Wind Chill Values Between 5 and 15

We all have those friends; the ones who appropriately dress their children for the weather and then set off, hand in hand, for afternoon romps in the woods with other appropriately dressed children who use their imagination and know the forest is their kingdom.  Everyone emerges hours later, red cheeked and invigorated, has a drink of tea from their environmentally responsible water canteen and then heads home, presumably to knit before settling down for lentils and bedtime stories.

I strive to be like those moms, I really do.  I admire the stamina takes to get small bodies jammed in their snow suits, let alone to find two matching mittens!  On my kitchen counter is a jar of lentils just waiting for me to get my act together and throw them in the slow cooker with some carrots one day.  On the floor of my car are several maps for local parks systems.  I try not to leave the television on until it's hot to the touch.  Halfway there.

Most days lately it is all I can do to stagger around muttering that we really do need to go to the grocery store for toilet paper NOW and anyone who doesn't complain can pick out a snack (yes, I know..I know...).   Efforts are made to find snowsuits and matching gloves, mostly we will end up in layers and mismatched gloves, but at least my twelve year old WILL relent and wear a coat.   We will slide across the sheet of ice that our sidewalks and lawn have become and climb through and over snowbanks in to the car (my little one has bruises on her legs from doing this) and go to the grocery store for rice milk, bananas, apples and chicken breast.  We will make it to the library for books and movies and finally back to the relative warmth of home.   While in the bathroom looking for a towel to mop up the puddles of black, melted snow boot prints, I will come face to face with the empty toilet paper roll holder.

There will be that moment toward the end of the day, when everyone is settling in for bed now that Daddy has come home with toilet paper and basic bodily contentment has been restored, a moment where the house is not quite peaceful, but settled in its end of the day ritual.  Still too noisy for bedtime, but not shrill bickering or whining.   Too much action in the kitchen, but drinks of water and not rifling through for snacks.  Contentment.