Winter and Cold Returns

Winter has arrived in our small town.  The temperatures were in the teens today.  I'm ready for spring, but the snow on some of the walking bridges in our nearby parks is beautiful.

  

Winter Doldrums

It's the time during winter when many people struggle to maintain a good disposition. Some people get listless and spend time lounging on the sofa reading good books. Other people spend time cleaning out cupboards, closets and organizing their homes. Motivated home school families accomplish huge amounts of school work before the sunshine and warm days return. I've done a little bit of all those things, but recently it's gotten more difficult to keep pushing forward.

The skies have been overcast for days. The recent snow and ice storms have made traveling precarious. Katie has been around quite a bit because of mid-winter break and snow days. We love having her home, but it changes the dynamics of our school days. Allie and Paige want to see what Katie is doing, so I'm constantly trying to get them back on task. Steve, Joe, and Madelyn want to sleep as late as Kate does. Unfortunately, they can't sleep until noon and still get their school work done.

I keep reminding everyone that we need to apply ourselves NOW, so we can complete our work by Easter. Easter is so late this year, that I'd like to skip our normal spring break and finish our school year by Maundy Thursday.

Part of our restlessness is due to a lack of consistent exercise. The weather hasn't been conducive to our normal outdoor activities. I think we will start our day playing Wii Fit tomorrow and then do yoga together. It should shake up our normal routine and get rid of some of the children's excess energy.

Come on Spring! We need you!

Painting, Painting, Painting

I drove to the other house yesterday to paint the living room. When we headed out in the morning, the sun was shining. About 20 minutes into our 1 hour journey, Mike called to tell me that we were heading into a snowstorm. There were multiple cars in ditches and one roll-over on I-94. It took us well over an hour to drive the remaining 30 minutes. Visibility was only 150' through much of the final leg of the trip. Madelyn wanted to choose the paint color, so we made a quick stop at Walmart. Along with the paint, I purchased soup, crackers, and water in case we were stranded at the new house.

The painting went well. Madelyn chose a spring green with a white ceiling. I love this room! It is so cheery and has a huge amount of light. While I was painting, Joe went outside a shoveled out a path to the car and down the sidewalks. Mike called me around 3:30 and said that the highways were in good condition and that I might want to head for home. The journey home was uneventful. I need to return to the house today to finish the living room and work on the upstairs bathroom and the stairway. Maybe, I'll finish the downstairs bathroom also.

It's Too Soon...

We woke up to big, fluffy flakes of snow falling gently to the ground. And staying there. Not melting as it reaches the ground. The snow is really beautiful. But, I'm not ready. The garage needs to be more organized. I really want to park my van in the garage this winter. The roads were very slick and I slid through a couple of intersections on our way to swimming this morning. The children are excited. Choruses of "Can we go sledding after lunch?", "It's it a SNOW day?", and "I get the good snow shovel!" could be heard throughout the morning.


When we returned from the library and swimming, Madelyn ran outside to shovel the snow. She managed to make our first snowman this year. Somehow, I just can't match their excitement. I must be getting old. Joe went outside after lunch to finish shoveling off the driveway. They are always so excited to shovel at the beginning of the snow season. By January the tune will definitely change. I need to enjoy this while I can.