Notes from Motherhood is written by Anne, Mummy to Francesca, Molly and Benjamin. Anne is the BornFree™ Social Networking coordinator for the UK.  Originally posted in Jan 2010.

I don’t want to be a party pooper but, honestly, I have had enough of snow.

I know! The kids love it and we can build snowmen and igloos, have snowball fights, go sledging, make snow angels and generally do all the fun activities associated with the white stuff. But still, I am finding it all a bit wearing now. Let me explain.

I have 3 children under 5 and no matter how hard I try to have everything handy it will always take at least 15 minutes to find 3×3 layers of clothes, 3 pairs of gloves, 3 hats, 3 coats, 3 pairs of wellies and one pair of waterproof trousers for the little one. It then takes approximately 20 minutes to cajole and squeeze 3 very impatient, wriggly, and increasingly hot and floppy small people in to all of this garb.

By the way, one very important piece of advice: NEVER put on all your own layers before attempting this task as there is serious risk of spontaneous combustion while you struggle with the kids. It’s also much harder to maintain your sense of humour.

So, almost 40 minutes after saying yes to going outside, the kids are hot, cross and more than a little bit whiny. We get outside and the little one falls flat on his face and can’t get up, the first of many times. I right him and help the girls onto the sledge and off they go. I turn around and the little one is stuck in a mound of snow and crying. The girls have got to the bottom of the hill and now need help to pull the sledge back up it. I have to take the little one with me to the bottom of the hill otherwise he’ll try to follow and end up skidding down on his face, so down we go and he gets a pull back up the hill. Now the girls want to go back down again and I have to take little one of the sledge. Abject misery ensues with a lot of hysterics thrown in. The girls get back on the sledge and zoom back down the hill and so it continues.

and yes they are his sister's waterproofs!

After 10 minutes of this the little one has had enough and wants to go back inside  but the girls are just getting into the swing of it and more hysteria follows until they are persuaded to relocate to the back garden where they can play where I can see them from the kitchen.

Little one is unwrapped, given warm milk, cuddled, then happily settles down to watching In the Night Garden.

they're happy... for now!

Ten more minutes of  hilarity and snowball fights go by until 3 year old gives in and wants dry clothes, warm milk and cuddles too. 4 year old is persuaded to follow suit even though she would happily lie on the ground and make snow angels for hours. Note, however, that once inside, cold and fatigue have taken over and the wet things cannot be peeled off quickly enough and a lot of moaning and groaning goes on until more warm milk and cuddles are issued.

I then spend 10 minutes picking up the wet things, putting them on radiators mopping up puddles and wiping noses.

Five minutes later this is what I hear:

” Mummy can we go outside and play now?”

Do you catch my drift?

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