What We Are Up To

So we don't have school today. Or tomorrow. Which I was assuming but didn't know for sure was a done deal. Thursday is still up in the air but we got an email from our principal this morning and she seems to think it's unlikely.

IF they have school on Thursday, they are rescheduling the Catholic Schools Week activities, for another week because being out of class for a talent show and dodgeball tournament seems slightly irresponsible when they haven't really had any class work in over a week. This is the price we pay for having such a glorious mild, green December.

I heard yesterday that already in 2019 (It's January 29 everybody.) we are 20 inches of snow over our typical snowfall average. And then with the record-breaking cold tomorrow... wow. This has been a crazy January.

The upside is we are having a great time together. I am so lucky that my kids play well together and basically entertain themselves. A couple of mom friends asked what we were doing to avoid going stir-crazy and honestly, it's basically nothing different than a Saturday. They play. Maybe I will do a craft or something and I have them each do a page or two of some workbooks I have but for the most part, they just entertain themselves.

These two are just my absolute favorites. I am not one bit sick of them being home. I do wish we could bypass the 4:30 crazies but that's just par for the course I think.

Have a great couple of days, I will check in from the other side of the crazy cold.

I Know You're Curious...

Okay, probably not. But that's just fine I am going to tell you anyway. This weekend's storm tracked north so we got just three inches or so of snow. This morning we had a 2-hour late start and, while I know we had to get the kids in school, it was so hard to get to.

It makes sense that they would only worry about the main roads before getting to side streets but golly, two hours was not enough and we barely made it to school on time. We left so early too. I got stuck twice and it was a mess!

We did manage to get everything shoveled before the extreme cold sets in. Wednesday's high is going to be -14 which is crazy. That is so so cold. So I am just assuming they won't have school.

And here is an unrelated picture of my girl with pigtail braids after a shower.

The Confusion Continues

Hello Friday! Otherwise known here in what is apparently the Arctic, as a NO SCHOOL DAY because of our wind chill warning. (Air temp -8, with wind chill -25)

Look at all the blowing snow. So much fun. (For reference, before this you could see my sidewalk, parking area, and the alley was clear.)

And would you believe we are supposed to get another inch of snow today and 4-8 inches Sunday into Monday? Not looking likely that we will have school then either. Which is actually too bad because it's Catholic Schools Week and Monday is pajama day, and you know that is a big one for Kindergarteners. So exciting! Pajamas!

And we are running out of places to put the snow. It's becoming a problem.

I was at book club last night when the text message came in that school was canceled. Mine was first. Then one district. Then another. And all the rest of my friends were mad. Their kids were going stir crazy and they were sick of the weather. I, however, was THRILLED.

Anyway, we read Where the Crawdads Sing. Everyone really liked it. So, definitely, a would recommend!

I was the host and we always make thematic food, and I made Crock Pot Shrimp and Grits. I am 99% sure I had never had a grit before and certainly never made them, but these were really easy and really tasty. Everyone really raved about it. I will probably put this recipe to use for meatless Fridays for sure.

Anyway, stay tuned to see whether we go back to school on Monday. It's anybody's guess.

What Day Is It Again?

My calendar says Wednesday? Right?

Let's recap, on Thursday we had a 2-hour early out for the end of the semester.

Friday was a teacher work day so NO SCHOOL!

Saturday we made Walrus cupcakes. And it snowed.

Sunday we went to church, almost got stuck in the parking lot then I went to my friend's new house and we wound up watching the last bit of the Patriots/Chiefs game. For what it's worth, Beth and Colleen, the Patriots definitely worked for and earned their spot but I am still bored of a Patriots Super Bowl. But, I am also not a Rams fan so, "Beat the Other Team!" shall be my go-to phrase in a few weeks.

Monday was MLK Day and NO SCHOOL!

Yesterday, there was school! I picked M up and we started driving to a birthday party for a classmate and by the time we got to the house, school had called a 2-hour early out. They weren't wrong, it was freezing drizzle and I slid into the driveway and had a heck of a time getting out to go pick C up.

