First Significant Snowfall
It’s snowing! We got a little bit of snow last week but this week is the first significant snow fall – we already have about 6 inches and we’re suppose to get heavy snow for at least another 4 hours.
I am definitely a “get the bread, milk and eggs” type of person – growing up I always giggled at those people and their ‘overreactions’ to being prepared for a snowfall when they usually turned out to be nothing. As I’ve gotten older, and moved further away from the city, you start to realize that being overprepared far outweighs being underprepared. It never fails – the entire rest of the month you could care less about having bread, milk or eggs on hand – but in the middle of a snowstorm it’s inevitable – you get the great idea to make cookies…but don’t have any milk to drink(come on you can’t possibly have milk without cookies). Let alone eggs to make the cookies. Any other day if you were out of bread – no big deal, you’ll just find something else for lunch…nope, when it’s snowing not only do you want that sandwhich but hubby is jonesing for french toast, the kids can’t live without pb & j for the day…etc.
Besides the inconvenience of not having those items(which I’m sure you can suck it up and get past), it’s that if you decide you really want to go get them…it’s usually not the best idea. Before I had kids getting stuck in the snow was laughable – it was a good story to tell people and I could live with the embarrassment of needing to be pushed out by strangers. Now, the thought of getting stranded with 2 young kids in the car I always prepare for the worst so even if it only ends up being a dusting I’m better off safe then sorry.
The snowstorm last February in PA and on Route 80 was a worst case senario (some people were stuck for over 20 hours), but just solidifies my new “better safe then sorry” mantra I’ve developed over the past few years.
“Fun Box”
My son’s “fun box” is something I put together 2 years ago not only to ease the above worries, but it’s kept a lot of calm for other situations as well. The “fun box” is a small plastic container that is solidly built but was inexpensive to buy and contains some necessities as well as some luxuries. There are always at least 4 or 5 juice boxes, individual snack packs (pretzels, chips, cookies), granola bars, trail mix(store bought), small coloring books & crayons, party toys and a few basic toys. Whenever my sons goes to a party there are usually a few random toys in the party bags – small coloring books, stickers, whistles(although that may not be the best toy for inside a closed vehicle) – that would normally end up going unused or missing. So I put them in the “fun box” which makes them that much more enjoyable(as they usually pale in comparison to the other tyos at home) and makes sure they get put to good use. It’s came in handy many times – for those days he’s really hungry on the way home from school, when we’re out shopping and forget his juice cup and for longer trips. It provides a feeling of safety(incase we’re stranded longer then needed) and sanity(no food/drinks available makes for cranky kids) that’s well worth the few minutes it takes to throw it together.
Christmas Lights
Around the holidays I’m always on the lookout for places that have great Christmas displays – I love just driving around the neighborhood and seeing everyone’s home displays. This year we are planning to go up to Scranton and visit Nay Aug Park to see their drive thru Christmas Lights display for the first time. Their website boasts:
“Don’t miss the incredible light show this year in Nay Aug Park. Every year we add to the display and this holiday season is no exception. You’ll see the newest addition, the Electric City sign. The display is a replica of the Scranton landmark that you can see up close. This special addition reflects the pride that scrantonians feel about the history of our wonderful city. The light show can be seen from 11/23 -12/31. The lights come on at dusk and will be illuminated until midnight. While you can drive through the park to admire the lights, a walk in the park will be a spectacular experience.”
I am all about being able to stay in our nice warm car and view Christmas lights – Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA has a beautiful outdoor display(as well as indoor) but it typically is pretty cold and takes too long to fully enjoy it and bring the kids along. We were able to take our then 4 year old last year and we did alright(they sell hot cocoa outside so that helped), but this year we have a new 2 month old so we’re going to pass this year.
Christmas Lights in the Poconos
This year we’re staying pretty local(hoping to make it up to Scranton if the weather holds up), and while looking for a list of Christmas light displays in the area I stumbled across this: Christmas Lights map from Pocono Record which is a local contest for the best Christmas lights displays but currently only has 2 houses listed. I wish it had more listed – maybe if it wasn’t a contest it’d spark more interest – so if anyone knows of a more complete local map (or even within 30 minutes or so) let me know!
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