So seriously 24 inches of snow? Really!? Our first winter storm in this area this season and you really are dumping on us aren’t you Jonas? 

Yes I have the weather channel on non-stop and it is looking like whatever way the storm goes the area where I live is going to get a LOT of snow.  I’m kinda freaked.

 Normally I’m not so  freaked out but I am not going to be here on the farm for much of today and all day tomorrow-Thursday. (Storm is due Friday). Hubby and I will be helping my mom -who lives up near Lancaster PA about 90 minutes away -through her back surgery tomorrow. 

The plan was to get her through her surgery Thursday and stay through Friday or Saturday with the intent that she would be moved to a rehab hospital over the weekend where she will recover from back surgery for a couple weeks. I would take her dog home with me and she would start her recovery there. Good plan -I thought. 

That ship has sailed because Jonas has decided to make a debut sometime Friday and because I can’t fathom leaving three teens alone in a giant storm. The picture in my head becomes a horror story. 

I picture power outages, no plumbing, no way to get to the animals BC they didn’t think to continuously clear a path during the storm to the barn, the Xbox would lull them into a stupor until the power leaves and then it’s too late. What will they do for heat?What would they do for food? They may not think to make a sandwich with all the lunch meat we bought in case the power leaves. Or they will have already consumed all the easy prep stuff in our absence before the storm. Seriously you just don’t know with teens.

Also, there are too many things to get done ahead of the storm and things to deal with during the storm and after. What ifs keep running through my head. Which doubles my anxiety. 

So I’m attempting to be proactive and I have a BEfore STorm to-do list that I pray my kids will begin to tackle today an tomorrow while we are out helping my mom.  I can’t be sure how that will turn out. But I’m crossing my fingers. 

My hope is that my mom is doing well in the hospital tomorrow and we can head home late Thursday night ahead of this nasty storm. At the very latest we will leave very early Friday morning. This storm really had bad timing. 

This is a time where I need to be in too many places at the same time. So I have to pick the place where we have the greatest chances for trouble and that is on our farm with our three kids. 

I may sound like all I care about is them making sure things on the farm are ok and that they eat but really to be far away from them in this big a storm is a scary feeling for this mom. I get all into planning mode when I have fear. It is my way to have some control ( in my head) over a crazy, freaking, come at a bad time snow storm. 

If  we are home I feel like we can keep the teens safe. They are still my baby chicks after all. Being apart just isn’t an option for me. So I’m hoping to be home in my nice warm bed tomorrow night waiting for Jonas to stop by and hoping I’ve stocked up on good shovels and enough wine to calm my nerves.  

–Picture courtesy of constantcontact.com