Winter, Socializing, Geography, Mythology

Every winter I anxiously await the possible Alabama blizzard and every year I'm disappointed. Last March it snowed...I don't know...maybe an inch or two. It snowed this past December which is very unusual. The kids were able to play for about 45 minutes before they got too cold and headed inside to the warmth of our home. But this recent arctic air that is hovering over the south has just been ridiculous. It snowed very little, but was just too cold to get out in it. I think the kids made it about 15 minutes this time. We're just not used to negative temperatures.

I was talking to Karen about snow and she said something that makes a lot of sense. She said she likes snow in theory. Huh...that's me! When I think of snow, I see children building snowmen, sledding and throwing snowballs at one another. I see horses prancing around their pastures, kicking snow up behind them. I see snow on tree limbs, and think of fireplaces and roasting marshmallows. Okay Gina...GET REAL! It's COLD...you get sick...you're cold to the bone and can't get warm. You drink hot chocolate and hot tea to try and warm your innards and you're stuck inside to avoid the whole mess. I'm officially ready for Spring. I want to go camping and hiking and be outside without shivering. WAAAAA!!!!!

Here's Cody the other day. He got cold in the house and just couldn't warm up so he put his snow bib on with his jacket, gloves and Spongebob slippers. He wore that for a couple hours while he played with his Moon Sand and the Wii.

We've spent A LOT of time snuggled up with a blanket and reading together. Brit and I are quite fond of hot tea. I like honey in mine, but she prefers sugar. She finished The Lovely Bones and Cody and I are reading The Magician's Nephew.

See?! COLD!

I've been playing Bejeweled on FaceBook. Dang game is addictive! It tells you in what percentage your score is compared to other players. For instance, I usually get around 115,000 points and I'm in the top 15%. Well, here is my new high score....WOOT!!!!

Cody under five blankets. I had just taken them out of the dryer and folded them. They were nice and toasty.

Cathy wanted to get together to celebrate Kaitlin's birthday last week. It was just too cold and nasty outside, so the celebration was postponed until today. We actually left the house! We've been stuck at home for SO long. Bobby has stopped on his way home from work for milk, bread, eggs and mice (Hey, Tango has to eat too) so I wouldn't have to leave the comfort of my pajamas. That's love:) Thank you baby! But the kids and I have missed the outside world, too!

We met everyone at Moe's in Huntsville and ate a fantastic lunch with some of our bestest friends. I wish Karen and Keilee had been able to join us.

Chandler, Britney, Kaitlin and Emily

And some of the boys...Austin, Jake, Ben, Carson, and Zachary

While we were chatting, Emily asked if we wanted the extra chips sitting on our table. We handed them over to find out that the girls were making a map of The United States. Ah...I LOVE homeschooling:)

After we ate, we went next door to Books-A-Million. I enjoy this store so much more now than I did before we started homeschooling. The kids have always loved checking out their books and toys. Britney has always loved reading, but not me so much. It's a newly acquired interest. I read every day now...just because I want to.

Best Buddies~Cody and Ben
Cody bought himself a new Goosebumps book.

Cody, Ben and Zachary
All three boys are rockin' a Beatles hairstyle :)

And I bought myself this....

It's a HUGE book...over 500 pages. Last week, Britney told me she wanted to learn more about Mythology. I'm so excited about this find! Plus, with the educator's discount card, I got it for under $16! WOOHOO!!

Then we went to Fresh Market...
Que high-pitched angels singing.
I just love this store. Bobby, Cathy and I immediately headed over to their coffee selection. Yum. We bought some hazelnut and creamy french vanilla. I made a pot of the french vanilla as soon as we got home:) Delicious! And the kids got their bags of candy of course.

Britney got the high score on another game we were playing tonight. I won't go into detail about the game. Trust me...you don't want to know.

Tonight has been laid back. The TV has been on either UFC or The Ghost Whisperer. Cody's played on the computer. I've read and drank hot tea and hugged my family. Britney's been in our room watching TV and in her room listening to music and/or reading. Have a good night everyone.