They're Coming to Take Me Away

I wish.

Except I can't go crazy. Not yet, anyway. The nice men, bearing straight jackets and happy drugs, can't come and take me way because the roads are all COVERED IN SNOW. Sheesh, you can't even lose your mind during a blizzard.
I hate to keep talking about the snow, but seriously, what else is there to say.

I'm over the snow. SO over it.

The very thought of the amount of snow in our driveway elicits thoughts of nightmarish proportions and produces an overwhelming desire to crawl into the fetal position and hide in the closet until spring. Contrary to what my complaints might suggest, I don't mind cold weather. I kind of like it. But, this snow is seriously kicking our butts.

The kids are having the times of their lives, especially since they've hardly been to school at all lately. They went to school twice last week, on Tuesday and Thursday, and so far, not once this week. At this point, I'll be surprised if they go at all. The roads are crazy scary and downright dangerous.

If it weren't for the fact that I haven't been to the gym in over a week, I'd probably be alright with being stuck at home. I've managed a few home workouts, but nothing compares to my time at the gym.

Yesterday morning, before Arctic Blast 2010 Part II started, Caroline and I ventured out to the closest grocery store for a few necessary items: ice cream, bananas, yogurt and Diet Coke. I had a heck of a time getting out of our driveway and nearly turned around and headed home when I saw the condition of the roads in our subdivision, but we pressed on. Ice cream, after all, is the only anecdote to being holed up in your house for over a week.
I'm glad we got out; I even picked up an emergency carton of milk. I haven't any intention to drive again until after the weekend. Hopefully the sun will shine brightly this weekend and melt some of the snow and ice.

Again, I'm sorry to keep yapping about snow.
It could be worse. I know.
Especially if we lost power. By some great act of mercy, our power is on. Even with the gusty winds and the worst case scenario projections the local weather guys were spewing yesterday.

In case you haven't noticed, I've managed to misplace my sense of humor. It was here yesterday, but I think it went outside during the night and buried itself under the snow in our driveway. Maybe as we shovel out tomorrow, I'll recover it. I miss my sense of humor; it serves me well.

The kids, as I mentioned before, are having a blast. The weather is too crazy for them to be outside right now, so they've naturally found a home here. Just like yesterday. They're making "rooms" for themselves in the house. They wanted to use our master bedroom, but I declined their request. Yesterday they ran and hid in our closet and knocked down a bunch of my clothes. And left them. Didn't even think to pick them up. I asked Caroline what possessed them to do such a thing and she claimed it wasn't intentional. I'm not doubting their intentions, but I am a little peeved that they didn't think to pick up the things they knocked down.

I know I wasn't the wisest kid growing up, but I think I always had a sense of responsibility that seems to elude this bunch of kids. My kid included. Maybe what I assumed to be an innate quality, actually isn't one at all.

See, my sense of humor...GONE.

Maybe I'll go eat some chocolate. I hear it's a good substitute for humor and sanity.
I'll let you know if it works.

EDITED TO ADD: I just ate some antioxidant rich dark chocolate and I'm still in a foul mood.
Just thought you might like to know.

Um...

Um, yeah.
That about sums up my day.

I could go on and on and on about the snow, complaining about the 567 inches that covered the driveway, but you've probably heard enough. Oh, and did I mention the storm that is blowing through the midwest just might dump another 10-20 inches of snow Tuesday and Wednesday? That'll give my arms a chance to rest up and let the muscles unclench before I tackle more shoveling.
School is cancelled through Wednesday. Evidently the roads are still pretty bad, but I haven't bothered to take a look. With more snow on the horizon, who knows if they'll even have school on Thursday? They better go back by Friday because they're having their Valentine's party and I already bought the supplies to make the valentines.

We're not in any danger of running out of groceries, which is a good sign. Although, our ice cream supply is getting dangerously low. All this talk of grocery inventory sounds as if we're trapped. We're not. I just don't like dodging icebergs with my car and walking through melted snow puddles in the store parking lots.
I really need some boots. Shoveling snow in running shoes isn't recommended (trust me), but my alternative footwear options aren't exactly right for the job. Flip flops + snow = bad idea.
Craig doesn't have proper snow footwear either. We were not made for winter.

I spent the majority of the day cleaning and purging the piled up junk we tend to accumulate so rapidly. I read on another blog about a challenge to get rid of 730 items this year. That's 2 things a day. I'm not sure if that includes old papers. It probably doesn't. So far I have 42 things set aside for donation. Once Craig is securely out of the country on his "vacation" I'll get down and dirty and "accidentally misplace" some of the old, worn out clothes he's loathe to part with.
Oops, did I say that out loud?
Don't you worry, Craig, I was just kidding.

Although, I do have grand plans to burn this gray Nike sweatshirt he's owned since 1997. It's so worn out, the neck hole is twice it's original size and he bought it when he weighed over 200 pounds. In other words: it's old, too big and needs to go. It's kind of sad, though. I remember it being so soft and cozy when he first bought it. Of course, in 1997, I was soft and cozy. Sigh. Aging (in people or sweatshirts) is so depressing sometimes.

Moving on the the next random topic..did you watch the Super Bowl last night?

I would have been happy with either team winning. Although, my Kennedy roots lead me to root for the NFC, because that's what the children of Barry Kennedy are bred to do, but Craig picked the Colts in his illegal office betting pool. Had the Colts won, Craig would have been eligible for the big pot of money. He's quite the talented game picker and was *this close* to taking it all. Oh well, maybe next year. In the end, I don't really care. I did, however, think it was sweet to watch an emotional Drew Brees hold his baby boy, who was smartly (and cutely) wearing headphones, after the game.

What did you think of the commercials?
I didn't pay much attention to them (gasp!) because I was sitting at the computer, but I loved the David Letterman spot with Oprah and Leno. I'm over the Doritos commercials and I simply cannot believe NOW and Planned Parenthood got themselves in such a wad over that innocuous Tim Tebow commercial.

And now on to the halftime show.
Ugh.
Old men, who are well passed their glory days, should not be half time entertainment. I like the Who; Baba O'Riley is an awesome song. Thanks to Janet and Justin and their unfortunate wardrobe malfunction, we're now doomed to watch aging rockers strut their stuff. My mom used to have quite the crush on Roger Daltrey. When I was younger and she was in the "let's rent musicals phase" she brought home "Tommy." At the time, I wasn't the least bit interested, but she sat herself on the carpet in front of the television and sang all the songs, all the while lamenting the dreaminess of Roger Daltrey.

And....that's all I have for now.
Because, seriously, it took all I had to get these words out. I suspect being housebound isn't a good way to keep my mental faculties as sharp as they should be.

There is More Snow to Come on Tuesday!

Just Another Day in Paradise

I hope you can read my message; it's hard to take pictures when you have muppet hands.

39

Uh, oh SOMEONE in this family is 39 today. And it's (thankfully) NOT ME!!

Happy Birthday Craig!



I pretty much only have pictures of Craig in his running gear, so this will have to do.

It's been a whirlwind kind of week, filled with many ups, downs, snow, moments of frustration, potential tantrums (on my part) and a few tears, so I'm sure we didn't (and won't) celebrate the big 3-9 in the most desirous fashion.

In case you haven't heard, we're bracing ourselves for some major snow, or as I like to call it Arctic Blast 2010. The weather forecasters are all wetting their pants in anticipation for the projected 1-2 feet (!) of freaking snow that will be dumped on the Washington, DC Metro area.

Color me unamused. I'm SO over snow.
Fairfax County cancelled school, and if this storm is anything like the one we had in December, they'll be out of school for a good chunk of next week. These kids will be going to school until July at this rate. But, as my mom pointed out, that could be a good thing. I'm inclined to agree.

