December 16, 2020

Ornament Fail!

Another busy day! Well, the morning was, at least.

Last night, Luke slept in my bed with me (Jerry was up all night because of being on night shift). Luke likes to have someone there with him if he wakes up, so it worked out good. And Riley is the opposite--she likes her own room, own space, and no interruptions. So, we gave her Noah's room, and Noah stayed the night at my parents' house (he was totally fine with that).

In the morning, Luke woke up at about 6:45 and was ready to start the day. We still hadn't made the Shrinky Dinks for ornaments for their parents, so I worked on that with him. I traced his hand and wrote "Luke - Christmas 2020" and then he colored it. When I put it in the oven, I watched carefully and it happened so quickly--it sat for about a minute, not shrinking, but then all of a sudden the whole thing just shrank within half a second--and the fingers of his handprint all curled in.

I snatched it from the oven and tried to flatten it, but you get about 1/10 of a second of pliability, haha. So, it was kind of a fail. We tried again, and the second one turned out even worse. But hey--he's three years old and someday I hope he laughs at the disaster it was ;)


At around 8:30, I went to check on Riley--I hadn't heard a peep from her--and when I opened the door, she sat up in her pack and play and said, "Hi! It's not dark outside anymore!" She'd never called out to me that she was awake or anything! Becky told me that she actually likes chilling in bed for a little bit.

When she saw what Luke made with his handprint, I helped her make one, too. Her's was even more of a disaster! I wish I'd taken a picture of it. A couple of the fingers folded down in half and it was very curled. I don't remember Shrinky Dinks being like that difficult when I was a kid. BUT, we wrapped them in tissue paper and put them in little gift bags for mom and dad.

I made some decaf coffee because I was cold, and I was SO BUSY with the kids (they had me running around getting this and that) that when I finally took a sip of my coffee, it was cold. Haha! They wanted GoGurt (I remember when my kids loved that stuff!) from the fridge, then from the freezer, then back to the fridge. They picked out cereal and ate that as well. And we made some grape juice popsicles last night which were frozen and ready to eat this morning. There was stickiness everywhere!

It was funny while I was wiping off their hands and the countertop after they ate their popsicles, Luke was looking at some of the memes that I have embedded in the epoxy countertop, and he asked me what this one said:


Couldn't have been more perfect in that moment! ;)

It started snowing a little while later, so we got on coats, hats, and gloves to go play outside. Almost as soon as we got out there, though, my brother arrived to pick them up. We loaded everything into their car and said good-bye.

It was SUCH a fun 24 hours, but I can't even describe how exhausting. I USED TO DO THAT EVERY DAY. My kids are 18 months apart, and once upon a time, they were 2 and 3 years old like Luke and Riley. How on earth did I do it everyday?

I desperately wanted to plop down on the couch with my heating pad (and fresh coffee), but I was already dressed for outside, so I took Joey on his walk. I wanted to try out my new Columbia boots since we had freshly fallen snow (and it was still snowing). The streets were slippery, and I hoped the boots would help. Unfortunately, they were in my car at my parents' house (Noah had driven it over there the night before).

So, since my parents' house is on my route a mile into my walk, I just walked there and then swapped my shoes for boots. They were super comfy and warm and waterproof. I even walked through the park (all grass) and they didn't get wet.

The lake was SUPER rough--I haven't seen it like that in a long time--and Joey was dying to run in. I have no idea why! The waves were monstrous and there is no beach right there--only boulders. If he jumped down there, there'd be no way to get him out and I certainly wasn't about to go in after him. So I just kept telling him no, and he looked at me like, "Mom, WHY can't I just go play in the water?!"


At around mile three, I felt a very sharp pain in the back of my right ankle. It was on the skin, nothing inside. It felt like maybe there was a sliver or something in there. I was starting to limp because it hurt so bad, so I stopped to adjust my sock (not easy while holding a leash, wearing a big stiff coat and gloves. I retied the boot and kept walking. The pain was still there.

I hoped to just walk through it for the next couple of miles, but not even a few minutes later, it was really bad! I stopped again and took my boot off completely, and then my sock. On the back of my ankle was a blister that had torn open, leaving a circle of raw skin. Goddamn boots. I didn't even feel a hotspot coming on when I was walking--it just happened out of nowhere.

After that, I tied the boot more loosely and just did my best. Half a mile later, my feet really started to ache. My toes felt cramped and the entire bottom of my foot felt really sore. I knew it was the boots.

