Rules Were Meant to be Broken

2006-03-02 009
Originally uploaded by shanrev.

Well we got some snow today and for the first time since before Christmas it was enough to warrant the shovel coming out of storage. Abby desparately wanted to go outside to play so I sent her outside with said shovel while I watched from inside with Maya. She's nearly four now it's about time she started pulling her weight around here. Now before you get all outraged I should tell you it was a really light weight snow so she didn't struggle too much with it. It took her just over an hour to clear the driveway. I know because I watched Oprah while she did it.

Seriously though, Abby really did want to go outside and play. So after she and Maya had both eaten their lunch and Maya was settled down for a nap she and I headed outside. Maya slept just inside the front door so I could check on her often. Since I was outside anyway I figured I'd be a nice wife and have the driveway shovelled by the time Michael came home so he wouldn't have to worry about it. He's slowly getting over his cold, but he's not quite there yet. Of course Abby wanted to help, but all I had to offer her was Mike's pathetic garage broom. It didn't hold her interest for long and she was off just making tracks through the snow. Our front yard looks like one of those Family Circus cartoons. You know the ones where Billy wanders all over the neighbourhood.

I guess Abby hasn't reviewed the Revill Family Rule Book. Yes there is one. This family has so many rules we had to write them down to keep then straight. For example, cheese and mustard are not allowed on the same sandwich. Holiday dinners require a pre-dinner meeting to hammer out last minute details like are we passing food clockwise or counter-clockwise. My brother made the mistake of skipping the pre-dinner rules review one Christmas which resulted in him making a cross table pass with the potatoes. A major holiday dinner foul. He hasn't been invited back and it remains a subject of conversation at every holiday meal since. Obviously the rules aren't all food related. You can't date a cheque on a Sunday, that one came up just recently. You can't, for example, buy a new microwave just because you'd like to. Your current microwave must be broken and unrepairable. If you cannot follow this rule then the old microwave must be kept and stored in the basement in case of a problem with the new microwave. It's all so complicated which is why we had to write the book.

So the rule Abby broke today is clearly stated in the Yard, Winter, Snow Chapter of the Rule Book. Section 17 Article B for quick reference. After a fresh snowfall children must do all their playing in the back yard. They are to refrain from marring the pristine beauty of said fresh snowfall in the front of the house. If you "use up" the snow in the back yard, too bad. The front yard is to remain untouched because it annoys Papa. That's really the basis for all the rules in the Rule book. I wonder if Papa felt a chill down his spine this afternoon as Abby traipsed back and forth across the front yard, dragging the garage broom behind her.

Since my birthday is coming up, I'll close by saying.... you're a rather handsome man Papa.