A Cold Day?

I've heard of snow days, but this one was a first for me.  School was delayed not because of snow, but because it was so cold.  They wanted to give it time to warm up before the kids loaded up on buses to go to school.

Well, I'll admit it, I'm a bad parent.  Instead of sending my kids to school, I decided to keep them at home.  I'll be honest, a two hour delay makes the school day almost not worth having.  On top of that, it was just as cold when the buses rolled out.  It hadn't warmed up at all, though maybe the wind had died down some.

Instead of school we decided to spend the day watching movies and the kids played some MineCraft.  Yes, I know, it shouldn't be surprising that the kids were playing that game again.  I really value it as a part of their education.  It allows them some creativity and they're able to play around with a lot of different concepts.  I'm seriously thinking about looking up some ideas for using MineCraft as an educational opportunity.

Now it's still cold, but the snow is rolling in.  By the end of the weekend it's supposed to be warm and raining.  That's going to be a nice change of pace from the cold we've been having.  That also means we can go pick up some more paint and get cracking on finishing up the rooms.  I'm really looking forward to that.

For now I think we're going to start up some hot chocolate, something to keep us warm on this cold night.  We'll do something nice and warm for dinner, though I haven't quite decided what.  That leaves bean soup right out of the running, since I should have started that this morning, but we've got a few other options.  It's going to be a night of raiding the pantry and the fridge to find the warmest meal I can conjure up.

Well, it's about that time, so I'd better start cracking.  I'm thinking we're going to do one of my cold weather favorites and cook up the shepherd's pie we have waiting to be made.  That would really make for a good meal tonight.

Even The Most Mundane Things.

Today was just one of those errand days, you know the kind, the ones where you've got to do something seemingly boring.  Today's mission was a trip to the pharmacy.  It's about a 3 mile walk, round trip, so right about normal for what the kids are used to.  Pinkie was at an overnight, so we just had Bear, Creeper, and Link.  They love having the opportunity to go for walks, even if it's something that promises to be boring.  I suppose I should have learned by now, even walks are never boring with these kids.  They end up being the source of crazy made up games and wild stories.  This trip was certainly no exception to that rule.  They had quite the time chatting away.  Bear in particular had all kinds of stories to tell.

The weather was beautiful out.  While we started with jackets on, it quickly got warm enough that we didn't need to wear them anymore.  Considering it's November, we're all glad we've still got the warm weather.  It's only a matter of time before it's too cold and snowy to enjoy being outside for a walk.  We're going to try and enjoy every moment of it we can.  I can foresee a number of walks like this in our future, at least until the weather starts to turn.

Getting out always means Bear has to be in top style.  Out of all the kids, Bear's the only one that cares at all about looks.  Today's look was complete with a hat I made, something that's become a constant accessory every time we leave the house.  The Frozen sunglasses matched with the shoes.  It was quite the look.

This has been something we've had to get used to with Bear.  All of the other kids have had their own quirky senses of style, generally sending the message of "don't care what I wear."  Bear, on the other hand, is a total fashionista.  This has been quite the experience, and sometimes means it takes a bit to get moving out the door.

The tiger you see here has been with us for some time now.  That was gotten for Creeper when he was still little.  Today he decided to come along for the ride.  It was fun to hear the kids all enjoy our little tag-along.  The big tragedy of the day was the tiger, named Ra-Ra, falling from Bear's lap in the stroller and getting run over.  Thankfully it was only the tail, and Bear was able to "poof" it back to healthy again.  This meant for a story about the tiger's adventures, which was particularly funny.

No trip out is complete without hungry kids commenting that they wanted lunch.  We joked about how the only way they'd get to have lunch out is if they worked in the kitchen to earn the money to pay for it.  We were going to barter them in exchange for pizza.  They all seemed to find this a funny concept and were arguing over who got sold to the pizza parlor so the rest of us could eat.  I was really surprised they didn't volunteer the dog to work as a dish washer!  She'd do such a good job.  Instead we ended up doing the traditional thing and actually paying for the pizza, of course.

Still, this gave the kids an opportunity to think about what it actually takes to get food.  You don't just walk in and order a pizza.  The money has to come from somewhere, so how do you earn your money.  What is labor really worth?  We didn't get into a serious conversation about it or anything, but they did talk about how much pizza costs and whether or not we'd have enough money.  A part of me really wants to shield them from the idea of their parents needing money and how much things cost.  I don't want them to worry.  At the same time, they may value what they have more if they actually have to think about how expensive everything really is.

