Monday, November 26, 2007

Back to reality

And, we're back. Back to school, back to work. To a fairly ordinary life in which the biggest question we face this week is: "Should we turn on the heat?"


We arrived home at dinnertime last night, and the house was cold. Not freezing, not pipes-bursting or anything dramatic. 61 degrees downstairs, 57 upstairs.

A few of my neighbors and I have been playing "freeze out," a simple game with one rule: don't turn on your heat. So far, we've had an easy time of it. It's been a warm November, with only a few days that made heat a little tempting. Heck, the day before Thanksgiving it was 75, and the house was, well, toasty. Even after a dramatic temperature drop that night, all the cooking on Thanksgiving kept the house cozy.

But now we're facing the decision. My goal was to make it, heatless, until December 1. Last night, however, my children were not amused by our game and begged me to turn on the heat. I gave them another blanket.

If the house is below 60 when I get home from work, I'll be throwing in the towel. Because I'm not able to tolerate the whining noises that freezing children make. And because the next few days aren't going to be warm.




6 comments:

Candy said...

Wow you're very brave. I just can't stand it when the house is cold. But my husband is totally a "put on a sweater" guy. Drives me mad.

crankymommy said...

We were the no heat people too... until the baby. Now we turn it on out of sympathy for her. And her inability to keep socks on her feet.

Anonymous said...

I love that game!! Although the colder it gets, bet it will be harder to achieve! :)

Anonymous said...

I was stoked that I made it until mid-November in Chicago this year.

I love to play that game. I'm thinking you can make it until Saturday, tonight and Thursday night look the toughest!

Kalisa said...

please, I get cold, I turn on the heat. What are we, cavemen? We should be cold IN OUR OWN HOMES??

That said, I do believe in dressing appropriately for the weather. I don't turn on the heat and hang around with no pants on.

Noodle said...

LOL! We made it until Saturday, when I was walking around doing chores and was STILL chilly. Looked at the temperature gauge for the house and it was 60 degrees. Too cold for inside! :)