The Lost & Found

The Universe moves in mysterious ways. Last Monday at this time, I had no plans to go anywhere over the weekend. Last Thursday at this time, I had no plans to go anywhere over the weekend. On Friday at this time, though, the family and I were headed into Missouri on our way to Illinois to visit friends we hadn't seen in over a year.

WHY? Why an impromptu 9-hour road trip to a town in Illinois?

Honestly, I'm still not sure. After being cooped up for (almost) two weeks straight with both kids, when I wasn't in a great place mentally anyway, I think something snapped. I posted on Facebook that I wanted to escape with the family over the weekend, and my friend R said, "COME SEE US!!!" Great Wolf Lodge had already been suggested but had to be dumped because both GWLs within driving distance were booked for the weekend, so when R said that, something in my head said, "Y'know... it's a longer drive than you'd wanted, but... WHY NOT???"

Oz thought I was crazy. *I* thought I was crazy. The kids (especially once M2 found out after school) were beyond excited but thought I was crazy. R was beside herself with giddiness. But I wanted to go to Illinois. I wanted to park myself in the car - an obviously even smaller venue than my house - for nine hours EACH WAY with both kids... and drive to Illinois.

I had officially lost my mind. I knew it, but it didn't stop me. I made a mad dash to the dollar store to get Valentines for M2's class since I had decided that we would stay as long as possible, which meant driving home today and letting the kids miss a day of school, which meant that M2 would miss her Valentine's Day class party, and I wanted to act like I had SOME sort of plan in mind and wasn't slapping this whole trip together at the last nanosecond. I like pretending I'm a responsible adult.

I filled up all six cat bowls, prayed that none of them quit using the litter boxes while we were gone, left a note for the Horse Lady asking her to check on the dogs and chickens, we packed up, and we left.

We arrived in their town early Saturday afternoon (we spent the night in a hotel... free with points from Oz) and were greeted VERY enthusiastically at the door by all three of R's kids. J, the middle child who is almost certainly ADHD but all the more adorable because of it, was the most excited. The oldest child, E, and J dragged M1 off instantly. The baby girl, L, is now 3 1/2 and just SO much bigger than last time I saw her. She and M2 disappeared. R's husband, Big J, was at work. He's a priest and was teaching a class and preparing for his Sunday services, so we didn't get to see much of him, unfortunately.

R was elated to see me. I don't think we shut up all weekend...

... except when we were testing out the martinis at a local joint that has an unbelievable martini list.

Let me show you the list:

That's 46 martinis. Don't worry. We (and by we I mean *I*) only tried 3. Oz watched the kids (and by watched the kids I mean watched TV while they slept) while we went out and did this. Then we drove all around her town and she got to show me all the WONDERFUL old houses that are in her area.

She lives in one of those wonderful old houses. It needs work - a LOT of it - but it's beautiful. There are little surprises around every corner, like beautiful antique etched hinges and strikeplates and doorknobs on the doors, and there's just SO much SPACE, which is perfect for a homeschooling family of three who entertains quite a bit. The kids really had a blast.

The girls never argued once the entire time we were there. L was so sad when we had to leave and can't wait to see us again. Thankfully her grandparents live just down the street from us and R is hoping to come down in a week or two to get their second vehicle, which had quit working, so we might get to see them all again very soon. (Can you imagine an extroverted mom without a vehicle, stuck in her house with three kids and homeschooling? It's not pretty, and it's why R was so ecstatic that we were really, truly coming to visit!)

See? So happy together.

The boys had fun, too, as long as they each had enough space to expand and not kill one another with snow shovels.

They did try.

More than once.

Boys ;)

They even made a snowman out of the rapidly melting snow in the back yard. Though I think it's more like a snow duck. It was cute.

Then they all discovered their mutual love of electronics (this is a rare moment of stillness for J).

Five kids, four adults, one big happy house.

