Day 28: Week #4, Snow Day #5, & time to Clean Up!

Dear Fabulous Spouse,

Too funny that Oldest Child’s school ride never got the memo that there was no school today, and showed up ready to go…with all our kids still asleep.  Today was a cleaning day.  We also paid it forward to MR and helped with their downed trees in the evening.

Glad that you have gotten some rest! Happy 1 Month anniversary.  Tomorrow starts Month #2!

We miss you!

Love,

Me

Translation: OCD Me goes postal on the Refrigerator

Ok, the refrigerator did smell like death.  It was scary.  However, before we started to fill it up with food again, it needed a thorough scrubbing. So, I turned the refrigerator off and took it down to its “studs” with bleach and warm water.  The thought of food poisoning due to 4 days of warm food is just not on my bucket list!

We also helped out one of our Cub Scout friends.  They had a bunch of trees come down on their property, and in exchange for dinner and some red wine.  I was more than happy to have my kids help out as slave labor and pay it forward.  Girl Friday cut twigs and hung out with Ms. M, Illusive Middle Child was the primary hauler, but took a break to help cut when we were not fast enough for him.  Oldest Child kept trying to light the fire.  Even I could not light the fire, but that was ok, because I still got wine!

Day 27: Let there be light!

Dear Fabulous Spouse,

We got the power back this afternoon, so we are back at the house.  We even have internet!  We have cleared the fridge of rotten food.  I hope that Kuwait is just like you remember it!

We miss you!

Love,

Me

Translation: What does power smell like? Fabric softener.

We woke up warm and toasty in Super S’s house to the news that you had successfully made it to Kuwait.  I hope that you can finally get some sleep.  We had pancakes !

At lunchtime, we trekked back home to check on the cat, the melt out of the freezer, and to pick up some extra supplies.  Oh, and to get a little Jack in the Box.  The town still looked like a war zone, we even passed a downed power line near the Little League fields.  However, *ta dah* we DID have power (by the clocks, it turned on 6 minutes prior to our arrival).

What does power smell like? Outside the neighborhood it seemed like every washer and dryer was going.  The air was thick with the smell of fabric softener.  Inside, however, it kind of smelled like death.  If you have ever defrosted your deep freezer, you recognize that smell.  Yeah.  Four days of no power in the only heated room in the house had thoroughly defrosted the refrigerator and freezer (as if the ice cream soup was not a big hint).  So the task for the evening, was to unload, catalog, and dispose of the entire refrigerator and freezer contents.   Six trash bags later, mission accomplished! (So sad to see all those salmon steaks go!)

Day 26: Power Loss Day #3, Phone Lines Down Day #2

Just a few of the tree limbs in the lines.

 Dear Fabulous Spouse,

I hope that you are enjoying your one day layover in Germany.  Sorry that we missed you on Skype.  I hope that you get some sleep soon.  I know that I need some.

We miss you!

Love,

Me

Translation: Thank Goodness for Facebook

I think that I officially have to take back about 85% of the bad stuff that I have said about Facebook.  After talking with you in the car (aka the world’s most expensive cell phone charger) at 6AM, I posted that you were safe, and that we were still without power.  Within half an hour, I had two offers to house us for the remainder of the outage from those with power!  We had accepted Super S’s invite first, but thank you Miss K for the offer (and I was not so sure about going over the scary Tacoma Bridge with the ice dropping).

We packed our bags and spent the morning at Cutters Point again.  Yesterday’s post went up, and we kept hoping for a hint of you.  Alas, it was not to be.  I assured the kids that there was probably important military stuff you were doing that prevented you from showing up, despite our hustle to get there for our Skype date.  They may have been a little disappointed, but they know that you have no control over the military stuff.

By 12:40 the natives were restless and hungry.  So, we packed up and headed to Super S’s via McDonald’s drive-thru.   It was great to be someplace warm, lit, and customer free!  Super S and her family made us feel at home.  She really is the best. 

The kids played in the giant tree house, and in their rooms, and of course Oldest Child retreated to the basement for some quality time with his laptop and Bloons Tower Defense 5 (it’s not Xbox, but it will do).

Finally, he emerged for dinner, and just when he was going to retreat back into his cave heard those two little words: Hot Tub.

