The next time I'm out and hear a little kid with a horrible cough, I won't think, "What is that lady thinking taking her kids out when they're that sick?" I get it now. She HAD to get out of the house or everyone would soon go insane. Don't they both look like they're on the brink? Seriously? (Actually, as I look at Will's face longer, he looks like he thinks I'm on the brink.)
To some, today's snowstorm might have looked like this:
So pretty, right? Um, no. It was freez-ing. I have a few pointers for your next walk in the elements.
1. Don't pick a destination based on what your two-year-old wants. Just don't. In our case it was the Wave Field (seen above through the window of the aerospace engineering student lounge that some amazingly nice professor showed us when I suspect he was worried for our sanity safety.) Normally it's a great place to take the kids: Charley can run around, Will can watch and I can celebrate my awesome parenting for getting them outside. When the windchill is -30 (if it was even that warm) you can't really play there. It's also super far and down a really steep hill that probably hasn't been plowed.
2. Dress appropriately. We were all wearing perfect clothing for this outing except for one detail. My mittens have gigantic holes in them, as in all of the fingers on one had fit through one of them. I was wearing those stretchy little gloves you can buy for a dollar everywhere underneath, but everyone knows they are kind of a joke.
3. Make sure you've had a good night's sleep in, I don't know, a couple of years. Sleep deprivation can make a walk like this seem way worse than it probably is.
4. Pick a route that has been plowed. As in the sidewalks. This one is self-explanatory.
5. Bring snacks. I did this, thank goodness.
6. Reconsider the whole thing. I mean, are the kids' coughs really that bad? Maybe other parents won't notice the hacking if you take your children somewhere sane, like the library.
This photo of the old Pfizer plant sums up the mood of this walk--desolate, grey and a tiny bit scary. It was actually this grey out.
I don't know what this thing is, but I like it. Today it was all covered in snow, but you can still tell how awesome it is. Passing this domey thing was a highpoint in the trek.
This is snow on the roof of the building as seen through the skylights. Don't you feel like we were in literal danger even leaving the house today?
Of all the buildings we could choose for a pitstop, this was a good choice. They have tons of engines for Charley to fix, and there are even a bunch of planes to admire.
Each engine has interesting details if you look closely, like this metal braided cable thing. It's pretty in its own little way, don't you think?
Then, just as we were suiting up to make the trek home, the sun came out. My camera phone took this exact shot with no doctoring whatsoever. It wasn't quite this creepy in real life, as in there was no exploding planet just above the tree line.
I might actually go take a nap for once, or brainstorm another place where we can play that won't take all the energy I have left.
