Snow Day #1

I meant to put this post up last night, but this is what I did instead...

That's me, asleep (thanks for gettin' the shot, honey!) in the awesome blanket tent that Jeremy built "for the kids" yesterday. It was soooo comfy in there...

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The snow started to fly at around 6:45 this morning, just as I was getting out of bed. Oh no, there was no sleeping in around here! We don't really do that in our house. If someone sleeps until 8am it's practically a miracle--adults included. Neither Jeremy or I are late sleepers. And, I'm a person that's immediately busying myself around the house when I get up. So, it's no surprise that our kids are early risers.

Here's a picture of the snow as it was getting really geared up...

Now, the title of this post might lead you to believe that this was our first snow day this school year. Wrong. Actually, this is snow day #6 for us, and we got the call around lunch time today that we won't be having school tomorrow either. (That's snow day #7, for those of you keeping score.) But, we made the best of it today, and we'll make the best of it tomorrow...and possibly the next day...and maybe even the day after that...and then it'll be the weekend...and then they're talking about more possible snow on Sunday/Monday. But, you know, no problem. I've got this! No, actually, we all had a pretty good time today.

Here are some highlights of "Snowmageddon 2011" Day #1:



The kids in the blanket tent that Jeremy built.



Homemade hot chocolate!

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups sugar

2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon


Combine all ingredients in a sealed container or zip-top bag.


To make the hot chocolate:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine 2/3 cups mix and 1/4 cup water. Stir over medium heat with a whisk until melted and smooth.
2. Whisk in 4 cups of milk and heat through. Serve and enjoy!

This is pretty rich hot chocolate, so I usually only use 1/3 cup of mix and half the water and milk. That makes enough for the four of us. Any more than that and you kinda want to lay down afterwards...

After such a sweet treat, and being stuck inside with limited physical activity for most of the day, I wanted to make something a little healthier for the kids. "Apple Dip" is a recipe that I make a lot. It doesn't really have anything to do with apples, except that it's good to dip apples in. And, to be completely honest, it's more like peanut butter cheesecake in a bowl. It's also good with pretzel rods or graham cracker sticks.

Apple Dip

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (I use natural peanut butter)

1 - 8 oz. block 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1/2 cup lowfat vanilla or plain yogurt (we use vanilla, so if you use plain you may want to adjust the amount of brown sugar)

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Using a handheld electric mixer, blend all ingredients together in a medium bowl until smooth.

And, I know I said I'd be making Chicken Stew with Biscuits for dinner, but we ended up having make-your-own Taco Salad instead.


The kids love making their own plate.



The snow really piled up against our back door.

I didn't end up doing the P90x today either.  Maybe tomorrow...

Did everyone else survive the storm?