Second Southern Snow & Indoor Activities

Wow!  This year is beginning to impress me with the wild card weather.

Ice Glazed Tree in My Backyard

I think I can speak for many that live in the south when I say we certainly didn’t expect another measurable event this year.  Especially after the last Southern Snow was so anticipated and Came and Went without lingering.

Snow has been the talk of the town since Tuesday with the first system moving through Raleigh on Wednesday at noon and the second on Thursday at noon.  Six inches of snow to start.  Sleet and freezing rain to pack things down. Kind of a gut punch that disabled most sledding or snow ball efforts.  But, pretty on the trees.  Then a redemption with a couple more inches of the white fluffy stuff over top to allow for some more outdoor play.

Almost White Out Conditions!

Raleigh was basically crippled this time around.  Hundreds of motorists were stranded while trying to commute home on Wednesday.  We made national news a few times this week for our honest, but pathetic clean up efforts.  I know we get a lot of heat from the Northerners and Midwesterners who think we over react.  Perhaps, but we try hard.  I know many doctors  and nurses who spent over 96 hours at the hospital just to serve our citizens and NCDOT crews who have worked back to back shifts to clear the highways.  In fact, I even heard of some grocery clerks spending the night at the store, just to make sure they could open for guests who may have real needs.  I would call that Southern Sacrifice.  If possible, I still agree with the Governor’s advice: Stay home people. And, help your neighbors.

If you begin to feel a case of cabin fever coming on, or are stranded on Valentine’s Day tomorrow, here are few activities that may lighten the mood and please the whole family:

Bake. Simple, fun and easy for everyone to participate. Try a new recipe.  Google ingredient substitutes if you’re short on something.  Who knows, you may discover a new crowd pleaser.  Warm cookies or muffins never tasted better than with a cup of hot chocolate on a snow day!

Blueberry Muffins

Do Movie Day.  Pick a trilogy or rotate between mom and dad picks and kid picks.  Make popcorn, eat peanut butter and jelly.  M&M’s anyone?

Make Valentine’s Day Cards.  Tomorrow is perhaps a ‘Hallmark holiday,” but it is a fun way to reach out to friends, neighbors and relatives and let them know you love them and care.  Use construction paper, glue, glitter, markers, crayons, finger paint, cotton balls.  Get the whole family (and pets) involved.  Paw print cards anyone…so cute!

Easy Valentine’s Day Cards. Put a photo behind the heart with a sweet message and glue to construction or cardstock paper.

Play Dress Up with the kiddos.  Dress up the family dog and take pictures.  Do a skit.  Mom and dad vs. the kids!

Take a Bath.  I honestly cannot remember the last time I took a bath.  Some candles, good music, a glass of wine (or spiced apple cider), and a break from…everything!  Sign me up please.

Build a Fort.  This was one of my favorite activities as a kid!  I loved tacking up sheets, old blankets and using pillows to create my ” indoor cabin.”  Maybe even be so crazy as to move some furniture around and use a whole room.  Or pitch a tent indoors and camp in with flashlights!

Pitch a Tent Indoors!

I guess the little girl inside of me has officially received what she asked for this year…and then some.  I appreciate the snow.  Mostly, when it’s falling and fresh.  I suppose I am finally ready for cropped tops and the first signs of spring, but for the next little while, I am going to enjoy being bundled up and cooped up and treasure the family time.  After all, it is a SNOW DAY!

The Snow Came…and Went

It Snowed!

Thanks to the bitter temperatures the snow wasn’t a complete bust.

With just about 1/2 of what was predicted, our 2.5 inches lasted a couple of days…plenty of time for some family fun and afternoon hot chocolate.

After much anticipation, the snow started falling around 6PM Tuesday night. It was completely dark here by then and my son was slightly disappointed when he was relegated to making bubble balls in the bath tub verses snow balls outside.  Trying to explain to an almost two year old that flurries don’t offer enough to play in and 15 degrees, dark, wet and windy don’t offer a great opportunity to sled is a hard conversation to have.

Thanks to Nana and Papa for their loving distractions and fun sleepover, we made it through the night.

