The Sandy Update

So, how’s everyone doing? Got your groceries stocked, your flashlights located, your laundry all caught up?

I feel like Sandy’s taken over my entire day. I spent some time sharing a KidsOutAndAbout article on 100 Things to Do With Kids During a Power Outage, and then I was checking in with people about possibilities for Where to Trick-or-Treat Indoors in the Capital District. What’s lovely is how helpful everyone is being, offering suggestions and ideas or opening events to as many people as possible so that kids can have a fun and safe Halloween. On the other hand, it was a bit of a time-suck, and before I knew it, it was 10:45 am, which was already the planned dismissal time for my kids, since today was a conference day. And then they cancelled the conferences, which was a super-bummer for me because we’d scored two consecutive conferences on the same day at lunchtime, which is pretty much the best conference timing a gal could hope for. Alas, these were not meant to be.

The girls walked home from school, one friend in tow, and they arrived safe and sound, although it felt like they were extraordinarily late because I was running outside every five minutes to check on wind conditions from about ten minute before dismissal until they actually sauntered over. After they ate an early lunch, all three headed outside to rake leaves. Again I fretted, but it really wasn’t that bad. In fact it still wasn’t that bad when I finally forced them into the house for good, but I kept thinking that it could turn really bad at any moment. So again I was obsessively checking weather conditions, because I didn’t trust the girls to “self-report.”

M was still arguing from the inside, and at one point she protested, again, “It’s not that windy out!” and opened a door to demonstrate and at that particular moment the wind was howling and the trees were groaning. “Bad example there,” she conceded. Shortly thereafter I learned that Schenectady County had declared a State of Emergency (thanks, Deb!) and I was pleased to read to the kids that “It is extremely important that all residents stay in-doors until the winds subside. . . .”

Frankly, it was all I could do not to press tv on the kids. At some point I mentioned a fort, and the girls jumped on that idea.

Angel Mommy whispered, “Wonderful, wonderful! Creativity and engineering wrapped up in imagination and teamwork! We’re the Best Mom Ever!” But all the while, Devil Mommy was hissing, “What the hell?!? You’ve got to save this stuff for when you’re really desperate! Who even knows if there will be school tomorrow?!? Slap those kids in front of a glowing screen while you still can!!!!” Really, both moms had good points.

So I don’t know about you, but that’s been my day. Everything’s been going fine, except for the fact that I’ve worked myself into a tizzy because Things Could Get Really Bad Really Quick. And my regular routine is thrown off just enough for it to be impossible to be normal. And people keep freaking me out, like with these 11 Viral Photos That Aren’t Hurricane Sandy.

Mamatoga shared this lovely piece about hurricanes from Sesame Street. I think that I would like to have Maria over for some wine and she can tell me and some adorable furry puppets that it’s all going to be okay. But if she doesn’t show up, I think I’ll just start the wine without her.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

So, hey, I would love some brainstorming, though, about meals. What are your plans for meals in the coming days, with limited- or possibly-no-power? Here are my ideas, but I’d love more:

• One thing that we’ve done in the past is cooking on our outdoor gas grill during a power outage. I’ve got two different kinds of soup that just have to be reheated.
• I bought a couple of things of cheese, crackers, and pepperoni for a snacky dinner.
• I have some plain pasta that just needs to be reheated.
• I guess there’s always hotdogs on the fire.
• Tragically, my kids are not fans of the classic peanut butter and jelly.
• They will, however, eat beans right out of the can.