It’s the first time in my life that I can remember the word blizzard in a weather forecast that pertained to me. I'm not sure how to handle a blizzard, but here’s my novice blizzard checklist.
One, stock the refrigerator with extra food for the next few days. We must not run out of milk, coffee or creamer.
Two, put in a request to our landlord to up the thermostat in the building. Our one hundred year-old building is heated with radiators. I have mixed feelings about these radiators. I dislike them because they take up precious corner space in our already small apartment. I dislike them because their edges are sharp and unforgiving to little foreheads that run into them. I dislike them when I’m cold or hot and have no way to adjust their temperatures. But, I love them when they make my bath towel toasty for after my showers. I really love the radiators when I pay my bills, because water and therefore the steam heat, are included in my rent.
Now that we’re sufficiently warm, fed and caffeinated, I can move to the next tier of to-do’s.
Three, prepare to entertain four little kids and myself, so that our happy home remains a happy home for the duration of our confinement. I’m trying to be proactive, heading off boredom and pent up energy before it combusts into something much worse.
So here’s the list of out of the ordinary things that I came up with to occupy little minds and hands.
1. Play dough. That isn’t very creative, but it’s a rarity around here. I hate play dough. It inevitably creates messes that require vacuuming afterwards. Not to mention the fact that the kids are terrible about keeping the colors separated. All 8 containers consist of the same color- a marbley mixture of all the colors put together. I will set aside all my dislike for Play Dough and let them at it.
2. Make a city out of the Little People. Put the farm animals, house airport together into a thriving metropolis.
3. Write and mail letters.
4. Listen to books on CD.
5. “Clean” their toys by taking a bath with them.
6. Make homemade applesauce together.
7. Play board games.
8. Repeat if necessary.
We’ve already done the Little People metropolis. Here’s what it looked like.
Lane and Logan had a lot of fun. Eli found that gnawing on the Little People was quite soothing for his gums. Emma Jane was still recovering from being sick, so she just slept on the couch.
