A lot has happened since I last wrote. Well, more like a lot of SNOW has happened. I don't EVER remember seeing this much snow in Nebraska. We had a couple of nice storms leading up to Christmas, and then starting Christmas Eve and ending the 27th, we had a huge blizzard.
We woke up Christmas morning to no electricity. The house was FREEZING! Our old house with its old windows leaks air like you wouldn't believe. We managed to unwrap gifts and eat some fruit snacks despite the cold. Thankfully the electric came on at about 11.30. I checked the thermostat and it was at 46 degrees, the lowest it could go. I am sure it was colder than that in here! It took a long time for the house to get warmed back up.
We really rely on electricity for every little thing! Kinda scary.
They closed the Interstate and all roads leading out of Milford during the storm. The drifting was unbelievable. As high and long as semi truck trailers in some places. I managed to get to work on Sunday, the 27th, thank goodness the roads had opened back up. My van was not meant for snow drifts.
Since then it's been bitterly cold and snowy. Today I actually hear dripping, a great sound which means some of this snow is melting. The boys can actually get out of the house without me having to worry about frostbite. I know it gets much colder and snowier in other parts of the country and the world, but that is why I live here and not there. I'm not meant for this kind of weather. Too be honest, this cold has snapped the picture taking urge right out of me. You think you can freeze my toes, mess up my van AND turn off the electricity? HA! I will have no pictures with which to remember you! Old Man Winter finally left his BITTER wife and now she's taking it out on all of us. :-)
We've stayed busy, it seems, with this and that. Homeschooling is going much better. We decided to do it in the afternoon instead of the morning. DUH! I am not a morning person, nor is Mr. J! I get most of my errands, work around the house, misc. done by 12.30, when we start school. The he's normally done around 3.30 or 4.00. I have him doing the basics and am slowly integrating other "optional" subjects, like Spanish, etc. When I think back to how we started and how it is now, I can't believe what a difference it is. I can't wait to see how different it is in a year from now. It's a process that is for sure, but a fun and rewarding one!
All these snow days have not proved helpful to Mr. J. We still do school, even when the schools are closed due to weather. Haha! J the Great and Lil' J are still in preschool, but I have J the Great doing some extra work at home, in order to ease into homeschooling for later this year. I'm excited for the spring to come and for us to be able to get outside more. I have lots of fun things planned for spring and summer. We'll do school throughout the year, taking breaks here and there.
I am continually amazed that these three little people came out of my body. The things they say and do everyday make me proud to be a mom. Even the not so great things, like Lil' J singing the "I LOVE POOP" song he made up, and the fighting and tattle-telling. It is all worth it, isn't it!?
Here's the FaceBook funnies that have been happening in our extra-ordinary, ordinary life. ENJOY!
As we are leaving for preschool, J the Great has to go to the bathroom. Then Lil' J has to go to the bathroom. Then J the Great tells me he doesn't think he was done, so he goes again. Then Lil' J says he has to go potty (WHAT?) and has an accident while waiting for J the Great to be done in the bathroom. Put clean undies, jeans and then shoes on Lil' J. Put on coats. Leave for preschool.
"Mommy, if we have another boy or girl, I would like to name them ReRun."---J the Great.
"Chicka Wow-Wow" Lil' J's word for Alvin and the Chipmunks.
Supper is so much better when you don't have to cook it! L cooked tonight.....grilled cheese with turkey bacon and caramelized sweet onion, and tomato soup. YUMMY!
J the Great to Mr. J: "Why do you look like you're bad in the mood?"
Lil' J singing in the van: "I LOVE POOP, HA HA HA, I LOVE POOP, HA, HA, HA." He was cracking himself up. BOYS!!!!!!!!!
I've had a major breakthrough.......I've created a system for the laundry that works for me....no mountains of dirty clothes, no multiple baskets overflowing with clean clothes to fold and put away, no laundry left sitting in the washer so i have to rewash it. Three weeks and counting! THIS IS PROGRESS, FOLKS!
Lil' J: "Mommy, did you like it?"
Me: "Yes, I like it!"
Lil' J: No, DID you like it?"
Me still not catching on: "YES, I LIKE it!"
Lil' J: "NOOOO, DID YOU LIKE IT?!"
Me: "Oh, yes I DID like it."
Lil' J: "Okay!" He must have thought I was not using proper English....we've been working on that lately.
I'm reading my Better Homes and Gardens magazine and J the Great says "Mommy, why do you like to read comic books?" :-)
Here's the best way for peace and quiet.....realize your phone is off the hook, look for it, get sidetracked, find it many hours later with a dead battery. My cell phone needs to be charged too. No wonder I got so much done today!
J the Great: "slow and steady wins the race"
Mr. J: "No it doesn't. Fast wins the race. Fast and steady."
Thanks Mr. J. You just destroyed any chance I had with J the Great and the Turtle and Rabbit.
Bathroom sink was not draining right so I got to work. First I pulled out a wad of chewed up gum. Then I pulled out the knob from the medicine cabinet that had been missing. Then I pulled out a hair clip. Then I pulled out the orange top to an Elmer's glue bottle. All were appropriately covered with nastiness and ...hair clumps. On a positive note, the sink now drains very quickly.
I thought buying the boys a tub of bubble gum was a great idea.....until huge wads of chewed gum keep showing up in the most unlikely of places. Convincing the culprit to not shove 4 pieces in his mouth at a time and abandon them later is proving to be a problem.
I think we have the best neighbors on the planet! They always snowblow our sidewalks and sometimes our driveway. I'm never leaving this street!
Lil' J: "Mommy, you're a girl, right?"
Me: Thats right.
Lil' J: "Girls like pretty things. Us (boys) like awechome (awesome) things."
Survived without electric for a while.....house was VERY COLD! So thankful to the hardworking people that got it turned back on! Boys opened presents, now to make Christmas Day food. YUM... Merry Christmas!
J the Great: "Mommy, you know why I don't watch that movie (Aladdin)? Because there is kissing."
Apparently J the Great's favorite new words are "poopy head", "block head" and "nincompoop". I guess his old standbys, "ninny", "booboo head", "knuckle head" weren't doing the job. Our rule of not calling people names has not yet sunk in.
A day in our life......Lil' J: "Mommy, I tried to pee pee in the toilet but it got everywhere.
J the Great: "Mommy, I have a booger stuck in my teeth."
Mr. J: "Mommy, can I play XBOX?"
If it were fashionable to wear elastic waist jeans, I think I would. Trying to squeeze myslef into regular ones is sometimes depressing. I keep thinking of what my dad used to say when he thought my jeans were too tight: "HOW MANY STORIES DID YOU JUMP FROM TO GET INTO THOSE JEANS?" Feels like about three today! :-...) To have my freshman-year-of-college-body back without having to work at it would be just splendid.
J the Great: " Mommy why does this Spiderman pail have a girl's name on it?
Me: "Well, because some girls like Superman."
J the Great: "No they don't."
Me: "Yes they do, sweetie. Girls can like Superman."
J the Great: "No, they can't" Me: "Well, what are they suppossed to like?"
J the Great: "BARBIES!!!!"
Lil' J: "You never judge a book by its cover. Only if you ask your mommy or daddy."
Just found a toy "army guy" hanging on for dear life as he rode around and around on a "rope" attached to the ceiling fan in the boys room. Admittedly, it did look fun.
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