We all really enjoyed our time at the pizza parlor.  We went to a little local joint, because those are always the best.  The kids each got to pick out a soda.  While it's cheaper to just get a 2 liter, it's a hassle to pick something everyone likes.  Since this was a special treat, why not make it more special.  It's not like we get soda every day.  Even I splurged and had some, breaking my almost two week streak of having no soda, but we were all getting spoiled, so I figured why not?  I can always go right back to having no soda again.  If we keep this up we might end up a soda free house, and then it will really be a special treat.

The kids got their own pepperoni pizza, with more than enough left over for dinner.  They probably would have eaten more, but we got a huge batch of french fries to go with it, which were happily devoured.  There's something special about pizza parlor french fries.  They always tend to be the best.  The kids commented on how incredibly good my salad looked, but none of them wanted to try any.  I know if Pinkie were there she would have devoured my tomatoes and olives.  Overall, it was a fantastic little adventure for our family.

Nasty, Nasty Weather

Many areas of the country have snowfall right about now, but not here in Texas.  Here we have rain.  Normally I love rain, but in Texas, rain just makes for an icky mess that no one wants to deal with.  Either it's so light it's barely worth calling rain, or it's so heavy that everything floods.

I can't complain too much.  Texas has had a severe lack of rain over the past couple of years.  The first year I was here we got so much rain in May and June that the lakes were overflowing and the dams had water flowing through at such a high rate that it felt like you'd be swept away just by standing near it.  I thought this was normal for Texas, but that's not normal at all.  Apparently I've never seen a normal year in Texas.  Every year since has been dryer than normal, as though the environment around here is trying to make up for giving too much in 2007.

As a result, water prices have skyrocketed.  Everything looks dead and dry earlier in the year than it usually does.  The lakes and ponds are smaller than they used to be.  All of the river beds and run off areas have been bone dry for quite some time.  Many worried that with each continual year things would just get worse and worse.  It's been getting to the point where conserving water isn't just something good for the environment, it's necessary, unless you intend to be paying a small fortune on your water bill.  Even my very conservative family was paying about $100 per month in water over the last summer, a huge step up from when that winter where we were spending half that much or less.

Unfortunately, as much as Texas needs it, the state really isn't set up for rain.  The ground is so dry and clay-like that the water pools on the surface.  Roads flood all over the county and cars hydroplane more than I've ever seen.  A friend of mine called me in a frantic fit of desperation asking if she could put some stuff in our fridge because the water was running down her street like rapids and they had the road closed off.  She was terrified that her house had been flooded as the water hit the bottom of her street, but thankfully, when the rain cleared, it turned out the water just rushed past her home.  I can't blame her for being concerned.  Her possessions weren't the problem.  She was more worried about her dogs that were kenneled in her absence.

So in light of all of that, I can't really complain about the rain.  It was necessary, even if it woke everyone up in the middle of the night.  It's what we really need for the health of the world around us, so hopefully the fire bans will be lifted and stay lifted.  We need this rain so it will be available when people need it over the spring and summer.

I'm sure the kids and I can find something to do on this rainy day when no one feels motivation to do anything.  This miserable weather isn't enough to keep us down, but even the kids are suggesting we relocate to somewhere with a more normal season pattern.  They want somewhere with snow.  At least then they could go out and play in it.

How I Miss Nice Weather and How Fast They Grow

This week we had some pretty nice weather.  It got down to the 80's, which meant we were able to open the windows and let in some fresh air.  It was nice not to need the air conditioning running all day.  Hopefully that will save us some money.  It's not easy living in a state where air conditioning is required in order to live or you'll get sick from the heat.  This week it's going to be back up to the 90's, which is better than it was through most of the summer.  Yes, the weather is finally turning towards something nicer.

As the weather changed we decided it was time to sort through old clothes.  The boys will probably both need a new winter wardrobe.  My older boy has pretty much outgrown all of his clothes.  It's not that he's too wide in the middle.  Actually, clothes that fit him around the middle are too short on him.  It's that everything is too short.  My younger one will probably be set for another few months, but he's starting to not fit his pants around the middle and his shirts don't want to go over his head.  Since he's been born that's been a sign that he's about to shoot up like a weed, and if he does that he probably isn't going to fit anything in length much longer either.  Thankfully we can still manage on shorts and t-shirts for a while longer.  I guess that's the good thing about Texas!  The warm weather means summer clothes really last.

