Sickies

This winter is taking FOREVER to end!  We got so spoiled with last year, where it didn't snow and it was spring like weather most of the winter.  And then this year we are hit with tons of snow, and everyone is sick, all the time. 

 

Otis has had a cold for...ever?  I don't even know how long.  It never really goes away, poor kid.

 

 To add to this fun, Otis has given up naps.  It's been four days.  Four long, tired, tear filled afternoons.  He's fine until about 3:30, then he hits a wall and nothing is right, he cries at everything, and I have to make it until 6pm when I can put him to bed.  Why do my kids think naps are optional?  THEY AREN'T!  Everyone needs a nap. 

 

Ingrid got a stomach bug this weekend, so she's been pretty much laying on the couch since Friday.  My poor girl, usually so full of energy, she's just so lethargic. 

 But it's March!  Spring is right around the corner and with it will come more fresh air, and hopefully less germs.  Stupid winter.

 

 

Daily Life in February

We are stuck in winter.  I'm getting SO CRABBY in the afternoons, I feel bad.  I try to control it but even I can hear myself sounding like a complete bitch to Ingrid and can't stop myself.  I want to run outside without a coat on, or go for a long walk to the park or go to the lake.  But it's cold, it snows, it's windy, it's wet.  We try to go for a walk around the block, but after a few  houses I am already sick of hearing Ingrid complain about being cold.  Sigh.

 

So, we huddle inside.  We play with toys.  We paint.  We make play dough.  We play on the iPad far too often.  We get squirrely and I yell. 

 And then I get a drink.  At five o'clock.  OF COURSE. 

Somewhere in there if we're lucky, we take naps.  Otis has started to cuddle with a stuffed animal at his naps, which I love.  It's usually Mickey or a teddy bear.  It's adorable. 

 

 And sometimes I actually get around to doing something.  I painted Ingrid's room last weekend!  No more green stripes!  It's a nice muted gray color, and the stripes still show through but it's not nearly as horrible as the green was.  I will have better pictures when it's "done."

 

I also cleaned the basement and tried moving stuff around so it seemed like a place we'd want to use.  It's okay, but I just don't feel like hanging out in a basement.  An unfinished basement that is COLD right now, even sitting right in front a space heater.  I used Ingrid's broken dresser as a TV cabinet, it turned out okay, I think!

 The only thing getting me through this month is the fact that March means it's almost spring.  Like in a few weeks we can hopefully go outside with smaller jackets on.  But it's supposed to snow 6 inches tonight so I don't know...I'm hanging onto that hope.

 

So much snow!!

We finally got dumped on!  I would've prefered to have this in December for Christmas, but what can you do?  It was so nice out the other day, just kept snowing but wasn't super cold.  The kids and I went outside to shovel and play, then our neighbors came over and played.  We made a snow fort, it turned out awesome!  Until Cody ran into it and knocked it down and Otis cried.

 When we're not outside, we are playing indoors, which means games (Sneaky Snacky Squirrel, the world's cutest game ever) and climbing, and going to the community center to play with toys we aren't sick of. 

 And in other news...Ingrid got glasses!  We went for her eye exam today and she was super psyched to get purple glasses.  I'm glad she's getting them now and not when she's 13 and all self concious.  And luckily one of her friends at school wears glasses so she won't be the only one.  She looks so cute in them!!

Valentine's Crafts (and Other Random Pictures)

Ugh, we're in February...This is when I hate the midwest.  I'm sick of the snow, and the cold, and bundling up in a million layers.  This was Otis this morning:

All that just to get in the damn car.  His poor little redhead's skin gets all rosy and chapped in the cold weather so I have to try to cover as much as I can.  He got in the car and it must have been cozy, he passed right out.

So, we dream of Spring.  This is Ingrid's rendition of Spring, an apple tree, a bee, a girl with a spotted dog.  I love it.

 Random shot of Otis is another wonderful vintage find--we got this from Bug and Bear Vintage.  Love.

 Have you heard of mug cakes?  Shit.  There goes any chance of lessening my ass this winter. 

 And now, the Valentine's Craft.  I just love these super simple crafts.  It keeps the kids occupied and I have to admit, I had fun making one or two V-day hearts with them today.  We simply tore up pink and red paper, drew a heart on a piece of copy paper, and then used a glue stick to stick the colored pieces on.  Simple yet effective. 

Days Off

Ingrid has had some days off lately, mostly because I'm lazy, ha!  Last Friday she wanted to play with the babysitter, whom she hadn't seen in a month or so, so I let her stay home.  She had Monday off for MLK day, then Tuesday we had a HELLISHLY cold day, I can't believe we even had school!  It was -5.  Wind chill of -22.  For you Celsius peeps, that's -20 and -30!  Super freakin' cold, it was not fun.  I did not feel like bundling up two kids, driving and doing drop off, then getting Otis home, debundling him only to rebundle him a couple hours later.  So...we stayed in.

We did puzzles, we made a tent and the kids pretended to go camping in the living room.  We colored, we played with stuffed animals, we napped.  We watched Yo Gabba Gabba, which has seen a rise in popularity in our house over the past week.  

 Luckily the cold only lasted a bit, the next day we were back to normal frigid weather, which is about 7 degrees (-14C)  

Today I took Otis to the thrift store while Ingrid was in school, and on the way home we passed the Krispy Kreme.  Oh god, I used to love those things!  I haven't been there in years, so I had to stop.  Of course, right?  I can't fit in any of my pants and am constantly saying I need to get a gym membership again, but let's go eat 1000calories worth of donuts.  Jeez.  They were good.  Otis promptly fell asleep on the way home, leaving a drooly sticky mess all over himself.

