We survived!

Yes we did. We survived with a couple of flickers of power, some cranky kids, and a momma who found lots of activities to do.

I sent Pierce to school in the morning, since the weather was not that bad. Carter and I took advantage to play outside, dance around the house, show off his walking skills, and do some cooking before the anticipated power loss. By the time I picked up Pierce my car was getting shoved everywhere, and the winds were decent. I sent both boys to their rooms, made them take a nap, and I folded a ton o laundry. Can somebody please explain the mystery of how 4 people can create so much laundry? Please?

After nap, we worked on the letter "C" and cut and paste things out of the magazines that started with C. We then made sensory exploration baggies filled with shaving cream and paint. The coolest part? Everything was contained so there was no mess. Great for the possibility of no water and power, right?

Then we just watched TV, played board games, and hung out as a family.

Today we went out and when I left with the boys this morning, I did not care where. Both of the boys were wild from being stuck inside yesterday. We ended up going to Rockwell, but there was a huge tree blocking the playground. So with a crying Pierce, because he wanted to play with his scooter, we arrived at memorial boulevard. On our walk, Carter was happy in the stroller watching everything around him, and Pierce rode his scooter over all of the branches that covered the sidewalk. And did I mention I also had the dog with us? Yup our 90 pound golden retriever who wanted every stick, squirrel, duck, and goose she saw. That brought multitasking to a whole new dimension.

Then we went to Page Park and played on the playground for 2 1/2 hours. The dog, kids, and I enjoyed an empty playground and played on everything possible. The few town workers that were there laughed at the dog going down the slides with the kids. We did balance beams, Pierce did flips off the rings, and Carter climbed everything in sight.

You would have thought it was nap time after. But nope. Not my children. Pierce I made take a nap, but Carter would not go to sleep for the life of him. So we stayed up, built towers with blocks, ran around the house, ate, and he occupied himself while I called the recreation department. (On a side note, the playground for Thomaston may be much easier to obtain than we thought. Yippee!).

Upon Prince Pierce's awakening (that was the attitude he has had all day), we went for a walk downtown where both boys played on the cannons. I need to remember the little stuff more often. That really is truly what matters to them. And how do I know this? He will not stop talking about that and the scooter.

Now it is after dinner, and I am down in the basement with Pierce while he creates a few new games. So far he has used the swing as monkey bars, played with his felt board, and is now using his golf clubs to play soccer hockey. Yup, he came up with that name too. And he has made sure I know he does not like me on the phone updating this. Carter is upstairs with Dan being super cranky since he has not napped.

I am going to sign off here for now. I hope everyone else fared the storm nicely as well. Here are my lasting words of wisdom that helped the last two days:

When you are frustrated or absorbed in the moment, step back. Take a deep breath to make room for the good that is going on around you. There is always something good. A smile, a scent of a candle, or the simple calming effect if a deep breath, it is there. Make room for it, and try to make that little good spread into a larger good. It will be all good.