We have been a little snowed in here.  Snow is just all over.  Just everywhere.  Twelve snowapalooza feet, I think.  Yesterday, a squirrel came up to the front door and knocked; he wanted a blanket.  Or a condo in Florida.

I would like a condo in Florida. Instead, I got two toddlers and snow pants that are too short.

I would like to propose that at times like these Momsie has full clearance to go into full on survival mode.  Start a beard.  Or, rather, stop shaving your legs.  Huddle in blankets a lot.  Gnaw on your food – don’t just eat it, gnaw on it.  Preferably while huddled.  Make food that is warm, brown, and comes out of a crock pot.

Get a lifetime supply of marshmallows.  The cocoa, and your mental state, will need them.

We do go outside, for about 10 minutes a day (windchill is a bit, erm, brisk) in which the toddlers mill about rather aimlessly trying fruitlessly to pick up anything with snow mittens that won’t bend or grip anything.  The tears come but they freeze in little snotty rivulets on their skin so I don’t have to wipe.  IT’S A BLAST.

So, I also propose to get a battle plan.  Otherwise, there might be…  some grumpiness after the thrill of the whiteness wears off.  I know this, because I just lost my ability to communicate and instead sputtered this mess to my sweet Red:  “WHYYYY MUST YOU SIT ON MY COUCH WITH A NAKED BUM?  Nobody puts a naked BUM on my couch!  Go upstairs!  No!  Don’t get dressed!  JUST GO!  YOU will GO upstairs NOW and THINK about WHAT YOU DID!  NO ‘BUTS’! DON’T YOU ‘BUT’ ME!”

That went well.

Here are some things we attempted to keep our sanity (and the couch) intact:

10.  Graham Crackers and Frosting Decorating Party!  (Messy, and a sugar crash will occur, but still fun.)

9.  Snow Day drawings with dark paper and chalk:

8.  LOTS OF COCOA (or, if you are Red, sweet steamed milk with nutmeg).  As I mentioned, “LOTSA MARSPELLOWS!”

Also:  snow ice cream.  Oh my goodness!  The trip outside was worth it for this stuff.

7.  Board Games.  We got them all out.  All of ’em.  Rotate often.

6.  Bake.  Attempt a lattice top pie.  Realize that the good old interwebs can teach you pretty much anything, including lattice top pies.  Drink hot tea out of your mom’s teapot.  Make sure and use sugar cubes and lemon and slurp away.

5.  5.  Attempt sunshine for ten minutes a day.  When dressing your child with the boots and socks and pants and mittens and coats and hats and layers underneath, draw motivation from this:

4. Invite the neighbor kids over.  All four of them.  Add that to your two.  That makes like a multitude.  Realize you will never ever run a day care.

No pictures were taken of this.  It was too frightening.

3.   Make those little leftover pie crust (see #6) scrap cinnamon pinwheels that YOU used to make with YOUR momma long ago.  Revel in nostalgia.  Realize also, these suckers are good.

2.  Organize your foyer.  Take a picture.  It will stay this way for about 2 more minutes.

1.  Realize, at some point, the wheels are going to come off the bus.  And that’s ok.  See this picture? My sweet boys are playing basketball with puff balls and a tin can.  It’s a lovely little moment.

About three minutes after this picture one of them tackled the other one.  Unadulterated (pun intended) toddler RAGE.

My dad always says, “Do the next right thing.”

The Momsie paraphrase:  “Keep plugging along.  You will play outside again, one day.”

Or, more simply:

”  Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human (or toddler) masters.” 

Colossians 3:23, New Momsie Version.

Leftover Pie Crust Pinwheels

Give each toddler a very carefully apportioned and TOTALLY EQUAL glob of dough.

Allow them to smush and roll out into a square-ish shape

Spread the dough now with softened butter.  A LOT of butter.

Sprinkle liberally with sugar and cinnamon.  Do not kid yourself.  This is messy.

Roll up and slice like tiny little cinnamon rolls of yummo. Place on greased baking sheet.  Top with a bit more sugar.  You know, because they might not be sweet enough.

Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.  Check on them!!

Try to wait for them to cool a bit before snarfing them down. With cocoa.  “AND LOTSA DA MARSPELLOWS!!!”