Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Okay, I realize that is kind of like rubbing salt into the wound of anyone living north of the Mason-Dixon line, but this is the third winter in a row that this native Ohioan has spent exiled from her homeland, and darn it, I just MISS snow!  I can literally count on one hand the personal snow experiences I've had since moving to the South, and except for this last one, it was all gone in about an hour.  It's just not winter, in my opinion, until you have THIS:

So, a week or so ago, we dug the snow clothes out of the tub in the garage (see, XO? I TOLD you it was important that we keep that stuff!), bundled up the kids and then scrounged around the house and garage for something that would work for a sled!

Now, the snow review was mixed....Baby Girl lived in Ohio for nearly 6 years.  She remembers snow. She likes it.  She was just beginning to like sledding when we moved.  It was not hard at all for her to jump back into winter mode.  Sweetie was only a year old when we moved, and although I have pictures of her bundled up in her stroller while I shoveled the driveway one day (thanks, Army, for stealing my husband in the winter!), she really had no clue what she was getting into.  Pumpkin.....well, she's a Southern Girl by birth! ;)

It began to snow late last Tuesday night.  They'd dismissed school at 12:30 that day (When it was sunny and sixty.  I kid you not, Yankees!), and then 30 minutes later, canceled school for Wednesday.  (Again, still sunny and sixty.  Kind of ruins the tradition of standing by the TV as LONG as POSSIBLE, praying that your district scrolled across the bottom!)  They also started sanding the roads and dismissed Ft. Bragg around 1:00 Tuesday, then officially closed it for Wednesday. Suffice it to say, no one was going anywhere!

We put the kids to bed as usual, though and they didn't see any snow Tuesday.  However, Baby Girl woke me up at 6:30 AM, totally bundled up in snow gear, asking if she could go outside to play.  Apparently, that Yankee was excited, too!

After eating breakfast (impatiently) Baby Girl went out to play and we commenced dressing the two little ones.  You remember Ralphie's little brother, Randy from A Christmas Story, right?  "I can't put my arms down!"  Yep, that's about how thrilled Sweetie was with her get up!

Happy to say, however, that once she got outside, the novelty was enjoyable, even if it wasn't good packing snow yet, and she didn't get to make a snow man!  Snow angels were perfect, though!

Pumpkin......dressing Pumpkin for snow play is sort of like stuffing a sack of flour with wet noodles for limbs into clothing.  Apparently, this was the day I was training for when I was dressing and undressing my dolls all those years ago.  She likes coats and hats.  She wasn't fighting me!  But, it's really hard to dress a child in cold weather gear when she is used to putting on one jacket and then running out to play!  Also mittens.......Such a good idea that is so difficult to use!

Baby Girl was too busy running to her friends' houses at 8 am (Sorry, neighbors!! Didn't realize it was QUITE that early!) so no adorable pics of her, but this four-legged baby surprised us all by LOVING the snow!  A lab that hates water but loves snow.  Weirdest dog ever.

SO, if the snow didn't pack, and we didn't have any sleds, what did we do with our snow day?  We got creative with the sledding options!  In case you are ever on a snowy hill without a sled, here are some options for you:

1.  Lid to plastic tote.

2.  Old cookie sheet

3.  Plastic place mat

4. Collapsed moving box (usually a lot of those around here) 

5.  Pizza box

6.  Trash bag

7.  Pizza box IN trash bag

8. Laundry basket

9.  Boogie board

10. Piece of plastic from an assault pack that helps the back maintain its shape

11.  Real, actual sleds that your new neighbors brought with them from Ft. Drum, NY, where everyone goes to school and work in 10 foot drifts.

**Also, in the interest of science, we tried spraying all the surfaces with cooking spray. Didn't make a difference, in case you're wondering.

We were most successful with the actual sleds, obviously, but the plastic from the assault pack worked very well, too.  Next, the pizza box IN the trash bag.  Then a toss up between the laundry baskets and the plastic place mats.  

The hill behind houses across the street.  Northerners:  notice the road has not been plowed.  Because there are no plows.  Crazy, right?!

Testing out the boogie board!

The LAUNCH!

5 second ride, 30 second climb!

A girl, reunited with SNOW!

Trying out that plastic from the assault pack.

Friends!

THIS is what happens when Southerners realize that snow is COLD!

