Monday, January 6, 2014

Starting Out Cold

School has been cancelled today. And perhaps tomorrow as well.  It is cold here.  Very, very cold.

By now you've heard of the drastically cold temperatures making their way across the Midwest.  This morning it was -11 when I woke up. It is now -15 with the wind chill climbing it's way down to -45. Yep. That's cold people.

Luckily, we had fair warning that this cold was coming.  The last few days the grocery stores have been jam packed. Bumper to bumper shopping carts in every aisle. I'm glad I ventured out yesterday because I am more than happy to stay home today. I'd love to have a fire going but I honestly don't know if I even want to venture outside for the wood.

This boys are all rough housing in the basement. Grace is chilling out on the chair next to me, nursing herself back from a stomach bug (passed on to her from Joe, who had received it from Tommy- good times). The Christmas trees still stand in their spots, ornaments still in place.  I can't bring myself to take them down just yet.  I think I need the cheery lights to help me through this bleak weather.

The past week we finally saw the first Harry Potter movie, and then the second. Tonight the third is on tv and I will DVR it so that we can watch that one as well. Last year I attempted to get Joey to read the series. Never one for fantasy books he got 10 pages in and announced that he just couldn't do it. It bored him. After watching the first two movies all of the boys are itching to read the series. The books have been ordered (I am always more than happy to comply with reading requests) and will arrive shortly. I must say I'm excited to read them as well. I guess we are quite a bit behind the times, but better late than never.

Also in the past week we have had two appetizer parties for ourselves. One for the game we shall not speak of that occurred last night. And one on New Year's Eve. We even managed to get Todd's sis, her family, and Todd's mom over last minute to ring in the new year with us. We celebrated with too much food, a few drinks, and poker.
Good times.

I wasn't going to hop on the beginning of the year exercise fad but I got the itch to go running and joined in anyway. It had been two months since I ran and I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I got into it again. I am going to try and get back on the healthy eating track since I indulged far too much over the holidays, but I'm not going crazy with it. Healthy living is my motto.

Yes, life is chugging along in these parts. And other than a few stomach bugs (and subsequent late night vomit attacks and sheets/blanket washing) and hideously cold weather life is good.

Now if you'll excuse me I need to go put on another pair of socks and a second sweatshirt.

14 comments:

Unknown said...

We are snuggled in here too with a foot of snow on the ground and now school! Nothing like an extension to winter break. Bring on the movies!

Anonymous said...

It's a hunker down kind of week, isn't it?

Kat said...

Just found out that school is cancelled for tomorrow as well. I think the boys are already getting a bit of cabin fever. Must come up with new ways to entertain them. Just now I decided to have them help me take the ornaments off the Christmas trees (though we are leaving the trees up and lit for a little while longer- pretty lights!). Maybe I'll make them clean next. ;)
Stay warm, everyone!

Wisconsin Girl said...

Funny...kids rotating through baths right now and I was going to have them help me take the ornaments off the tree after that. We are looking for things to keep busy, and now with school off tomorrow too, we'll have to get really creative!

dawn klinge said...

It's probably not as fun to have school cancelled when you can't even go out to play. I hope that you all stay warm and cozy over the next few days.
My son wasn't interested in reading Harry Potter until he saw the movies. At first I thought that seeing the movie would make him not want to read the book, but it just made him more interested. Those are such great books!

Kelly said...

Our school was cancelled today and tomorrow as well. We have played a lot of board games and watched movies. All I want to do is snuggle under a blanket with coffee and veg. It has been nice but will be good to get back into our routine.

Tabor said...

Please stay safe and I am hoping you do not lose power or be forced to drive somewhere in this weather. Ours is cold, but not nearly what some of you-all a facing. My daughter started reading Harry Potter to her son when he was about 7 and he is not listening to the last book. Even though he cannot read it himself and she stops and explains things, I think the vocabulary gained from a British writer is phenomenal.

Tabor said...

I meant to write he is now listening to the last book!! He loves the experience.

lime said...

bitter cold and stomach bugs....yep, sounds like our life too. keep warm and i hope the bug doesn't hit everyone.

Bijoux said...

My son is at a Big 10 school, and they shut down campus today and tomorrow. That NEVER happens.

Middle Child had an orthodontist appt., so we were out. I think it was -1 at the time. Crazy, but it didn't seem any different than the usual 25 degrees to me!

Anonymous said...

Just hearing those temps makes me cold - Even Alaska is warmer! Hope you all stay safe and warm until it blows over.

betty said...

I really thought your team would win on Sunday. (but I am glad the Chargers won, though I know they weren't playing Green Bay). My neighbors next door were a bit bummed with it too.

Ick with the stomach flu, never fun to deal with but it seems like everyone decided it would be a "great" experience to have to welcome Christmas and the new year.

I like your motto of healthy living; I think that's something doable rather than setting hard goals or resolutions.

betty

Cyndy @ Back in the Bush said...

I just love your hair.
It's unusually cold here too and I am happy to stay in under my electric blanket.
Hope everyone is feeling better asap!

Unknown said...

Oh gosh, hope you all kept warm! It was SO cold here in the South too, at least for us Southerners!

And it's all good on being a little late to the Harry Potter party. At least now you don't have to wait for any next book to come out! :)

Happy New Year!!

Words To Live By

Be grateful for each new day.
A new day that you have never lived before.
Twenty-four new, fresh, unexplored hours to use usefully and profitably.
We can squander, neglect, or use them.
Life will be richer or poorer by the way we use today.
Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could;
some blunders and absurdities crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day.
You shall begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be
encumbered with your old nonsense.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson