Taking Advantage of a Blackout

It was a beautiful fall day here. Bright blue sky, fluffy white clouds. Temp was around 50 all day. It was nice to be able to turn the heat off after such a chilly week and even open the back sliding door and a front window. I always enjoy some fresh air in the house! I was in the kitchen, cleaning up, getting ready to make dinner. I was being totally domestic- wearing an apron and even scrubbing the metal ring thingee on the stove burners. Taco night at our house! We'd even picked up some sweet corn cake mix to go with it. I was looking forward to tacos, rice, and time with the family. Outside, I hear a Pop-Fizzle! Jeff jumped up and started looking around... and then we heard it again. And then the power went out. Thankfully, it was 5:30 in the evening so we weren't trapped in actual darkness. We went outside for a walk- mostly to kill time. Visited with a neighbor, the kids played in the front yard. As we came in, Teagan took a hard fall- caught herself with her knee and elbow. Hit and scrapped- even shredded up the material on her leggings. We tried to wait it out... but decided a Plan B was needed. The kids were tired and hungry. No decent napping happened in our house today so we were already pushing the limits of their patience. After the fall, Teagan was bordering on hysteria if we didn't make good choices. Instantly, in the midst of a girl crying in pain from scrapes and a boy crying because he's exhausted, my mind formulated a plan and sent orders out my mouth. I didn't think anything through. It was all instinct and instant action was required. Plan B: Candlelight bathtime... get pajamas on... load into that wonderful new minivan... pop in a movie... drive thru McD's for dinner... and eat in the van while watching a movie. Kids get clean and are ready for bed. Dinner is covered- even if it isn't anything close to a healthy meal. Kids are quiet and entertained by a classic cartoon- The Smurfs. The family is enclosed in a small space so we can't avoid being together. I was looking forward to it. Handling something out of the ordinary, finding a way to spend time together... using a stressful event as an excuse for family togetherness.

As we were getting out of the tub, the lights came back on.

And we went with Plan B anyway.