Category Archives: winter

Let there be snow!

I’ve never actually wanted snow as much as I do now. I’m not a fan of cold rain and would take snow over sleet any day. Plus, everything is just dreary and mucky right now. Where’s the snow, Minnesota?? I’m crossing my fingers that we get some before 2016, ideally over our 4 day weekend. We’ll be spending lots of time with family and hopefully hanging out playing games, relaxing and attempting de-stressing before the year comes to an end. I’m going to try and get as many snuggles as possible from my two munchkins this weekend. While it’s great that Phoebe loves her new big girl bed, I’m not gonna lie… I kind of miss waking up in the middle of the night with her snuggled up next to me. Enzo will sometimes come snuggle, but he’s super squirmy. Ha ha.

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Holidays, everyone!

Sunshine and Giddiness!

I have no idea why I’m in such a fabulous mood, but I am. Maybe it’s just the time of year, maybe it’s the fact that it’s 40 degrees outside, or maybe it’s because I’m having a great hair day and get to leave work early. Who cares? It’s sunny outside and life feels great right now. Granted, not everyone woke up feeling that way this morning, which was sort of funny in a way.

Enzo came stumbling into our bathroom while I was in the shower because he needed to pee and Josh came to tell me that Phoebe was also up… but wouldn’t let him get her. She was demanding that I come get her. That was kind of the theme for the morning and she wanted nothing to do with leaving the house and threw a major tantrum. Thankfully it ended, though I admit we were all kind of yelling – mostly to be heard over her because Enzo was also yelling about how he wanted candy because he was being good and wouldn’t drop it, all the while Phoebe is screaming and doesn’t want her coat or hat. Finally I think I yelled at Josh and he yelled back, so I started mock yelling/tantruming and we were all good again.

See? Nothing is stopping my annoyingly good mood today! I may have to rush a bit to get ready for the work party we’re going to tonight, but I’m looking forward to it. I just made the mistake of buying a dress I have to iron… I’m usually very good about not buying high maintenance clothes too. Oh well, good mood prevails!

Happy Friday, World!

Every year it’s the same…

Can I just hold onto fall for just a little bit longer? We had our first snow flurries yesterday and I am really just not ready for that kind of cold wind to become just another daily occurrence even though it happens every year and we should just be used to it already. One thing is for certain, we’re getting a snowblower this year. If anything, that will ensure that we don’t get nearly as much snow as usual. Neither of us feel like shoveling several feet of snow in sub-zero temps this year, though.

So, in the spirit of not giving in to winter, here are some fall pictures I haven’t posted yet.

Sure, there will be more of this in the upcoming months, the blanket just might be heavier and hopefully the nuk will be gone… her teeth are being affected and we’re going to have to lose the nuk.

Painting punkins! Really, we’ll paint anything in our house. Enzo has always been really good about keeping crayons, markers, paints, etc on actual paper or specified places, but you can’t leave Phoebe alone for a second. It is imperative to only have washable art supplies in her reach because she will make art wherever she feels like it, and especially if she feels like she’s taking a stand against “The Man” aka Mom and Dad who like suppress her artistic expression.

We’ll see if Phoebe changes her mind about the cold and snow, but even if she doesn’t, Enzo will want to go outside and play. I’m thinking maybe we’ll get some food coloring and make some art in the snow to mix it up a bit. It’s fun using different seasonal mediums with the kids.

Okay, maybe winter won’t be thaaaat bad. We’ll see.

So Long, Fall!

There is a chill in the air and after several days of unusual November rain, we are about to get much cooler, so now seems as good a time as any to soak up the last of Fall. Last year it took a little time for Enzo to warm up to the idea of playing in the giant leaf pile Josh’s Dad prepares for all the kiddos. This time, though, he ran right into it and his cheeks were already getting rosy by the time his cousins came to join in on the fun. This boy runs hot, that’s for sure.

Phoebe, on the other hand, is like me and wasn’t too thrilled at the idea of playing in cold leaves. She was more content to sit and eat her snack, but eventually we managed to get her to at least sort of join in. I can’t blame her, I’d rather sit on the sidelines and just watch too. I kind of don’t want to tell her what’s in store considering she whines when it’s cold out at day care and they go outside to play.

If you’re Enzo, however, the highlight of a giant leaf pile is being tossed into it. I have a feeling if his thrill seeking continues, I’m going to lose just as much sleep in the years to come as I do now. I guess it makes sense, though… kids aren’t aware of all the dangers and worries that adults consider, so why should being tossed 6 feet in the air into a pile of leaves be at all disconcerting? Granted, even bloody noses and other bumps and bruises don’t stop him from jumping off things he shouldn’t and fearlessly climbing whatever he can.

While we’ll need to keep Enzo’s active side busy this winter, we’ll have to come up with a combination of inside and outside activities considering Phoebe isn’t a fan of being cold and wet. I loved sledding when we were kids and building snow forts, so hopefully we can do some of that with the kids and find other activities now that they’re older and not quite as affected by a late night here or there and an occasional missed nap. Last winter was a bit of a bummer, especially after we got back from a nice warm vacation in California, so I plan on making it as fun as possible this year.

If anyone has any tips on winter activities with small kiddos, do let me know!

Prepare… winter is coming.

I can feel winter’s icy hand on the back of my neck and it’s time to prepare. We need to get the house in order and come up with some fun ideas for when it’s too cold to go out or we have zero desire to bundle up because we are not cold weather people. I know… it’s a mystery why we live in Minnesota when none of us really enjoy snow or frigid temperatures.

I think I need to do some Pinterest scouring to find good winter crafts, although apparently even a paper plate can be fun. Who knew that switching one simple artistic medium could do so much? I left out paper plates for about a week and both kids would climb up on the barstools whenever they were hit with artistic genius and color away.

I already know we’ll do plenty of baking, but I want to spend more time this winter crafting and making things and being creative with the kids. We should also actually take them sledding since they’d both enjoy it this year, but there’s that whole cold and wet factor. We’ll see. Maybe we can just watch a movie where there is sledding? I kid. Sort of.

One of my goals is to do some sewing – specifically a quilt. I’m going to start small and go from there, but first we need to do some major winter cleaning. I see many trips to Goodwill in our future. I need to go through old baby clothes as well. I wanted to try and sell them, but it’s getting to a point where the payout doesn’t seem worth the effort and I’m tempted to just donate the lot. Sure, some extra spending money is nice, but I could save myself some time and headache by just packing it all up in garbage bags and giving it away. I can already see the empty bins we’d be left with. I feel lighter already!

We also need to do some deep cleaning and prep our basement windows for their glorious annual plastic wrapping. While the wood floor looks nice downstairs, it’s not the best choice for Minnesota winters. Plus hot air rises and we have 9 foot ceilings which also does not help. Basically our basement is no-man’s land in the winter unless we wear warmer layers and remember to turn on the electric fireplace and space heaters an hour in advance.

First, though, I need to get my body used to the lack of daylight. This year especially it seems to have caught me off guard and the late sunrise and early sunset is taking its toll. By the time we get the kids to bed its already dark and the couch beckons me to curl up in its warm embrace. Sigh. Soon, motivation, soon.

Dino and Bunnies

Every day adventures