I still don't know why I felt the need to go to Illinois, but while I was there, I found something I'd lost: My smile. I feel like I can laugh again, and after all the snow and wintery weather we've had here lately, I hadn't done that often. I'm so grateful to R for putting us up on short notice, and I can't wait to do it again... though maybe next time, we'll call and plan things out first ;)

Snow Day Activities

Here are some activities, thought up by my children, with which to occupy themselves during our latest snow day. (By the way, when Oz went to work this morning, it was a nippy -13 out there, so... yeah... bloody friggin' cold.)

1. Swingset Kickball - Place one child on a swing. Swing vigorously so that your mother can watch the metal frame bend and sway dangerously under the weight of a child. The second child retrieves a ball from the garage, the larger the better. The second child 'pitches' the ball to the child on the swing, who attempts to kick it as high and far as possible. The pitcher fetches the ball. The process repeats until the pitcher flings herself into the snow in protest of not getting to be the swinger/kicker. Teams change sides. The game ends when the ball winds up getting kicked backwards onto the roof or into the living room window, whichever comes first.

2. Icicle Ides of February - Events include Icicle Sibling Stabbing and Icicle Javelin Throw (at your sibling). Winner is the one who isn't crying.

3. Valentine-Making Competition - Children compete to make the 'best' Valentine. Mom is the referee and is required to listen to all whispered nuances of how these Valentines are made while not revealing any details to the other competitor. Help with spelling is also to be provided by the referee. Fouls are to be called for Peeking, Stealing of Supplies, and Plagiarism. ("MOM!! I already asked how to spell 'Valentine!' He can't ask, too!")

4. Stretch Armstrong, Winter Edition - Children must submit at least two articles of clothing each to their mother for inspection in the "I've outgrown this" category. These articles are required to be mandatory for winter wear (i.e. coats, sweaters, jeans) and highly inconvenient to replace. For example, M1 walked up today and submitted the article Size 12 Slim Jeans as being too tight. They are also about 2" too short. He has recently ripped three pairs of jeans, so this leaves him with a serious pants shortage. *sigh*

5. Reading Marathon - Mom, after her stint as Valentine-Making Competition referee, is now required to submit to a Reading Marathon by her youngest child. Help to be provided is minimal, but full attention must be given at all times, lest a single word be missed. Compliments must be showered lavishly. (To be fair, I'm impressed with her reading ability, but after three Llama Llama books and a Mercer Meyer book, I'm done for the week.)

6. Health Complaint, NOS - Each child must list two random symptoms and one actual health issue for diagnosis. M1's latest submission is a headache after whacking his head on a doorframe after spinning around like a loon. He claims this will permanently affect his eyesight. M2's main 'problem' is a claimed lack of attention causing the random symptom Temper Tantrum. See Reading Marathon for my incredulity in her having an actual problem.

I just got the call saying school will be in session tomorrow. I've never been so grateful. I think their creativity is going to be the death of me.

Back in Hibernation

I am in forced hibernation. If you think this means a lot of sleeping, think again. I have to keep everyone busy, including myself! I plan to make cinnamon rolls tomorrow, just because. They'll do wonderful things for my mentality, if nothing else, because the smell of cinnamon rolls baking is in the Smell-O-Dictionary next to the word 'heavenly.'

We got another, oh, probably 6" of snow today. Who bothers to measure at this point?? All I know is that we've set a local seasonal record for most snow in a single winter. School was out (again) today and will be out (again) tomorrow. Friday is still up for grabs. I'm grateful for the two days of school we did get this week, even if they started late, because most area schools have been out since last Tuesday. Not that M2 *went* to school both days. Oh, no. We got up on Monday and got her ready, and she started complaining of tummy pain. I knew it was nerves and told her that I'd take her in and get her settled before I left, and she whined a little and said she just didn't want to go, but I knew she had been itching to see her friends. Off we went.

No dice.

She went psychosomatic and threw up almost the instant I left the building. I didn't make it more than 2/3 of the way home before I got the call. M1 still had school that day, and M2 happily tagged along (she was fine after we got home, and thankfully the school secretary/nurse believed me when I said it was nerves and told me to try again the next day. She knows I wouldn't bring in a sick kid). M2 did fine on Tuesday after she developed a plan to "be the helper." She marched into the classroom and announced, "What can I do? I'm your helper today." I shrugged and left. Whatever got her through the day was fine by me. M2 and I went home and had a 'normal' day, which seemed completely bizarre.

