When I come across a Twitter or FB status updates by people exclaiming how much work they're getting done being trapped at home due to snow, there's one thing I'm able to deduce about those people: they have no children. Or at least no children living with them.

I got almost nothing accomplished these last two weeks.

Gideon hasn't been in school since February 4th. Most of his activities were cancelled too. He has absolutely no self-awareness of how stir crazy he's become. He's bitching at Chris and me constantly about the most ridiculous (even for a little kid) things. Well, Chris mostly, I don't much tolerate sass and nip that shit in the bud. This morning I found a bunch of wet wash clothes in the linen closet. I asked Gideon why. He doesn't know why. Just like he doesn't know how or why there's glue all over my office chair or why he's used my stamps like they were stickers . . . he doesn't even want to go back to school anymore. He's grown accustomed to staying at home, busting shit and yelling at us.

I woke up Sunday morning and thought, we got through it, he'll go back to school on Monday as a make-up and everything will go back to normal. Then Sunday afternoon Fairfax County announced school was cancelled on Monday and a two hour delay on Tuesday. Some roads still have not been plowed (I found some of those roads last night driving to my reading in Arlington). Many of the school's sidewalks and nearby walking paths had not been shoveled yet, they were asking volunteers to come help.

So he'll go to school late tomorrow. Finally. It'll be his 5th birthday. Today we made cupcakes for his class. Saturday we're having a party at a pottery studio.

We ordered a robot-shaped cake.