Adventures In Babysitting

Well as you've probably all heard or know from being here yourselves, we are iced in. Some with power, some without. It's pretty bad. It started last Friday & didn't stop until wave #4 hit Sunday afternoon. Our home lost power Sunday afternoon from 3pm-4am. I won't lie, it got cold people. We were saved by a neighborly neighbor who retreated to her mother's home (that had power & a working fireplace) & left us a halogen latern. I dug up some latern flashlights, and a few candles. And after 30 long minutes of whinning from son #1 about how he'd "never get to play my computer game again!" I dug out the TV/weather radio we had stashed. The halogen latern & tv radio were a God send! Seriously! You never know how quiet is TOO quiet until you're alone in a dark house with three children by yourself. Around 9:30pm we saw the electric company arrive & start to repair the transformer that my neighbor saw blow up. We mistakenly thought power would "soon" be restored. Ha! My neighbor's husband works for our electric company & he was working 12 hr shifts & sleeping a few hours in between. He let us know that they'd have to send tree trimmer crews out. They came at some point & begin trimming. It took awhile, I can't imagine how cold THEY were & if the people slept who's yard they were working in. But at least we can say it's stayed on & we're warm.

After the heat & electricity returned Monday we all were home. (the kids anyway for MLK Jr's birthday and hubbo because he couldn't get to work) It was a fun day of laying around doing nothing in our PJ's. Oh & giving GREAT thanks we weren't like some of my family who lived north of us that still didn't have power. (half have power now as I write this) I figured the kids wouldn't have school Tuesday & with great plans of sleeping in, I didn't mind. #2 son put a kabosh on that plan around 7:45am Tuesday bright & early. Hubbo did make it into work, although his normal 25 minute commute turned into one hour.

Wednesday rolled around, still no school, no sand or salt trucks for the streets. It was near impossible for anyone to get out. My hubbo said that our residential street is by far the worst he's been on. Sigh! More "quality time" with the kids I guess.

Thursday-No school. I've given in & admitted I obviously can't wait to clean until the kids go back to school because at this rate, we'll all run out of clean underwear! I did get to sleep in until 9:15am & felt I could clean the house while the baby napped so there was at least one less child to "help" me. I had to be creative & fix them lunch & bolt, er...I mean fasten them into their high chairs to eat while I swept & vacuumed. Then after wiping their dirty little faces I stuck #2 son in the tub to soak & laid #3 son down for a nap. Then I attacked the mountian of dishes in my sink. Although they had sort of spilled out onto the countertops. This COULD be why I couldn't find a spoon for #1 son's yogurt at lunch. But I figure a spit & shine to a used spoon won't hurt him badly enough to make him too sick. And if it does, well he won't be missing any school due to the illness, right?

I think my sanity will hold until the weekend when Hubbo can take over as main parental unit & I can hide in my room. I think. I don't know though. Today I was thinking I had an idea for an emergency kit for parents to send for in these "extreme conditions". And I ain't talking about the ice people. It could arrive in the mail (assuming you can get to your mailbox-I haven't seen mine in 7 days) and will contain: a shot of vodka, one cigarette & a gun with one bullet. **** Sound too extreme? Come to my house where kids are bored & annoying you for fun. Let's see how long YOU last buster! And the cherry on top is there are 4-12 inches of snow forecast for this weekend.
In close, I'd like to think we'll all survive this ordeal....but should some of us not, please remember I did clean the house, it just may not LOOK like I did when the CSI people get here.

Things I Learned While Iced/Snowed In:

*you CAN loose brain cells due to hearing the Boomba toy sing too much

*when hungry enough, kids WILL eat macaroni & cheese three times in a row

*you can never have enough candles even if it's just to set the house on fire to cover the scene of your crimes

*you don't get NEAR the projects done that you THINK you will with all that time on your hands

*time passes much more slowly when there are children in the house with nowhere else to go

*you CAN acquire asthma from "shhh-ing" your children too much

*a fork will work for eating yogurt if you haven't done your dishes in oh, days-you just have to be very very fast getting it to your mouth

*something equivalent to hibernation starts to take place the longer you are trapped in-doors

*children will NOT sleep in on days there is no school-some internal clock rouses them with the sun

*children can NOT be quiet doing ANYTHING when up earlier than a parent...there is NO way this is possible

*and the number one thing I've learned while stuck in-doors is: I don't MIND being snowed/iced in....it's all these other yahoo's in here with me that are making it not so fun.

*************this was a joke, please don't report me to the authorities or I'll just have to come to your house with the one bullet, and I hate to drive on ice.*******************