We're stuck at home again now, though. It's f-f-f-freeeeeezing here again - 17 degrees at current check with a wind chill even lower - and won't get above freezing for a day or two, but it's supposed to get almost to SIXTY DEGREES next week. It'll feel like summer. I might even plant something. Just so I can watch the chickens eat it. They might even get to leave their run. They haven't done more than hover around the coop (or stay inside it on days like today) since all this blizzard business began. I need to muck out their coop something fierce.

Maybe next week I can do it. Maybe this snow will all disappear and we'll get to return to our regularly-scheduled lives and driving patterns.

I can dream, right? This forced hibernation has me on the edge of hallucination.

Must be time for a tropical drink to kickstart my mental paradise. Rum, anyone?

Snow Fun

I can't deny that the snow wasn't beautiful (at first). Heck, it turned my husband's car into a hatchback, which is kind of an amusing thought.


The little birdie tracks were adorable.

It was so windy that the snow really didn't pile up on the roof much.

And I've always loved snow shadows.

Of course, the instant it warmed up to more than, say, 10 degrees (which took a couple of days), the kids wanted O-U-T.

So I bundled them up released the hounds.

Snow angels were made properly...

... and any other way the girl could think of.

The boy loved disappearing up to his knees in the snow...

... and the girl tried it and wound up sinking to her waist.

Both of them loved body-slamming themselves into snowdrifts.

Mommy had to put a stop to that after the first half dozen because she was a little worried about broken bones due to packed snow.

She's a worrywart, that Mommy person.

A good ol' horse-nuzzling was on the agenda, too...

... and so was a dog-tossing.

He was less than pleased at this, but watching a 17-lb. Schipperke flounder in the snow is hilarious.

Finally, the man and the boy HAD to have a snowball fight. I have a video exerpt of it below. I couldn't help but laugh when Oz got himself into snowdrift and could barely get through it. You can hear M1 chuckling in the background.

More snow is forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday. I just want to see mail today before the ground gets all covered again!

During the Storm

All right. Oz has promised me that if the kids haven't committed fratricide by the end of the day (they're currently on hiatus from one another in their respective rooms after a game of Battleship ended in a fistfight... M2 tried to change the rules midgame, which threw M1 into a tizzy, which caused her to sass him, which caused him to whack her... ahhh polar opposites... and yes, they have both apologized to each other, but apparently they need a physical wall between them for a while), we'll be going out to dinner. I don't know where, because I don't know which resturants have actually, um, gotten deliveries (kinda like we haven't had mail or trash service all week), and, ergo, don't know which restaurants actually, um, have... well... FOOD.

However. It's enough to make me unearth the photos of the actual horrific entity known as Blizzard 2011 and share them with you.


How cold was it? The chicken coop had to be kept shut all day because the snow was blowing in. We put water in there, but after a few hours it was frozen. When I went out to replenish it, I had to re-unearth the gate because you couldn't even tell that Oz had been there. I honestly thought he must have climbed over the fence because footprints? None.

I set some birdseed out on the front porch, and we garnered quite a few hungry little mealseekers. They would eat a little, then go sit on the bottom of the glider, all puffed up and hiding their itty-bitty birdy feet, then go back and nibble some more.

The cats were beside themselves. I just watched the snow fly up the stairs (what stairs?) and giggled hysterically every time a cat flung itself at the window in a vain attempt at birdcatching.

The dogs had no interest in going outside. When I made them do it, though, they were good and did their business... in one small area out of snow and wind. I really couldn't blame them. I wouldn't want a snowy backside, either. Speed Bump particularly liked that the snow had created a ramp to get in instead of stairs. Less climbing for a chubby Corgi makes for a happy dog.

See the flag blowing behind the trampoline? See the trampoline net flying (and sinking) in the wind (and snow)? Yes. Blizzards do that.

Unfortunately, come wind or snow or sleet or hail, the mail may not be delivered and trash my not get picked up, but horses still get hungry. There was no way that the horses' owner could come feed, so Oz agreed to go out and get them some hay. I stayed in the warm belly of my home and took pictures of him returning to the homestead.