Wednesday morning we woke up elated to see the ground covered with the white stuff.  We shared a hot breakfast of lattes, cinnamon toast,  goat cheese and spinach omelets before layering up to go outside.  I must admit, it was completely comical watching us dig through vacuum sealed bags of “winter gear” to locate things that actually fit.  I ended up wearing long johns, pajama pants and white terry pants over top…completely not waterproof (or stylish), but warm enough to make it.  We did find our ski jackets, so that was helpful and my husband borrowed gloves from my father, otherwise he would have died after 60 seconds outside.

Snow Bunny

Bundled Up

When we were confident our Florida blood could brave the cold, we  ventured out with our boots zipped up (hubby in his sneakers, also not water proof) and an audience.  Of course, both sets of grandparents were present to watch our son sled down the hill for the first time.  After all, it could take four more years before this phenomenon happens again.  Dad, wasn’t afraid to jump right on the green plastic toboggan, plop the baby down in his lap and go with absolutely no hesitation or trial run…slight mistake.  About half way down the more than 60 yard hill, I heard a deafening wail.  And then the tears and nose slime followed.  My son was mortified.  Remember the first time your dad, uncle or grandfather ever took you down a waterslide and put you upfront…wrong spot for a kid!!!  The water blasts you in the face and the force that rides behind you compounds it.  You certainly can’t reason with a 23 month old enough to close his eyes or mouth or both!

Green Means Go!

After jumping off at the bottom, my son was ‘over it’…he took off, trotting away, mumbling and crying, wiping the snow and his tears  from his face and ignoring anyone who called his name.  My husband was shocked his little rebel didn’t LOVE  the thrill ride as much as he did and looked slightly defeated with his toboggan still in tow.  At that point, I jumped on a my plastic saucer (impossible to steer), rode the hill, rolled off at the bottom and caught up with my very disappointed son.  He was still wondering along the base of the hill, at this point laugh-crying because he so loved being outside.  I explained to him (the best I could) what just happened and asked him if he wanted to go again with mommy.  Not so much, but he couldn’t help but just love being present.  He ran, walked, fell a few times, tried to jump, made a snow ball, threw it and then repeated…for about 30 minutes.  I was able to ride a few more times as was hubby and my father.  After a good while outside, it was about that time, my nose was numb, my fingers burned, we were soaking wet and our audience dwindled.  My little Rudolf protested some, but with the promise of hot chocolate and a cookie, I didn’t have to drag him kicking and screaming. We finished up the day with good company, playing trucks and watching back the ‘baby’ videos on the IPad.  Here are a few more pictures of the snow day that was…

YEA!

So, here’s my thank you to the snow (and our family). This was the complete highlight of our week…make that month!

Thank You Snow Day

Anticipating a Southern Snow

Living in central North Carolina, we very rarely get measurable snow of more than an inch.

Depending upon the city of residence, our annual totals are between 5-8″ and typically cause more panic than pretty photo opts.  Schools shut down when a dusting covers the side roads and if there’s any talk of snow accumulating into the single digits, local governments may even close their doors for the day.

Yes, for your northerners, one inch can actually shut down an entire city and it always clears the grocery stores of milk, bread and eggs.

My husband was born in Wisconsin and even though he spent two decades of his younger years in sunny Orlando, Florida, he still finds it comical how utterly chaotic a population of 1/2 million people can become with a little weather.  It kind of reminds me of what rain can do to southern California!   My husband still doesn’t own a pair of gloves or boots, he wears flip flops and shorts most of the year, but this winter has been different.  With temperatures in the single digits more than a handful of times, I knew we were destined for a measurable event! And now it seems it may be happening!  4-6 inches of snow is the latest estimate locally, but if you drive just a bit east it could be upwards of 6-10 inches.  I must say, I am more excited then most school aged children!  “Snow, snow please come and stay…at least for a few nostalgic winter days!”

Here’s how we’re preparing:

My mother-in-law graciously went to the local hardware store to buy them out of the remaining sleds, saucers and snow shovels.  Too bad there weren’t more..we may have opened up a ‘side of the road business’ and made some real dough!

A fitting for our finest mittens and head dressings!

Got the layers ready!  Need to dig in the attic for something acceptable for dad and I!

Community golf course view pre-snow (perhaps an update tomorrow will look differently)!

Milk, Bread and Eggs: Check!

Dinner: Check!

Hot Chocolate: Check!

Movies: Check!

Sleds: Check!

Shovel: Check!

Jackets: Almost Check!

Firewood: Need!

Snow: Waiting…