Signs of the times

You know that it's been a long winter when your kids don't even want to go out and play in the snow any more.

Julia will go outside if we make her, and within a few minutes, she says her mittens are wet, her hands are cold and she wants to come in and watch a movie. Julia relishes when Allie's busy or away, because it means she normally gets control of what's on TV.

Not to say that my kids watch a lot of TV. Of course not, I'm so offended that you think that! Regardless, there's a clear distinction in our house between "Allie's shows" and "Julia's shows." Julia sees snow play days as her opportunity to watch DragonTales or Sesame Street.

And since Allie is a lot tougher than Julia, Allie will stay outside and play in the snow. We know that Allie is snow tough after this winter. She doesn't even blink when she has to walk home on the edge of the street because the sidewalks aren't negotiable (yes, she's been carefully trained).

Our newspaper has taken to spouting that there's less than 30 days to wait until spring. It was -6 degrees yesterday. The tulips had better stay in hiding!