The whole thing has me thinking about the weather.  I love the weather back home.  This time of year we would soon have lessons on why the fall leaves change and all of that.  Things would be getting cooler and we would have to start planning to bundle everyone up for the cold.  This time of year is filled with shopping for winter jackets and snow boots and knitting mittens, scarves, and hats.  We might even be in the weather for long pants, sweaters, and light jackets.  My daughter would probably want tights with some of her skirts.  My littlest and I would be starting the fight over whether or not he has to wear a hat.  He doesn't seem to think there's a need.  I, on the other hand, would realize that his ultra-fine baby hair isn't going to do much to keep his head warm and he needs something to make up for that.

It was a little sad going through the boy's things.  I'd forgotten how much of the clothes I had in a 2T I'd already given away to a friend of mine whose son grew into them sooner than mine did.  We're going to have to start carving out a little bit of money every month to start getting him some new clothes a little at a time.  Thankfully there are plenty of places with low cost clothing for a toddler his size.  I hate thinking about the new size he'll be in.  2T typically fits a toddler at age two.  That means he's no longer my baby and is now considered a toddler.  He's almost two, which seems nearly impossible!  It doesn't seem like it's been so long since he was born.  How incredibly fast time has flown this year.

My older son is going to be jumping into boys clothes this year.  Things sized at x-small are just the right length.  I know I could still shop for him in the toddler section and look for things that are 5T, but the only reason to truly hold on to that is to attempt to hold on to his youth.  I keep wanting to think that he's still a toddler, but he's a preschooler.  He's taking an interest in reading.  He loves super heroes and dinosaurs.  Pokemon and Transformers are favorites of his.  He's even starting to get interested in sports.  He's no longer happy with the simple things that used to please him.  He's growing up before I know it!  He's growing to match in size too!  He's jumped from a 3T being perfect in size to a 4T being a little too short in all of a year!  It's good to see him growing.  Maybe he won't be the shortest boy in his classes at the co-op this year after all!

Then there's my daughter.  I can't call her my little girl anymore.  She's much too big for that.  Thankfully, she's got enough in hand-me-downs and in clothing from Marrok's mom to last her through the year.  My only problem is going to be in keeping her in shorts and pants for the homeschool co-op.  She's got PE first thing when we get there, so she'll need to be wearing something suitable.  You wouldn't believe how hard it is to get her to dress warm when it's cold out!  She'd prefer to wear skirts and dresses all the time, even better if they're sleeveless.  She's really starting to develop her own sense of style, and it's a lot more feminine and girly than I could ever imagine any child of mine being!  Every day it seems like she's just more and more adult, and she's only eight!  I can't help but think she'll be all grown up before I know it.

In all of this, I don't think I would have taken the time to reflect if the weather hadn't started to turn already, even though it's turning back before we know it.  I'm really homesick already.  I wish I could be looking forward fall leaves and snow this year, but I know that's not going to happen.  I don't have very many options for that in Texas.  Even so, as the weather turns cool, I know I'll at least be able to enjoy taking my children to the park.  The kids and I can enjoy going for walks.  It will be nice to get outside.  I can't wait until we can throw open the windows and let the cool air in instead of spending a fortune in electricity to keep the house a bearable temperature.  I can't wait until things start feeling a little bit nicer.  Now if only that could speed up and my kids could slow down on growing for a little while!

Texas Heat and Steam to Burn...

Texas weather is horrible.  By June it feels like it's 110 degrees out.  August only gets worse.  The humidity isn't much better.  I thought Massachusetts summers could be bad, but these are pretty brutal, but they have nothing on Texas.  I'd heard a lot about how Texas has a dry heat, but the people who always preached that must have been from West Texas because it's certainly not that way in Central Texas!

Summers in this area just aren't for kids.  The peak burning hours are brutal.  You can almost feel the sun burning your skin.  Unfortunately, shade isn't easy to come by.  Rainy days rarely happen, but it's so hot that no one wants to play when they're outside.  You can easily burn yourself on the pavement or any of the playscapes at the playground.  It's just not a fun time.  Yes, you can wear sunscreen and bring lots of water, but it's still pretty miserable.  This leads to kids being trapped in the house all day long, bored, and unable to blow off any steam.  Let me tell you, this leads to LOTS of running and craziness in the house.  I feel a little bad for our downstairs neighbors.

