Tag: snowmaggedon

  • Perhaps Miyans Just Had Trouble Grasping the Concept of Menopause?

     

    Winter Hues

    View outside my bedroom window this time last year.

    I love this time of year — especially, how the peaceful tones cast by wintertime hues of soft whites and grays make everything look so much more sparkly and bright.

    Until the snow starts to melt and the world begins to look like, you know, my living room carpet.  Still, this time last year? Snowmaggedon had dropped nearly 3 feet of snow and, well, that's just too danged much sparkly even for my taste. 

     

    This Full House Kids New Year's Eve

    New Year's Eve on Higbees Beach in Cape May, NJ

    This year?  This was us.   At the beach.   In December.  Here, in Jersey.  Seems Muh-thuh Nay-chuh is going through some hot flashes, her ownself.

    Speaking of which, is it hot in here, or is it just me?

    Aaaanyway, winter is back (I think) so, yesterday we popped by my folks' house for a quick visit (code for: make sure they remember to, you know, turn the heat on) and tried to teach my dad the concept of American football for the eleventy-hundredth time.

    Note to self:  grown men tackling each other over a ball is "stew-peed," stop trying!

    I've invited my in-laws over for dinner  (code for: it's really, really hot at their house) and, considering we're probably going to get nailed with, like, eleventy-hundred inches of snow in March — tonight, I'm serving corned beef and cabbage, just in case.

    Happy ValenSaintPatrickSpringter, everyone.

    (P.S. GO GIANTS!!!!)

    © 2003 – 2012 This Full House

     

  • Sundays in My City:
    Beware the Icicle Slayer

    Ice swan
    I know, I know, enough with the snowmaggedon posts, already.  Still.  This winter has made for some really beautiful pictures — here in Jersey, anyway — like these ice swans captured by my 15 yo, in our backyard, the other day.  She's majoring in photo journalism and, well, the girl has a great eye, no?

    Ice, Ice, Baby III
    Oh, and the icicles?  They are EPIC this year.  I'm so glad I took this shot outside our  den/guestroom/laundryroom/playroom…before they ALL melted.

    The Icicle Slayer
    Or, before my oldest (a.k.a. Holly the Icicle Slayer) got her hands on them and, truth be told, having caught a glimpse of her darkside, you'd never know that, IRL, she's really an Italian literature and arts major, right?

    I was a little frightened for the wreath's safety.

    So, I thought it was probably a good idea to, you know, step back and put down my brand new camera, frigalicious as it is (yes, it's a word!) not to mention, put away the rest of the Christmas decorations…I know…shuddup!

    Ice Saber

    But, not before grabbing this shot, as she claimed her trophy and, well, thank goodness her little brother wasn't home to, you know, turn it into a weapon and pretend it was an ice saber, or something.

    Before it melted, of course — Happy Sunday!!!

    To see other scenes from around the world, check out Unknown Mami’s Sundays in My City

    Unknown Mami

    Oh, and feel free to clean off a chair, sit down and visit my photo journal or my Flickr photostream.

    © 2003 – 2011 This Full House

  • Cloudy With a Chance of Snowballs

    Passed the Nose on My Face

    I love snow [ducks to avoid flying snowballs] working up enough courage to actually get behind the wheel of a car and driving in it, not so much!

    I got into my first and only car wreck [knocking on wood until knuckles bleed] while driving home from work…in a snow storm.

    It was bad; my body hurts just thinking about it.

    I was only 20 and, well, let's just say I've spent the last 20-something years, doing my best to avoid, having to drive…in the snow.

    Until, I had children.

    My kids don't like to walk, anywhere (I think it's a law, or something) partly, because we live in an area where the ratio between accessible sidewalks to the actual number of cars on the road is equal to the proportion of the accumulated snowfall.

    In other words, no one shovels their gosh-darned sidewalks, anymore, DAGNABIT!

    "Can I stay home, today?"

    [frown]

    "Yes…WAIT…I mean, NO!"

    I fear for my middle girl.  She attends a specialized high school 25 miles away from home and, well, her bus travels some of the craziest roads known to the Jersey Shore as…THE PARKWAY!!!

    [shiver]

    "Sorry, kiddo, but you have finals, today!"

    Aaaaand, she was out sick, yesterday, already, DAGNABIT!!!

    "Can you pick me up from school, today?"

    [bites lower lip]

    "Um, NO!"

    What?  This particular kid also takes a bus and, well, who am I to deny someone a chance to do their job, right?

    "Can you pick me up from school, today?"

    [heavy sigh]

    "Uh, NO!"

    What?  Aaaand, this kid can literally spit from our house to the school, we live THAT close.

    "Now, remember, if the snow gets really, really bad, mommy's gonna park the car down the street and we're gonna walk home, okay?"

    [eyes go wide]

    "ALL THE WAY FROM SCHOOL?!?"

    YES!  Because, there's a wooded path leading from this kid's school, to the adjacent neighborhood and, well, I fear THAT parking lot, the most!

    "It'll be an adventure!"

    Besides, we're supposed to get like, 10 inches and I've abandoned cars, for less.

    "…so, our area can expect a light dusting to no accumulation…until, tonight."

    PHEW!

    [looks out the window]

    BALLS!

    Guess what?  The weather dudes were wrong (GASP!) I spun out in the CVS parking lot getting milk on the way home from school this morning and, well, it looks like my kids are walking!

    [pulls up hoodie and blows bangs out of eyes]

    If anyone needs me, I'll be outside, cleaning off my car (for the eleventy-hundrendth time) and pretending like I'm a REAL good stay-at-home mother.

    Stupid Snowmaggedon!!!

    © 2003 – 2011 This Full House

  • Viewing the World Through Frozen Side Mirrors

    Back-to-school

    Most days, I wake up and, if my feet hit the floor and my head is still attached, then, it really doesn't take much to convince myself that, YES, half the battle is actually getting out of bed and HOORAH! but, it's gonna be a good day…DAMMIT!

    Until, it's time to leave the house.

    "Why IS it so hard to make a left turn!?!?"

    Then, I remembered.

    "Oh yeah, 'cawse I live in Jersey!"

    Is it just me, along with perhaps the rest of the Eastern seaboard, STILL digging out of one of the snowiest winter's in, well, recorded history (yeah, I'm looking at you, Washington, D.C.) or, has Snowmageddon (or, as I've come to call it, Snowpocalypse) frozen everyone's nice buttons, shut? 

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