaming reached such decibel proportions that we thought surely he’d lost a toe. And then we found the ice on his belly. The drama.
It was nice to breathe a little this weekend… (When said ski pants were not donned.)
I snapped a few quick photos with my phone at Stone Mountain to share this set of barn doors I spied. Loved the idea for a home. Or my own dream barn. Yep. I just used dream in a sentence. Let the angry mob torches commence. ;} I confess. I secretly dream of barns. We can dream of barns, right?
Such cute, colorful little buildings!
We spent our downtime afterwards, at the indoor hotel pool. Because what’s a trip for our kids without a pool? An unwritten requirement.
Father of the year totally got in while I sat on the side in my wool sweater and golashes. After I stopped sweating in ski pants it was too cold to swim. Too hot to sled. First world problems.
We had the best of hot and cold weather reversed, in one day.
And we enjoyed every moment of it.
It really is the simple things.
That, and a quick run to Ikea the next day = Icing on the cake. (It was all the kids would tolerate, after all)
Touché, Mills offspring. Touché.
Here’s to small escapes. Little adventures.
And simple fun!
Amanda @ Serenity Now says
Fun excursion! I understand your feelings about the snow. Every few years, we’ll get a blizzard here in Virginia that will come and go for two weeks or so, and it is ROUGH. One year, I was stuck with a baby, a two year old, and a cranky husband who had just had surgery. It was my worst nightmare.
You got some great shots of the kids…and I rock a minivan too. 😉 I call it my Swagger Wagon.
layla k says
hurray for swagger wagons! 😉
Anna says
Hilarious. I can see you now in your ski pants in the middle of a hot day in Georgia. LOVE it.
JT says
Good for you guys on going somewhere and doing something fun with your kids. I’m inspired now. And thank you for the laugh this morning. You always make me laugh!
Sunny Jane says
HA! I grew up in Alabama, and have lived in northern Idaho for 8 yrs. I don’t even think about the snow now. I can drive in it and live to tell the story! But #3 brought back fond memories of staring in wide-eyed wonder/terror at the four snowflakes that fell on our back porch in AL one time.
Rita@thissortaoldlife says
Just this morning my daughter texted me that some friends had found an old blog of mine with pictures of her from early middle school. She was not exactly pleased! But it was OK. The tiger hats will be, too. 🙂
ashley @ the handmade home says
haha that’s awesome. I try not to share TMI with my kids, and I will especially limit it as they get older. They will resent me! That’s so funny! ;}
kelly thompson says
that looked so fun- I vicariously lived through your vacation for a moment! the pics were lovely too!
ashley @ the handmade home says
Thanks, Kelly! It was a fun quick little getaway. ;}
Lucy says
Ha, I live in the UK and it sounds just like your snow days! Only 2 at a time, everything grounds to a halt and the shops are bare of supplies! I drag out the skiing gear from 10 years ago and put on to take the children to school! What fun!!
ashley @ the handmade home says
haha so glad to know it’s not just us southerners that get all kinds of excited! ;}
melissa says
I just had one of those a week ago and it was AMAZING. No homework, no chores, no getting on the computer. It was in the mountains and the view was so gorgeous. We needed that!
Maryann C says
We moved to central FL about 3 years ago from northern VA where it snows plenty. The kids were recently looking at photos of themselves playing in the VA snow (which they don’t really remember) and said they wished we had snow here. Here, at the beach in FL. I totally laughed and said, “See those foot flops and shorts you get to wear in February? People would love to be in your shoes right now!” Unless you’re into skiing or winter sports, uck…snow sucks.
Kates says
I live in the Midwest where snow is no big deal, even driving in ice doesn’t seem to faze us anymore. I would love to be in a short drive to somewhere warm where we could enjoy the snow without layering up! Seriously though it was 30 degrees today and I saw people walking without coats on. We are desperate for warm weather!!! Must do a mini vaca soon to warmer weather!
Tiffini says
your a crack up girl! oh to be your age with my little ones in tow again…swimming at hotel pools
after all those kids i just want a “barn” in the woods by a lake.
and yes…i am dreaming:)
xo
Charron says
What wonderful and fun memory! The sweating in the snow pants will make it a memory for life.. without it would have just been another fun day.. 🙂
Thanks for the smile Mills crew!
Betty Bake says
life is TOTALLY about the little – giant thumbs up to you !! 🙂
cute post!
hugs
Betty Bake
Julie says
I applaud you for giving your kids memories that will last a lifetime. The tiger hats will only embarrass them for a few years, so don’t worry about that. The best thing that is likely to happen? They will repeat this impromptu snow day with their own families when they are all grown up.
My 4 kids are grown now and reading about your adventure reminds me of how fast they grew up. Our grandkids LOVE the funny pictures of their parents when they were little and also love hearing stories about what they liked to do as kids.
Here in Austin, we have the same snow situation y’all do…like, never. But when that “never” happens, the whole city shuts down due to all the hills & the ice we get with the snow. About 10 years ago, we had a 3 day shutdown and neither the post office, FEDEX or UPS delivered. I still remember it because it was the longest 3 days of my life-the storm was a surprise, and I ended up at home alone the whole time.
Your family is beautiful!
Amy Cherise says
Simplicity is always the best!!!
Rachel says
Busted can of biscuits! Hahahahahhahaa!
tara says
yay for stone mtn fun…love that place.
i keep seeing all this snow that other bloggers are living in and i think i’d love it…but the truth is, you’re right..i’d be over it in two days.
glad you guys got away…so necessary!!!
we got away to orlando last week for three days…just what we needed!!
ps. i think we have the same cowboy boots! Lucchese?