Cabin Fever

Whenever I hear the term Cabin Fever I can't help but think of the scene in that Muppet's movie Treasure Island where they are dancing and singing about cabin fever; and as a child watching it I never really knew what they were talking about.

Cabin Fever? Psshht. We could be inside for years together and never be effected by it...

Aaaaaannnnndddd, then I became a Mom.

Better yet, a Mom of boys.

And most recently, a Mom of boys stuck in the house for almost 3 weeks straight because of the dangerously low temperatures outside. Talk about a bad case of Cabin Fever (one I'm not likely to be seen singing and dancing about).

 For those of you who haven't been faced with these problems, picture this:

2 very active little boys who over time have forgotten how to walk due to just plain needing to move their legs, no longer listen because 1. they've heard it all 100,000 times that day and 2. they've inherited their daddy's selective hearing, and have taken to screaming and throwing their toys instead of playing nice because....well....they're bored, trapped, and .... boys.

See it now?

Yep. My one level, storybook looking home was almost instantly turned into a battlefield (and I'm sure the neighbors would say that's often how it's sounded).

Why, you ask?

Well, if you haven't been paying attention. We have been dealing with the northern end of the "Polar Vortex" that's taken over the United States. Extending our already 2 week long Christmas Vacation by an extra four days. 

Which has caused me to wonder over the past week how people in the 1800s did this all. The. Time? (Maybe winters like this are the real reason that the childhood death rate was so high in those days. Parents couldn't take it).

So what does a stressed out, worn thin, Mamma do to help ease the boredom of the children in her care?

She joins in of course!

Honestly, in a situation like this you can either beat them or join them; I chose to join or die.

We built forts in the living-room, played play dough in the dining-room, went swimming in the bathtub, and had a million family night movies (topped off with popcorn, sleeping bags on the floor, and our stuffed animal friends joining in). And were even able to go outside to play, but for only 15/20 minutes at a time (-25 degree wind chill temps bring on frost bite in a matter of minutes).

But that all leads me to the major point of this post, I did it!

It took some major ingenuity, quick thinking, and an untapped amount of patience that I didn't know I had to make it through this test alive, but I did it and I'm proud I did.

I was able to have fun, stay sane, and make some great memories with my little ones that probably wouldn't have happened otherwise (which, I guess, is a wonderful silver lining).

Were you and your family effected by this crazy cold winter weather this last week? What did you do to keep the peace in your home? (Yes, alcohol is an acceptable answer).