After five days of ice with the hope of it all melting away a couple of days from now...our hopes have been shattered and we are told to expect snow by this weekend.

Luckily, OKC metro area hasn't lost power, but local stores have just restocked (pretty amazing to see empty shelves in huge grocery stores), but will run out again by tomorrow (after tonight's newscasts).

I've been accumulating a long-term "stash" of essentials for quite awhile now--we could easily go a month on our own without restocking (actually, a LOT more than that...if you disregard appetite fatigue)--but right now my main concern is keeping DW and DD's from going stir-crazy <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Any suggestions?

DW & DDs? Wife and daughters?

Books seem optimal. Radio probably helpful.

-john

TV's not even helpful <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Tonight's project is keeping the outside kitties from freezing to death. To wit, accomplished: fed high-fat diet (my beloved Vienna Sausages), stuffed 5 pounds of rice into a tube-sock (no, I didn't think it would fit, either) and microwaved into long-lasting heatsource, stuffed under (temporary) shelter constructed of 1) folding chair and 2) blankies.

We also let the little buggers into the bathroom for twenty minutes each to warm 'em up and feed 'em. I'm in the process of designing a "cat house" (no sniggering in the back, it's only legal in Vegas!), that will keep them a) warm in sub-freezing temps and 2) cool in the *!@&%# hot summer.

At least the wife's occupied <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> She goes slightly stir-crazy when stuck in the house for days.

How about some board games or cards?

We had a sneak attack here today. They called for snow last week and it mostly fizzled out. Then today we were only supposed to get rain and got... a surprise of 2-3" of the white stuff everywhere at the lower elevations, and plenty at the higher elevations. This made the roads a nightmare and the plow trucks have been working to keep up.

I think the weather forecasters should be fired! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Whatever is bringing in the wild weather -- El Nino, global warming, climate change, etc. -- it's a definite reminder to stay prepared. I will be digging into my canned stash and having some chili tonight. <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

*sniffle* I'm down to one can of chili....but I s'pose I could grind up that buffalo new york strip in the freezer to subsitute <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Cards may work, at least for the wife. I think with the kiddos I'm going to have to get more elaborate, like having them costume up and put on a show...

I'd almost rather lose power; it limits your options in ways they can't deny ("But daddy I want to watch the Sponge Bob Seventy Two Hour Marathon!!!")

Oops. I missed that you had power.

-john

Oh man... Sponge Bob for 72 hours?

Maybe you should just go flip the breaker switches. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

How old are the DD's? Someone else mentioned card games, that's what my parents used to keep me and my brothers from killing each other when we'd get snowed in up in Minnesota. Much later on I realized they also used the card games to help us practice our math.

Risk or Monopoly games can last just about forever depending on how you bend the rules. Other sorts of competitions might help if the girls are close in skill levels. Challange them to build the tallest free-standing Lego tower (or a tower made of canned food if you don't mind dents). Get some rope and award chocolate to the first person to memorize five knots (your DW might go for that if she's anything like mine).

Get some candy recipes and have yourself a good old-fashioned taffee pull or make popcorn balls or fudge.

Blow off excess energy with a pillow fight or a marshmallow war.

Good luck.
-Blast

years ago, I was stationed on the USCGC BISCAYNE BAY (WTGB-104), an icebreaking tug out of St. Ignace, Mi. When I was home, we used towels (different colors) to make costumes and our daughters would act out a fairey tale, for their and our's entertainment. This was some of the best family fun we ever had. It is great when you are iced and/or snowed in.

There used to be a board game called Sip and Strip. Great game, REALLY cuts into any boredom, but you only want to play it after the kids are tucked in for the night. Cold weather might be a bummer too...

Have any cardboard boxes lying around? They will keep the kids occupied for hours building forts, houses, stores, tunnels, cars, trains, spaceships, etc.

Take an umbrella, stick the handle between the sofa cushions and cover it with a sheet, instant tent/fort, best place to read a book especially by flashlight.

Have fun-
Pete

Grace and Lillian are "almost (groundhog day) three*" and nine, and they're pretty easily entertained--luckily, they are still excited about the things they got for Christmas (metal detector, microscope for the elder lass, and artist supplies for the youngest), so it hasn't been _real_ hard.

On the other had, Darling Wife has been going stir-crazy, since her work won't let her come to work <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

DW is easily plied with backrubs and cheasy sci-fi movies, so no crisis yet, although I am worried about the coming 5 to 10 inches of snow this weekend; haven't recovered from the ice just yet.

One observation from someone who learned to drive in icy conditions in the mountains of Germany: if you have a four-wheel drive vehicle and assume you can stop as fast as you can accelerate, YOU ARE WRONG. Slow down, and live--especially since I'm in the opposite lane <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> and would rather not be impacted.

At least we're alive and warm, with no immediate prospects of either parameter changing.



*weirded me out, since I posted her birthday pics on ETS shortly after her arrival--hadn't realized I have been on this site almost DAILY for three years--go figure.

billy,

Hang in there! We've had ice, rain and sleet since last Friday here in big D. At least it's cleared up now and then so that we can run a few errands and stock up on supplies.

I get up near Cleveland, Ohio and remember that we used jigsaw puzzles to keep us busy during blizzards. Dad would hide the box cover and we'd have to start with the borders and work inward. This was in the days before we had cable TV, computer games, Ipods, playstations and their ilk.

Art supplies also would be used alot. Crayons, blank paper, cheap watercolor paint sets. We'd finish the day with an art show.

I agree with your driving instructions. I remember Dad's advice about driving out ice - 4wd just means that you have 4 wheels spinning uselessly instead of 2. Stay home, stay warm.

When I was home for Xmas break, we got dumped on pretty good and spent most of the time at home. I found that puzzles and dominoes were the mainstay when the TV wasn't tolerable anymore. My girls are 17 and 21, so they've learned to keep themselves occupied or Dad can find plenty for them to do (like clean and oil firearms, shovel the sidewalk, dust the furniture etc). The wife was willing to just kick back in the recliner with me and relax, something about being gone for 4 months I guess might have to do with that.

When all else fails, a good cooking lesson from Dad's repertoire of recipes will keep everyone occupied for a couple hours at least. Of course, now that the girls are old enough, conversation is a whole lot easier to start and maintain. Fortunately we share enough common interests, such as hunting, politics, career development, and when I get tired of talking, the wife can take over and they can all discuss the latest hollywood junk if they so desire. Each of us do have our own set of hobbies/crafts that we can catch up with as well.

Still, it was nice to get out and do a little shopping (okay, with three girls at Christmas, it was a lot of shopping) or go to a restaraunt or visit with friends or neighbors. We ain't totally Burt Gummer style anti-social just yet.