Aug 28
Everyone,
So. We were prepared for Irene. And then she blew over.
We got some rain.
We got some wind.
We lost power for about 2 minutes in the middle of the night.
Juice took the kids out the next day and checked out what kind of branches were blown over.
All in all, this was a very mild storm for us.
I’m glad I was prepared.
Safire
Hurricane Irene 2011, Uncategorized, weather hurricanes, weather
Apr 05
Everyone,
So yesterday was beautiful and sunny and over 80 degrees. It was record breaking temperatures. Today…cloudy rainy and 30 degrees cooler. 30 degrees!
No one knows what to do here. Professor INSISTED on wearing his sandals this morning. Pirate INSISTED in going out without his coat on. About 30 seconds outside we had to go back inside and get coats and socks. Because the sandals would not be given up.
Professor is the only kid in our family to actually HAVE sandles to wear. They were Pirate’s from last year. Pirate this year is wearing a 9 or a 10, and Professor is wearing a good solid 7. What different boys I have!
And Butterfly’s sandals from last year “don’t feel right” this year. They are probably fine this year but we all hated them last year. So new sandals it is!
Although with 50 degree temperatures it’s hard to think of sandals now. But I’m looking forward to slightly warmer temperatures. No humidity this summer. Please.
Sigh…what weak pleading. I know it will be hot and sticky this summer. So I’m trying to enjoy the spring while I can! Er…well…trying.
Safire
Mar 11
Everyone,
With Japan’s recent earthquake and tsunamis around the world, I have been thinking a lot about my family’s emergency preparedness. What do you need to be prepared for an emergency? A few different websites have different ideas. Here are the top ideas to be prepared for an emergency:
1. Have enough food and water for your family for at least 3 days. Commonly called 72 hour kits, these are handy when you need to dash out of your house. Have them stocked, and easily accessible. Include any special needs your family might have, and your pets! Take extra water and food for them. (And know that a lot of evacuation shelters will not accept pets.)
2. Have a plan. Live far from work? Where will you go if the city is evacuated? Where will you meet your family? What if the area is completely evacuated? Where will you go? Have clear and specific routes that you and your family will take. Have a final destination, one preferably out of your area.
3. Know what your work and school evacuation policy is. Does your work want you to check out with a supervisor before you leave and tell them where you are going? Will they hold the kids at school until you get to them? What if you can’t reach them? Decide who will be able to pick up your kids if you can’t make it. I listed a few neighbors to pick up Butterfly at her school, and then my parents who live in Utah.
4. Plan for small home emergencies as well. Have a fire route and practice it with your kids. Discuss who will go where and where the family would meet. My in-laws gave us a fire ladder to use on our two story house. I keep it under Butterfly’s bed in the kids’ room. You have no idea how reasuring it is to see that yellow bundle every time I go looking for toys lost under the bed. I know that if I can make it to the kids’ room, I can make it safely out of the house. When we move the boys to their own room, I intend to purchace a second one to put in there.
5. Have out of town contacts. Sometimes, when phones are down in your area, it would be easier to contact someone out of town. Memorize numbers, and make sure you can reach them. In your 72 hour kits, include these numbers and a prepaid phone card or change to make the call. Check with your out of town contact to see if they would be willing to accept a collect call.
In the end, you just need to prepare for the worst, and everything else will be easy. My worst? In my head it involves us throwing the kids, the dog, and as many supplies as we could get (including the stroller and the wagon) into our van (ditching the two captian chairs that we don’t use) and driving as far west as our gas will take us. Then, we will run out of gas, load up the stroller with the kids, the wagon with our supplies, and walk to Utah. Like pioneer refugees.
In all honesty, the worst we will see here (hopefully) is an extended power outage or perhaps an evacuation for a hurricane. We have been preparing for a power outage here. I can boil water over fire, and cook in my dutch ovens. I can also start a fire, and have a safe place to have said fire. We have water. We have some food. We’ve been discussing where to go if we are evacuated and trying to find someplace a little closer than Utah to head.
My next goal? Those 72 hour kits!