Anyway, in honor of Craig's birthday, I thought I'd list 39 things about him. I write about him a lot, since he's a pretty big part of my life, but he might still be a bit of a mystery to some folks.

1. He was born on February 5, 1971 in Orlando, Florida
2. He shares a birthday with his mom, Kathy. Is there a better way to spend your 25th birthday than giving birth to a 10 lb baby?
3. Craig was over due and spent a good portion of his last few weeks in utero twisted, leaving him out of alignment (mainly his jaw, nose and hips).
4. The doctors said he probably wouldn't walk, but he did by the age of 2 ( I think?).
5. He has lived in 10 different states and 1 foreign country: Florida, Arkansas, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Missouri, Hawaii, Arizona, Georgia, Virginia and Japan.
6. Craig is a Chief Warrant Officer in the US Army.
7. He joined the Army in September 1989.
8. He has had three surgeries: ACL knee reconstruction, meniscus (knee) repair and repair of a deviated septum.
9. Craig is athletic, but his past injuries prevent him from playing sports like he used to. He's a really good basketball player.
10. He has three siblings: older brother, Ron and younger sisters KC and Sarah.
11. Craig LOVES kids and is great about taking Caroline and her friends to the movies.
12. He loves cheese.
13. He hates tomatoes, onions and squash.
14. Despite the doctor's projections and his knee injuries, Craig is a talented runner.
15. He loves all the procedural dramas on tv: NCIS, CSI, Law and Order, Bones, etc.
16. He does not share my love and appreciation for Reality TV.
17. In his early Army years, Craig's job was to copy Morse Code.
18. He has a top secret clearance and isn't permitted to share any of his work related knowledge and information with anyone.
19. When he was a kid, his birthday meal of choice was lasagna and strawberry cake.
20. Like Caroline, he could probably eat spaghetti every day and never grow tired of it.
21. He loves Magnum P.I and I'm pretty sure that if Tom Selleck proposed marriage, he'd say yes.
22. He likes loud music; Alice In Chains is his favorite band.
23. He likes to read creepy, thriller books, but also shares my enjoyment of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.
24. Craig is very chatty, he loves to gab and find out all kinds of info from people.
25. He has a calculator brain and a knack for numbers.
26. He never forgets birthdays, anniversaries or other important dates.
27. He's a fan of online shopping, especially for supplements and exercise related paraphernalia.
28. He drinks lots of water and leaves his cups all around the house.
29. He thinks messy cars are perfectly acceptable and gets mad when I clean his car out.
30. Almost all the clothing Craig owns is either gray, green or blue.
31. He has more shoes than me.
32. At Subway he orders the same sandwich every time: roast beef on wheat with cheese, lettuce, pickles, mayo, oil and vinegar.
33. I almost always order our meals (at places where you order at the counter) so Craig has trouble remembering what to order for himself when I'm not with him.
34. Craig loves science fiction movies and I DO NOT, so he has grown accustomed to going to the movies alone.
35. He loves warm weather and humidity. As a kid he would sit in the attic during the summer and sweat. Now, he loves the sauna.
36. Craig has nice, long, lean legs. I'm jealous of them, but he hates them. He always jokes about getting calf implants to beef them up a little.
37. He's a great provider.
38. He's a wonderful dad.
39. And an easy going and VERY FORGIVING husband.

Happy Birthday Craig!

More Snow

Snow day! Again!!

Say what, Al Gore?

The kids are out of school today; since they used up their allotted three snow days back in December, they'll have to make today's snow day up on President's Day. So, instead of shopping the white sales at Macy's or the semi-annual mattress sales at our local mattress purveyor, Caroline will be in school.

This was an odd snow. Kind of wet, I guess? And apparently it wasn't very windy last night because there is a bunch of snow stuck on the trees.

I think it looks pretty cool.

Caroline is thrilled, as you might imagine. The kids will have fun in the snow, as they typically do.

