Snow can be a funny old thing. At first you are all excited for your kids and the youngest gets to see proper snow for the first time. Then the next minute you realise you can’t leave the house at all, other than by foot in up to 1 feet high snow. It’s great fun altogether for the oldest but the youngest is scared to death to sink into it.
At this stage we have survived the Beast from the East and were struck by cabin fever for at least three out of the five days were stuck at home. I would have never thought it could be this bad actually. Ireland wouldn’t be your average country that is used to the snow every year such as the Eastern European countries like Germany, France, Latvia etc. Winter tyres is not something that has been discussed or put in place over here. And is the same story for all the other winter equipment. Thought everyone was brilliant throughout the whole storm.
Wednesday morning we woke up to a huge amount of snow. I would have thought it would hold off until Thursday but nope. School and creche were closed for the whole entire week. Now what does a parent do who would normally have to work but now has kids at home? We took turns. I had to take annual leave on Wednesday and Friday because it was just impossible to get any work done with them little beans jumping around the house. Particularly when you have a job that consists of being on the phone 90% of the time.
The weekly grocery shopping was due on Thursday. This was clearly not going to happen. Instead I braved Tesco to get some milk and bread. It’s amazing how bread becomes so important to people. Also the only milk I could get, was super milk. So during the Beast from the East I got the taste of some super milk… why not.
The kids and me braved the snow and went outside the front. Chloe was not a fan at all. Matthew went straight in. He didn’t care how wet he got or how much snow ended up in his wellies. We went for a short walk while carrying Chloe crying about the snow. The snow got heavier and it was freezing so we had to come back inside. Later on in the afternoon Matthew and I built a snowman in the garden. That was a pure workout. My legs were in bits the next day and still are a little bit now. Matthew also wanted to create a tiny little snowman beside our big one.
The next day was a work day for me from home while hubby minded the kids. Most surgeries would have been closed so we didn’t even get twenty calls. At lunch time I had to walk to Tesco one last time to get the main bits that will last us until over the weekend. Tesco was closing at 1pm as Storm Emma was about to hit as well. More milk was purchased (this time low fat) and some meat so we can actually have some proper family dinners.
Friday morning was a shock with the amount snow we once again got. There were a few feet high snow drifts around. We couldn’t even open the front door. We were snowed in. The afternoon was spent digging ourselves out. Matthew found that very enjoyable while Chloe stayed inside where it’s safe. The rest of the day we spent indoors, played games, watched movies and had some treats. A perfect few days off for the kids if you ask me.
Saturday was the day of being able to go the local Tesco again. We head to stock up on a few bits. As I was the only with the proper footwear (yes, freedom for an hour!), I walked up. This normally would take fifteen minutes but it felt like forever. The roads and particularly the paths were in a bad state. There were people helping drivers to move their cars and a tractor moving a truck that got stuck on the main road.
In the afternoon me and Matthew braved the snow in the back garden once again. We had a snow ball fight and made a snow angel until he was soaking wet. We came inside and I made both kids a hot chocolate with a little biscuit. New clothes were put on and we cuddled up in some blankets.
Sunday was the start of digging ourselves out as we all have work on Monday morning. The whole estate pulled together and everyone was out with the shovel and we helped each other. There was also a snow plough going around. Every household gave five Euro as a nice gesture. Best five Euro I ever spent. The first journey out for hubby was to get a take away for us all. They weren’t delivering yet but we were able to collect. We were both craving a nice take away not far from our house after being stuck in the house for so long.
As we speak it’s Monday evening, the kids are in bed and I have a day of work behind me. Matthew’s school was still closed today but will reopen tomorrow. There is still lots of snow around but it is melting more and more day by day. Going to work wasn’t too bad this morning, however when I drove home, I wish I would have worked from home. A journey that normally takes me around 25 minutes, took me 1 hour and twenty minutes. Thankfully I arrived at the creche before it closed.
How did you all get on with the Beast from the East?
