Brrrrr…..

Like the rest of the country, we are in the midst of an arctic blast here in NC. Here’s photographic evidence:

I had to make a run to Old Navy the other day to get winter accessories for the kids. Ava, as you can see, loves her new hat, scarf, and gloves. Now, I bought gloves rather than mittens thinking that it would be easier for playing. Her class actually goes outside in these frigid temps. What I didn’t realize is that 5-year-olds struggle a bit when it comes to getting their fingers correctly placed into gloves. And by “a little”, I mean a LOT. Our already-hurried mornings are now delayed a couple of minutes more by this winter gear, and particularly the gloves. Next time, we’re back to mittens.

The little guy has mittens, of course, but he won’t wear them. In fact, I can’t even get them on his hands. Luckily, we spend most of the time indoors or in the car, so it’s fine. He is excellent about keeping the hood of his coat on, so I take comfort in knowing that his little noggin is warm.

The other apparel problem I’ve encountered (besides the fact that I have nothing to wear) is that I don’t seem to have a very warm coat. However, those nice folks at Lands End decided to put just about all of their outerwear on sale AND offer an additional 25% off, so I ordered myself a down coat. I’m sure I will look something like a marshmallow in this:

It looks warm, though, and for now, that works. I mean, if it’s 30 degrees and it’s not even officially winter, I’m going to need something, right? And seriously, after all discounts were applied, I think it was like $38. Bargain.

My other issue with the chill is that it has completely zapped my motivation for all physical activity. Running outside? Nope. Too cold, and I don’t have appropriate winter running clothes. Gym at 5:30am? No, thanks. Don’t want to drive there in 16 degrees. So you see? I will apparently become morbidly obese should this weather continue. Obviously, I MUST find my workout mojo again before this happens.