Coming to grips with cold weather

I've lived in Texas all my life. Eastern Texas to be more specific. I really should be used to things by now, but every year when winter rolls around, it hits all at once. We go from ever so slightly chilly days now and then (read: 65-70 degrees) to a sudden drop in temps that require a coat. (Read: 30s & 40s) Ironically, those 65-70 degree days bring out lots of jackets & coats, too, because none of us hot-weather folks know what to do with cool weather. And Heaven forbid we actually get 3 snowflakes on the ground. Schools close, stores shut down. Tumbleweeds could roll through the streets. The world shuts down & we stay inside til it's all gone. I'm telling you....we don't know what to do with cold weather. We may LOVE it, but we don't know what to do with it.

Yes, for all you Pacific Northwest, Midwest & New Englanders, 30s & 40s is really WINTER here. We get an occasional day here and there where the temp drops into the 20s, but it's not often. And usually that doesn't happen until late January or early February. Anything beyond Valentine's Day is the start of Spring. And about two weeks after that, it's Summer again.....where it remains til somewhere around mid-November.

I was talking to a girlfriend yesterday who moved to Texas from Nebraska. She said she has to fight depression every Winter because she wants to see snow & ice. Or at least some distinct seasonal weather. Sorry hon....east Texas has Summer about 9 months out of the year. The other 3 months are very short & sweet "seasons", all crammed into a short period of time.

So anyway, this morning it became Winter here. We woke up to the kind of weather that makes my kids giggle & exhale loudly....you know, to see if they can SEE their breath. (They couldn't.) But visible breath clouds or not, they needed to wear coats to school. These are different than the usual light jacket that they can wear to keep warm. That's where the problems started.

You see, my youngest offspring has her elder sister & an older cousin who pass things down to her. She is always & forever covered where clothes are concerned. No issues there. The problem is with my elder daughter & their brother. With no one to pass clothes down to them, we have to :::gasp::: actually buy their clothes. Luckily, grandma is awesome with garage sales and once in a while, we do get a hand-me-down from someone. But every now & then, we come up with an item we need right now and there is no time to wait for a good garage sale.

Today was one of those days.

It was time to leave for school so I told the kids to go get on their coats & come to the front door. It was time to leave. Sarah came out in a suitable "big coat" (that's what we call them at my house---anything bigger than a hoodie is a "big coat"). Savannah came out with a light jacket tied around her waist. (a light jacket that I've been telling her needs to go in the Goodwill pile for a couple weeks!) Samuel came out jacket-less. (of course, being the 9 year old boy that he is, I was just happy to see him dressed) I told them both to go back & get a coat.

Try #2...
Savannah came back announcing, "I don't have a coat."
What???????

Samuel came back wearing a mid-weight jacket.
I told him to go back & get his big coat.
"I don't think I have one."
What???????

Frustrated that we're getting closer & closer to time to LEAVE, I go into their rooms to investigate. I dug in Savannah's closet and sure enough, no coat. Oops. It's supposed to get cold enough for some "snow flurries mixed with rain" this weekend. She needs a coat!! I found a really thick sweatshirt & had her layer up.

In Samuel's closet, I found several jackets....but no big coat. Good grief. How did I miss that two of my children didn't have a coat when we got out the Fall/Winter clothes???

And so, with Savannah in her double-layered shirts and Samuel in his jacket and Sarah in her appropriate big coat, we left the house for school. I just knew today would be the day the teachers eyeballed each other & said "Oh yeah....she (ME) is one of those mothers." You know, the mothers who send their kid to school in shorts & a tank top when it's 40 degrees outside...the ones who drop their kid off first & pick them up late....the one who routinely sends her child with a half-eaten sandwich & a leaking Thermos of juice for lunch. I'm a teacher. I know how that works. As we drove to school, I announced to the kids "We're going shopping this afternoon!!".

And that we did. Samuel got a green coat & Savannah got a blue one. Thank goodness for cheap coats at Walmart.

At least tomorrow I will be able to redeem myself. I'll no longer be that mom. (and for the record, none of my kids own a Thermos!)