Note the boot that has disappered into the snow...


Welcome back, m'dear!

It was quite a trail he had created.

Tomorrow (or whenever I get to it): Playtime in the snow!

Here in the Land of Denial...

I am attempting to deny everything. Right now my senses tell me I'm on the third day of being snowed in, which means I haven't washed my hair in a few days (though I did weedwhack my legs) and I finally decided this morning that no, I could not, in fact, wear the same clothes three days in a row and still keep my sanity. I've put the birdseed container on the table just outside the living room window, which causes the cats to periodically throw themselves into the glass. It's cheap amusement. I've been teaching the kids *something* every morning, because I discovered on Day 1 of Snowma-frigging-geddon that Kids - A Plan = Hell. Hence, the plan. Oh, and Oz? Yeah, M2 now definitely wants to stay home. She's decided a picture of her friends is good enough to remember them by. Homegirl wants to be one. I told her she had to convert you, because the argument has gone out of me for the day. It's easier to give in right now.



Speaking of Oz, he finally dug his way out of the driveway this morning to go to work (lucky man... he gets to see and talk to people over 5 feet tall! And the fact that my son is 5 feet tall is disturbing, by the way). He said he's going to try to make it by the appliance store and pick up the part for my oven, all of which means that either A) I'll have a working oven tomorrow or B) I'll have a dismantled oven tomorrow.

And I'll still be stuck here.

HOWEVER! I refuse to let this post be depressing. I have pictures! And, in the spirit of denying everything, these photos are from that time, way way back in January, when we only had 3" of snow on the ground and I was excited about the white stuff and thought I'd throw cats into it. Which isn't to say a cat or two (and maybe a dog) haven't been tossed into Snowpocalypse drifts (Corgis in snow trenches look remarkably like submarines in the Arctic Ocean, by the way), but again, Denial. I am in it.

For your further amusement and mental detriment, Cat Tossing 2011:




Nice pufftail, Angry 25-Pound Kittyboy!



She came out on her own. And then froze right there, with her paws in the snow, before running back in.

Cats are hilarious.

Other random shots from the January snow days, just to keep me busy:



Diggin' the heels...




Loving that he CHOSE to read a book...



Love even more that he actually INVENTED his own vehicle (first time EVER he's invented something that wasn't square and didn't also involve directions)...



And playing with acrylics is right up her alley.

Hopefully I can escape this snowbound state in the next day or two, before the next round falls, regain some semblance of sanity, and post some great blizzard photos! I have a montage and video of Oz that are definitely shareworthy.

Peace out ;)

Effort

I'm making a concentrated effort not to maul my children today. They're out of school thanks to what is loosely being referred to as Snowmageddon 2011 around here (we're up to about a foot of snow, sitting in a blizzard warning, with drifts at least twice that depth, and it's not gonna stop precipitating till about dinnertime... and did I mention it's not supposed to get above freezing till Friday or Saturday? And then there's a chance of snow AGAIN next Monday? Oh, and did I also mention that Oklahoma is simply NOT equipped for anything over about 2" of snow?). Anyway, the kids are driving me absolutely bonkers. They're too old for me to sit down and entertain, because they don't want to play Mommy games any more, and all they want to do is tick each other off, scream at and hit each other, come crying to me for what can only be termed a complete lack of sympathy, and then go back and do it all over again.

I'm done.

So, in my current state of denial, I'm remembering happier times.

Like taking the kids to visit my grandmother, who in turn wants to take them to the park to play...

Or taking the kids to the splash pad for the first time of the season...


Or staying up late to catch fireflies...




In other words, things that involve short sleeves and getting out of the house!

I don't do well in winter. That said, I'm sure I'll have some spectacular snowman pictures in a day or two, and that's cool, too. As long as we don't lose power!

If you want to share your own winter/snow pics (or summer pics if you're lucky enough to be in the southern hemisphere right now), either send them to me at oursunnyview @ gmail.com or shoot me a link to your blog, and I'll be happy to post them! I'd love to see how this season has gone for other folks around the country/world.