When I got home, I took them off and inspected my feet. I had the broken blister on my right ankle and a forming blister on my left. The bottoms of my feet felt like I'd just walked a half-marathon. I'm bummed because I really liked them!


I'm going to see if I can return them. They're really nice boots, but they just don't fit my feet well. I've always had a hard time finding shoes that work well for me because I supinate when I walk (under-pronate) and there aren't a lot of shoes that are made for that. Much less boots!

A lot of people mentioned getting Yaktrax, but I've already had them and they don't work well around here. If I was trail running or something, they'd be great--but here, there are sections of concrete as well as just a light dusting of snow (like today--there was enough snow to be slippery, but definitely not deep enough for Yaktrax). 

I really need to find good, comfortable boots that work well for my feet--if such a thing even exists! I don't want to take my walks to the treadmill when it snows. I can't imagine 90 minutes on the treadmill right now.

I a little nervous for my walk tomorrow, considering the state my feet are in, but hopefully the snow will be melted by then. We didn't get much today.

Okay, I really need to read some of my book and then go to bed. I can't even begin to describe how exhausted I am!

13 comments:

  1. LLBean has snow sneakers. They're $119, but they have a good return policy if they don't work out.

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  2. See if you like anything from the Decathlon store. They have been huge in Europe for a while, and they sell in the US now. They are very affordable and they have several walking boots (selection may be smaller before Christmas). I just bought a pair of walking boots that have worked well for me, they are not that warm though

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  3. Bummer about the boots. I bought a cheaper version of those at Costco and walked around the house in them before going outside. They made my socks roll down and bunch up under my feet so they're going back.

    I highly recommend blister bandaids, they are colloidal and work great! CVS, Walgreens, Target, Walmart all carry them. I use them on my fingers when they split from the cold or when I want something to heal quickly.

    I also want to thank you for the Balega socks recommendation. They're my favorites now!

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  4. A good pair of waterproof hiking boots work the best for me in the snow!

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  5. Maybe try trail running/walking shoes? There are some types that are more insulated and water/weatherproof, and they typically have better traction and grip on the sole, and if they're meant for running you'd probably have an easier time finding the proper support for your supination. Also wool socks are good for both preventing blisters and providing warmth if the shoes aren't as warm. Hopefully you can find something that works!

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  6. yes, it is exhausting. i have 2.5 year old twins and what you described is also my day every day. about two have two weeks "off" from work...um, running after them is more work than work, but they are cute...

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  7. These are not specifically for snow, but I've worn them in snow and was really pleased. https://www.nordstrom.com/s/sperry-saltwater-waterproof-rain-boot-women/5611426

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  8. Katie, sorry about the boots/blisters. Ouch! Boots are hard for me to find too and I'm really needing some as we have been getting snow. As for the shrinky dink, i don't think it was done shrinking. it will look ruined while it is shrinking and then when it is completely done, every thing flattens out and is thicker. I bet if you put those back in the oven, they will finish out. If you have a heat gun, you can also use that. I just put the cut images in a metal or aluminum pan and then use chop sticks to kind of hold it down and heat with a heat gun to shrink.

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    Replies
    1. I agree, we recently did shrinky dinks and had the same issue. They go through a OMG they're ruined phase, but if you keep them in a few seconds longer they flatten out. :)

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  9. I had a pair of mens Brooks trail running shoes that I eventually threw away because I wore them out, but only after wearing them in the winter for a long time. I got them way too big for me but I could wear three pairs of warm socks with them and my feet stayed warm. I ran a lot of miles and it was icy and snowy but the traction was great, even with a huge feisty black lab pulling me! But they wouldn't keep out the snow if it was deep like I'm sure you have up in Michigan. Happy holidays!

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  10. Just a quick note...you have mentioned before how your family really likes wits and wagers so as I was black Friday shopping I saw it for sale somewhere so picked it up. Our family finally had a chance to play it last night and really enjoyed it!

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  11. I've heard a lot of runners from snowy locales use trail shoes on icy pavement to get better traction. Some trail shoes are also waterproof, or you could spray them with waterproofing spray? I'm from SoCal so this is totally hearsay haha but maybe it is semi-helpful ;)

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  12. Have you ever tried Merrell's they make hiking shoes and boots they are very comfortable and many are waterproof.

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