What are your preparedness goals? Anything I forgot on my list?
Safire
Oct 04
Everyone,
What is the thing I bought that has made my life so much easier in the school shuffle?
Rain coats for the boys.
Now they can do what they want in the morning and there is no umbrella fight.
Thank goodness!
Safire
Sep 30
Everyone,
Last week the weather was well into the 90s. It didn’t seem like fall at all. The leaves were browning on the trees, instead of changing colors. This week, after tons of rain from a tropical storm, it’s finally cooled off. I had to find long pants for the boys and Butterfly happily skipped off to school in a warm sweater dress. (Yes, she is still wearing dresses every day. And has no interest in pants. Will it wear off?)
I have not been enjoying the rain. First of all, it’s a pain in the neck to take Butterfly to school and walk her to the door like I’m supposed to.
Even though she’d be one of 2 kindergartners on the bus, even though she has no one in her class on the bus, the bus is looking more promising every day. I won’t put her on the bus, but I may start using the car drop off when the weather is bad.
Mostly I’m hating the fight over the umbrella that happens in the mornings. Everyone wants to hold it. Everyone cries when they aren’t allowed to. Professor refuses to walk. He gets carried. He is close enough to the umbrella to hold it with me. This makes Pirate very jealous and then he wants to be carried too. I can’t juggle both kids, 4 grasping hands, and an umbrella. Plus herd Butterfly to school.
I’m looking forward to the snow…at least it’s not as wet as the rain.
Safire
Apr 25
Everyone,
Today has been hot. Sticky, sweaty, I hate humidity, hot. It makes Juice cranky and makes me hate the weather all that much more. I refuse to turn the air conditioning on in April so we will suffer. Hopefully the neighbors will be quiet and we can keep our windows open tonight.
Juice hijacked my day of cleaning our bedroom. Man does that room need to be cleaned. But he got it in his head that we must move the computer desk from the boys room into our living room TODAY. I have no idea why. Needless to say, our bedroom ended up worse than before (if you can believe that) and he finally agreed with me that we have grown out of this house.
So at least I won that argument. Still…I guess a clean room will have to wait for another week.
Did I just feel a trickle of sweat between my shoulder blades? And I hear a baby crying (always makes me think of Lady and the Tramp) so I’m off.
I hate humidity.
Safire
Nov 15
Everyone,
It rained SO hard today. Sheets and sheets were coming down. Of course, we were in the car. And had to go inside. It’s not easy to carry both boys in from the car (we do not have a garage or a drive way, only a parking lot) and getting Butterfly to actually walk to the house is always…interesting. Our neighbors must think we are crazy. There have been days when Butterfly is screaming/crying “I don’t want to go inside!” and I am pushing her along with one of the car seats. (Of course, this is always worse on the days that she pitches a fit for going outside. Fights on either side of the door.) More often than not, the boys are crying because they are hungry and I’ve pushed our outting just a little to long. There have been times when our neighbors will stop walking to their cars or whatever to watch us get to the door. There were a few college aged girls living in the house next to us who used to laugh whenever I would haul all three kids out the door. Just you wait girls, your day will come.
Anyway, back to the rain. Tons of it! I made Butterfly stay in the car with me in hopes that it would slow down. We could only stay so long since she had to go potty. Then it’s me running around trying to get everyone inside before the cold sheeting rain melts us. Butterfly and I were soaked, and the boys carseats were very wet and are now slightly mildewish. The house is smelling a little like wet dog. I do not like winter in the east.
JUICE IS HOME! Yay! I went to pick him up at the metro (this is after the huge rain storm but it was still drizzling so another dash to the car to avoid major soaking) and the first thing I thought was that he needs a hair cut. He was so happy to see us though and Butterfly was showing off all evening. Loud happy noises. I was able to leave Juice in the car with everyone and run into the grocery store on the way home for an essentials run. It was the first time I had been without kids in 4 days and it was nice. On the way out of the store, there was a beautiful rainbow. Why I don’t have my camera strapped to me 24/7 is a good question. This would have made a beautiful picture.
