A little hibernation is the plan for today

written by Katrina on February 6, 2010 · 14 comments

and filed under Home stuff

It started snowing yesterday around noon. Nothing too heavy, but it was coming down.

By 3:30, the roads were covered and the plows weren’t quite keeping up with it.

Around 6:30 last night, someone in our neighborhood abandoned their car at the bottom of the hill. Heavy wet snow covering the roads left things slick and not friendly to small, light cars.

Chad shoveled at least 6 inches of snow before we went to bed.

And overnight? It just kept coming. The power went off and on, off and on, off and on. Tree branches around the area were snapping off under the weight of the snow, landing on power lines. We are happy to have electricity this morning, when many people have none.

And this is what it looks like outside our garage this morning.

Remember how I said Chad shoveled 6 inches before bed? Well, here’s where things stand now:

Yes, apparently we got at least 20 inches of snow since noon yesterday. The local news can talk about nothing other than record-breaking snowfall, the importance of staying home today, and the fact that there are states of emergency being declared all over the place but that (thankfully) things should taper off this afternoon.

Some more pictures for your enjoyment.

Here’s Chad’s car, huddled under a thick blanket of snow in the driveway:

Can you see it? There’s a stop sign across the road from our house. It’s still peeking out above the drifts:

Oh, and those trees on either side of the stop sign? They are not pine trees. They’re not spruce trees. They’re not any kind of conifer whatsoever. They’re oaks. You know, trees whose branches usually stick straight out to the sides. They look so tired right now:

Apparently, other cars were abandoned last night. Here’s one I just noticed across the street. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s a car. It’s hard to tell with all the snow.

And here’s my wonderful husband, attacking the next 14 inches of snow:

The crazy thing is, I don’t think we’re getting the worst of it. People further east may get even more snow.

As for us, we’re just going to sit tight today. I’m thinking that, as long as our power stays on, I’ll get some hot chocolate going on the stove. Maybe we’ll play some board games or watch a movie. Maybe we’ll just each cuddle up with a blanket and a book. I don’t know. But I do know that we’re not going anywhere. We’ll be perfectly happy to hibernate today.

{ 14 comments }

Of chocolate and Cheerios

written by Katrina on February 2, 2010 · 22 comments

and filed under Home stuff

So…did you know that these existed?

I didn’t. Until a recent trip to the grocery store, that is.

As I walked down the cereal aisle, this brown box practically jumped out at me, set off in stark contrast to the standard yellow Cheerios boxes.

Let me tell you something about my childhood: My favorite cereal of all time was Count Chocula. My mother (wisely) did not allow me to eat it each and every day, but boxes of Count Chocula occasionally showed up in our house, and I happily consumed the chocolaty goodness. Crunchy cereal pieces first, saving the marshmallows for last. (And yes, I might have had some cereal-eating OCD-type issues.)

There was something magical about chocolate for breakfast.

Now, as a responsible adult, I attempt to eat responsible-adult-type cereals. You know, things with fiber and whole grains. Things without way-too-much sugar. Things, sadly, without marshmallows — chocolate or otherwise.

That’s not to say that I have never pilfered a bowl of Lucky Charms when Chad was out of town and the kids were in bed. Because I have. But for the most part, I try to eat cereals that are somewhat good for me.

Which is, perhaps, why the box of Chocolate Cheerios caught my eye.

After all, the cover clearly announces that they’re good for you, with phrases like, “May Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease” and “with Whole Grain Guaranteed.” At the same time, there are words like “Chocolate” and “Real Cocoa” calling to my sweet tooth. I had no choice: I had to take a box home.

L. (3) was not impressed. I should tell you that he’s an incredibly picky eater, and picky in weird ways. (This is a kid who asked for peas and carrots one night when I offered him waffles and ice cream for dinner. Yeah. Really.) He tried a few of the Chocolate Cheerios, and then asked me to take them away.

But I don’t take his word for anything, so I poured a bowl for myself.

The verdict: Meh. Okay.

