In the week after the storm

Temperatures have been in the 40-50F (5-10C?) even overnight, and there has been rain, so the mountains of snow are much diminished. The ones that are left are DIRTY!! Ground is super sopping.

Ice Hockey

Guest post: I went to see a professional hockey match in DC - Washington Capitals v Philadelphia Flyers. I don't know if this match was representative of others, but it was not as rough as reputation would suggest. Very fast at times, surprisingly easy to follow the puck, less easy to understand the breaks in play. Thoroughly enjoyable night out. Flyers won in overtime.

Home again

And then we came home again, to the biggest piles of snow we have seen, even bigger than last February! Our neighbour had kindly cleared our front and back door, and a parking spot at the front of our place. Most of the pavement, all spare front yards, and even a few parking spots were full of piles of snow.

The ultimate sled path...

Our townhouse was a ski-in ski-out, with the path out and in running over a creek - that is, down to a causeway, then back up again.
Which meant that after it had finished snowing, and the snowplough had cleared the parking spots (and therefore half our previous sledding path), it was a perfect spot to set up another sled path. Because it was so steep, we ended up building a little ramp (it was originally a wall, but anyway) to stop participants ending up in the bush on the side of the causeway over the creek. So you could scoot down the hill, then get airborne off the end of the ramp and plop down in some semi soft snow! I personally tried this one and it was awesome.
The older boys had huge fun. The littler ones got a bit tired, because it was quite a steep slope to walk up in between runs.

Day two of skiing

His cool-dude stance

Yes, he insisted on wearing his beanie over his helmet

Today was more efficient, and just generally better - we knew where to drop the kids off, we got a good carpark right close to where we hired the equipment, so we didn't require a locker, and we only queued once...
We went down the green slopes a couple more times, then lined up for our slightly past beginner lesson, which involved going down a very steep green slope called "Wisp" learning a different way to turn corners apart from the good old snowplough style. Felt pretty good about it all. Stopped for quick lunch, not involving depending on the cafe, then went out again to try our new skills and...  I just lost it. I was just tired, my knees were starting to hurt, and I was starting to panic instead of actually thinking when going fast. Very disappointing... but I was done, at 2.30pm in the afternoon...
Hubby went and did a couple of runs solo, while I collapsed near the childcare yard and watched Mr nearly four ignore his instructor multiple times while skiing down the slope. In her words, 'hes very independent and wants to try everything on his own'. Mr 6 was taken out onto the bigger more public slope, and looked very business like indeed, and just so happy. He was even acting like a cool dude and high-fiving everyone.

Skiing

Not many photos were taken on this day, we were too busy being confused and disorganised

If you want to be snowed in somewhere, make sure you're snowed in where there is a financial imperative to get the roads open - ie, next door to a ski resort. I thought we were going to a place called Deep Creek Lake, turns out that is a nearby lake, possibly man made, but the ski resort we went to was called Wisp.
We had the kids booked into "Wisp Kids" which is a learn to ski school, but also, because these are kids, a feed them lots of hot chocolate and keep them occupied from 8.30-3pm school.
Hubby and I were buying the combination equipment hire, lesson and lift pass. Because we didn't know where anything was, we did a lot of trudging around, and a lot of queuing. Very frustrating and tiring. We didn't get out into a lesson until 11am...
Going to the snow is like going to the beach, there are methods and efficiencies, and knowing how many bags to have for what sort of equipment, and how many museli bars to try and stuff into your pockets, and whether to take a packed lunch (do - Wisp may have a lovely mountain, but they don't know how to run a cafe). So this first day was tiring before we even got out on the slopes. We had a lesson, then after lunch, got a few runs (very carefully, and slowly) down a green slope called "Possum" one down "Backbone", and then it was time to pick up the kids and go home.
The day was nearly too much for Mr nearly 4, he really struggled to maintain composure. Mr 6.5 however, wanted everyone to drop everything and take him skiing in the afternoon at home.

