What Do You Do With the Kids on Snow Days?

Welcome to a new feature on Patch that make it's debut today. It will be published every Wednesday afternoon. It's called Moms Talk, the result of a discussion session with some local Moms and a Mr. Mom.

Each week we will explore a different aspect of parenting, providing tips, finding out what works (and what doesn't work) and addressing the challenges of raising children. And we need your input too! There's a comment box at the end of each article and we hope you will use it.

In a small way, we hope the discussions from those actively dealing with toddler temper tantrums, picky eaters or whether a 10-year-old should have a cell phone, will help provide other parents with some insights and ideas. 

The Moms Council consists of Tracy DeMoor and Denise Bertacchi, of Fenton, Brandon Smith, of Arnold, and Laura Lanemann, of Affton.

During the first Moms Council, the discussion was about the most obvious problem facing moms at this time of year: How do you handle snow days? The unusual amount of foul winter weather has led to a record number of  days off school, with school districts already racking up six to 13 days when classes have been cancelled.

Members of the Mom’s Council are fairly lucky. Brandon, has neighbors who can watch his 4-year- old when pre-school is canceled, while the other panelists are at-home moms who can easily change their routine to accommodate kids at home. Oddly enough, finding things to occupy the kids during snow days has made us discover that our kids have way too many toys.

This week’s question: What do you do when the kids have snow days?

Laura: Lots and lots of Wii. And lots of Legos. I like to bake, so we baked a lot, too.

Brandon: It’s hard for me because I still have to pay for snow days. Katie has a little bit of a speech impediment, so she goes to special school for a half a day. When we have snow days, even if they only go to two days out of the week, the preschool wants to be paid for all five days.

Denise: My kids got to watch a lot of Netflix while I tried to keep working. We tried to get out and play in the snow some, but we had to wait for the weekend to go sled riding so we could take Dad with us.

Tracy: We went through everything in the basement. We have stuff we don’t play with, so we reorganized everything and pulled out stuff to donate.

Brandon: Plus, it’s always fun going through the basement, because then they’re like, "Oh man, I forgot I had this!" You can always find something to do.

Tracy: I grew up with a grandma who was a hoarder. That influenced me greatly. I ask my kids, “do you really play with this, is there somebody who could get some joy out of this?”

Laura: Plus you’re showing respect for their stuff. You can’t just toss it, I know mine. Mathew would know.

Denise: I think it’s easier when they're little to just make things go away.

Brandon: Yeah, if I was asking my four year old, can I get rid of that? She’s say, “No, no, no, I like that!”

Tracy: I started when they were young. At one point Anna had 20 Barbies. So I just laid them out and said, “How about we keep half of them? For everyone one you want, lets pick one to give to somebody else who’d play with it.” You don’t say let’s get rid of your Barbies, you say… here, let's pick our 10 favorite to keep and give some to somebody who wouldn’t have them otherwise.

Laura: And if you start it earlier it becomes a natural part of what goes on inside your house. We go through periodically and we don’t let it build up.

Brandon: I have a hard time, because I go to work at 9 a.m. and come home at 6 p.m. I’ve only got a few short hours to cook, clean and get her ready for bed. It’s a bit more of a challenge. I just don’t feel motivated when I get home to go through her room.