I guess I was expecting something similar to the Count Chocula yummyness of my youth, but better for me. Alas, it didn’t quite measure up. The chocolate flavor was present, but not very strong. I mean, it was okay. But I think I decided that if I really want chocolate cereal, I should just buy a box of Count Chocula. And I’m perfectly happy with regular (or Honey Nut) Cheerios if I’m in a Cheerios kind of mood.

But for now, I’ll just go back to my responsible-adult-type cereals. (Oh, okay, I might finish the box of Chocolate Cheerios. You wouldn’t want me to be wasteful, would you?)

What’s your favorite cereal (now or as a kid)? Have you tried any new ones recently?

—–

I’m linking this post to the Moms’ 30-Minute Blog Challenge, hosted each Tuesday at SteadyMom.com.

{ 22 comments }

The Week In Words - February 1

written by Katrina on February 1, 2010 · 13 comments

and filed under Week In Words

Another Monday, another chance to play along with Melissa’s The Week In Words carnival. To participate, just share quotes from anything you read this past week. Visit Breath of Life to check out other participants or to submit your own link.

This week, I started to read Thin Places, the spiritual memoir of an author I really like, Mary DeMuth. From the very beginning, she pulled me in.

Surely God is in the nooks and crannies of my life, stooping to earth to woo me. Sometimes I recognize Him, but usually I continue on the mundane path, not realizing a breath of a veil exists between the Almighty and myself…I live in the midst of holy moments, yet only in retrospect do I really see them. I claw at the seams of life, questioning God’s ways, seldom realizing that if I’d stop clawing, I would capture new glimpses of Him through the thin places. God woos me from behind the veil through the tragedies, beauties, surprises, simplicities, and snatches of my life I might overlook.

– Thin Places, p. 14-15

In other reading news, L.(3) has been requesting Dr. Seuss books nearly every night. I don’t complain — I admit to being fond of the whimsical, lyrical rhymes, even when they’re simple. All week, these passages from the Sleep Book have been running through my head:

Sleep thoughts
Are spreading
Throughout the whole land.
The time for night-brushing of teeth is at hand.

*****

The number
Of sleepers
Is steadily growing.
Bed is where
More and more people are going.

*****

Ninety-nine zillion,
Nine trillion and two
Creatures are sleeping!
So…
How about you?

{ 13 comments }

Game Review: Can You See What I See?

written by Katrina on January 29, 2010 · 6 comments

and filed under Games/Game Reviews

I love to play boardgames. And in my ongoing quest to play more boardgames, I’ve found that one effective strategy is to force invite my children to play games with me. With C(11), it’s pretty easy — he’ll play any number of fun games with me as long as he’s in the right mood. But it’s a little harder with L(3). Not because he doesn’t want to play games, but because there are very few fun games that are targeted at the preschool crowd. (Please don’t mention Candyland to me. I have banished that game from my home after one too many endless episodes of it.)

However, with persistence, we’ve managed to find a few gems suitable for preschoolers, the most recent one being Can You See What I See? Finders Keepers Game, a Gamewright game based on the popular Can You See What I See? (and the similar I Spy) book series.

Read on to learn more about it.

Can You See What I See?

Can You See What I See? Finders Keepers Game is a quick, fun little game that takes the concept of the I Spy books and turns it into an engaging card game accessible to even the youngest of gamers. The box says it’s for ages 4 and up, but L. was playing this game at just over 3 years old (and I think that even 2-year-olds could have fun trying to find and match objects in lieu of playing the full game). One game lasts about ten minutes, and the game accommodates 2-6 players.

At the start of the game, each player receives 12 Keep Me cards (fewer if you’re playing with 5 or 6 people). Keep Me cards are rectangular tiles containing an I-Spy-esque collage of cute and colorful objects. Players arrange their cards in front of them so they can easily see them all.

A face-down draw pile of Find Me cards is placed in the middle of the table. Find Me cards are square tiles, each containing one object.

During each round, one Find Me card is flipped and placed face-up on the table. Players examine their Keep Me cards to see if any of them contain the object on the Find Me card. If a player finds that object on any of his or her cards, they flip over those Keep Me cards and keep them face-down on the table for the rest of the game. Once everyone has flipped over their matching cards for that round, a new Find Me card is turned over and play continues with players searching their Keep Me cards for matches with the new Find Me card.