Lots of snow!

It snowed all Friday night, and all Saturday. So much fun. So much powdery snow on Sat morning, we couldn't sled properly... the kids were floundering around hip deep in the stuff. It was -12C in the morning. We planned to spend the day hanging around home and in and out of the house sledding, and that was a perfectly suitable plan. By the afternoon we had a serviceable sled path going down a nearby slope.
The car was completely buried except for two side mirrors...
Sat evening - it took three adults and one nearly four year old, two hours hard work to dig out two cars.

Hagerstown Discovery Station and snow!!!

The shop/kitchen at Hagerstown Discovery Station

I tried to blog from my phone, it was a dismal failure. So get a cup of tea and sit back and let me fill you in on the last week...

Friday, hubby has a meeting at Hagerstown, so the kids and I spent the morning at Hagerstown Discovery Station, which had good bits and not so good bits. The good bits seemed to be the simpler exhibits, like sitting in an aeroplane, digging for dinosaur skeletons in sand, and an entire shop/ kitchen. The bad bits were where someone had obviously donated a whole collection of precious stuff to the museum, and it was all interesting, but not kid friendly - like a bookshelf of train books. Or a rock collection you could only look at. Or a model of the titanic. (Imagine, trying not to explain that one to a nearly three year old and a 6.5 yr old - who can read...)
Then, we drove through the edge of a snowstorm to McHenry, rather nervously, as we hadn't realised the storm arrival time had been brought forward to Friday afternoon instead of evening. I think we got in at the last possible moment our 2-wheel drive could make it up the hill to the townhouse. Then it really started snowing!!!

Driving in low visibility, on a road that was already beginning to get covered, past a snow plough (with a second ahead). As soon as the storm started, the snow ploughs deploy, they all have their own sections of the road to look after, and they drive up and down and up and down all night trying to keep the roads clear.

Beautiful view, but we didn't stop to enjoy...We saw it all better on the way home.

Frozen dinosaur bones

Max yesterday - 28F (-2C) with windchil that easily pushed that down to 18F (-7C), min overnight, about 12F (-11C). So hubby had the idea of putting some water in the dinosaur shapes that are meant to be used in kinetic sand, and leaving them out overnight.

Good points:
They definitely froze
The kids were pretty impressed

Bad points:
The pieces aren't made to sit flat, some of them had tipped out a bit
It was a school morning, so our chance of playing came between 7.24 and 7.29am, just before rushing out to freeze at the bus stop.
Hard to get the shapes out
thin shapes melted fast

But you know how things don't go to plan, but the kids love it anyway? This was one of those activities. Hopefully we'll have more fun with ice in these temperatures.

The Sarcophagus...(Big Box!!)

I hadn't realised it, but we left the box from the shelf lying around. Mr 6 turned it into a sarcophagus, complete with 2D mummy inside. Yes, he also fits inside the box, but he has to bend his knees.

X-wing fighters

We haven't shown the kids any Star Wars, but there is still the lego catalogue... so we know what a lot of the characters/planes look like.
So that is why I ended up with someone's pintrest directions on how to fold an x-wing fighter (in Japanese). it isn't as good as the pictures (of course), and we were all a bit disappointed that it doesn't actually fly, but I did it!!

First snow!

First snow, sitting on the ground... (0.1inch, I think, officially). Waiting for a big one to come through! This time last year, there had been various little storms through since November, but the big ones came in February. So there is still hope. Mr nearly 4 still doesn't quite think it is Christmas because of the lack of snow.

Winter Coat Hooks

How cool is this, we finally got a row of hooks on the wall to hang coats on, with a shelf above for gloves and beanies. Just in time for the cold (and hopefully snowy!) weather. Much easier than storing gloves and beanies in a green bag by the door and jackets all over the couches...

