Signs of winter

I don't really need a ground hog to tell me that winter has set in.
My laundry is getting done at an alarmingly slow pace. Elena has been home from school more than she's gone. My car begs me not to make it try and climb the crazy hills around here. I still haven't unpacked from my trip to North Dakota. The mailman hopes he doesn't have any mail for me because he knows the hike up my porch to the mailbox could be his last. Drew parks facing the wrong direction on the street so he doesn't have to slide down our hill when he leaves for work. Snow pants and ice skates are adorning my front entry. The kids act like uncaged animals any time we go out in public. I put autostart and a garage on my Christmas list for next year. I started a new calendar to wring in the new year. My children have our collection of Disney movies memorized.
Despite the lack of sunshine and presence of ice, I'm loving winter! I get to snuggle with the kids under a cozy blanket while they memorize their Disney movies. I don't really mind not getting things done around the house, which greatly improves my mood. I get to sleep in when Elena doesn't have to go to school. It's always an adventure when we drive someplace. We are playing all of the fun games they got for Christmas. We're eating soups and stews like there's no tomorrow. Let it snow, let it snow (just not too much =).