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As the second round of a record-setting snowfall hit Montgomery County today, Silver Spring resident Alexandra Fairfield was where she's been since Friday: trapped in her house. Thousands of county residents are snowed in this week, many falling behind on work or school, without power or simply stir-crazy.

Not Fairfield.

"I don't mind at all, I love being snowed in," she said as the sequel to last weekend's snowstorm landed the county with another 10 to 20 inches of snow, accompanied by severe wind gusts. "I love being with my kids."

But do her children feel the same way? Not quite.

"Today I woke up and I realized that I'm kind of getting bored of the same thing," said Fairfield's 18-year-old son Alex Cheney, a senior at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School who hasn't been in school since early Feb. 5 and won't return until Tuesday. "I'm running out of ideas to keep myself amused."

During the first storm and its aftermath, inviting neighbors over for dinner and fixing up the house helped Fairfield battle the so-called "cabin fever" that comes with being snowed in for days at a time. Her son chose sledding, shoveling neighbors' driveways and walking to downtown Silver Spring with his friends.

"We had two friends from Bethesda stay with us because they lost their power," Fairfield said. "It's like a big party; the adults drank lots of wine and the kids went out and horsed around."

But with Wednesday's storm worsening conditions outdoors and canceling Montgomery County Public Schools for the rest of the week, Fairfield's family was simply running out of ideas.

No source better chronicles the minutiae and stagnation of "Snowpacolypse" than Cheney's Facebook status.

"First it was ‘No school for rest of week, didn't see that coming,' then the second one was ‘More snow, less school,'" he said, referring to the Facebook function where users list what they are doing at the time. "Today it was ‘Snow drops keep falling on my head.'"

Cheney may be more active than his 15-year-old sister, who was asleep as of 11:30 a.m. But he admitted even the prospect of a week off from school is losing its luster.

"I don't know what to do today," Cheney said. "We've exhausted most of our snow activities."

"Can't get out"

"Cabin fever" isn't a technical medical term, but when Silver Spring-based psychologist Laurel Fay returns to the office next week, she expects to treat plenty of snow-weary patients for its mental side effects.

"It's a breeding ground for family conflict," said Fay, a licensed marriage and family therapist. "What exacerbates it now is the feeling that you can't get out."

Data on calls received at the Montgomery County Crisis Center, which provides assistance for personal or emotional crises including mental illness and domestic violence, hasn't been calculated since Friday's snow began, said Dudley Warner, senior administrator for behavioral health and crisis services for the county's Department of Health and Human Services. But it's no secret that when people feel trapped or confined, Warner's office is going to hear about it.

"People assume that when you are with your family that it's a supportive environment," Warner said. "But it doesn't always follow that being with your family is helpful and supportive."

For families trapped inside with school-age children or couples struggling with overexposure, Kay has a prescription: don't be afraid to be lazy.

"Absolve yourself of any guilt of having a movie marathon with your kids," said Fay, who lives in Bowie and has 4-year-old twins. "There's guilt with putting your kids in front of a TV but it's OK if you need to get work done or just go in another room and read a chapter of a book."

When it's safe to go outside, go outside, Fay said. Haven't used that home exercise equipment in awhile? Dust if off, Fay said.

Silver Spring resident Fig Ruggieri's son and husband trekked to the gym. Bob Oshel's family went to the Silver Spring Library this past weekend and found it packed wall-to-wall with people.

Ruggieri's son Eric and his friend, Cheney, built a snow luge for younger children in their Woodside Park neighborhood, partially as a good deed and partially as an excuse to shovel some more snow.

"If you sit around in your house it gets really boring," said Eric Ruggieri, 17, a junior at Montgomery Blair High School.

Ruggieri spent his Wednesday on Facebook catching up with classmates, some he's "been talking to a lot more than [he] would in school actually," and said being trapped with his family is "mostly relaxing."

Will he feel the same way come Monday?

"Probably not."

"I'm exhausted"

Fig Ruggieri says having an older, self-sufficient son helps her deal with snow captivity. Families with younger children aren't faring quite as well.

Wheaton resident Amy Lee is running out of ideas to pacify her 6-year-old daughter, Cianna, who has been off from Kemp Mill Elementary School since Friday.

"We've been doing little arts and crafts projects — and that's all over the floor," Lee said. "We've been cooking — that's all over the kitchen — and we've been making up stories."

For five-and-a-half days straight.

"I'm exhausted," said the stay-at-home mom.

On Tuesday afternoon, she broke out the shovel, and a little bit of courage, to drive Cianna to her friend's house two miles away for a short play date.

Cianna said she's enjoying the time off from school and the days with mom. But, she admitted, "It gets kind of lonely after awhile."

The first thing the Lees plan on doing once the world opens back up again? "Probably go to a restaurant, eat something not homemade," Lee said. "Despite the freezer full of ‘projects.'"

Wheaton resident Leah Haygood said there's been surprisingly little drama this week, even with two teenagers cooped up in the house. The real problem is the family dog, who's been begging for a walk.

"She hasn't read the blizzard bulletins," Haygood joked.

Older, less-active residents are combating stir-craziness by reaching out to neighbors. Gretchen and Harry Schafft not only invited friends over for dinner Sunday, but with high winds threatening power lines in their neighborhood, took their goodwill a step further. On the neighborhood's online listserv, which has more than 600 members, the Schafft's opened their house to anyone who may lose power in the tree-lined community. About half a dozen neighbors responded with the same offer. The houses with power were to put a smiley face on their front door to welcome the electricity-deprived.

"From our point of view," said Harry Schafft, 77, who claimed this week's storm was the worst he's seen since moving into their Woodside Park neighborhood of Silver Spring in 1977, "There's no such thing as ‘cabin fever.'"

Emerging from hibernation

Spending Wednesday indoors will also give families a chance to look to the weekend, when roads and driveways begin to clear and some semblance of normal life can return. Alex Cheney hopes to have all his schoolwork done by then, so he can make yet another trip to the movies in downtown Silver Spring. Gretchen Schafft, an author, will continue working on the last chapters of her latest book. Eric Ruggieri hopes his swimming tournament is still on for Saturday.

Alexandra Fairfield is still embracing the snow with her future plans. She wants to hold a snow sculpture contest in Silver Spring once the second round of snow ends and winds die down.

"I'll cook dinner for the winner," she said.

She also remembered Sunday is Valentine's Day, as usual, staying a step ahead of her husband.

"We're in our 20th year of marriage, and when I mentioned Valentine's Day to him yesterday, he gave me a look of ‘Oh no,'" Fairfield said. Caught up in visions of the Snowpacolypse, her husband had forgotten the big day.

"At least we have lots of chocolate in the house."

Staff Writer Amber Parcher contributed to this report.