I'm Gonna Miss This

It's been a long 10 days - there were moments I thought I'd never make it through another day during our unexpected ice vacation however there were so many wonderful things about it at the same time. You see tomorrow morning at 6:45 am everything starts back - the kids have to get up and head back to school and the last 10 days will be over.

There will be no more not worrying about bedtimes, not worrying about whether lunches are made, not worrying about if laundry is done or homework is completed. No more sleeping late or having not a care in the world about a schedule - it will all come to a hault at bedtime tonight.

On one hand I'm ready to get back on a schedule - our house has taken a hit over these last 10 days. I haven't done much of anything in the cleaning area other than wiping the kitchen down, cleaning the toilet, doing laundry and cooking dinner. I haven't even taken down our Christmas decorations yet - it's pitiful I know! Things need to be cleaned and scrubbed and organized - it's going to be a long process. I have the big consignment sale coming up that I haven't even started on so it's time to kick my butt into gear. On the other hand I'll miss these days of no schedules and nowhere to go. It'll be back to the grind with homework and car lines and studying for endless tests and projects - that I don't miss!

Is it summer yet?

Multiple Snow and Ice Days

The snow that came on Sunday night and during the day on Monday doesn't want to leave. The temps haven't wanted to get much above freezing for the majority of the week this week which has turned our schedules upside down. The kids have been out of school ALL week this week - this added onto what was to be a 4 day weekend coming up and well - you can imagine!

We've done a whole lot of NOTHING this week - the kids have been in their pjs more than they've been in regular clothes and I've accomplished nothing. We've done a lot of playing, watching tv way more than we should, eating entirely too much food and basically very little else.  Keeping up with laundry and cooking dinner has been about all I've done other than deal with 4 stir crazy kids on a daily basis. To say that I'm ready for school to go back would be an understatement at this point. If we make it through another five days it will be a minor miracle!

What's on David's feet? Well he had already been to work this morning and had been out in the snow for 4 + hrs - by the time he got home his boots were soaking wet so he put plastic bags with duct tape on his feet. This was during his hour long break before he had to head out again for more calls. Funny guy!

On the other hand the kids played in the snow Monday and then we didn't go back out again until yesterday. Yesterday was complicated though - after all the snow fell on Monday it was followed by sleet and freezing rain. I'll post about that in a separate post otherwise this might be the longest post in history!

 No makeup at all but I adore this picture of Allie and I!!!!!

 David insisted I let him pull me down the hill on the sled! I was covered in snow when I got done - usually I use my camera as my excuse to not get wet :(

Next week I believe will be endless cleaning and getting back on track because ZERO of that is getting done right now.

Picture Perfect

This is what happens when it snows 6 inches in the South. As of right now we are on our second straight day with no school. They won't have it tomorrow either - the school district hasn't called it yet but it's just a matter of time. After that we are looking at Thursday - kids are already out on Friday and then Monday so they're looking at almost another entire week out of school unplanned. My house is a disaster - I'm exhausted and David has been working his butt off during this storm. I worry about him constantly when he isn't home - I don't worry so much about him out in this mess as much as I worry about all the other stupid people that don't have to be and about but are anyways.

This is the view from my driveway this morning. My road is a solid sheet of ice as are almost all secondary roads around town today. The interstates, they say are driveable but all secondary roads are still a mess. The neighborhood roads well - it's still 30 degrees at almost 1 o clock and we are not expected to have any sunshine today so I have a feeling we'll be looking at this sheet of ice for a while. Almost everything is shut down in town - Since we're in SC and they aren't equipped to deal with this I think we'll be snowed in for a while - I definitely am not one of those to get out and test it - I'll wreck and I know it so I'll keep my butt in my house and continue to go crazy with four kiddos.

Lots of Snow and Stress

Lots of snow coming down in SC! We're at about 5 inches right now and they're calling for more and then freezing rain on top of it. Way out of the normal for us - SC doesn't have the equipment to deal with heavy snowfall - of course there are crazy drivers out there that shouldn't be out on the roads. People driving around trying to find places to sled and whatnot - really? Stay home is what I say. David had to go out - stresses me out and worries me. He says it's pretty bad out there - last I heard he was on the side of the road bc he lost a chain off his truck. Hoping he gets home soon and doesn't have to leave again - unfortunately I'm afraid that won't be the case.

Really?

It's Sunday night 10 o clock and they say a major winter storm is on the way. SC just doesn't get snow like they are calling for - as of right now they are calling for multiple inches of snow then followed by sleet and freezing rain. We're in the South - we don't deal with conditions like these. As of right now there are over 130 closings and not a single flake has dropped from the sky.

