Perks to Homeschooling Include - Black Ice Day!

There are many reasons to love homeschooling. One of the best ones, however, include schooling at our pace. That means we can do school every day if we choose. Holidays, weekends, or at night - it is all of our choosing. On the flip side, we can also take days off when we feel like it. And today is one of those days! 

Ice in the desert

We live in west Texas. Literally in the middle of desert land, surrounded by oil fields. When we first looked at the house we decided to buy last year, we asked how often it rains. Because during that trip, it rained overnight and some areas we drove through were completely flooded! Mainly in the nearby town, but still. Our realtor said they typically only get rain twice a year. That the humidity and precipitation levels were incredibly low. Fast forward and that seems to have changed since we moved here. We keep hearing the locals talking about how strange the weather has been. We are glad they are getting more rain here. Even glad to have the light dusting of snow. But we could do without the black ice. 

This morning, 3/4 kids woke early enough to see their dad off to work. He spent about 20-30 minutes scraping chunks of ice off the windows of the SUV while trying not to slide on the driveway and even the dirt along the driveway. (We don't have much grass in the yards.) Yes, the dirt had a layer of ice covering it! 

Lessons on ice and freezing 

My kids started talking about the ice. And the lessons shifted to how it affects things and daily life. We decided to test out a couple experiments. We had tried to freeze balloons that had water with food coloring in them last night.

Each of us, including myself and my husband, chose a balloon. We added the colors we wanted with food coloring. Then I filled each one to make about a golf ball sized ice ball. I told them to pick a spot, any spot, under the back porch and leave their balloon there overnight. Some were right next to the backdoor (she said it was too cold to go further out). Others were in the middle of the porch. And still others were closer to the end of the porch. Here is what we learned from that. First off, this porch is covered and holds the heat radiating from our well-insulated home very well! The ones that were closer to the house did not freeze! Despite temperatures dropping well below freezing, there was small chunks of ice inside water for those right next to the house. In the middle, the balloons had more ice, but weren't completely iced. And those nearest the end of the porch were more solid, but still not 100% frozen. We moved the ice balloons and are waiting to see if they freeze during the day as we haven't had the sun to warm things much. 

The other experiment did not work. We took scalding water and tried to throw it to the wind. It didn't freeze instantly. So we know it isn't cold enough to freeze water in mid air. 

Then came the lesson on black ice. This will be a lesson the kids hold onto for life. Pretty sure. We noticed that the covered inner part of the porch protected the concrete from getting iced. However, as I stepped close to the edge, there was ice. So I started telling them about how black ice works. I showed them by running my foot over a couple areas. Then I showed them the tree and we listened to it creaking and cracking from the thick, white ice that covered it completely. 

I moved over to stand closer to the end. However, I made the mistake of stepping on black ice with one foot and not having enough grip with the other to steady myself. My legs flew forward and I went backwards. My older two kids started freaking out. One asked if she should get dad, but he had already left. The son grabbed my arm and attempted to pull me up. I was in the middle of the ice patch so I slid again trying to get up. Thankfully, he managed to give me enough of a boost that I made it up and could hobble back into the house. 

Freedom in our learning

Which brings us to the Black Ice Day off from school! Mom is laid up in bed. Dad had to turn around and come home as the roads were so bad with black ice that even with his Colorado driving skills couldn't help him. We are going to do fun lessons that don't require too much effort. Like watching Jaws and discussing views on sharks then and now. Then building concepts in Minecraft. And if I'm lucky, maybe my kids will attend cooking class with dad today... 

This is homeschool! This is freedom! This is great for a broken down mom.

Cooking Without Electricity (Wintergeddon Prepping #2)

We have slowly been building up our preparedness for the possibility of losing power again this winter. With that, my mom has been emailing me videos she came across on YouTube that walk you through the process of survival techniques in frozen areas. One of those things, is cooking when you lose power. While I have a small propane-fueled camping stove top to use, I have at least been watching such videos to have a better idea in case I'm unable to make do with that. I thought I should share some of them with you guys as well. After all, one never knows who they might be helping to get through similar situations. So here are the videos! Let me know your thoughts below in the comments. Also, have you ever went without power? What was something you learned from that experience? 

This first one, I chose to share because she gives simple meal ideas with the ingredients for you guys. This can help you also stockpile items that will work well for power-less cooking. We have actually had ramen noodles in 'spaghetti' before. It is quite interesting.

I thought this was a great video to share as well. I chose to skip the Chit Chat part of the video. Thankfully, they label it. I went to the part where they talked about their Power Outage. Winter is inching closer for some of us.

Prepping for Wintergeddon 2: Heating and Cooking Without Power

Last winter, our home was without power for a little under a week. We had snow outside and ice inside. Windows are single-paned, unfortunately. Since we rent, there isn't much we can do. We ended up having to go stay at my in-laws home to ride it out. We have been thinking about what that could mean for us if we have to go through that again in the upcoming winter months. From what we have read and heard, it sounds like they are predicting that this will be the worst winter in 7 years. Texas grid can't handle "rolling blackouts" as they tried last year. So what do we do? We started doing some research. My mom even helped! She sent several great videos that have taught me a thing or two about how to handle keeping my family warm without power, as well as cooking without power. I thought I might share some in case you are wondering where to start. Each of us has needs that vary from each other. So keep that in mind. What works in one case, might not work in another. 

