Will Work for Donuts

The winter doldrums had set in by the beginning of last week. I didn't feel like doing much of anything, and I had much to do making me even more depressed.

And then it began, to snow! The forecast called for snow. However, the forecast around here is usually 75% of promise and 15% of actuality. (Yes, I realize I'm missing 10%. Where that falls, who knows?)

The snow began to fall. It was white, fluffy, and beautiful. A snow day looked promising.

The morning came. School was canceled (had we any doubt? They cancel school for this.) And there was only one thing on the agenda that day ... sledding!

Then came the phone call adding a second item to our agenda. My mother-in-law invited us over, later that morning, to make donuts. DONUTS! Oh, I'm there. (These are the same parents who make applesauce.)

It was one of those perfect snow days. We headed over to the neighborhood hill to go sledding. Even EM was having a blast. She would ride the sled down, insisting to go by herself; and then stay down there, rolling around in the snow. Needless to say, she was soaked when we reached my in-laws.

All the cousins were assembled, and excited. Excited for a snow day where there was snow for us to play in. Excited to be at Grandma and Grandpa's and excited to be making donuts. They gathered around to cut out the donuts, and most of the kids stayed involved till the very end of the cutting.

The next two steps were for adults only, frying and glazing (after letting them rise.) That step was for Grandparent's only, though my sister-in-law and I tried to help. The kids hovered near by, hoping that some taste testing may be needed.

We made A LOT of donuts, over one hundred, plus about 40+ donut holes. That was a lot of donuts, but the work was well worth it because they were delicious.

Between the snow, sledding, donuts and fellowship my winter doldrums were long gone by the end of the day. I am ready to take on February.


Spring is right around the corner, or so it felt this weekend with 60+ degree weather.

Snow Day Box

The kids are enjoying another day at home. (Well not ED. The stomach bug has made a recurrence. Ugh.) The snow and ice that hit Texas and Arkansas has made its way to the east coast. Now that it has turned to ice, melting at the moment but likely to refreeze tonight, I fear the kids may not have school tomorrow as well.

It is days like these I pull out our Snow Day Box and let the kids pick an activity. The box is filled with craft projects gathered from the Dollar Store, the dollar aisle at Target or $1 crafts from Michael's. You get the idea, CHEAP.

Many times these activities don't take very long, but long enough to break up the monotony. Long enough to take their minds off of the blank TV. Long enough to make them realize our house is filled with toys, their toys.

I'm always amazed how a $1 craft, which entertains the kids for 5 to 15 minutes, can completely change the mood of the kids. Where before they were dragging themselves around complaining that "there is nothing to do", after the activity they found new focus and have new ideas for appropriate play (appropriate, meaning not running inside the house, screaming like banshees.) And they stopped asking about the TV or Wii, at least for another 30 minutes.

As I type this they are painting sun catchers. A little more then a dollar, but not by much thanks to a Michael's coupon. Most likely I will be scrapping paint off my table for several weeks days this afternoon. However, like the MasterCard commercial, the price of a little paint on the table is nothing compared to entertained children, priceless.

For a LOT more great ideas (when I posted I was #210) head over to Rocks in My Dryer