Wintertime blues

Oh what do you do in the wintertime, when all the world is cold?

Do you stay in the house? Pick fights with your spouse?

Or wonder why life's gotten drab?

It's happening to us--don't feel bad.

Here in the middle of February, we are suffering from cabin fever. Winter has overstayed its welcome, and Carden is personally affronted by the nerve of Punxatawny Phil, seeing his shadow and condemning us to six more weeks of morosity. He (Carden, not Phil) wanders the house, muttering, "That dumb groundhog. What did he have to see his shadow for?" There's a construction paper countdown to spring in a local store window, and we're all ready for Phil to release us from our cocoons.

Naturally, one of the telltale signs of cabin fever is odd behavior. Following are unstaged, un-PhotoShopped photos showing what's become of us lately.

Carden wears gloves wherever he goes, inside and out. Despite dishes slipping out of his hands and shattering on the floor, nothing persuades him that it really isn't that cold in the house. Here he is, asleep, with his gloves on. This is the boy who sweats with just a sheet and light bedspread on during the winter, and yet he pulls all the blankets over his head every night until he's sweat-soaked his pillow six inches in every direction. He's also in a "Mom, I'm going to freak out!" phase where he doesn't like to be alone, ever. This has led to heated discussions about why we don't invite younger brothers to joint potty breaks. No details necessary. Note that he and Seth end up smashed into the same twin bed most nights.

Seth walks around wrapped up in "The Wonder Blanket," a fuzzy blue blanket that really keeps you toasty. We also have the brown and green models, just so you can be cozy in every room in the house. He lays on the couch and the floor and moans, "I need electronic." "Electronic" refers to movies, computer games, the Wii video games, and the handheld Nintendo, all of which are denied much more frequently than they are allowed.

Charlotte has latched on to citrus fruits. Yes, she is eating a lime. Straight. The week before she found half a lemon on the table and wandered about for two days licking the cut side and getting extremely upset if I tried to take it away.