For the kids, it made it all better, magic even.  Thank you Facebook, and thank you Super S.

(Sorry, had to use the flash on this one and blinded everybody!)

Day 25: Snow Day #4, Power Loss Day #2, Phone Lines Down Day #1

Dear Fabulous Spouse,

I hope that you are enjoying your overseas travel.  Today we had ice cream soup for breakfast winning me necessary mom of the year points.  Not much else going on, as we are an icicle wonderland!

We miss you!

Love,
Me

Translation: Thank goodness for coffee shops with internet access!

For starters, here are pictures from our slumber party by the fireplace.  Must.  Keep.  Warm. LOL!

It took forever to get them to bed, but I think that they will remember it for a long time! (Note: Girl Friday's American Girl doll is sleeping in the laundry basket.  It was too cold for her upstairs.) :)

I really thought that we had a chance of getting the power back.  Alas! It was not to be!  So, now that the cold of the freezer and refrigerator are failing, we had ice cream soup for breakfast!  Yes, that is how it came out of the freezer that had not been opened since we lost power.  So, I also called the homeowners insurance to let them know that a claim would be eventually coming to replace the food in our freezers and refrigerator.

The highlight of the day was when we went to Cutters Pointe Coffee for Wi-Fi, warmth, and to recharge our electronics.  Oldest Child was treated to a “big boy” drink of a White Chocolate Mocha, and the two little guys had hot chocolate (that, as I was informed, was much more awesome than the hot chocolate that we have at home).

Friday is typically Pizza and a Movie night, but as we were not going to have a movie, we did have Papa John’s deliver (as there was going to be no baking tonight) and ate it by candlelight.  Power should be back by Monday… we hope!

Day 24: Loss of Power (and more snow)!

Dear Fabulous Spouse,

So glad that we lit the fireplace! Power went out before sunrise.  Of course, there is no school (we knew that by the state of the roads).  So, we have had some good family bonding time. Do you like the Spidey décor (picture below)?

Sorry we missed Skyping you on your last night Stateside!

We miss you!

Love,

Me

Translation: Really, Murphy!?!

Ok, so I am super glad that we figured out the pilot light on the fireplace yesterday.  Although, I was really convinced that we were not going to need it.  First order of the day, put up a heat barrier.  So, I sent Oldest Child to get a flat sheet, and he returned with Spider Man!  Whatever.  Up it went, and we began to generate warmth.

It used to be that I hated gas ranges.  Give me electric! However, I am well and truly a convert now!  We had pancakes for breakfast, grilled cheese for lunch, and good ol’ Jiffy Pop popcorn for an afternoon snack.  Because, even if the electricity was down, all you needed was a lighter, and now you were cooking with gas!

Twice, the power flickered on, but before the boys could get to the Xbox switch it was out again.  They have since decided that snow days are not worth it without power.

Well, since it gets dark around 4:30PM up here, we decided that we would head out for dinner (and heat , and light).  Of course, the car got stuck midway into the road from the driveway.  In a rare glimpse of luck, (thank you Murphy!) a passing 4x4 truck stopped and helped push us onto the road.  Believe it or not, as we got ready to pull out of the development, the power returned (it would of course turn out as soon as we returned).  Even at Applebee's the power flickered several times!

Then home again for a slumber party by the fireplace.  We are SO thankful that Grammy and Grampy got us new sleeping bags for Christmas!  They were just what we needed with outside high temps around 33 F.   Good thing that we are a camping family and can adapt!

These kind of things can only happen on deployment!

Day 23: More Snow… or Snow Day #2

Dear Fabulous Spouse,
It was looking clear until after midnight.  However, four inches of snow later, we have another Snow Day!
We Miss You! (Send a St. Bernard!)
Love,
Me

Translation: How do we light the pilot on the fireplace again?

“The most snow I can remember,” says the umpteenth person on the television.  Well, the most since 2008 maybe, when my kids had snow forts in the drifts, but ok, 4 inches is still impressive up here (no snowplows, remember).

Girl Friday and Illusive Middle Child had lots of quality snow time.  It is supposed to be in the 40s by Friday, so who knows how long this winter wonderland will last.  The true carrot for that horse is that snowplay equals hot chocolate afterwards!

