Baby, It’s Cold Outside
Monday, November 12th, 2012From Monday Mom – Neetika:
We hit some chilly temperatures last week—while the area is still recovering from “Superstorm” Sandy and many are still without electricity or heat. Although out building never lost power, we did have a cold night without our steam heat kicking on. The reasons why are dubious; the bottom line is that the landlord needs to figure some things out in the basement. We are usually comfortable, but go through periods of being way to hot or way to cold during every 24-hour cycle. We often dress warmer when it’s cold and open a window when it’s hot. Being that several folks in the community are worse off than we are, we’re trying to roll with the punches.
I like the winter. I enjoy curling up on the couch with my sweats on and a warm blanket—maybe even throw in a nice steaming cup of hot chocolate—and I’m set. Turn on a movie or hand me a good book and I’ll be happy for hours. Haley on the other hand, takes after her dad. She is not a homebody—she likes to get out. Like most kids her age, she really needs to get her energy out. We take lots of walks, which are great exercise for me to. Her favorite outing? The park! Where you can swing! It’s almost comical the amount of time Haley can spend swinging without getting bored or unhappy. Unfortunately, when it rains or snows, the park is not an option. During the big storm, the city parks were closed for days. During that time, we went for walk one day, and when Haley saw the playground, she screamed. I took her up to the gate to show her that it was closed and that we couldn’t open it, she kicked it!
Luckily, I don’t think the playgrounds will be closed very often. As long as there’s not precipitation, I can always bundle Haley up in extra layers and head to the park. And the days when it is kind of gross outside, I can take her to out local YMCA, where there’s an indoor playtime set up several mornings a week. It’s a great option for young kids in the winter. They may not have swings, but at least Haley can get some of her energy out.
Have a great week, everyone! Stay warm.