I have yet to put the snow clothes away.  The hats and mittens and scarves are washed and dried and folded.  The snow pants and jackets are hanging on hooks.  Boots are lined up by the door.  I hear a rumor of more possible snow for the south in the near future.....should I keep them out in case or put them away and not jinx us!?

How to Tell if You are Raising a Brat

Since discipline and child-rearing and schedules and the perfect amount of chores to give your child at any given age are hot topics for blogs and books alike, I thought I'd weigh in.  I might not be an expert, but with three children, I think I've learned a few things over the years, and I can tell you right now that I am raising a brat.  Three of them, to be exact. Three military brats! And while many experiences in raising children are pretty universal, there are some that are unique to military families.

As a regular-old civilian growing up, of course I was familiar with my mom doing field trips and parties at school for my brother and me, coaching and leading activities, and just being helpful and involved in our lives.  I planned on doing the same for the girls, of course, and was active in volunteering in Baby Girl's classroom and extracurricular activities.  But, in completeing volunteer requirements for a field trip recently, I've discovered some of those marked differences in raising children in a strictly civilian environment and raising children on or near a military installation.  Here are some of my revelations; you MIGHT be raising a Military Brat if......

1. Part of the requirement for chaperoning a school-sponsored study trip is completing Anti-Terrorism training.

2.  Not only does your child needs a specific costume for the spring concert, she needs a set of child-sized ACUs.  And this is not a problem because you OWN some!

3.  When the gate guard hands you back your ID and says, "All the Way, Ma'am" your two-year-old pipes up with, "AIRBORNE!"

4.  Your kids refer to any store that sells food items as the Commissary. And if YOU mistakenly refer to the actual Commissary as the "grocery store," said children correct you.

5.  Humvees, tank crossings, and C-130s are not novel or awe-inspiring sights.

6.  Your children sing marching cadences under their breath while bathing, playing, eating, etc.  And they know more of them than they do nursery rhymes!

7.  You are constantly tripping over "Daddy Dolls" and "Flat Daddy."

8.  Your kids don't have a childhood best friend....they have an Ohio best friend, a Ft. Bragg best friend, another Ft. Bragg best friend (because the first one moved away).....

9.  You planned your pregnancies and children's births around TDYs, schools, deployments, and PCSs.

10.  The resiliency of the children in your home never cease to amaze you. They can be sad because a good friend moved away last week, but it won't stop them from being excited about the new neighbor across the street.  They may shed a few tears when you pull out of the drive for the second time in one year, but after an hour in the car, they're looking forward to a larger backyard and a home with a snowy winter.

New Year's Resolutions!

Happy New Year everyone, and yes, I do realize I am a bit late!  But, I wanted to choose some meaningful, helpful, and, most importantly, DO-able resolutions for 2014, so I took my time!

1.  My biggest resolution this year is to work on this blog.  You see, I am a terrible correspondent, even in this instantaneous digital age, and I do not send pictures, news, and fun to those far away nearly as often as I should!  SO......My goal this year is to post several times a week for those of you who are far away and want to keep up with the family news.  An added bonus:  This will give me a chance to sit back and reflect on the week, take pictures, and appreciate the little things in life.

2. In 2014, it seems like so many moms are denouncing being "Pinterest moms" with perfectly clean, organized houses, perfect children, perfect schedules, perfect birthday cupcakes, perfect school lunches, perfect marriages, perfect finances, perfect vacations, and perfect craft and learning projects, I'm going the opposite way and embracing all that Pinterest has to offer!  Haha!  Actually, I've spent so much time on Pinterest and found so many great projects, tips, and ideas, that I feel the need to start DOING some of them!  Now, my house is not going to be perfectly clean and organized (if you know me at all, you will understand this!), my children will not be perfect or have perfect cupcakes or school lunches, and I will not have perfect finances or a perfect marriage.  However, I'm hoping my kids WILL have some perfectly lovely memories of craft projects, learning multiplication facts, and doing the Phonics Dance!  And, with the help of Dave Ramsey, I'm hoping our finances will be on their way to perfection. So, look for some great Pinterest ideas here each week. I'll try them and let you know how they turned out!

I'm looking forward to a year of learning, laughing, loving, and living every minute!  Here's to good health and good fortune in 2014!