And last night after a lot of movie snow (with a layer of ice underneath)

And seriously, this was big fluffy beautiful flakes falling fast. Husband and I went out to shovel the first bit of it and it was lovely. I told him that if this was a Hallmark movie he would have to propose in this snow. Or if we were on Younger he'd have to come up to me, tell me he doesn't care anymore and then we'd make out. That's the kind of snow it was.

But anyway, it resulted in a SNOW DAY. Which was an excellent call because Husband shoveled for an hour this morning and then on his way to work, he and a neighbor had to shovel him out onto our street because the side street snow hump was so deep and sticky. So I am super glad I don't have to go out in it.

Well, I did go out and shovel of course but no driving will be required. The upside is it's sunny today and I NEEDED the sun. Truly.

Walrus Cupcakes (Again)

You probably wouldn't believe that we've been planning to make walrus cupcakes today for over a month. But we totally have. The end of November as we were getting ready for our gingerbread houses, C asked if he could make the walrus cupcakes from What's New Cupcake.

I was not going to embark on another food craft so I thought maybe during the MLK break was a good idea. So we marked it on the calendar and there we were.

Then last night Mother Nature decided to get in the game and dropped 5 more inches of snow on us. And it's going to get awfully cold here next. Sort've apropos for walrus cupcakes yes?

Today we made the cupcakes and since we got fresh snow I took a cupcake outside because of course I did.

And here is the whole walrus herd. We only made six because I'm not throwing a party. I froze the rest of the unfrosted cupcakes. 

We've come a long way since the 2014 walrus cupcakes but I think both kinds are cute. And honestly, neither version was hard! 

I hope if you've got snow you have some fun!  

Yay for Thursday!

You may ask yourself how could 3.75 days of school feel so long? I am here to tell you, I don't know.

But they did. Today was a 2 hour early out and we don't go back until TUESDAY. Thank you, Jesus, semester ending and Martin Luther King Jr. for all your help with this much-needed mini-break.

Hello mini-break, we've got big plans (like making cupcakes and staying home) and we are ready for you!

We had just one little bit of homework to do. C does this Reading A-Z program where he reads a book on the computer or my phone then records himself reading it. His teacher can log in and check his fluency. We like the program. I wish they'd kick him up a level since the level he's on is too easy but whatever. It makes it go super fast.

And now my guy with hat hair and my girl who never misses a story are going to watch The Backyardigans. Such a non-annoying kid show. 

Chichen Itza Pizza! (We deliver!) 

Snow Day Fun

Last night after our family movie night, complete with popcorn and pizza, Husband did the grocery run.

In our well-stocked house, we've spent the day snowed in. 

"Since we've no place to go..." Here's the deal, I love a good snow day. A day off from school is top notch in my book to be honest. But, if it can't cancel school, I love a snowy day where we don't have to go anywhere. 

We all bundled up and did some shoveling/snow play earlier. I took no pictures because I was shoveling. #truelife 

We've played LEGO. We've read some books. C got the A-Z Mystery Series for Christmas and I have to say that I highly recommend them! 

They aren't scary mysteries but they are a good next step after Magic Treehouse and Junie B. Jones. I have always been a fan of reading series, the connection, and familiarity of the characters is my favorite. As it turns out, C really enjoys that too. 

C, fittingly, started the C book today and got through about five chapters. But he really goes in spurts so it may be a few days before he finishes. 

For dinner, I made this chicken bake. It's really easy and really good. I don't add the red pepper flakes and I've found 1/3 c of bread crumbs is plenty but otherwise, this recipe is golden. We serve it with a vegetable and egg noodles with a little parmesan on them. And it was the perfect warm and homey dinner to cap off a snowy day! 

 

Choose Joy

Fake it 'til you make it.

That's like a real thing. There are TED talks, and science. I am in no way suggesting that if you're not a dentist that you open a fake dental practice, but I do think that you can decide to have a good day even when every fiber of your being is not actually having a good day.

