Wintry Mix

I so wanted today to be a "snow day"... but no such luck. They did do an early dismissal at 2, whoopty doo. All that accomplished was me having to stand in long lines at each school, some of the time OUTSIDE while I waited my turn to sign my kiddos out and show my ID. It was a mad house! Parents everywhere and GERMS! The main office of any school during winter makes my skin crawl, but that's another post.
They only gave us a 30 minute warning, nice huh? And, they neglected to tell us in the message that even though school dismissed at 2, buses would be running from 2:45 til 3:45. Which meant if I didn't get the kids myself I would have been home waiting on the buses, likely a nervous wreck. So, after 1 & 1/2 hours at 4 different schools we headed to Wal-Mart for firewood (sold out) and stuff for dinner. That took less time than the school debacle, we were in and out in 20 minutes! We hadn't been out of the van for 30 seconds when Hunter stood on the mini BMX gate in our front yard and promptly fell on his butt. It was a solid sheet of ice. I've never seen a kid contorted that way before! He just laid there arms and legs splayed out, drink spilled, his bag of jawbreakers busted in the grass and laughed his butt off. We all did. Really I almost wet my pants. The only thing that held me back was the fact that it was below freezing and I didn't want frozen pee on my jeans. We did manage to have a nice dinner: homemade lasagna, salad with my famous Ranch dressing, and garlic bread, yum! It's now 11-ish and I am sitting on my bed with the laptop and a sleeve of Thin Mints. I am refreshing the school closings list every 3 seconds while I listen to the TV. Oh yeah- I am also listening to what sounds like a train in our attic. I thought our heat pump was about to explode, but Jon assured me it's only the attic fans trying to spin but they are too frozen to do their job. Wonderful. Anyway- stay warm and cozy and don't drive if you don't have to. And, cross your fingers that there's no school tomorrow....

Enough is Enough!

I am so dang tired of cloudy dreary days. I get it, it's Winter. But it's also a Texas Winter. Would someone please tell the sun?? I am ready for a sunny Texas day. It can be cold, I really don't care. I just want to be able to feel the sun on my face and maybe wear a pair of sunglasses. If tomorrow's forecast of sun and 70 degrees is wrong I am packing my bags and moving somewhere warm. Like Arizona. For sure I can't go to Vegas, it freaking snowed there this week!!

Fun and easy ways to stay warm this Winter

With Winter rapidly approaching, I thought I would compile a quick list. A list of simple and cheap ways to keep warm when there's a chill in the air.

Place hot fresh baked potatoes in your pockets. It worked for the Pioneers, why wouldn't it work for us? This also solves the "I'm starving to death" complaint that comes out of your daughter's mouth every single time you run errands. Can also be used as a weapon.

Let one or more of your children fall asleep in your bed. When it's time for you to go to sleep, move your kid to their own bed, and voila- instant warmth when you return. Better yet, you could let your kid sleep with you, which provides a constant flow of heat.

Serve lots of chili. This one speaks for itself. Especially at our house. One pot of chili provides enough warmth for us to turn off the heater altogether.

Place a load of towels in the dryer right before your 60 minute nightly bath. This allows the towels to fully dry in the same amount of time you are bathing. Be prepared to bang on the wall so your spouse can bring you a towel from the dryer. Since, oops you forgot yours. Or, take your cell phone and text him instead.

Run all your TV's at the same time. Sure you're wasting electricity, but just adjust your thermostat a bit and it should balance things out in the power department.

Wait to go potty til after your husband is finished. I know, crazy huh? But, men tend to spend 43 minutes longer than necessary to do their business, which is insane... but the seat will be nice and toasty. You'll need a clothespin and a good air freshener, but at least your butt will be cozy.

Float a bottle of lotion in the tub while you bathe. It will be nice and warm when it's time to moisturize your ashy legs, crusty heels and leathery elbows.

There you have it. Cheap and simple ways to stay warm this Winter. Don't worry, they all work. Tried and tested by me. You're welcome.