Showing posts with label lessons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lessons. Show all posts

Friday, February 19, 2021

Snowed In Means - SCIENCE!

Texas has been in a state of emergency. We have been seeing single digits over most, if not all, of the state. Icy roads have ended school temporarily, meaning we had a whole week at home with the kids. Also shut down the need to go to work for many people. My husband stocks shelves at the grocery store and even he was told no shifts - which I was grateful for. The roads are finally thawing and we are just getting above freezing. The windows in our old house are all single pane. Every single one of them had frozen shut inside and out.

We have ice inside! 

So I thought 'It will be a fun time'. At first, it wasn't. Firewood was sold out in the stores when we went to looking for it. So I pulled out the heavy blankets, was keeping all the shades and curtains drawn, and we were bundling up as much as possible. They are still telling people to not use much electricity as the state grid isn't strong enough to handle all this. But then their "rolling blackouts" plan failed leaving most of our town in particular freezing in the dark anyhow. 

So how were we to pass the time? 

Four kids, shut inside, for the next "several" days, according to our governor. I needed to get creative so we could avoid our version of cabin fever. It would be one heck of a time. With below freezing temperatures dropping to single digits, and then in the negatives, we saw lots of snow again. Ice is still everywhere. And that gave me some ideas! 

She blinded me with science!

Mama just happened to remember that Pinterest posted picture of frozen water balloons. Inside, there was food coloring. You put them outside to freeze. The next day (or in our case, a few hours) you remove the balloon and you have beautiful colored ice orbs! 

Before the storm, we went to the Dollar Tree and I picked up some balloons. The kids helped me get the food coloring into them and I filled them with water. My husband laid each one in turn outside on the already frozen ground. We had a light layer of ice, with snow falling. 

Didn't take long for the snow to fall heavier and faster. Until there was easily an 3+ inches there. Icicles hung from every edge - doors, windows and eaves. By the time it stopped, we had 6 inches.

It is beautiful! But SOOOO cold! We couldn't take very long outside. Every step outside had to be done with several layers, good gripping shoes - the works! But so worth it to bring fun to the kids. I even saw where you could make these orbs glow with very small glow sticks! 

Sadly, our power went out. For 3 days. We abandoned trying to wait for it to come on and went to stay with my in-laws. They still had power and we were grateful to finally get warm again. Before we left, however, we learned how to make a fire with wet wood! The kids helped us drag sticks in from the branch that my husband cut down. They enjoyed helping out. They also ripped up the cardboard boxes we used to feed the flames. I considered this a valuable life lesson. Should they ever have need of starting a wet wood fire, they know how to do so!

Back to the balloons. I found that though we laid them out the night of the big storm, the part resting on the ground didn't freeze! This was lesson one for us. About the snow providing a protective layer that prevented the under side from freezing. The part exposed to the falling snow did. The kids loved when I showed them that. So I moved them up and flipped them over to freeze fully.  

After getting word that power was turned back on, my husband and I went to check it out. We wanted to make sure it was and check that the pipes hadn't burst, despite taking the recommended precautions. We also needed to wash the children's pants. They have been outgrowing their jeans rapidly during these cold months. One of my sons rips the knees of his athletic pants like paper all the time. While at the in-laws home, the gas line froze to the washing machine. We learned lessons on using a hand crank version. Definitely need a wringer with one of those! Perhaps Nona shall be getting one for her Mother's Day gift this year... We had a discussion on severe weather prepping. It is amazing what things you find yourself in need of!

While checking out the house, I checked on the orbs. Each one was covered in a thick layer of slick ice. Under the ice, you could see that the balloons were starting to split from the expanding ice. But they were pretty underneath. I took photos to show the kiddos until we could bring them home. It was fun to watch the progress. Both with the weather and the orbs. They also helped their aunt start building an igloo in the yard. I couldn't handle being out in the cold much. Made me hurt so much.

 Another way I love to pass the time is by working puzzles. This is a favorite pasttime for me. I find it calming. A way to clearly process my thoughts and find peaceful focus. Especially with this Nene Thomas fairy one!

Wherever you are, whatever your situation is, I hope you are able to find little fun ways to get through the days. As well as stay healthy and warm.

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Learning to Hold Back

This week has not gone as I had hoped. And I'm only midway through. Lack of sleep and enhanced pain are two things that turn me to the dark side. Popping pills every day just to keep mobile. I'm blaming the weather. Here in Texas, it can't decide if it should be hot or cold. We wake up to 40 degree temperatures, and by the time the kids are exiting the bus, it's 80! Then, we wake up this morning and its in the 40's with rain. The weather report says we should look for snow tomorrow. I think whoever posted that needs to have their head checked. This is Texas. We get slush. Maybe ice. Not really snow. There is a difference. And if that is truly what is coming, I don't plan on leaving my house at all. Besides walking the kids to and from the bus stop. But no driving for me. The fleece blankets are on hand and a sweater will be with me wherever I go. 

