Usually, too many days of rain has me teetering on the
border of gloom, though not this time. Who knew that Sandy, our fearless
hurricane, would provide me with a bit of rest and rejuvenation. Even the kids
did not disrupt my haven, because they, too, were in a state of reprieve. When
notified that schools were closed, I had occasions to laugh as I watched them
do the happy dance, accompanied by a dose of audible joy.
It was pajama and yoga pants day – for two days – Monday and
Tuesday. Girl#3 and I preferred PJs,
while Girl#1 and Girl#2 sported the yoga pants. When Darling Husband/Daddy came home
from work, he walked into the kitchen where we were stuffing our mouths with
hurricane junk food. His first words were, “No fair!”
I felt sorry for him (for a whole 30 seconds) as I thought
of my time reading books and blogs in bed, watching a DVD on my laptop, writing
notes for future blog posts, talking to the kids about non-obligatory things;
etc. It was also good to see the kids reading, looking at things that interest
them on the computer, Skyping their friends, making artsy and crafty things,
baking, and watching reruns of Full House.
Our blissfulness extended beyond sedentariness. I completed
cycles of laundry - washing, drying, sorting, and delivering to the bedrooms of
the three girls, where they folded and hung up their clothes. They caught up on
homework and studying. I mopped bathroom floors and washed dishes. It’s funny
how domesticity doesn’t bother me when I’m stuck in the house.
It was good… for us.
For others, not so good.
The news reports featuring the devastation from the storm
were so sad that I had to turn it off after seeing fires and floods and crumbled
buildings and destroyed docks. I had to remind myself that bad things happen to
good people; however, the people will
bounce back.
As the sun made its intermittent appearance, giving us a warm and fuzzy back-in-the-grind feeling (oxymoron?), Hurricane Sandy will be remembered as “the storm that wasn’t” for us; the storm that gave us a little more family time in this phase of rush, rush, rush. And, even hard-working DH/Daddy managed to get in on some of it.
What do you do when you’re stuck inside due to weather
conditions?
What are your stressbusters?
13 comments:
Much the same here. The days before I cleaned house like a crazy person wanting it done in case I lost electricity for days. Then I did all the laundry. When the bad weather came I started baking cookies. Talk about displacement.
Hi Anita, I'm rarely stuck inside unless it POURS rain. Then, I feel like I can burrow in a good book all day and not feel guilty. Even if we get a blizzard, I go out on my skis or snowshoes. We didn't get the bad weather here in CO, though I watched with dismay the misfortune and destruction others experienced. PS I run VERY slowly (I'm 68, after all) and I take my iPhone with me just in case there's a photo I can't resist taking.
now that my 5 children have outlived their
teenage years, i rarely ever have stressful
moments. :)
I sent you an email.
I like to relax and watch movies when I'm stuck inside.
First of all I should say that it is really great to predict and pinpoint the coming storm so that all preperations were done (to the extend possible)
I should say that the damage was minimum when compared to the force of the wind and the surging sea.
Staying inside is one way of relaxing. Staying away from the daily routine. On has to just close the eyes and imagine how the Cave Men stayed indoors as the sun set.
Unless the power is out, I'm still doing my household chores, reading others' blogs and working on my writing projects.
I'm glad you had a mild Sandy. Like you, I had to stop watching the devastation updates.
We get snow days every now and then, where we're more or less stranded. I like them. We putz around the house, maybe bake something, go out and play (shovel) in the snow, draw...
I'm ready now, bring on the snow!
We have plenty of books and toys and games, so the kids are set. Hubby and I usually curl up with a book or we play board games with the kids.
I would say,cooking! It's my stressbuster you know:)Also visiting blogs, talking to friends on the phone/skype or chat.
Being stuck inside doesn't happen often here, but when it does, I clean and bake and blog and read, all the same things you do. Your family time sounds great, and I'm glad you found a way to appreciate your enforced time together, and to enjoy it, too! I think the best thing we can do while we are the fortunate ones not to be hit by a natural disaster is to appreciate the fact, pray for those that are affected, and perhaps donate to the red cross if we can afford to. We can teach our kids about gratitude and empathy...and then get on with the fun :)
I don't get 'stuck' with wet weather here in New Zealand because what they call 'rain' here would only be drizzle in Kansas. So, I hang clothes on the line, walk to the park--do every normal thing--even when it's 'raining' :)
I'm looking forward to spending some quality down time like that with my girls when they are of age. We're still at the point where a day off for them has been whirling like a dervish to keep them entertained for longer than 5 secs at a time! The fallout from Sandy was devastating; I grew up in NJ and even though I've lived in VA while, Garden State is still home.
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