Snow and Cold

The last several weeks have brought a fair amount of snow and cold weather, at least in terms of Texas standards (or at least it seems that way to us!). I don't remember last year being so cold and snowy/icy in December. (I do remember that the biggest snow storms came in late spring, so we're not done with snow yet!)

It's not like we've had a ton of snow -- just a few inches here and there -- but it's enough to give everything a good coating. And then it hasn't warmed up enough to melt it quickly (like it did last year), so it melts a bit and then turns into ice.

For the most part, I like the snow (when I don't have to be out driving in it). It's a nice change from so many years in Houston and also not so overwhelming that we have to get out and shovel sidewalks all the time. But I could do without the freezing cold (especially that cold wind that goes right through you). We're still struggling with heating issues in our house, due to poor insulation and remodeling still in progress and heat pumps that aren't working well. We decided to try a propane heater in front of the fireplace instead of building fires in the hope that it would be a more efficient heat source for the family room. So far it's been working okay, although there are areas of the house that never do get very warm. We just make sure to stay bundled up!

Christmas break is over and the kids aren't sure how excited they are to be going back to school in the morning. I don't think any of us are very excited for the alarm clocks to have to be set again. One trick I've learned, though, for prodding the kids out of bed on the cold mornings is after I initially wake them up, I throw their clothes into the dryer for a couple of minutes. Then they know if they hurry and get up, they can put on nice warm clothes!