I would love to take the kids for evening walks, but this neighborhood isn't really the place for it.  Let's just say we don't live in the best of neighborhoods, and it seems like things are just steadily getting worse.  It's not easy to manage three kids on a walk at the best of times, never mind when you're wondering about the strange cars that have been driving by.  Yes, it's about time we upgrade our neighborhood.

The kids really need more freedom to get out, you know?  They need more space to run and play like kids.  It's days like these that I miss Massachusetts the most.  Yes, it's freezing in the winter, and driving in the snow isn't exactly the most fun when you're worried about your kids in the car, but I'd rather take that to these brutal Texas summers.  I'm not a fan of hot and cooped up kids.  It's much easier to bundle them up and toss them out in the snow than it is to explain to them why they can't go out and why playing in the water won't help terribly much.

For the next couple months we may focus on doing a lot of interesting homeschooling stuff, just to give the kids something to do.  I know it's not going to help their need to run around and enjoy the summer weather, but it's about all we can do.  Maybe if I can find enough things to keep them interested they'll be okay with not being out and doing nearly as much until it's a little more tolerable.

Texas Weather, an Inspiration for Crafts

Everyone seems to think Texas doesn't get cold.  They think it doesn't get snow.  Texas is supposed to be warm all winter and brutally hot all summer.  This is what I keep seeing pop up all over Facebook as friends talk about the weather here.  It seems their friends from out of town think this kind of weather is shocking and impossible.

Late Monday night into Tuesday morning we got a brutal ice storm.  You could hear the ice bouncing off the windows at rapid speeds.  The wind was whipping and howling.  It had all started as a nice winter rain, but the weather change caused all the moisture to freeze.  By Tuesday morning it was a soft flurry of snow.  The sun came out in the afternoon, melting some of what had frozen, but it was still rather cold.  I heard plenty of jokes about cold being mid-30s where I'm living.  If only they'd known.  We were down to 15 degrees by 10pm with a strong, brutal wind.  Yes, it gets cold in Texas.

All over the city they're having "rolling black outs".  This isn't really something I'm used to back home.  New England does have black outs in the winter due to storms, sure, but not like this.  The lights go out, come back, go out again.  We've been lucky enough to only have it that first night, but it makes me wonder.  Places are closed down all around the city.  Kids are getting sent home from school.  There's even at least one Walmart that's closed.  I'm wondering if I'm even going to have work tonight.

It's days like these that I'm glad we have so many candles around the house!  It would be easier if we had one of those 100 count tea light packages.  That would be enough to last us a good long while.  I know they make emergency candles as well, but I've never tried them.  At least we know that we'll have light if the power goes out.  Unfortunately, heat in Texas is all electric, so if the power is out for long we'll be bundling up to our eyes!

Days like these make me think how wonderful it would be if we started making our own candles.  There are plenty of candle making kits on the market.  We used to make our own candles when I was a kid with juice box with the top cut off, some candle wick tied to a stick, a big block of candle wax, and some crayons for color.  We would pour in a layer with the wick dangling in the center, then wait for it to cool.  Once it was pretty solid, the next layer would go on.  We'd repeat for as many layers as we chose to use.  It was so easy to do!  We made dip candles too.  We would have to wait in the back of the line for the color we wanted to dip our candles in, shaping and molding them between dips as they cooled.  That was one of my favorite projects in Girl Scouts.  Unfortunately, I heard the candle shed burned down.

I would love to make some candles with my own kids.  Now there are all sorts of products on the market.  Instead of having to use crayons there are tons of wax dyes on the market.  Instead of having to use juice boxes, there are a large variety of candle molds.  There's options for making soy candles, beeswax candles, and so much more. You can buy additives for scented candles as well!  There are pour pots designed specifically for candle making too!

Candle making is a traditional craft that's been a part of our culture for ages!  Kids especially love doing it.  There are plenty of adults out there that love doing it too!  They make great gifts, if you're so inclined to be a candle gift giver, but they're also very practical for days like today!  Just to be prepared, I think we might just have to make some for next year...