Rocket Stove: 

I'd never heard of this concept. But it is pretty cool! Simple, effective and cheap. However, it does mean you can only have this outside. Last winter, I did not like being outdoors for long. It was way too cold and way too hard on my arthritic joints. But for cooking quickly, I think it would work perfectly. 

One room for all:

If the power goes out, my goal is to get all 4 children bunking in the living room. Far as I can tell, that is the room that can hold the most heat, fit them all, and have room to spare for them to play or do school in. There is also the fire place that we are stocking wood for. Little by little, we have been investing in wood and the storage of it. We bought a rack and some wood that we cover snugly with a tarp. I will be putting rolled up materials at door bases and windowsills. This should help with insulating better against the cold. Blankets will line the floor in the living room. For them - it will be like a camp out! Or maybe a slumber party... Either way, I'll do what I can to make it fun.

Clay pots and tealight candles:

I had heard of this before. But actually seeing it in action made a difference in my belief on how well it might work. This would do nicely for heating the room that I plan to have the kiddos bunk in. I could easily set it up on the table in the dining room, which is attached to the living room. It should provide plenty of heat to keep us going. 

 

Or this method:

10 ways according to a prepper:

This guy seems to know his stuff. I plan to check out more of his videos to see what other ideas he has. He gave great tips that could be helpful for different situations. 

Alcohol and toilet paper:

This is one I would never have thought of. Especially when we know about that shortage we had at the start of the pandemic age. However, I include it as it is unique and can be stored away for an indefinite time.

What else do you think I am missing? I'd love to hear from you. Are you prepping too?

Beginning Preparations for the Next Wintergeddon

I don't know how many of you remember, but last winter Texas had a massive winter storm that some have dubbed Wintergeddon. Fast forward to September and we have only recently seen 100 degrees in central Texas. Crazy, right?? 

But even though the temperatures outside are about 98-100, I've noticed that I'm not the only one wondering what is going to happen when winter returns. We lost power during a rain storm recently. During rain! It was crazy to wake up to flashing clocks everywhere. Last I heard, they haven't fixed all the problems that led to days without power, and even some deaths during the frigid cold. 

Knowing this, my husband and I have started to prepare ourselves a little more. Last winter, we had needed to go stay with his mother and sister after waiting several hours for the power to return. Our home does not hold heat thanks to the outdated single-paned windows and gaps in the doors. But since we rent, there isn't much I can do to help that. Or is there?

Centralizing the heat

I've been doing some research. One way to keep from having higher bills, also works to keep heat or air centralized. You seal off rooms that you can do without. This got me thinking. Wouldn't be so bad to let the kids camp out in the living room, now would it? Close their bedroom doors, stuff towels in the window sills and door cracks. Then, make sure to close their vents. This works for having electricity or not. All the air will blow into the rooms being used instead. 

Firestarters

We have a great fireplace to utilize in winter months. I've been making homemade fire starters from dryer lent and toilet paper rolls. Simple, yet highly effective! I filled a shoe box so far and then have been saving dryer lent as well.Lesson learned - pack it lightly!

Wood is something that we will have to store up. We plan to get a wood stacking rack. I rather not just have it piled on the ground. Plus, we will be keeping it covered to keep it dry from the elements.

Propane or gas grill

We bought a wonderful 2 burner stove top. It has dual uses. We can use it during camping trips as well as when there is loss of power. It is small, so making meals will be time-consuming. But still totally worth it. If you are looking for what we got, it is Ozark Trail. We love their brand! We can grab the little camping propane tanks to use.

Food stocking

Canned goods are definitely the way to go! So our plan is to collect canned soups and maybe ramen for warm meals. Peanut butter will be another thing we will keep on hand. Bottled water will be a big deal for us. These are things we can stock up on little by little from each paycheck. 

Bringing out the heat

Lastly, we have talked about how to heat up the place in the event that the power does go out. How do we keep everyone warm? For the most part, I plan to keep all jackets, hats, gloves and blankets in the living room with the kids. It will be a giant, warm fort! Bundling up will be easy. We are looking into space heaters as well. And the fireplace will be kept stoked. 

Passing the time

Everyone knows we live in the age of technology. So what do we do with no power? How do we plan to pass the time? First off, we have a portable DVD player we picked up at an estate sale. We have 2 DS game devices. And even a tablet. But how will we charge those? Our vehicle comes with plugs, both USB and your standard wall plug! When we have to go places, we can charge them here and there. But those aside, we have a ton of board games! We can easily pass the spare time with that. We are all readers. So books will be at our disposal. Nerf gun fights and Barbies, Lego creations and hide-n-seek games. We can pass the time. After all, during daylight hours will be school too. 

Speaking of light...

Without power, we will be needing to pull out candles and flashlights. My favorites are the LED ones we picked up at Harbor Freight.  They have multiple options on the type of light and are easy for the kids to use. So don't forget those extra batteries!

What are your thoughts? How would you prepare? I'd appreciate hearing from you. Leave me a comment below!