deep freeze

the cold is coming, and it is making the news. you can read about it here, here, and here (educational  video included! thanks, weatherchannel.com!). here's a bit about the polar vortex itself. all of the public schools in wisconsin are closed. a local news channel will be live blogging the dropping temperatures, as if that is necessary. chances are good that, if you are here in the united states reading this, you are experiencing your very own version of this horrible apocalyptic record-shattering freezing freezy freeze.

what are we doing in preparation for the big cold snap of 2014? i mean, other than gnashing our teeth and rending our clothes? hunkering down, mostly.

before heading inside for 100% indoor activities in the coming days, we squeezed in some last minute yard decor with colored ice,


and a tandem family cross country ski.
 

now we're inside the house for good, and we've already put up the backpacking tent in the living room,


complete with sleeping bags for a little fake sleeping,


built sad little forts (note one little boy's black pant leg and one little girl's red tights leg within fort),


and brought out the play doh. over and over and over and over again.



in all fairness, i acknowledge that temperatures this cold can be dangerous. here is the severe weather alert for dane county, which includes the word "death."