So it's winter and chances are you are knee-deep in snow. Or possible just ankle deep, but either way, if you have kids, freshly fallen snow probably means it's time for them to partake in snowball fights, making snowmen, and rolling around in the snow. But for our younger kids to even make it that far, so begins the what-seems-to-take 10-hour rigmarole of getting the kiddos all dressed in their long underwear, snow pants, socks, boots, sweaters, coats, hats, and last but not least...their gloves! And let's be clear, the gloves are the most difficult part of all because you don't want their precious little wrist to dare be bare when out in the elements. So the question is...do you put them on before the coat goes on so the wristbands of the gloves are "stuck" in the sleeve of the coat? Or after the coat is on so you can meticulously pull and tuck and hope that they stay put? Again, bare wrists in the snow and cold is no bueno, right? So I guess I've always had my kids put on their gloves and THEN their coats. I subscribe to the theory that the wristbands are now "stuck" in the coat sleeve and their little wrists will be protected from the elements. Ok, so that's settled. Or is it?
Because you know what happens next. Oh, you know. After ALL of that pain-staking work to get them outside to play in the snow, you finally sit down and catch your breath from this what-could-quality-as-a-HIIT workout, only to hear the unmistakable sound that only their little gloved fists could make as they pound on the door. It's over. They got snow down their gloves and coat sleeves and now they want to come back in! Argh!! Are you kidding me? No rest for the weary.
Or it there? So after this happened to me every winter (and when I was outside playing with them the requests to put their gloves back on grew exponentially), I figured there had to be a better way. If only....if only their gloves would stay on. And then I had it. I did a quick Amazon search to find out that a solution existed!! And if you are still battling the above issue, read on! For those of you who already discovered this solution, shame on you for not shouting it from the rooftops or skywriting it across the blue sky. No, kidding, but it just seemed so simple once I realized there was a solution.
And the solution was this: snow gloves (duh) that have long, really long wristbands. Wristbands that go all the way up to your kids elbows! What! Why hadn't I heard of or thought of this before!! Again, duh.
So I found two pairs of these what-would-become life-changing gloves and quickly hit Add to Cart and Proceed to Checkout. Within two days, the gloves had arrived and although the snow from the previous snowfall had melted, I couldn't WAIT for our next snowstorm! When I giddily presented the gloves to the kids, they couldn't understand wide eyes and my smile, and gave me a sideways look. They just don't get what this means, I mused. But they will once they get out there in the snow next time. And then those sideways glances will turn straight and look me in the eyes with a debt of gratitude. Or so I imagine in my head.
And guess what, that's exactly what happened. And while I still subscribe to the gloves on before coat method, I no longer have to hope and pray that those sweet little wrists of theirs won't meet up with the freezing snow. As a parent, it is a breath of fresh air. Not only am I making certain my guys are safe when they are out in the elements and can now stay outside and play longer than the previous nanosecond, but I have now earned a few minutes to myself to finally sit down and catch my breath after that strenuous workout that got them out there. No one will be knocking on the door too soon...unless, oh no, unless I forgot to remind them to use the bathroom before they went out! :-)