 Oh, I forgot!  Yesterday we got the loveliest little care package from my friend Brooke in Ireland.  It even came in a cute box!  It had some little thrifted things for the kids, their favorite being a baby book in German about a bear that goes traveling in different things.  You can stick the bear in each mode of transportation.  They thought it was the coolest!  Thanks, Brooke and Pearl!

 Tomorrow is another day off, which means another day of...what?  I don't know how much more coloring and Gabba I can do, to be honest...

Lots of Driving.

I took Ingrid to meet my mom halfway the other day so I could take a break for a couple days.  I did get some rest, but was unable to sleep still because of my stupid nose.  Then yesterday I drove the 2 hour drive to my sister's for a birthday party, where I met my mom and Ingrid, and then we drove the 2 hours back that afternoon.  Sigh, that's a lotta driving. 

But the party was fun.  Ingrid loves her cousins a ton, and it's nice for me because they play with her and keep her occupied.  We had brownies and ice cream, which Ingrid is still talking about!

And today was supposed to be a relaxing, non-driving day but we still ended up in the car somehow.  I had to send some stuff out at the post office and I HAD to get coffee.  We managed to go to the park, though, which was nice.  It was super cold and windy but Ingrid has a new winter coat, boots, and mittens to keep her warm! 

Another thing to keep her warm:  this little number I found at the Kiwanis sale this weekend.  It's all polyester, so you know it's nice and toasty.  No breathability at all!  But super cute.  I thought Brady Bunch but a friend mentioned Mary Tyler Moore and I can totally see that, too!

Brendan is in Milwaukee right now, he had a four hour interview which he says went really well.  And he has an interview here in Ann Arbor sometime this week, so things are happening!  I can't wait for him to get home, though.  I'm exhausted.

Still Sick.

Man, whatever cold Ingrid has just won't go away.  I thought she was getting better so we went last week to see our friends, and now they're sick.  Sorry, guys!  I didn't realize it was going to drag on this long!  Poor kid's nose is all red and raw from me trying to wipe it all the time. 

She was SO MUCH FUN today, if by fun you mean whiny and throwing temper tantrums.  All day long.  By the time Brendan came home I was exhuasted.  She just could not be happy with anything.  If she wanted a book and I tried to get it for her, she cried.  But then she'd ask for help.  But then when I'd help she'd throw herself down on the floor and scream.  I actually had to leave the room because I was laughing so hard at just how ridiculous she was being!  Such a drama queen!  My mom called today and said "Ha, paybacks are a bitch, aren't they?"  Whatever could she be talking about?  I'm sure I was never like that!

We have been keeping busy, though, even though we're at home and not feeling good.  Ingrid has been coloring and playing with her kitchen set, reading books and chasing the cats, and I have been posting lots of new items in my etsy shop.  I finished this quilt today, it turned out better than I'd expected.  I think the more I do the easier it gets, which is great since I have two more quilts cut out and fabric set aside for a couple more than that. 

Something that surprised me:  I actually enjoy not having the car!  Brendan is not driving his beat up old thing now that there is snow (and the battery is dead...) so we are sharing the Subaru.  He takes it to work most days, but if there's something I need it for, I take him to the bus station and then pick him up from work at 5pm.  It's been going really well, actually.  At first I couldn't imagine not having my car with me at all times but now I don't know what I ever needed it for all the time anyway. 

We had the car yesterday to run errands and I was realizing how much I hate having to drive everywhere with Ingrid, getting her in and out of the car and having to deal with her yelling for her dropped book or milk cup or whatever.  I love staying home and taking it easy.  We move slowly through our day, play and clean and bake and cook.  We saw a friend yesterday and she asked if I was feeling cooped up and I can honestly say no, I'm not.  Maybe it's because it's winter and I don't want to go out anywhere anyway, but I'm actually enjoying not having a car, not having the option of going anywhere.  It makes me focus on things to do around the house.  Like clean up crayon scribbles that appear on every wall, chair, dresser, and closet door.  Or doing the five loads of laundry that have piled up.  Or getting some sewing done.  It's nice.  It makes me happy. 

I will, however, enjoy it even more when Ingrid's nose stops snotting everywhere. 

A Buncha Nothin'

That is exactly how I would describe the past few days--a buncha nothin'.  We have hung out mostly at home, watching it snow outside.  Ingrid has colored, climbed things, played with her kitchen stuff, watched copious amounts of Charlie and Lola, and gotten snot everywhere.  I have gotten some sewing done, cleaned the house a few times, done some laundry, watched copious amounts of Charlie and Lola, and cleaned up a bunch of snot.  Neither of us has slept much. 

Even the cat seems lazier than usual...

Yesterday we managed to make it out to Kmart to get laundry soap, that was our big outing.  We also took Cody to the dog park and made mini snowmen, which Cody kept trampling over.  I would love to get out again today, but last night Ingrid was up literally all night long.  She took some cat naps here and there to gear up for hour long sessions of crying...We are both exhausted and now she's in her bed yelling for mama, mama, mama.  Sigh, it's going to be a long day...

Up next in our doing not so much--baking cookies and making cinnamon cherry walnut bread.  And watching TV (I'm not even going to feel guilty about this, as Ingrid is snotting everywhere and I'm barely able to see straight for being so tired...) and possibly going outside to let Cody run.  And cleaning up more snot.

Wintery Walk

Ingrid got to wear her snowpants for the first time today!  It finally snowed more than a dusting, so we took her and Cody out this morning to walk by the lake.  It is gorgeous and not too cold and really sunny and the snow is all sparkly.  If only winter were like this all the time instead of gray and dreary and slushy...

I also found an old bottle of Ingrid's so she could feed her baby.  My old Cabbage Patch Kid has become one of her favorite toys!  She loves to put the blanket on her and now she loves to feed her a bottle.  We got her a little doll stroller for Christmas, I'm sure she'll love that, too :)