Winter Has Arrived!

Winter has finally really arrived!  I'm not counting the freakish storm in October that caused so many problems.

The kids were so excited to go outside and play.  The only thing that would've made them happier was if it had happened during the week and they would've gotten a snow day.

They bundled up in warm winter coats, snow pants, gloves, hats and scarves.  Excitement sparked the air. 

Too bad my camera phone only uploads grainy pictures that don't do the moment justice.




First stop was the shed in our backyard where the sleds and stuff are stored.

The kids took turns sledding down our driveway.  It's a nice little hill that makes it perfect for sledding.
The kids also raced down it together.  Laughing all the way.

Snow angels are a must!  My daughter loves making them.  My son of course had to play hockey in the snow.  He even got grandpa in the act.  Grandpa stood at the top of the drive and played goalie, keeping the puck out of the street. Both were having a great time.  I loved seeing the pure childlike joy on both their faces.

The atmosphere of pure joy and abandon is priceless and intoxicating.  I felt like a kid again, laughing with them.  My daughter would take the sled up the top of the driveway and have me push her hard.  She would giggle going down and squeal at the bottom and demand again!

It was such a good day.  The kids are now inside enjoying hot chocolate and playing in the "fort" I made them.  The simple things are the best and most fun!

The Winter Rant that Went South

Oh my God! I’m about to lose my mind! Actually, I’m sure I’ve already lost it. Why, you might ask? Winter is insanity! It needs to be renamed something special because this is beyond winter. It’s EXTREME winter. The winter from hell, if there’s such a thing since snow and ice would melt and then boil in hell. But, I digress. This particular winter has stolen my sanity. I’m so tired of having to juggle things, reschedule appointments, entertain my cabin fevered kids and finally deal with my crazy ass Father. There, I said it! Crazy ass Father. He’s honestly the thing that drives me most insane. Beyond insane. I’m actually going to start a blog dedicated to him and my mom. See, they live next door to us. And not just any old next door, but 2 family house next door. Trust me, it’s worse. I love my parents. I really do. I don’t know why I feel I have to stress that but I do. Maybe it’s because I feel so guilty about the way I feel. And don’t judge unless you’ve been in my shoes. I don’t think many could live this close to their parents or in-laws without some type of WWIII occurring occasionally. As they, are our parents, tend to think they know more about how we should live our life and perhaps raise our kids. I guess I should count myself lucky that the in-laws don’t live closer. Dad insanity today started last night. I got the “back your van down to the bottom of the driveway” lecture. I didn’t want to because A) I still had errands to run and B) I’m tired of being the one to back my big ass van down the narrow driveway that’s on a hill. We can’t pull in and turn around anymore because we didn’t shovel everything out after the first storm and it’s now frozen solid. My hubby always is at the top because he leaves for work by 4 a.m. or earlier during bad weather. Hubby decided to park on the street last night because he almost got stuck on an icy spot on the driveway. Dear Father, after hearing Hubby spinning his wheels in the driveway, decided to go and park there without putting ice melt down. I get up this morning at 5 and see that there’s way more snow outside then we were supposed to get. I need to get off the street so the plows can get by and I don’t get towed. I have to call the Father and ask him to finish pulling down because I need to get into the driveway. We do have a municipal lot nearby but it’s always full from overnight parking. Can you even imagine the lecture I got about not putting my van down there yesterday evening? Oh my goodness, you would think that I asked him to dance naked outside in the snow. Like a 2 year old he yells at me over the phone. I can hear him on the other side of the wall stomping down the stairs. He slams out of his house and pounds his fist on my front door. Amazingly, the kids don’t wake up. I’m thankful for this. He spins his tires on the ice trying to pull out so he can back in. I guess he should’ve taken his own advice. Pissed, he finally just pulls all the way down the driveway and slams back into his house. I get a call minutes later that I let go to voicemail And what do you think it said? I’ll let your imagination run wild….I can say the words “fuck” and “bitch” were used. Breaks my heart that my father can not be a rational human being and thinks it’s okay to talk to people that way. Especially his own flesh and blood.


Sorry for the rant. This post was really supposed to be on how much I hate this winter. Dear Dad’s grumpiness and poor attitude doesn’t help. This weather brings out the worst in him. He’s going to be really pissy when he has to snow blow/shovel. I’m not supposed to do it because of my neck/shoulder injury. I’m never going to hear the end on what a bad daughter I am. Can we move now because this has gotten old in the last two and a half years. BTW….we carry 65-70% of the mortgage but he acts as though he’s doing us a favor. We need to get out of this craziness. Wish us luck and sanity!