Snowed In/Science Fair

I've been going crazy the last two weeks.  I hate feeling locked up in my home.  I managed to get out yesterday to Walmart with the two boys I babysit.  It was worse than black Friday!!  Thankfully things were not too bad today and got out to the gym for a long run (and boy am I sore).  What I dread the most is hearing the news about how we are going to make up these three days (assuming we go tomorrow).


A sigh of relief though....last week was the final deadline for the science fair projects.  We were able to get them done last Tuesday.  Tonight was supposed to be the science fair presentation but thankfully that is behind us.  We have had so many deadlines since October and now we are finally done.  What a burden that is for us.  Our projects were as follows this year.  Jenna could do anything and chose to do one that Joshua had a few years ago (we did not keep any info, so this was done all on her own).  She did "can you blame the burnt cookie on the cookie pan?"  This was fun testing all the different kinds of cookie sheets!!  Jacob could also do anything and chose "Which type of milk spoils the fastest?" So we tested whole, 2 percent and skim milk.  Joshua was a little harder.  He had to do something on Earth Science so we did fudge and crystallization......comparing the cooling of sugar crystals to the cooling of Igneous rocks/intrusive and extrusive rocks.  This was a lot more complicated but thankfully we are done.

Mid-West Memories

My kids and I enjoyed a week off of school.  We were able to rest and not have stress and finish our science fair projects.  NC has had some really icy roads and low temperatures.  I remember growing up in Illinois where we lived in a very rural area on a farm.  We were at the end of the road.  I'm guessing the road twisted and turned for about 4 miles??  I remember some of the bad winters were the snow would drift and the only way out was if the snow plow could come and get us.  We had a big picture window and I could remember the joy of seeing the snow plow coming down the road.  I also remember my dad putting on chains on the tires until he could get to the highway.  I can also remember at times the drifts so high on both sides of the road.  I would cringe if another car was coming because to this day, I don't know how two cars passed each other with snow drifts on both sides!! My dad always made sure that we were equipped in case we got stuck in a snow drift or our car broke down.  Being equipped included making sure we were ready in case we had to walk home (which we never did) but we dressed accordingly.


I had to laugh this week because even in the frigid temperatures, my boys go to the car in shorts.  Two times one of them did not have even a sweatshirt on, and I went and got it for them.  It drives me nuts!!  I keep trying to tell them about when I was little and asking them "what if I ran out of gas"?  "Mom, that will never happen!!".  Ok, what if I break down or what if I skid off the road from the ice and we have to walk home?   Somehow, I can't get through to them that something could happen and they would be very cold if they had to walk home!! 


The are teens/pre-teens and old enough to know about the cold.  Neither one can stand to wear a pair of pants!!  I choose my battles!!  There are plenty of other things to be right about and if they are ok with the cold than I guess I am.  Maybe they would change their mind if I took them home and they saw the huge snow drifts!!

Season Over

Last night we ended our basketball season in Rocky Mount.  It's bittersweet to see it end.  I loved watching Joshua play every single game, but I am glad to see practices over and us coming back to a "normal life".   I am hoping Southside will have a soccer team next year for Jacob and Jenna, but Jenna is expressing some interest in playing bball, so we will see. There was one mom from the team that only went to two of her son's games.  She doesn't work and I just think that is really sad.  Most of the time she would just find rides for her son.  On occasion the dad would come, but when he did come he had a book to read instead of watching his son.  This was also his last year on the middle school team.  This kid really improved from last year too.  You wouldn't believe the difference in him from last year to this year.  Now that Josh is 14, I just realize how short life is.  I can't get this time back!!  I don't want to live with regrets that I didn't watch him play or that I wasn't his biggest cheerleader.  I just wonder what this kid thinks when he sees all the other moms and dads cheering and stuff and to know his parents are too busy to come.  Am I mom of the year?  Oh no!!  If you only knew the mistakes (big) I make, but I do love my kids and will support them through any activity they choose to do.