Restoring the dining chairs

It has niggled and niggled, that I want to make the dining chairs (and the dining table) pretty again... and I keep saying I should just start, and then procrastinating. Well, the chairs are starting to sort of get to the point where we either fix the coverings (or more importantly, the framework on the bottom that stops them getting a whoomp in them) or sit on whoompy chairs.
I'm sure everyone is fully understanding of this...
Today, I finally pulled apart the prototype chair to see what it all looked like. The answer - more broken down and more sophisticated than I thought... but I'm hoping I'll get there!

Morning routine

Here is the latest morning routine, more or less what we have been doing all year (since September), but drawn by Mr 6. It is a really good morning routine, and since he volunteered to draw it, and chose where to hang it (with some guidance), he has been happy to follow it, with what seems like a lot less complaining about not having breakfast in his pyjamas (the big treat these days!).

Jobs around the house

One of the important lessons I am learning: the kids are old enough to do jobs. And of course, once you start asking them, it becomes a chore to them... but they can still do it. We already have Mr 6 making his bed every morning, and tidying up his lego, but there wasn't much else being done. I am probably guilty of a certain amount of gate keeping, because they don't quite do it 'right', and also, it was easier for me to do it, than be the band major and direct all the time.
Some things we have started incorporating into the routines:

• Helping to completely clear the table at the end of dinner
• Helping to pick up toys/general tidy in the living area once or twice a week
• Putting things away properly after one has finished using them
• Putting ones dirty laundry in the basket after bath times (and the wet towel back into the bathroom)
• Helping to fold the sheets, and pairing socks

But the most exciting one to me: folding the basket of towels. Because I finally realised, folding in our house isn't that fancy - fold in half, then in half again, and sometimes in half again, but that is all. And even Mr nearly 4 can do that. I do the towels, they do everything smaller.
And while they're doing it, I'm not...

Iceskating lessons

First of 6 half hour lessons today... in the hope my children will be able to go forward, backward, and stop on the ice.
The little one's lesson was too funny, 30 3-4 year olds bundled up, with bike helmets and gloves, unable to keep their balance... Mine seemed to fall into the overwhelmed category - he was listening, he wasn't crying, he was making an effort when someone spoke to him, but still ended up at the back of the class, standing on the ice, dreaming.

The highlight of the day? The machine that resurfaced the ice after the ice hockey match and before the lessons.

For Cismis...

I can't stop myself, this is just too sweet.

Christmas Pudding

Our new friends down the road are English! So they have his great-great-grandmothers recipee for Christmas pudding. They made 5 and handed one on to us on Christmas morning. We gave them some fruit mince pies.

We never got around to brandy sauce, but we had some spare cream, and got them out for dessert night.
We had multiple discussions about chocolate sauce and sprinkles on the icecream, and why you don't do that all the time, especially when there is proper English pudding in the bowl too...
The summary is, sprinkles and chocolate sauce are a treat amongst treats. These are important concepts!

Westminster, MD

Actually got to go to a meeting today. Arrived early and got to go for a walk to kill time, around a very little town. No shops in the centre of the town, they're all at the strip malls slightly out of town. but that means, no horrendous renovations, and no demolitions, and a very nice street to walk down, to look at the buildings. This is Westminster's ah hem, Cathedral...(Episcopal church, right next door to the court yard, complete with columned entrance).

Some other houses

Cheese - update

It is all coming back to where it started...
Still struggling to find a satisfactory replacement for Tasty Cheese from Australia, that won't break the bank.
We have started getting little bags of sliced cheese, because that is the cheapest at Trader Joes. And also, pre-grated cheese, because I love the convenience of not having to grate cheese...
I like the swiss (styled, nothing is as good as Jarlsberg) slices, and the children, after a brief sortay into "American" (orange, flavourless) cheese, have moved back to Colby Jack... the slices are slightly easier to handle than the big block, but still prone to falling apart in awkward moments.
Recently, I went to someones house where they had bought a really, really nice Camembert, and I had trouble not eating the whole thing on my own, less the biscuits, so I'm still missing good cheese. It seems sort of weird that in a country of rain and grass and cows, they can't come up with some amazing local variety of cheese that isn't gold plated, small batch, fashionable farm sort of produce.