The first player to find matches for, and flip over all of his or her Keep Me cards wins the game.

Simple, right? Right. Perfect for the little ones.

The rules also include a more advanced game for older kids that involves score-keeping and requires a little more thinking, so it’s definitely a game that can grow with your kids for several years.

Why do I like this game?

  • Well first of all, I have to admit that I’ve always been a fan of the I Spy and Can You See What I See? books, so any game based on them is going to score some points with me. I love how they encourage kids to concentrate and really examine a picture. And watching a child get that feeling of accomplishment when they find all the objects on a page (all by themselves) is priceless. The Finders Keepers Game does all of that, just in game form.
  • The games are short. Ten minutes? I can handle that. In fact, when L. and I play Can You See What I See?, I find that I’m happy to play multiple games in one sitting. I’d rather play 3 or 4 games of Can You See What I See? Finders Keepers than one game of Cand– the game that must not be named.
  • It teaches little ones some of the basic principles of gameplay, which will come in handy in many areas. Though the game involves simultaneous play (so there’s no real “taking turns”), kids still learn about order of play, structure, organization, observation, and winning & losing.
  • It’s a game the little kids like. Just as in the I Spy books, the pictures in Can You See What I See? Finders Keepers are engaging, bright, interesting, and fun. A variety of objects keep the kids intrigued and also lead to conversations about the objects and their uses/features.

In summary:

Can You See What I See? Finders Keepers Game

Number of Players: 2-6
Time required: 10 minutes
Ages: 4+ (though Callapidder Days says you can go younger)
Where to buy: Available at Amazon.com
Callapidder recommends it: As a perfect “first game” for preschoolers.


Disclosure: Gamewright Games provided me with a free review copy of Can You See What I See? Finders Keepers Game.

{ 6 comments }

The Week in Words

written by Katrina on January 25, 2010 · 12 comments

and filed under Week In Words

Melissa from Breath of Life is starting a new carnival today: The Week in Words. The idea is simple. Participants post quotes from whatever reading they did that week — any quotes that stood out to them, touched them, made them laugh, whatever. And the source can be any kind of reading — blogs, magazines, books. As long as it’s something you read this week, it counts.

Here are a few quotes that caught my eye this week.

Victory in anything, from war to football, is founded in training and discipline. Nothing worthwhile is gained by sloth and wishful thinking. It’s not the will to win that counts, but the will to prepare to win.

– James Scott Bell in The Art of War for Writers

There is something better than settling for a vague, diminished, distant understanding of who Jesus is, what he has done, and why it matters. It is seeing him more clearly and following him more closely…There is something better than expecting to get everything we’re hoping for here and now. It is a willingness to wait for all our deepest longings to be fulfilled in heaven…There is something better than pursuing our own dreams of security and passion and significance. It is finding our security and passion and significance in God’s dreams for us.

– Nancy Guthrie in Hoping for Something Better
(a study of Hebrews I just began with a good friend)

“Catching a murderer isn’t like recovering a stolen bike,” [Encylcopedia Brown] said. “A murderer can stop a person’s growth in a terrible hurry.”

– Donald J. Sobol in Encyclopedia Brown and the
Case of the Dead Eagles
(which I’m reading as part of the Children’s Classics Mystery Challenge)

Visit Breath of Life to see other participants or to share your own quotes from this week!

{ 12 comments }

Something New

written by Katrina on January 20, 2010 · 21 comments

and filed under Etc.

For months, now, my mind has been restless.

While part of me is pretty sure I have enough on my plate with just the basic, everyday tasks that come with being a wife, a mom, a volunteer… another part of me is curious, searching, looking for something new.

Something new to learn.

Oh, I don’t want to ditch my wife and mom responsibilities. I’m just looking for a new hobby.

It’s crazy, really. I don’t exactly need a new hobby.