One of the perks of older children, is greater responsibilities and bribery.  For an extra hour of Xbox, Oldest Child finally peeled himself off the couch and shoveled the driveway and sidewalk three times.  The last just before bedtime.

Also, we needed to figure out how to light the pilot light on the fireplace.  We have not lit it since 2008 due to its astronomical effect on our heating bill.  However, with power flickering and out in some areas due to downed trees, snow weight, or auto accidents, I did not want to take a chance.  Afterall, the Murphy works is hope for the best but prepare for the worst, and pay the bill at the end of the month! (...and do NOT run out of hot chocolate).

BTW: Does this look like a snow plow even thought about visiting before everything froze to ice after 5PM? I did not think snow.

Day 22: Snow Day!

Today was the first official Snow Day of the season.  We did not do much, but it felt like a mini staycation.  The roads even cleared up enough to get some staples to prepare for the next snow.

We miss you!

Love,

Me

Translation: Hibernation

There is nothing like the first Snow Day of the season.  While we know that we will pay for it in June, we always want one or two.  I was so sure that we were going to have a snow day, that I let Illusive Middle Child spend the night at a neighbor’s house, and did not see him again until dinner.

Oldest Child was dialed in to his Xbox, and Girl Friday went out briefly (in order to score some coveted hot chocolate) then hunkered down with the computer to play PBS Kids and Bloons Tower Defense (monkeys popping balloons).

I was not above the fray.  I got several hours of “quality” time on the computer…but you already knew that.  Tomorrow will be either a “Snow-pocolypse” or a total miss.  We shall see!

Day 21:MLK and week 3

Dear Fabulous Spouse,

Three weeks down! SO another one bites the dust!  It was MLK Day here, so that means no school, so no snow day, but we did have snow. Er…flurries.

We miss you.

Love,

Me

Translation: Micro Size it!

It is Martin Luther King Jr Day, and therefore a school holiday.  This is good, because it has been flurrying all day with nary a snow plow in sight.  This means that the roads are horrible, the grass is still peaking through, and the snowmen are the opposite of super sized.

However, the kids have had fun.  Girl Friday was out of the house tracking down every last snowflake most of the day.  Illusive Middle Child even managed to score a sledding and sleepover date (assuming that tomorrow will be either a late start or closure due to the lack of snow plows).  Other than that, not much going on other than the requisite laundry and dishes.

Day 20: First Snow

Dear Fabulous Spouse,

Today we had our first snow.  It was not much, but here in the Pacific Northwest, any snow is a party! …and an excuse for hot chocolate!

We Miss You!

Love,

Me

 

Translation: Are you really going to sled on that?

Well, today was our first “snow day”.  If you are from anywhere that gets real snow, this was not.  However, if you are from someplace warm, it was a blizzard!  Growing up in the Northeast, we all looked forward to snow days, and crossed our fingers for that February/ March surprise blizzard.  Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have years where we have one or two dustings, and it will stick for maybe 24 hours… if we are lucky. OR we are dumped on (two inches, maybe) and it sits without a snowplow for days…then snows again.

Today was a dusting. However, to girl Friday, it was a blizzard!  It snowed all day, but since the temperatures hovered around 34 degrees, it did not really stick.  That did not deter the kids from going out and attempting to sled and throw snowballs and enjoy it while it lasted! 

Finally, around 4PM we got down to 32 degrees and got some snow men made as fat flakes fell.  Illusive Middle Child and a friend got to constructing a snowman, and Girl Friday went off with a friend to construct a snow fort (which she wants to sleep in next weekend a la Curious George on PBS).  Snow is Magic to children, and it is SO fun to see them light up, especially when it is SO rare!

Day 19: Our First Basketball Games

We had a busy day today.  Oldest Child had Klondike Derby, and both the little guys had basketball.  They both ran around until they were red, and they both loved it!

I hope that you enjoyed your down time too!

We miss you.

Love,

Me

Translation:  Would you like to play a game?

The little guys were SO cute in their 7/8 basketball games.  First up was Illusive Middle Child, who was the tallest on his team.  Therefore, he was quickly drafted into the ball thrower inner position on the team (as a non-basketball  person, I do not know what that position is called).  They also put him on defense as the Keymaster (not the Gatekeeper or the Staypuffed Marshmallow Man) when the rest of the team went up to score.

