Low Posting Week

Sorry about the lack of posts this week! I’ve been out at doctor appointments, working, doing errands and am now stuck at home again with the “1, 2 punch” of a Nor’easter. I am so sick of hearing about that 1, 2 punch. Right now it’s a pretty snow and is only sticking on non-paved surfaces. But later today and into tomorrow we’re supposed to get pounded with high winds and drifts and accumulations.

But I’m trying to be philosophical about it. Spring is 3 1/2 weeks away. It WILL GET BETTER SOON.

Right?

Gettin’ ‘Er Done Kind of Day

After six long days cooped up together with the kids and Jim, they are back to school and he is away on a business trip for nine days. No, I’m not HAPPY about the nine days, but a break right now, today, is heavenly! We’ll be doing Skype with the webcam, so we’ll be seeing each other.

I don’t know about you, but when the kids are home for long stretches I get next to nothing done. I don’t know what it is, but it always seems to be the case. Therefore, the house is in massive disarray. With everyone gone, though, I’m in a mood to clean and have the ability to stay on task for more than 10 minutes without someone crying/screaming/getting hurt/wanting food/whatever.

Plus, the 4-8 inches they were calling for ended up being about TWO! Halleluia!

7 Quick Takes Friday

It’s been a long week over here. If you live in the eastern part of the U.S. you completely understand. If, however, you don’t, let me revisit it for you:

1. Last Friday/Saturday we received somewhere in the vicinity of 28 inches of snow.

2. The sun came out, the snow plows and blowers and shovels appeared and we dug ourselves out.

3. Until Wednesday, when SNOWMAGGEDON appeared. 24 more inches of the white stuff. And I use “stuff” to protect your eyes, because believe me I want to use another inappropriate word!

4. We dug out yet again. School was canceled Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. And Monday is a national holiday, so this is like another winter break. Only with no new toys to tempt them with.

5. I finally got out to get milk this afternoon. On the way home I was listening to our local “all news all the time” station and they are predicting 4-8″ on Monday night.

6. Oh. My. Word! You have GOT to be kidding me! This winter has broken all the records since we’ve been taking records in the 1800′s!

7. We spent the bulk of our “Christmas money” on buying a snow blower in December during the first big snow. All of the snowless January I questioned that decision. Now I’m extremely grateful we did it.

8. Spring, please come quickly!

Weather Woes

Last Saturday we got somewhere between 24 and 28 inches of snow dumped on it. We (and by we I mean Jim) dug out. The sun shone. Our driveway dried.

And then today happened. It’s Tuesday evening and it’s snowing again. Sometime between now and this time tomorrow we should get between 12 and 18 inches of MORE SNOW. With blizzard conditions.

Um, God? I know you like my children. I like them too most of the time. But you know, all this time together experiencing “togetherness” is not such a good idea. If you like my children enough to want me to SEND THEM TO YOU, it’s working.

Amen.

Snowed In

It’s 7:44 and I came downstairs about 15 minutes ago to be greeted with all three doors to the outside world with snow up against them. Not just a little snow….no! At least a foot on the front two and almost that much on the back. Poor Floyd. He doesn’t use the litter box (God bless him!), but goes outside to take care of that. Not sure exactly what he’s going to do today!

SNOW DAY!

Well! I’m not sure where y’all are in the country, but here in Southeastern PA we got slammed with two FEET of snow yesterday. Oh my word! And the drifts are even deeper! The kids are loving it, and Jim is actually ok with it as well because he got to go out and buy a snow blower this morning. What a difference THAT makes! We live on a big hill with a long driveway that is seriously annoying to shovel. The snow blower just eats it up in big gulps.

Christmas money is so very nice, don’t you think?

Snow Day

It’s 4:17 in the afternoon on a snow/ice day. I don’t know what it is about having the kids home, but man do I NOT get anything accomplished. The fact that Jim is in the basement on conference calls and I can’t do laundry only adds to the mix.

I really hope we’re back to school tomorrow!

A Tuesday Snow

I have two at home and two in 1/2 day of school. Catie is home sick with strep and Ethan we opted to keep home given the snow we are currently getting and the forecast. His school bus ride is 1 1/2 hours long in GOOD weather, so we chose safety over education. I hate making that choice at 6:30 in the morning, but it frequently has to happen. Is he sick enough to stay home? Should we send him and hope for the best? Only once have I gone in to Philly to pick him up and I really REALLY don’t want to do that again. Picking up from our local elementary school–3 whole miles away–is much easier.

So on this not-so-quiet Tuesday, with the snow gently falling and Arthur on in the playroom, my life will look a little different than I planned. With children at home I never seem to get as much done. Quiet times are much harder to focus on, although I WILL HAVE ONE TODAY. With the doctor, the pharmacy and grocery shopping I forgot to yesterday and felt the lack.

I was reading the Run a muck this morning. Challenging post. Hard to read post. Sad post. I, too, have put myself and my struggles out there for you all to read. In the end I’m glad. Hiding sin gives it power and I don’t want to grace it with anything more than mere existence. I have twinges now and then, but have been “good” with it for awhile now. Sobriety, which is what we call it even if it’s not alcohol, is definitely hard fought over. The longer you go forward in it, the more you want to continue, so as not to mess up your record. Sobriety becomes its own entity to be cherished and coddled, cared for and honored. But it also allows for distance between you and how you felt when you fell. It’s a humbling, shaming, horrible feeling. And that can make for some laziness instead of vigilance. Which just puts you back down in the pit again.

So, on this snowy Tuesday, with my taxes almost done (just a final run through), two kids home and lots of laundry on my list, God is at the top of the To Do List.

Snow Day Today

I know it’s early in the day for me to post but I just had to vent: I HATE SNOW!!! I hate getting the kids into their multiples layers of clothes, fighting about boots and which gloves and who lost which hat and scarf so one child doesn’t have them, sending them out to have fun only to have them come back in the house 10 minutes later because “I’m cold” Well, duh! And then the wet spots in the kitchen, because I’m not one of those mom’s blessed with a “mud room” (oh, how I covet one of them!), which find their way quickly through your socks to shock you.

If I could choose my climate, I’d like two weeks of good, winter weather, 5 1/2 months of Spring, 2 weeks of good, summer weather and 5 1/2 months of Fall.

Everyone is happily in the kitchen, drinking hot chocolate, surrounded by coats, boots, mittens, gloves, scarves, hats and the aforementioned melting-snow-becoming-freezing-water puddles. Happy, happy, joy, joy!!