I had hoped to try to get a massage this week. It had been suggested and seemed like my best option in breaking up the tension in my neck and shoulders. Sadly, my husband and I had other things to do and we never made it. Life is good at getting in the way. Instead, I applied for a job. Here's to hoping, right? It was nice being a kept wife for a while, but it seems to be a necessity now. Which brings me to the topic of my post. Some might say what follows is a product of the lack of sleep and the immense discomfort I'm going through right now. Maybe they are right. Or maybe I really have seen the truth. Warning to the weak - the truth hurts.

So came the revelation. I'm a southern born, and raised, lady. I'm traditional for the most part. I can be very outspoken too. I'm honest. Brutally so. Employers find that reassuring. Friends and family - not so much. I never truly put much thought into it. When I see something I don't agree with, or something that seems wrong, I have a tendency to speak up. Believe me, I think my words through carefully before I speak, though that does not seem to matter. People don't want to hear what may be the truth. It can be too offensive. My husband is from Colorado. Or as he puts it, the north. He is quiet, reserved, and as most of his family are - a peace keeper. They don't do confrontation well. They have the normal family drama, but they keep it to a minimum. When they don't like something, they don't often confront the source, but rather go around it until it reaches the top and they can't dance around the circle. I get it. I don't like confrontation either. But over the years, I have learned that it is sometimes necessary in order to grow and develop better relationships. This is where I probably rub them wrong. I speak out and I don't cower. And as my husband put it, I do so because it is how I was brought up. It is the "default" that my family has. Somewhat true. We speak up when we feel something is truly wrong. Or, as I often do, when I can't keep it bottled up anymore and it just erupts like a volcano. He also made the comment that we "tear each other part" with this method. Talk about a slap in the face. But I guess if you think about it, he's right. When we speak up and put each other in their place, lay out the injustice of what they are doing, what is really happening? In my mind, we are showing a fault that needs to be addressed. Like when someone is acting as a spoiled brat, for instance. I, personally, want people to think about how they are acting. How their words affect others' emotions. But is it really my place? Who am I to tell you if you are talking to someone with the wrong tone? Whether it be your spouse or your mother or your boss. In this day and age, doing so is wrong. Or maybe it was always wrong, but here in the south we still did it. 

I'm unapologetic for my words. As I mentioned, I think them through before I send that message. And since that is how I talk to most people - through typed words - they might sting just a little more. You can't read emotion in a text message. Not unless you add some cute little emoji. Something to soften the tone for your reader. I'm not a huge fan of them, but I sometimes use them to get across a tone and keep people from freaking out on me. So, if I send a message and someone else gets offended, that's that. The only thing I have to be sorry of is the fact that you didn't have tough enough skin to take it. Or that you are too blind to your behavior. Harsh, isn't it? 

This is one reason I don't like being around people. I'm an introvert. I think most people are ignorant or just plain stupid. I find that most people don't think about what they are doing or saying or what the consequences will be. And people are generally too selfish. So, I like to distance myself. I'll be honest, I do this with friends and family too. I get to a point where I don't want to be at risk of being in a conversation where my personal beliefs or ideas will clash with another. So I'd rather avoid socializing altogether. There are a select number of people who can ask me to hang out or chat and I'd do so without fear. I can count them on one hand. They are the few that can handle everything I say without taking offense and are not afraid to tell me when I'm wrong. But after realizing the truth that my husband laid out this week, I think I need to tighten the reigns on my words. I think I need to put distance in my text messages. I can't trust myself to share an opinion. Not if it runs the risk of tearing someone apart. So, I'm putting up the walls. Locking away my voice of reason. Putting into park, that drive to make things right. I'm going to take a backseat and let others do. Right or wrong, it isn't my place to say unless you are my kid. Or unless it is a rant in the journal or blog. Because lets face it. No one really reads either. Okay, my mother reads the blog religiously. And she's one of the few who can take what I say with a grain of salt and tell me when I need to shut up. I say this with love. She's the one who was always telling me, "Opinions are like butt holes. Everyone has one and they all stink." We think our opinions are helpful and matter, but seriously - they don't. Unless you are asked for it - maybe you should keep it to yourself. 

  • Think twice before you act or speak. 
  • Learn to hold back. 
  • And develop thick skin for the times when someone else shares what they think. 
Lessons that I hope I can stick to and that you can learn from. There is a time to speak up, but it is not as often as you might think.