Back in my day they just called it "a lot of snow"....

February 03, 2011

Back in my day they just called it "a lot of snow"....

I arrived home on Monday night ready to prepare for "Blizzard 2011". Although the snow had yet to fall, what I can only call "instinct" kicked in and I started baking.

First up, chocolate cake and supper.

OK. So supper was leftovers.

And I didn't bake them, I microwaved them.

But, still.

There was cake.

*******

Tuesday morning we woke to a few inches of sleet and the snow started to fall. The forecast had changed one or a hundred times in the last 24 hours and from what I could tell, I had no idea how much would fall.

The fact that we had woke up that morning with electricity was the first indication that we might have beat the odds.

Of course, I have a sneaking suspicion that we had electricity for the sole reason that we had prepared to not have electricity.

Either way, I decided to put the electricity that I was so thankful for to work. The kids requested waffles and I aimed to please.

However, breakfast was a not-so-distant memory when I found B eating a snack.

From the looks of the cake, he wasn't the only one.

From the looks of the cake, a knife and bowl weren't required.

From the looks of the cake, they didn't like the cake, only the icing.

So I did what any normal mother would do.

I made a peach pie.

Considering that the snow kept accumulating at a fast rate, the kids decided that we needed to get the dogs inside. Rowdy was content to stay outside, but reluctantly came into the garage. Daisy, was happy to join us in the house, however, I believe that this was in part because she didn't know what was in store.

Two words: A. Bath.

Daisy hadn't had a bath, shampoo, comb/brush and blow dry treatment in over 7 years.

I think that she believed that it hadn't been nearly long enough.

Once done, she recovered in a bed that we had made her.

It was from this bed that she watched Seabiscuit with the rest of the family.

I think she liked it.

********

Wednesday there was at least 7 inches of snow on the ground. I had already decided that I wasn't going to go into work and they didn't expect me to.

The kids wanted me to play because, (their words) I "am the best at playing".

I totally saw through this and spotted their strategy right away. Instead I grabbed two sheets and made a fort.

It was awesome! (Their words)

I grabbed some books and crawled into their hide away.

Then we all took turns reading to each other. I loved the way that the kids listened so carefully to each other and respected each ones turn.

The kids decided that they wanted to sleep in the fort that night and, of course, they wanted me to sleep with them. I laid down, we all received good night kisses from daddy, and we snuggled in for the night.

Truthfully, I made it about 20 minutes.

The kids were both asleep and I was not. Nor did I see sleep in my near future. At least not on the floor. So, around 9:00 p.m. I slipped off to my bedroom and my bed.

I awoke a little after 10:00 p.m. to find that, apparently, sleeping on the floor wasn't for B either. He was snuggled in beside me.

I awoke again around midnight to find that, apparently, sleeping on the floor wasn't for L either.

I woke, finally, at 6:30 a.m. to find that Steven had moved into L's room sometime during the middle of the night.

Apparently, sleeping in a bed full of kids wasn't for him either.

It really was a night of musical beds.

***********

Thursday marked the third day of us being shut up inside our house. The conditions were rapidly deteriorating around me.

There had been a fort in my living room for days.

There was a train track that made passing through the living room next to impossible.

Random tissues were scattered around-as were drinks.

I felt completely out of my element and I totally wanted to pick everything up, but I remembered my decision to "roll with it" and my friend Rebecca's doubt that I could, and I left the living room as it was.

In fact, it still is.

I needed a break and Steven could tell it. I had to get out of the house or I was going to start cleaning and not stop.

So, we went to town.

It was slow going and the roads were covered, but we made it.

Amazing how intriguing a trip to town, and the prospect of the grocery store can be when you haven't left your house in three days.

That afternoon, Steven checked the road conditions and determined they were ideal for sledding. We spent thirty minutes trying to get clothes on everyone and then headed outside.

We climbed in the Ranger and drove to the end of the drive.

I slid down the hill and waited at the bottom for the kids.

They came down with great speed.......

....and then swung around and slid the rest of the way backwards.

I started walking towards the kids to wait with them until Steven came down and picked us up in the Ranger.

{ 1) Yes, we are too lazy to walk to the top of the hill. 2) No, we couldn't have walked if we would have wanted to. Which we didn't.}

As I was walking I quickly determined that I couldn't stop. I kept walking but the incline of the hill made me kick up the pace. It was about 3 seconds into this that I knew that staying upright was not an option and I headed in what looked like a speed walk towards the fluffy snow of the ditch.

I. Did. Not. Make. It.

I fell on the hard packed ice and knew right away that I wasn't as flexible as I used to be.

Honestly, I never was that flexible.

After I determined that I was going to live, I hopped on the sled and rode down two more times. Once with each child.

Steven decided that he, too, wanted to sled.

He climbed on the sled and made it about a quarter of the way down the hill before crashing into the ditch.