I’d probably do well to spend my time trying to improve some simple life-skills. Such as housekeeping. Or frugality. Or organizing. Or parenting.

It would probably also make sense to focus on one of my existing hobbies, to spend time learning more, increasing my skill level, exploring new aspects. After all, I knit, I crochet, I bake, I write, I play Wii (okay, that doesn’t count). But really, I’m far from an expert in any of those areas. There’s plenty of room for growth and improvement.

Yet, I still feel like I want to learn about and explore something new.

Such as? you ask.

Well, here are some things I’ve been reading about, researching. I’m curious about each one, and could easily dive headlong into any one of them.

1. Computer programming. Yeah, I know, people major in this subject in college. It’s not usually a light hobby on the side. But I’d love to learn the nuts and bolts of programming, and learn to do something fun like build a simple iPhone app. I don’t have to be able to construct an operating system; I’d just like to have some basic level of competence.

2. Website development. On a slightly smaller scale, I’ve considered focusing on the type of computer coding specifically related to websites. I think it would be lots of fun to build a Wordpress theme from scratch, and to master enough HTML and PHP and CSS to make a website do what I want it to do.

3. Sewing. Ah-ha! I caught you off guard there, didn’t I? You thought this was going to be a completely geeky list. But no. I’m interested in some non-geeky stuff, too. Here’s a confession: I’ve never, ever used a sewing machine. Not for one single stitch. In fact, with a needle and thread, I can barely sew a button on a shirt. It’s pathetic, really. So I’d like to learn — how to use a sewing machine, how to hem a pair of pants, how to sew a curtain, how to make my kids flannel jammies.

4. Drawing. Here’s another confession: I can not draw a circle. I can not draw a straight line. I have no drawing skills whatsoever. The other day. L (3) asked me to draw Bob & Larry (from Veggie Tales). Bob and Larry are pretty simple — they are a tomato and a cucumber, after all. But could I draw them? Well… I tried. And then L. asked me why I made them so scary-looking. Sigh… I know I’ll never be an artist. But if I could learn some very basic techniques, if I could learn to put something on paper that looks like more than scribbles, that’d be cool.

There are more topics I’m interested in. In fact, if you caught a glimpse of my Amazon.com browsing history, you’d wonder if I have adult ADD. Book after book, topic after topic. But really — there’s just so much out there to learn, and sometimes I want to try it all.

But I think I’m going to make myself pick. I’m going to tackle only one — okay, maybe two — at a time. Now I just have to decide where to start.

What about you? If you were going to tackle a new hobby — anything at all, what would you want to explore?

{ 21 comments }

Back to the land of cold and gray

01.19.2010 Family

So. We’re home.
Oh, you didn’t even know we went away?
Yes, we did. But since I figure it’s not a good idea to announce to the entire Internet that, “We will be gone for the next four days, so our house and all our belongings are left unguarded and vulnerable”…I didn’t mention it.
But now we’re back, [...]

11 comments Read the full post →

Two Reading Challenges I Couldn’t Resist

01.12.2010 Reading Challenges

I admit, I don’t join a lot of reading challenges. I usually host two challenges per year (Fall Into Reading and Spring Reading Thing), and in between those challenges, I’m often ready to enjoy some unstructured, rambling reading.
But there are two reading challenges in the works this year that I simply couldn’t resist.
You already know [...]

20 comments Read the full post →

What’s That Face?

01.04.2010 Family
Thumbnail image for What’s That Face?

L. (3) is often concerned with how I am feeling.
For example, though he seems to have no problem whatsoever with disobeying and defying me multiple times per hour, he would prefer for me to remain perpetually “Happy.” (And, when I appear to be not-so-happy — such as when I discipline him for the aforementioned disobedience and defiance — he’s [...]

15 comments Read the full post →

It’s January! Hooray!

01.02.2010 Etc.

L. (3) was happily playing with Legos yesterday morning. He received a Lego fire station set for Christmas and has spent a good portion of the last week creating everything but a fire station with it. In fact, whenever I’ve attempted to help him turn the pile of Legos into the item pictured on the [...]

7 comments Read the full post →

← Previous Entries