Peanut Butter - various uses

We found a more natural peanut butter, after a few false starts, but I clearly grew up under a rock in regards to its uses...
Here are some that we've picked up (largely because Mr 3.8 loooves it - you'll see the theme soon enough).

• Peanut butter with apple - this was a really new one to me. Introduced by the babysitter
• Peanut butter with capsicum - yep, won't touch vegetables without whining ordinarily, but will eat capsicum dipped in peanut butter. Introduced by desperate dad one evening when hummus wasn't cutting it.
• Ants on a Log - this is relatively new - fill a stalk of celery with peanut butter, give child a small amt of sultanas (raisins in US) to put in PB, and it becomes Ants on a Log, and child who won't eat celery is suddenly eating it by the stalk. In fact, he has cleared his plate to get to Ants on a Log. Ate this at a friends house, and he remembered it and asked for it one evening. He asks for so much, I said no eventually...

I thought I was sophisticated having PB and cheese sandwiches, but I think there is a whole 'nother level of uses here. We have Vegemite, they have Peanut Butter?

Update - my sister recommended a little PB in porridge (and also a little melted chocolate). this was confirmed by a local, with the disclaimer that she did it in college, but not now...

My bed is all pretty

We knew a bit of cold weather was on its way, so made the call that the baby had too complicated a bed arrangement. The trip to Ikea was to buy him a doona and a doona cover. We had previously decided a blanket and his quilt from nana would be enough, but he was starting to wake up in the night with bedclothes awry, cold.
The pretty description is his words. He wants to keep the cover on the bed forever. Stay tuned for how we managed to wash it.

Rock Creek Park, Washington DC

Went on the shortest walk in history (probably about half an hours worth, stretched to an hour with stops) with a child that hadn't slept well the night before, and hence hadn't brought his A game (or B or C for that matter). Saw that it was beautiful, and that we would love to come back with happy children (or without kids). Love the idea of living close to it and going jogging regularly (but we struggle to get the time/energy for regular jogs as it is, so it stays as a happy thought).
Lesson learned - even when it is a clear day, and looks warm, and is going to get to a whole 45F, wear jackets, don't leave in the car. Unfortunately, in addition to the kid not in walking mood, we were just on the edge of cold for the whole walk, which probably didn't help things.
Tried to salvage the day by doing Junior Ranger, and then went to Ikea on the way home, after which the child lost himself in biggest tantrum of the year, easily.
Moral dilemma: child was so tired and hungry and thirsty, after stubbornly refusing all food, all day, that he couldn't think clearly to moderate emotions. We think that if we'd bought an icecream at Ikea (and the tantrum was over not buying food), he probably would have settled enough to eat his sandwich and have a drink, and the ride home wouldn't have been so awful. But we are trying not to teach our kids that they can whinge their way to ice creams, esp after refusing all other food. So, would you have bought the ice cream, risking enforcing bad habits, or did what we ended up doing, which was forcing child into seat and listening to him scream all the way home?
We fed him milky hot choc at home, and he was all sweetness and light afterwards, eating seconds of dinner without complaint...(although he got packed off to bed early).

Jingle Jingle Jesus drumming

Testament to how Colin Buchanan music grows on you... I had to make a drum, and make it sit just so, and provide kitchen implements to drum with (although this is where he was just using his hands), and then he stood there happily 'listening' (watching) the music on the laptop and drumming away, singing snatches of words as he heard them, 2 bars after he had heard them (think, singing in the shower style), while I cooked tea.
For those interested in the making - think, a box as a backpack, worn on the front. I used ribbon for the straps. It is very much one of those big drums in a marching band.