Adaptations

Well, we have been without power here now since Monday. The good news is, we are a small minority. There are rumors circulating that we could have it back tomorrow night, but we'll see. Fred and I are pretty adaptable human beings.When problems hit, we roll them over pretty quickly and come up with solutions. We also value 'preparedness' cause, we think its cool. So I'll tell you about the last few days now, with ten kids and no electricity.Our own little personal zombie apocalypse.

 Day one was spent readying the house.Laundry, dishes, vacuuming, you name it- it got done. We also made brownies, because man- we knew we'd miss them without a working oven! No candles, or as few as possible ( too many little ones for me to ever feel safe enough to sleep). We went with glow sticks, mini battery powered candles, flashlights and a generator.

The generator can run most of the outlets in the kitchen, and keep the fridge and freezer running. We ran extension cords for far away items like lap-top or TV. Within the kitchen my super cool kitchen gadgets became my best friends. I was able to plug in my bread machine, the 'set it and forget it' for roast chicken,rice cooker, crock pots, you name it, I can cook it ( except for brownies- ugh). The biggest problem? WATER. ( Well, honestly the biggest problem really is not being able to make brownies, but I am trying to be helpful here for your future reference, so let's just go with the water dilemma- since I have no solution for the void of brownies.)

 It took us 2 days to hook up the water pump to the generator. It still cannot run freely or it would kill the generator, but we can drink and wash dishes. We have a wood-stove and plenty of fire wood, so heat was not an issue at all. On day two I realized the next big problem after getting water, was heating it. Enter amazon.com, and their super cool listing for a Triton camp shower. This nifty gadget heats water ( yes, very scalding hot) on demand when hooked up to a water source ( and we luckily have two wells) and a propane tank. Yesterday we set up a shower in the pool area and I don't think my kids have ever been so grateful for a hot bath. It is also pretty novel and that never hurts with little ones.

 So,all in all, we are managing OK. I have been reading the headlines about the folks in Staten Island, and my own family on Long Island who are in far worse shape than we are, and I am at least happy to be in solidarity with them. There are plenty of things to offer these small discomforts for, and we are making that happen. And so many of our friends have been kind and brought carafes of hot water, or breakfast, or coffee, or dinner. We are blessed. And while the lights have been off in our house, we have seen brighter lights in many of your eyes.So thanks!