**Long post - lots of pictures!**
So...winter. It's no secret that I am NOT a fan of winter. I detest most things winter related: bundling up every time you want to leave the house, slush and snow and mud tracked through my house every time the kids come in, the cold, COLD weather, salt and crud caked all over my boots, chapped and raw faces, lips, and hands, etc. etc. etc. Seriously, I could go on all day.
We are having a doozy of a winter this year I tell you! In the month of January, the boys have had SEVEN snow days! SEVEN! Are you kidding me!?! They have had so many snow days that they aren't even sure yet how they're going to make them all up. It's bananas.
Anyway. Here's how we've been handling this Polar Vortex.
Josie started off the new year with a case of the stomach flu. Poor girl. I will say this though, she was a real trooper! As sick as she was, she didn't make a single mess and kept a positive attitude all day. So we had a nice, quiet day snuggling and watching movies.
I started packing. I'm not doing a lot of packing since we're having movers this time around, but I am trying to get the house organized and cleared out a bit so that it can look nice when we put it up on the market. One month! One month until this house goes up. My stress level when I think of this is through the roof.
It's been cold. Like, -30+ degrees cold. So cold that Disco didn't want to go outside at all (and you KNOW that must mean cold). Poor dog would pee on the deck and run right back inside.
I pinned this machine on Pinterest because I thought it looked awesome. A day or so later, one of my sweet Vermont friends said that she had one that they weren't using and sent it to me! I haven't used it yet, but it's coming (I think we'll start with bananas and peanut butter - yum)!
So, here's all the anger. A few Saturdays ago, I took Josie to a birthday party. It was snowing heavily, but the roads weren't too bad so I took her anyway. A few hours later I went to pick her up and the snow was epic! Not only that, but the plow hadn't come yet. I had to get Jo though, no choice. On our way home, my van got stuck right in front of my house. I couldn't move forward or backward. I was fit to be tied for sure! Justin was on call but I called him anyway to vent. I must have been a mess though because he called one of the interns to dig my car out.
She's pretending to be asleep. I think she's adorable. No matter what season.
This is hilarious. Our across the street neighbor pays a private plow company to come plow his driveway every winter. They've definitely had their work cut out for them this month! On this particular day it was a mess. The plow hadn't been down our street in days (we were literally snowed in, it was a horrible claustrophobic feeling) and the snow drifts were really high. This plow got stuck.
I feel a little bad about this, but all of us just stood at the window and watched about four grown men dig this plow out. We were laughing and taking pictures. Oh the irony!
With so many days off of school we were getting desperate for things to do (especially since it was WAY to cold to go outside). I started giving out chores. My kids cleaned cabinets, wiped down baseboards, and a whole host of other chores. They didn't love it, but I did (cue maniacal laugh) AND - bonus - it prevented them from telling me how bored they were all day!
Sammie wasn't sure what she was doing, but she refused to be left out of all the chore-doing fun!
Josie, as always, chose to dress seasonally appropriate.
THE PLOW CAME!!! Honestly, we were stuck in our house for three days. Justin couldn't get out to go to work or anything. We were prepared, we had everything we needed, but there's something about not being able to get out in case of an emergency that was making both Justin and myself crazy. We would go look out the window every ten minutes looking for the plow. When the plow finally did come, we opened our front door and clapped and waved! Honestly, if I'd had any treats, I would have taken them to the plow guy. He was definitely our hero!
We celebrated Clayton's half birthday (**side note - less than six months until he's 10! SOB!**)
We chillaxed and watched tons (TONS) of Sesame Street.
We stayed in jammies all day (which, by the way, made a huge difference in my laundry - it was awesome).
On Tuesday, the roads were deemed safe for travel. (Did I mention that we had a state of emergency here in IN? If you were caught out on the roads you could get a ticket.) We were happy about this because Justin had killer tickets to a Notre Dame basketball game. He and Clayton got to go and sit in the luxury box. The game started at 9:30. Initially we had been concerned about Clayton being out that late on a school night, but since school had been cancelled - there was nothing to worry about. These guys of mine had a great time!
We did projects. Josie is my little crafter. We have been doing a lot of kindergarten readiness lately and she's doing a great job.
More chores.
I got these little brooms and dustpans at the dollar spot at Target. BEST two dollars I've ever spent. I only wish I'd gotten a few more...
We got a little silly.
We watched the Superbowl. Justin knows how to watch in style. Lucky duck got to watch the start of the game snuggled in between these two beauties. It's okay to be jealous. I am!
So that's how we survived the Polar Vortex. I can only hope that the worst is over and we can start to warm up soon (the weather yesterday was 25 degrees and Noah was convinced that he didn't need a coat because it was so warm - ha!). Hopefully later this week I'll do a post on the upside of winter (because, despite what I've said in this post - there is an upside)! Stay warm friends!