To make matters worse David is on call - they sent him home with chains for his truck. He's still out tonight running calls - people going crazy with no heat right now. People that haven't had heat since this morning but wait to call until 730 at night???? Really???

I think it's going to be an interesting week - I've caught up on all my laundry preparing just in case we end up without power and can't wash clothes so we don't run out. We're stocked up on food and drinks so we're ready to go but praying it doesn't come to that. The temps aren't supposed to get out of the 30s all week and it's supposed to be in the teens and 20s at night so the likelihood of everything melting and not causing any problems is not very good. Kids are already supposed to be out of school on Friday and then Monday for teacher workday and state holiday so it's looking like an extended vacation this week. I may need Prozac by the end of the week :)

However - one good thing about snow - taking us back to the day after Christmas this year is I get adorable pictures of my babies - like these :

We even play baseball in the snow :)

Snow Snow Snow

I figure if I don't jump right in then I'll never do it. Everything has been so stressful lately with house/kids/family/internet it was just easier to not even worry about getting online. When I was online I'd get kicked off every 2 minutes and I just couldn't deal with it anymore.

David's hours at work have been unbelievable. They've been long and never ending. I'm thankful he has a job and is able to work yet it's stressful at the same time. Then to add to it when he finally gets off of work and the kids are heading to bed he calls and he's on the way to a meeting. That's when I feel like I'm at ground zero all over again. It hits me where we are and how much I despise being here. It adds to the frustration and the anger takes over. I think how it would be nice to get out and find an al anon group that would be good for me yet there is no time. He hasn't been getting home until 930 at night and of course by that time all of the meetings are over. So all in all it's just been stressful.

I have lots and lots of blogs to catch up on and I figure I should stop putting it off and just jump back in. I'll be slowly making my way around :) and trying to get back into blogging at the same time. I've come to realize that it's hard to take things one day at a time. Hard to sit back and just let things happen. I'm horrible at that! I've always been one to want to know exactly what and when something is going to happen. This new way of living is something I haven't figured out yet.

While I was gone we got snow FINALLY! Caleb was obsessed with wanting to build a snowman. Lucas and Jacob decided they wanted to go to their grandparents house instead so they weren't here. We headed out in the morning for Allie and Caleb to play for a while. After busting my own butt on the ice the kids had a blast on the sled- well Caleb had a blast on the sled. Allie only stayed on for a couple of minutes and then she was happier walking along.

We don't get this weather very much so I didn't have a heavy for Allie. She had to wear Caleb's old Pooh jacket from last year. At least she had pink in her hat :)

David had to get in on the fun too!! Caleb wasn't happy to be sharing his sled.

After the sled David and Caleb decided to build Frosty. Amazingly the snow rolled right up off the grass so he was fairly easy to make but it wasn't my knees out there soaking wet either :) I was too busy keeping Allie off the street! When he was finally done we couldn't find buttons that would stick so David went all redneck on me with the spray paint. Lord I can't take him anywhere! All in all Caleb had a BLAST!!!!!! and Allie wasn't happy when it was time to come inside so though she wouldn't really play and it took her 45 minutes to actually put her feet in the snow I think deep down she had a fabulous time!

Is It or Isn't It?

So they're calling for winter weather here starting tomorrow night and leading into Saturday. It's the TOP story everywhere. Morning news/noon news/evening news-it's the first thing they talk about. People here go crazy when they call for any sort of winter weather and when/if we do get it they don't react well in the south. The world stops!!!! Last year when we got about 4 inches of snow the news was on all day long showing it everywere. Seriously we don't get winter weather hardly ever-I take that back-we get ice and the threat of weather but seldom does the actual snow materialize. The kids are anxious and I'm not so happy about it. Don't get me wrong I love the snow and would love nothing more to sit and watch it fall until it is knee deep and everything looks so pure and peaceful outside. But not this weekend-of all weekends for it to happen-David has been on call since Tuesday and although the week hasn't been bad so far well it is clear the weekend is going to be a totally different story. I dread if something happens having to get four kids in and out of the ice/snow and doing all the laundry that will accompany them. I just want to sit back and enjoy the weather not sit and panic about my husband out on the icy and wet roads. Ugh!!! In a way I hope we get it because I know the kids want it and I'll admit there's nothing like pictures in the snow but then again I dread it-I'd like for it to be 60 outside and just send them out the door to play the day away.

For tonight I've got to head to the store and not for bread and milk because in SC it will all be gone already :) CRAZY PEOPLE but for coffee and orange juice. Because if Caleb and Allie have no orange juice well we're screwed over the weekend and I don't want to run out in the ice and rain just for oj-I have enough excitement in my life for now.