It’s cold you guys. (And this is something coming from me) Temperatures like we have had since Sunday are normal here in February, not mid-January. So we’ve just been doing our best to stay warm!

When the high is -8F with wind chills of -30F to -50F, you just don’t leave the house. We made sure all windows were properly shut and locked to keep drafts from coming in, ensured the thermostat was set to 68F, and double checked that the big blankets were on the beds and in the living room (for bundling underneath on the couch!).

I did my monthly Walmart run on Friday; if you haven’t tried Walmart pick-up, you’re sorely missing out. I was able to just pull up, open the trunk of the Highlander, and the Walmart employee packed everything in for me. This wasn’t a meat run; I don’t buy meat at Walmart (or Aldi) anymore. I get my ground beef and venison from my cousin, and all other meat from a local meat shop.

I have not left the house since Saturday. We have watched Mass on the television every morning (as is usual here), and we have a basic meal plan we follow. I did alter things the past two days to do a chicken/rice casserole on Sunday and Tater Tottage Pie Monday. It’s nice to have stick-to-your-ribs foods when it’s so cold. Breakfast both mornings was biscuits and gravy.

Today, to change things up, I gave the boys the option of either building a fort with their kit OR putting up one of our tents. They chose the fort, and it has lasted approximately 10 minutes. It is now getting torn down and put back in the basement because they are just being jerks to each other and fighting over it. That’s not allowed or encouraged, so the reward of the bunker I helped them build is now gone.

My Man and I have been drinking a lot of coffee (him) and tea/hot cocoa (me) the past few days. The boys don’t like any of those warm drinks, which is a bit of a bummer, because I would love to make a big pot of cocoa to share. Layers are also key; lots of light layers.

How are you all holding up with the cold? Running into any issues? Take care, and we’ll chat next week!