By midday on Sunday, it became clear that none of us were going to be going anywhere, anytime soon. The gusting winds alongside light, steady snowfall made it impossible to keep the sidewalks and streets clear and we could almost feel the temperature steadily dropping throughout the afternoon from inside the house.
So, with classes cancelled for all of us on Monday and Tuesday, we tried to make the best of it. We set up desk space for Mike where he'd be undisturbed by our play/work noise. He also put the finishing touches on the basement carpet tiling job, bringing the playroom to a new level of comfy for all of us. I sorted through my stockpiled assortment of art supplies and books and indoor activities and made a list of things that we could do to keep ourselves busy. Christopher and I made one last run to the grocery store (a good call since the kids have both eaten their weight in clementines - seriously, I think Colin had 8 today). And then we called it Good.
The coldest day was yesterday with piercingly gorgeous sunshine and not a single cloud in sight to insulate us from the frigid temperature and icy winds. The roads were almost completely silent and I was glad to see that because driving would have been incredibly dangerous. There were lights on in our neighbors' houses, but no one ventured out except for those taking their dogs out for 3 minute pit stops. You would think we'd have the worst case of cabin fever imaginable by now but, thankfully, we've been fine. Occupied with activity, fed with good food, and snug in our beds at night.
We made warm food: veggie soup, corn chowder, leftover tamales and toasted bagels for lunches, and tuna casserole, lentil soup and oatmeal-buttermilk muffins for dinners. And many, many cups of hot tea.
Earlier today during our lunch break, Mike announced, "it's zero degrees!" What a welcome heat wave after -15 yesterday morning with the windchill at -37. There are a few cars out on the road today, and a couple of brave neighbors shoveling their walks now that the danger of frostbite seems to have passed.
Tomorrow will hardly be warm with a high temperature of 12F, but it will feel so good to step outside and breathe the air... (Not too deeply! Frozen nose hairs are still entirely possible.) I have one little boy who has been asking to go back to preschool for 2 weeks now and another who, though unable to verbalize those same sentiments, but will be absolutely thrilled to boogie with his favorite music teacher in the morning.
I'm amazed and grateful that throughout these 2+ days, we have had uninterrupted internet service for news and entertainment and work connectivity. We have had plenty of running water for baths and diaper washing and cooking. And, our trusty furnace has been working almost non-stop to keep us snug and warm. There's a lot to be thankful for and nothing to take for granted.
So, what exactly did we do? Thanks to the internet, we had lots of options! Here are some of the things we did to keep ourselves occupied:
Cereal Box Race Car Tracks
Playing with party balloons in the basement
Throw boiling water into the air and watch it vaporize (Mike and I were so into this one. It was *awesome*)
Play Doh, Play Doh, and more Play Doh
Colored Ice Water Balloons
Book Swap and Toy Swap (that means changing up what's available for play with items we have in storage)
The next time we are caught in a polar vortex (!), I'm totally going to try one of these things:
Making a Frozen T-Shirt
Frozen Banana Hammer
Snow Cones/Slushies with real snow
Blow Ice Bubbles
If it's going to be as cold as you-know-what, you might as well embrace it, right?!