Girl Friday was super impatient.  This is “her thing”, but her brother had a 9AM game, and her game was not until 3PM.  When it finally did come, she was ready (even if she was the shortest on the team).  She hopped, she bopped, she chased that ball everywhere…and even remembered her defense stance.  She had a great time.  Personally, I think her lesson #2 should be stick to your assigned girl, but then again, I do not know much about basketball, so I may be wrong.

I got to play computer games with Fabulous Spouse.  No global thermonuclear war…yet.  Game on Baby!

After a dinner out at Red Robin-Yum to celebrate finally getting a paycheck, things got quiet upstairs.  Then, I heard voices… voices playing… playing together.  My kids had rediscovered the Imaginext cache in the playroom, and the kingdoms were being created and invaded and negotiated. 

Shhhh… a game of Imagination is at work.

Day 18: Good news or bad news first?

Dear Fabulous Spouse,

Pizza & Movie night tonight.  We had Papa Murphy’s Cowboy pizza and two episodes of Terra Nova (there are spiders in this one).  Got the blogger fix today. Woo hoo!  Sorry that I did not react well to your news of an ORDMOD.  I know I AM happy that you will still have only missed one Christmas Ever.  The kids will be too.  As long as you are safe, I am happy.

We miss you.

Love,

Me

Translation: When do we get any good news?

I know that it must be hard being the one who is deployed, being the one missed, being not there.  I can understand the excitement at the prospect of an early return. I can only begin to understand a fraction of your disappointment when I was less than enthused at the prospect of seeing you at the end of the year, vice this summer.  After all, it isn’t that big of a difference between seven and eleven months.  Sorry for not being supportive.

There is always two sides to every piece of information.  It is always important to understand that the sender and the receiver may view the information differently, and the consequences of that information.  The reaction to the information, whatever it is, is often heightened by the fact that this is a deployment, and not just any deployment…it is an IA to a war zone.  It does not help that men and women process information differently, and that home dynamics (in my case, that I have three children promised a two week holiday in Hawaii this summer with a follow on vacation at the end of deployment to Disneyland).

My mental processes immediately skipped ahead to my kids.  The disappointment of missing Disneyland…again... because an IA was shorted, this is something that Illusive Middle Child keeps reminding me of, wanting reassurance that it is a go not a no go this time arround.  OR the disappointment of not going to Hawaii where Oldest Child wanted to see volcanoes and get a piece of obsidian, and Girl Friday was going to share her American Girl’s story (her American Girl is from Hawaii). 

The fact is, the kids will deal…or they will end up in therapy as adults… no matter what I will be there for you.  I will be supportive.  I will always be here for you (even if it takes a couple hours to get that perspective)!

Day 17: This is my “Thing”

Dear Fabulous Spouse,

Blogger is fritzing, so hopefully this is posting OK for you.  Girl Friday has decided that basketball is her “thing”.  We made cookies tonight to ship out in a care package.  The kids have decided that having you deployed is not a bad thing, as it insures a regular batch of “poison testers” and leftovers (these kind die a quick death and never reproduce).

We Miss You!

Love,

Me

Translation:  Can I show you my angry face?

Well, it seems that Girl Friday is over the moon for her new sport.  She is even willing to cheer to “keep in shape” in her off season.  She is loving every aspect of it, from trying to “score baskets” to using her angry face on defense drills.  On the plus side, it IS indoors.  Therefore, the weather is not really an issue! (Looking for the bright side. Really.)

The true plus side is that Girl Friday is very active at home now.  She goes out on the back patio to dribble the ball before school, and plays with the Sitter Kid after school.  She plays so hard that we almost could not wake her for dinner tonight (the dinner that immediately preceded her practice that she was SO lookng forward to).

As for me, I have had an “angry face” all day.  It seems that Microsoft has updated some code on Explorer 8 that makes it not play well with blogger.  As I am mid blog hop on my scrapbooking blog, I am frustrated that I cannot communicate as the system freezes when I hit the comment button.  I know.  Not as bad as travel agent swaps.

However, Remember: Fermented yack milk may just be on the bucket list.  As are homemade mittens and rugs from every country that ends in a ~stan. ...and, I will always love you!