By no stretch of the imagination am I making light of Hurricane Sandy, but I am going to make the absolute best of a bad situation. Due to the hybrid nature of the storm baring down on us, this monstrous vortex has been nicknamed Frankenstorm. As such, dealing with it the best way we know how is our #Frankenparty. I first learned of the coming storm while holding Sophie’s hand in the ER on Thursday night. We were sent home after her IV of fluids did the trick but I woke up at 4am, unable to sleep. I decided to get the hurricane preparation shopping out of the way. At 4:30am I drove to the all night store in record time as I hit every green light. The shelves were freshly stocked, there were plenty of staff, and no other customers. Unlike my shopping experience with Hurricane Irene, I had no trouble stocking up on D batteries, bottled water, bread, and milk. The added bonus of not having kids in tow made this a breeze of a trip. At lunch the next day, Sophie surprised me by eating mac-n-cheese, which she hasn’t eaten for a few years and is a huge deal. Afterwards, we had a living room dance party, cuz this is how we do it.
On Saturday, we had a babysitter so Mark and I could walk up to the Villanova Homecoming football game. Rather than go out to dinner as planned, after the game we came home to continue prepping the house. My nerves were on edge which meant that I focused this energy on cleaning until 1am. I didn’t sleep long and was back up early to keep cleaning. Don’t judge. It’s how I deal with stress and frankly, the house looks great. Sunday was a wonderful day. Our dear friends the Kersting family came over and we had hot apple cider, baked pumpkin bread, did crafts, the kids painted little pumpkins and the adults carved the big ones (Obama’s logo, a Creeper from Minecraft, & Pato from Pocoyo). We watched the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and the adults enjoyed seasonal beer. When it was time to eat, we ordered in. When it was time to nap, the kids actually napped (holy cow)! Mark and Ras battened down the hatches by covering the scooter, grill, garbage and recycling cans with a nailed/staked down tarp (pray it holds). After our friends left, Mark prepped our unfinished basement, which we only use as storage. We expect flooding, unfortunately, but as of 8pm Monday night, we are still dry (knock on wood). Our house is made of brick and is nearly a hundred years old. She is a solid fortress and we feel very safe here. Mark and the girls crashed but Alexander and I couldn’t sleep so at midnight, we baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies. He measured, I mixed, we laughed and licked the beaters. We talked and had the best time. You really can’t beat warm cookies and milk with your child at 1 am. As I tucked him into bed he gave me the sweetest smile and hug and said he would never forget this. The entire region has shut down today and Tuesday, including Mark’s work, the public schools, mass transit, roads, bridges etc. So, we slept in, stayed in our jammies, and I sipped hot coffee today until noon. I worked from home, Mark graded mid-term papers, and the kids played. There were bubble baths and naps in the afternoon while the roast, carrots, onions, and garlic potatoes slowly cooked in the oven, smelling like Heaven. The power has flickered a few times but hasn’t gone completely out for more than a few minutes. I ventured out in the afternoon for bags of ice for the coolers, just in case. The closest place just happened to be a beer store, (ahem). It wasn’t bad out, just wet and windy. The emergency weather solar/USB/hand crank powered radio/flashlight/cell phone charger that I ordered was delivered and works great but the generator I bought hasn’t made it yet. It will be wonderful if we are able to keep the power through Sandy, but knowing that we will have a generator for future storms was well worth it. Halloween is Wednesday and it’s too soon to tell if there will be school (or the Halloween parade & class parties) or trick or treating. Worst case scenario, the kids can trick or treat from room to room at home. We are prepared for the worst and hoping for the best. The eye of the storm is over us right now and all is calm, except for Helena, who refuses to wear pants and is demanding to wear her bicycle helmet.
for new parents of a child with Down syndrome ..."There’s so much to consider! About learning how to manage prejudice, and about what to say and when to say it, and about how to juggle schedules and therapies and all that. There’s forgiveness, for all of us, and strength, and love, and hope, too. And faith, in yourself, and your child. Let your child show you the way. You will find it, together, and it will be amazing. It will be all the things you hoped it would be; it’s all there, waiting for you."
By no stretch of the imagination am I making light of Hurricane Sandy, but I am going to make the absolute best of a bad situation. Due to the hybrid nature of the storm baring down on us, this monstrous vortex has been nicknamed Frankenstorm. As such, dealing with it the best way we know how is our #Frankenparty.
I first learned of the coming storm while holding Sophie’s hand in the ER on Thursday night. We were sent home after her IV of fluids did the trick but I woke up at 4am, unable to sleep. I decided to get the hurricane preparation shopping out of the way. At 4:30am I drove to the all night store in record time as I hit every green light. The shelves were freshly stocked, there were plenty of staff, and no other customers. Unlike my shopping experience with Hurricane Irene, I had no trouble stocking up on D batteries, bottled water, bread, and milk. The added bonus of not having kids in tow made this a breeze of a trip. At lunch the next day, Sophie surprised me by eating mac-n-cheese, which she hasn’t eaten for a few years and is a huge deal. Afterwards, we had a living room dance party, cuz this is how we do it.
On Saturday, we had a babysitter so Mark and I could walk up to the Villanova Homecoming football game. Rather than go out to dinner as planned, after the game we came home to continue prepping the house. My nerves were on edge which meant that I focused this energy on cleaning until 1am. I didn’t sleep long and was back up early to keep cleaning. Don’t judge. It’s how I deal with stress and frankly, the house looks great.
Sunday was a wonderful day. Our dear friends the Kersting family came over and we had hot apple cider, baked pumpkin bread, did crafts, the kids painted little pumpkins and the adults carved the big ones (Obama’s logo, a Creeper from Minecraft, & Pato from Pocoyo). We watched the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and the adults enjoyed seasonal beer. When it was time to eat, we ordered in. When it was time to nap, the kids actually napped (holy cow)! Mark and Ras battened down the hatches by covering the scooter, grill, garbage and recycling cans with a nailed/staked down tarp (pray it holds).
After our friends left, Mark prepped our unfinished basement, which we only use as storage. We expect flooding, unfortunately, but as of 8pm Monday night, we are still dry (knock on wood). Our house is made of brick and is nearly a hundred years old. She is a solid fortress and we feel very safe here.
Mark and the girls crashed but Alexander and I couldn’t sleep so at midnight, we baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies. He measured, I mixed, we laughed and licked the beaters. We talked and had the best time. You really can’t beat warm cookies and milk with your child at 1 am. As I tucked him into bed he gave me the sweetest smile and hug and said he would never forget this.
The entire region has shut down today and Tuesday, including Mark’s work, the public schools, mass transit, roads, bridges etc. So, we slept in, stayed in our jammies, and I sipped hot coffee today until noon. I worked from home, Mark graded mid-term papers, and the kids played. There were bubble baths and naps in the afternoon while the roast, carrots, onions, and garlic potatoes slowly cooked in the oven, smelling like Heaven. The power has flickered a few times but hasn’t gone completely out for more than a few minutes.
I ventured out in the afternoon for bags of ice for the coolers, just in case. The closest place just happened to be a beer store, (ahem). It wasn’t bad out, just wet and windy. The emergency weather solar/USB/hand crank powered radio/flashlight/cell phone charger that I ordered was delivered and works great but the generator I bought hasn’t made it yet. It will be wonderful if we are able to keep the power through Sandy, but knowing that we will have a generator for future storms was well worth it. 
Halloween is Wednesday and it’s too soon to tell if there will be school (or the Halloween parade & class parties) or trick or treating. Worst case scenario, the kids can trick or treat from room to room at home. We are prepared for the worst and hoping for the best. The eye of the storm is over us right now and all is calm, except for Helena, who refuses to wear pants and is demanding to wear her bicycle helmet.
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