Lately, there have been quite a few, not good days. And all of it is beyond my control. Which is hard for me. I love control. I love it. But, the joke's on me because I can only control me.

But honestly, it has led for some days where I just feel not excited. There's a lack of joie de vivre sometimes. So you know what I do? I choose joy. I decide to not be gloomy.

I choose Joy.

I wear this shirt made by Brick House in the City a lot.

Embrace the chaos and choose joy. We don't have a ton of chaos in a traditional sense but in my mind? It's chaos. I am always trying to get ahead of the problems before they're problems. See what I am doing there? I am trying to exert control. So I wear this shirt to remind me to choose the joy.

Then For King and For Country came out with their song. Joy. Have you heard it? It's even got some play on top 40 stations so maybe you have even if KLove isn't your go to.

Once again I am reminded to choose joy. 

So today, after a meeting that I don't feel good about. Instead of wallowing or getting mad, I am going to find the joy. I cranked the music. I danced. I painted butterfly magnets with M. I celebrated with her new-found "taco tongue" skills. 

I choose joy. Because I am going to fake it until I make it. Finding joy. 

Activities and Fun

This is NOT a sponsored post. Just me sharing something fun with you! 

Last year, my parents gifted M a Koala Crate subscription and she loved every second of it. So for Christmas this year they did it again. She got her first box this week and it's all been a huge hit! 

Koala Crates are a subscription box full of hands-on experiences. Each box is themed and has three activities with everything you need, a parent guide that even indicated the messiness factor of each activity, and a little magazine with a story, fun facts and more activity ideas. 

The theme of January's box was Bugs. 

M got to make a bug costume, a ladybug pouch for the bug eye viewer and bug matching card game. 

The box came on Monday and we did one activity a day. So these pictures are from Monday when she made the bug costume. She did almost everything by herself, including laying out how she wanted the cape to look and peeling off the sticker backing from the felt. 

Yesterday she again did all the work, even the lacing for the pouch. And today we played the game a few times. She has learned a little bit about bugs and we've had a lot of fun together. The Koala crate is the preschool option at Kiwi Co. But they have a ton of options for ages 0-Adult.  I would 100% recommend the boxes. 

The part I like the most is that the materials are nice enough that if you want to keep an item around for a long time that's perfectly fine. But they are inexpensive enough that if after the activity is over you want to throw out the stuffed snake, you can do that too. (Speaking from experience.) And in all the boxes we've gotten, we've only had to provide water for one activity, everything else we've needed is in the box. 

After school yesterday C wanted to do an activity so we made Andes Mint Chocolate Crinkles. 

They turned out so well. My guy LOVES minty things so he really enjoyed these cookies. They are kind of like soft Thin Mints without the chocolatey coating. Which is to say there's a minty flavor but it's well balanced. 

So that's what we've been up to lately. The weather had been quite mild and we've been outside a lot soaking it in, but today it's only in the mid-20s so... inside is good today. 

Back to It

Oh man. Christmas break is over and I am partly really sad about that and partly okay with it. After I dropped M off this morning I hit Target for the first time in a long time! (Like before Thanksgiving!) But we needed cleaning supplies and storage bins for some of the new toys.

Everyone is all, New Year Resolutioning and I am just ready to spring clean. Ha. There's nothing wrong with that. I came home and was able to get all the blinds clean in the house. I am so glad I bought Swiffers for that job. They were way grosser than I anticipated them being and I am going to spare you a picture. You're welcome.

2019 is off to a good start already.

I haven't taken a single picture in 2019 according to my phone and that's about right. We rung in the new year asleep. Tuesday was a big nothing day. Yesterday C got a haircut but mostly the kids just played. Nothing super photo worthy.

Oh here we go... my Top Nine from Insta.

Our parish is doing an Exodus 90 starting soon, (There's a women's version) and I am leaning towards participating. That would have me off of Insta and social media completely. I, personally, am not going to count blogging as part of that but will probably set a timer so I don't let it waste time.

Hope your 2019 is off to a glorious start.