We bathed everyone tonight which is always tiring. The boys played with the bath cup and Professor tries to drink from it the whole time. Pirate turns it over and studies it but Professor knows what this is for and gets mad there is nothing coming out. The boys went down easy tonight.
Juice taught Butterfly how to play rock-paper-sissors. I let him put her to bed while I ran off to Lala’s house (BFF Vinny’s mom). We watched a series together and chatted. So fun! I love being able to have a small break.
When I got home, I planned out my next 3 weeks of meals. Thanksgiving is coming and I’m cooking for BFF Vinny’s family and ourselves. We plan on playing games all day, watching movies together, playing with babies and kids, and kicking the husbands out with the small ones to the park (weather permiting) so we can cook and chat. It’s nice having good friends around.
Anyway, I am gathering recipies for Thanksgiving and I need to know what I’m making for dinners so I can get all the turkey stuff too. So far on the menu is turkey, cranberry sauce, rolls, mashed potatoes and gravy, butternut squash puree, cranberry fluff and steamed veggies. Lala is bringing over desert and drinks. My question is snacks. They will be coming over early (around 11am) and we probably won’t have dinner until 4pm or so. What snacky things can I have out so the children don’t starve and the husbands don’t haunt the kitchen? I want it to be easy because I think I will be cooking for a few days before and I don’t have all that much time on my hands. Any suggestions?
I love having Juice home. It’s like a huge weight has been lifted. At least for 2 weeks. He leaves for another week the first day of December. Sigh…
Safire
PS- Is it just me or did blogger get rid of spell check??
Juice's Travel, Lala and Vinny, life with twins, NaBloPoMo, Thanksgiving 2008, weather
Oct 08
Everyone,
I’m so happy that you guys all left comments on delurk day. Thanks!
Things have been busy here. Mostly, I have been busily planting my ‘bee hiney’ (as Butterfly says) on the couch. I am sick with a horrible cough and my chest is on fire. Butterfly luckily hasn’t come down with it. She woke up with a fever this morning but is fine now. I hope she doesn’t get it because man, this sucks!
Of course, my parents are coming to stay for a week on Saturday and I have to get sick. Mom, Dad, sorry but the house is going to be a wreck when you come. I’m sure you will understand. We (meaning Juice and his great arms and organizational skills) will at least have all the boxes from the attic out of the room you are staying in. Probably.
It’s nice to have family visit. Especially when I don’t get to see really anyone else. That’s the danger of living 3000 miles away. I miss all the fun stuff. But I also miss most of the not so fun stuff as well. So it’s okay.
It has been over 90 degrees all weekend long. Gah, where is fall?! The humidity has been awful. We had to turn our air conditioner back on. The leaves are just drooping and browning. I doubt we’ll see any great color this year. They say a cold front is pushing it’s way through and should be here by Friday. We will see. Until then, I am HOT!
Let’s see, all of my pictures are still on my camera. But just a mention that the PA renn faire was AWESOME. So much better and more family friendly than the MD one. We plan on returning next year and staying for 2 nights instead of one. We had a great time!
Butterfly is insisting I lay down on the couch because “you have a bad code!” So I’m off. More hopefully later!
Safire
Jul 09
Everyone,
Dinner time. Butterfly was standing in her chair brandishing a green bean. She yells, “What’s that?! Oh, a BEAN!” She then proceeds to sing the theme from “Jaws” as she slowly moves the green bean to her mouth. She takes a huge ripping bite out of it, smiles, and laughs so hard green bean goes everywhere. Rinse and repeat.
For as much food as Butterfly eats, she still gets it all over. Maybe that’s where I’m missing all the food…it gets in her hair, clothes, eyes, toes. Soot normally does a good job of wiping up the floor but there are some things even the dog won’t eat.
Today, Butterfly ate 1 bowl of Cheerios, 2 cups of milk, 2 packages of fruit snacks, 1 whole pb&j, crackers, a few pieces of cheese, a lot of water, one plate of Chinese food, and one fortune cookie (Your family and home are important to you).
It got to over 100 degrees today. Add the humidity, and it is hot hot hot!
Safire