I'll be in the house, as I typically am, doing the 57 loads of laundry staring me in the face. I really should have done a load or two or five yesterday, but I like to make thing hard on myself, so I'll do them all today.

I do like a challenge.

Some Stuff

So, I don't really have anything to report.
It's cold, the sun is shining, the kids are home from school for a teacher work day and I have a few baking projects and a trip to Borders to look forward to this afternoon.

Because it's been awhile, I thought I'd make a list of some random stuff. I like lists; I'm not super anal (surprised, much?) about lists. There aren't any master lists with list sub categories. No highlighted bullet points and different colored ink for different categories. Contrary to my normal freakish ways, my lists are generally scribbled on a post it note or a note pad I purchased from the dollar bin at Michael's. No pretense or semblance of organization.
Just words on a piece of paper that I'll probably end up forgetting to bring with me when I need it most.

Without further ado, a list of stuff.

• I am making deconstructed broccoli and cheese stuffed chicken for dinner. I think I'll pair it with some orzo pasta, because every dinner needs some starch.
  
• I'm baking another batch of double chocolate chunk cookies for the same guy who requested them for his divorce finalization celebration. His son loves them and wants more. And you know how eager I am to give the people what they want. I'm also making these chocolate caramel brownies for Craig's work peeps, so they don't feel left out.
  
• I ran a 5k on the treadmill in 26:20. I think that is my fastest time, yet. I then did Body Pump, which is one of my favorite classes. Except I forgot my weight lifting gloves and now I'll probably end up with calluses on my palms.
  
• Caroline isn't a fan of the kid's zone at my gym, it doesn't hold a candle to the awesome kid's gym we had at our YMCA in Georgia. She doesn't have to come with me often, but when she does, let's just say her enthusiasm is lacking. I feel kind of bad about that; I don't want her to be bored. But, it's only for 90 minutes. Because I'm a self sacrificing mother, I cut the workout short for her. You may applaud me now. And still, my self sacrificing ways have done nothing to appease Caroline.
  
• I'm SO VERY TIRED of having winter related dry skin. My hands always look so horrible in the winter. They look horrible all the time, since I have ginormous man hands, but they look especially worse for wear in the winter. I liberally apply lotion, but it doesn't matter. How are you supposed to have supple hands when lotion doesn't work? It's not like I can stop washing my hands or doing the dishes. I'd like to, but life doesn't work that way. Well, the dishes, anyway. I don't think there is a way in hell I'd be able to stop washing my hands.
  
• I'm a stubborn person, in case you didn't know. If there is a battle of wills to be had, you better believe I'll be holding out until the end. It's not a particularly attractive quality, but it's mine. I own it. Because of my stubbornness, I haven't said more than a few words to Craig all weekend. I got mad over something stupid, which I'm apt to do, and because he made me mad, I didn't feel the need to say anything to him. Have I mentioned that I'm stubborn? At one point I broke the silence to inform Craig that dinner was ready and he was all gloaty and said "so YOU broke the silence first." Let me tell you, that made me even madder. Yep, I'm five. I admit it. Craig called a bit ago and I had to answer the phone, because that would be rude, and I'm NEVER rude, so technically HE broke the second silence. So there!
  
• Now I feel worse about my stubborn streak because Craig just called to inform me of his official deployment date. The date is set in stone, but the details are still sketchy, but it doesn't matter because I can't exactly share any details, at this time. You'll know sooner or later. Thankfully, he'll be here for his 39th birthday, which is on the 5th.
  
• Aren't you glad I'm honest?
  
• I'd rather be less petty than honest, but well, I'm 95% sure I inherited my stubborn streak from my dad, thereby making it genetic and irreversible. Um, sure. That sounds about right.

And so this concludes the latest installment of random stuff in list form, not to be confused with my daily postings of random stuff NOT in list form, but rather in lengthy paragraph form. I have three girls eager to go to Borders, so it would be in best interest to remove myself from the laptop and get moving.