We Survived the Storm of 2011...twice

Well, it's no news that all of DFW was iced in last week - schools were cancelled, my work/church was closed, many corporate types (Michael) were working from home - and this went on for 4 days starting Tuesday! I've had fun swapping stories with moms as to how they passed the time. We could not play outside much b/c it was too cold and a little dangerous on the icy concrete (and Luke had a low grade fever off and on all week). To end the week, we woke Friday morning to 6 inches of beautiful snow. It was great to be able to stay in our pjs half the day, take long naps and not live by the clock, but by Thursday I was a little stir crazy. It is hard work entertaining two kids, helping them get along and trying to stay out of Daddy's way.



Well, low and behold the blizzard hits us again and today we had our 5th day at home. All I can say is that this is getting O-L-D!!! I'm so thankful that my job is so flexible and I can be home with the kids, thankful Michael is not flying around the country for work right now, BUT it sure would be nice to return to our normal routine.



This is what we did to pass the time:




1. Crafts - watercolors, glitter glue, stickers, jewels, markers, foam paper, stamps, paper snowflakes, valentines, and scrapbooking. Hannah finished her 100th Day of School poster and I reorganized the craft boxes/pantry area

2. Wii - bowling (kid's favorite), baseball, tennis (my favorite), golf

3. Toys - Lego's, airplanes, musical instruments, tools, Memory, Operation - pretty much any game we own - marble run, blocks, play dough and books


4. Cooked - Michael made salmon, I made soup from a pre-cooked pork tenderloin and whatever I could find in the pantry, and baked monkey bread and cookies with the kids

5. Hide and Seek


6. Tackle Daddy and Cuddle with Mommy (and Baby)


7. Chores, Chores, Chores! I cleaned the house - dusted, mopped, bathrooms - the whole bit! Reorganized Hannah's room and did all the laundry


8. TV/DVDs/On Demand/pbskids.org


9. One day the kids sled down the driveway on plastic bin lids with their Daddy and got out various "tools" to play with in the snow. Video on our new Flip, will add here once we figure out how to transfer. :)


10. On Wednesday we had to venture out to the pediatrician to get Luke checked out. He had been running a fever off and on since Saturday and was just off. He would have meltdowns over every little thing - it was crazy! Sure enough he had an ear infection so I was grateful we got him on antibiotics. Since he was feeling good, fever free and not contagious, we stopped at Chick-Fil-A on our way home and met our friends there for a little playtime/mommy time. Half of Marion Elementary was there it seemed. I decided to let Hannah invite her girlfriend over for the afternoon. They seemed so happy to have someone to play with besides their little brothers!



Here are some snow pics, most are from the VERY FIRST snow day we had in January.

This year, I invested in "real" winter clothes for the kids. Hannah has her old coat on here and not sure why she likes to wear Daddy's gloves and my hat, but I guess it works for her???

Beautiful Snowfall

This girl loves to cover herself in snow.


Snowballs

Well, we survived. Although we probably watched too much TV, were a little grumpy with each other and didn't get to the pedicures or forts we planned, it was truly a blessing to spend quality/uninterrupted, family time together!