Week 1 {365} Baby It's Cold Outside

Warning: If you're looking for a pick me up, this blog post is not for you! The weather has officially gotten to me and I'm in a bit of a funk. The weather forecast looks like we might hit 20s this coming week, but I've had too many days of freezing cold temps below 0 and am in desperate need of a venting session. When you wake up and it says negative in front of any number and you know darn well it's going to feel much worse with humidty and wind chill factored in... the idea of doing anything sounds unpleasant and thermals are a must. Not a great way to start any day. I've been freezing my kiester off, literally! Any one wanting a great weight loss program- move to Iowa for a month in the winter. Haldan's theory is that it takes so much energy to keep my body warm I'm actually burning calories. It doesn't help that I have very thin skin and don't have lots of extra meat on my bones. On the up side he did take pity on me and buy me a dual controlled heated mattress pad cover, which I love. I know it could always be worse. I haven't forgotten the -30 actual temps (-50 wind chills) last February. But when it feels like -30 with wind chills, that's still pretty stinkin' cold.

This morning Little Man asked if he could go play outside. Our thermometer read -8 degrees. I told him he needed to wait until it warmed up a little. A couple hours later he ran upstairs shouting, "Mom, it's -2 now. I'm going outside to play." It's pretty sad when a child thinks of -2 degrees as warm. What he doesn't factor in is the other stuff that actually makes it feel colder than it is. The school's policy is that if it's below 10 degrees it's too cold for outdoor recess. They haven't had that in at least a couple weeks now. However, Dad took pity on them and took them sledding later in the afternoon. I don't think it was even 0 (actual temp) and there were no other children sledding. Needless to say, they were not out long.

You know it's cold outside when...
your pipes freeze
you get icicles inside your windows
mold starts to grow from condensation
your nose hairs freeze
you wear crazy looking clothes to stay warm
no other children are sledding
your doors (both car and home) freeze shut
you have 2 hr delays or snow days
your glasses fog up when you go outside
your car doesn't start
you can't open your mailbox
the windshield wiper fluid freezes
your kids draw pictures on your car from ice or snow
ice fishing is your leisure activity
the snow gets so hard it's hard to sled
when your thermometer doesn't register
your teeth won't stop chattering

It's been way too cold for the kids to walk home. They can't walk through the woods because there's 3 feet of snow and the long way that's shoveled would take too long in these temps. So, I've been picking them up a lot lately. Friday I thought I'd lose it. Patience has never been my greatest virtue. There was some car stopped in the middle of the street. After waiting behind her for several minutes I decided to go around her. Then there was this van (see photo above) that couldn't get up the hill. (He was the culprit that stopped traffic for 15 mintues.) He started giving me mean looks and gestures to move back, but I really had no where to go. It's obvious to me it's time they get better tires. Anyhow, this guy is totally stuck and keeps pulling into this driveway and then backing out to try it again and this process repeats several times for at least 15 minutes while a mile of cars are backed up behind me and there's a line stuck the other direction as well trying to exit the school loop. He finally comes to the realization that he can't get up the hill, so he pulls into the driveway (which is what he should have done in the first place) and I zoomed past him; had no probs with my snow tires.(Have I mentioned how much I love them?) I admit, most of the roads haven't been cleaned exceptionally well. I think the snow plow crews have already maxed out on overtime or something. But the point is: if you have a way to avoid a long line of cars backed up- please do!!

This is week 1 of Project 365. I didn't take a photo every day, but took enough for a week of photos. I've decided to do them sort of by themes. My project life kit arrived this week and now I'm torn whether I'm going to plug them in the book or just do them digitally like this. This way would sure be easier for me. I thought about doing both, but I want this year to be simpler and more flexible. I actually forgot to take photos a couple days. It's been nice not having to post daily, but also feels weird. It sort of became a nightly ritual. My sister emailed me and called me an addict. I would like to think of it as "in the habit". Shawna, you're just jealous.

So, are there any of you that have decided to take the plunge and do Project 365 this year? I only know of one so far. Paula Purifoy has taken on the challenge. I think her blog is by invitation only, but if you know her you can ask to be added to the list. She's doing a great job keeping up.

And to end- I wanted to add that although I hate the temps and the wind that seems to pierce through me down to my bones... the white stuff is still really beautiful.

And if you haven't voted yet on the "Photo of The Year" for 2009, it's not too late. Please vote. I know my first video attempt failed, but it's up and working now. I'm going to try to post the results early next week. Thanks to all who have already cast their vote.