ice day, snow day, fun day!

Another day home from school means another day to plan some fun! We slept in and then created a tour de casa so we had something fun to do in each room of the house. We had fun collaborating on what to do. The kitchen is our sweet spot, so we decided to create some beignets. I think Princess Tiana would be pleased 😀

Den- PE (aka Twister)

Kitchen- Science (make beignets)

Computer room- Math (start a puzzle)

Living room- Language Arts (aka watch a movie and discuss)

Her room- Health (spa stuff)

My room- Study hall (Play a game)

She enjoyed it. I enjoyed it. It was a nice break from her e-learning and I can only do so much laundry! I could probably craft all day every day, but even I needed a break from my current project.

today we find the joy in a real snowfall!

Two days ago I asked why we live in a place where it hurts my face to step outside sometimes. It got really cold really fast! And then we look outside this glorious morning and I remember why. The snow and all the magic that comes with it. Enough said. 

I hate the cold. I can never get warm. I will crawl into bed at night just to realize one of my hands or feet is purely frozen. It's always just one, never both. And then I lay there trying to warm it up before getting out of bed to run warm water on my hands or throw on extra socks. My circulation is just that bad.

Then you have the added bonus of shoveling driveways and sidewalks (thankfully I don't do that), walking dogs in the snow,  getting mail in the snow, running the car forever on -3 days so you can drive it... The list goes on. I appreciate all the effort that others put in to make sure the roads are safe, the furnace works and the wood pile is always stacked for a good fire. I TRY to find joy and gratitude :)

Today we choose joy. Sure it's cold, but we have fresh snow to look at and play in. Sure it's on the roads, but plows are running nonstop to keep us safe. We have hot chocolate, wood for the fire and new snowpants to enjoy. We can watch the animals enjoy this wonter wonderland as well.

As we approach the chilly, blah winter months we will try to choose joy. Find joy in hot chocolate instead of grumbling about the snow. Find joy in a Netflix marathon instead of grumbling you can't go anywhere. And rejoice in kicking someone's butt in a game of Sequence instead of grumbling the roads are too bad to go out. Go find YOUR joy!

battling the snowy blues

First off, let's talk about this weather. Two days ago I got hot outside. Today around lunch it was snowing furiously. I am dealing with all of this better than expected. I am soldiering on with a smile, keeping my head up, checking in with friends and family, but SNOW?!? The same week as Easter. During a nation-wide quarantine. 

I may have had a moment. A small moment, but it happened. Then it ended and I moved on. I worked out. I baked. Then I worked out AGAIN (and now I am sore). Then I sewed more masks for friends. And I got over it.

Mother Nature is a rotten beast. She is screwing with us and trying to test our patience. Just like this quarantine, this weather will pass. I will be basking in the sun in no time just waiting to head out to a festival or a friend's house.

Positivity is the name of the game in this house. What can we do next? What should we watch? Who should we call? What could we bake? All those questions are better than the deep, dark questions that start dancing around your head when you see snow in April.

I hope my friends, family, and community are staying strong. Fighting the good fight. Quarantining with a quarantini and a Zoom party. Doing something to see the light at the end of the tunnel instead of the darkness that can creep in when you just can't stop playing the "what if?" game.

The snow has ended and there was a rainbow the other day after the rainstorm. Who knows what will happen next? I will try to enjoy what I can while I can and just admit to myself that good enough is indeed good!

Brrrr

This is the current weather report. Brrr. Remind me again why we love somewhere that it's DANGEROUS TO GO OUTSIDE!?! Stay warm, folks. Don't forget about your pets. Don't forget to open the cupboards under the sinks. Your pipes will thank you. 

snowpocalypse time

Welcome to the midwest! Weather is random and unpredictable. It is mild and severe. It is touchy and odd. My area is just starting to get slick, while the Rockford area (not far from us) is supposed to be dangerous, brutal driving conditions. Snow was supposed to start overnight and there's not one drop of snow to be found. YET. Stay safe and stay warm, no matter what weather you get today :)

Brrr...

According to the weather report, it was colder in my hometown the week of Halloween than it was in ALASKA! Yep, Alaska. Brrr. What is this crap? It snowed on Halloween. A week later, we have a winter weather advisory with possible black ice. This means no bus for us. Tomorrow I will be carpool mom. Not only do I not want my kid standing at a dark, cold bus stop but I don't want to be out there, either! I miss summer. Or fall. Or general warmth... It's a Wednesday night and we have the fireplace roaring. It's cozy in here. Maybe I can hibernate for the winter???