Big Legged Mommas are Back in the Style

Oh good god, we've got cable!  I think that if I had to miss The Office or 30 Rock, I may have lost it.  No power for almost a week, I can deal.  No Jim & this city would have had a problem.

I think that everyone will eventually have to go through an extended power outage.  We just got one sooner. So how did the Great Blow of '08 prepare us for the next black out? I've put together a list of tips & tricks.

If your child's daycare is closed for 2 days, give them plenty of new toys.  Gus was trying to lure Tuck into the basket by placing a book in the bottom.  I'm not sure what he would have done if Tuck had taken the bait.  We didn't get that far because Gus decided to wrestle with him.

Always purchase the large box of wine, you never know when a freak hurricane will hit.  I don't know why it should be a box.  I think it just sounds cooler when you're sitting in the dark.

When finding a book to read during a freak hurricane, don't pick a book about climate change.  While I really enjoy this book, it's not an appropriate book to read at this time.  But who kept reading it for the first 3 days?  Yep. 

If you choose to ignore the above rule, look at the Box of Wine rule.  If not by the fourth day, you'll be in the basement building a fabulous new bunker for your family.  That's not something to do without a couple glasses of Merlot.

When your husband (and your own sanity) kicks in & forces you to chuck the Climate Change book, don't read a cookbook. You'll only be attracted to recipes that start with "Preheat the oven to 400 degrees."  Thankfully, I found the new Mason-Dixon book the day after we lost power.  Ann & Kay saved me.  I also got The Gentle Art of Domesticity from my library the day before we lost power.  It was a nice book to look at, but no power equals no pretty domestic duties.

Never ever try to knit lace by the freakish glow of a halogen bulb.  Cleite didn't see much action during my week vacation from power.  I did rip Tuck's Trellis & started a knit that doesn't require light.  A nice little EZ sweater for the holidays.  Like Kay & Ann, it saved me.

Find places that don't need power & let your kid show you the way.  Gus loves maps, especially zoo maps.  He'd pull it out & show us the places we'd been & where we needed to go.  edit to rule: Never go to the zoo if your son got 4 hours of sleep.  Eventually that map will be crumpled up & thrown in the trash by your son.  Then you'll have to deal with a melt-down in front of the tigers because "My Map" is in the trash.

When the power goes out & you have a load of wet towels in the washer & dryer, go to the laundry mat immediately! If you ignore this rule for 3 days, enjoy the sounds of your husband dry heaving.  This is another reason why I could not block Amanda.  She'll get done today!

When you have no tv & only AM radio, use your kids for entertainment.  Gus & I watched Tuck toss his pacifier out of his crib.  Gus would give it to him & tell him "Don't do it again Tuck!"  When he'd toss it again, we'd belly laughed for 15 minutes.  And when Gus' teachers asked the kids if they had lights, Gus responded "Yeah we got lights, they're just outta power."  Good times, but I'm ready for some quality tv laughs.

When cleaning the fridge, go back to the Box of Wine.  The smell & sight of dried breast-milk was not an enjoyable way to spend a Monday.  At least the Great Blow forced us to get rid of those 3 year-old salad dressings.

It's so nice to be back.  I missed the Internet.  Ava & I were trying to figure out how to tell if eggs were bad.  She says "I'd tell you to go online, but that'd be mean."  I had to tell her that I actually went into the office before I realized that it wasn't going to work.

L

p.s.  Of course, I'd try to see if the new Knitty was up from my Blackberry.  Why make myself suffer?  When all of the schools were open, I hit the library.  I'm thinking of making L'illo in pink for my newest niece.  Tatiana made me smile at the library's computer dock.  Probably will never make them, but I love 'em.

Comments

[Helen]

I've heard that if eggs float in a cup of water, they are bad.
We lost power for 4 days in an ice storm a few years back--took us 2 days before we realized we had a gas hot water heater so we could take showers . In our defense, we had just moved into that rental a couple of months earlier.
Glad you're back!

[Gonzomama]

So glad you're back. Been waiting for this post.
The author (thomas friedman?) of that climate change book was recently on Fresh Air with Terri Gross. Pretty interesting interview.
Looking forward to seeing Amanda!

[Kirsten]

I will keep this list handy, just in case!

Glad you've got your power back. We lost power for a week a few years back. Since we have a well, that meant no water too. Good times.

Gotta go buy a box of wine now, it's supposed to rain tomorrow!

PS. Yes, I would be happy to adopt a 32 year old! Especially if she comes with a stash.

[Ava]

The map reader cracks me up . . . so does the luring into the basket. Glad you posted and are back on the grid.

[LizKnits]

Glad to have you back. Always good to have such a list of tips for a black out. [grin]

[tricia]

Welcome back.

In Australia and NZ, eggs are not refrigerated. They are right beside the bread in the grocery store. Go figure.

Must go find map book to give to Ava for Gus on her next trip west.

[Jeanne]

Glad you have power back- it must have been hell not having it for a week.
Since you're one of my top ten, I have passed the award on to you on my blog. Hope you stop by to grab it and pass it on to your favorites.

[Sarah]

Glad you got your power back on! The internet missed you, too! If you get your eggs at the farmer's market, they might be fine -- supermarket eggs in the US have their natural coating washed off, which is why they need to be refrigerated here but not in some European countries. That's my fun fact for the day.

[Carrie]

Congratulations on your return to the 21st century! Isn't the Mason Dixon book incredible???