Snow!

Today once again proved that well knit (and felted) woolens will keep my kids as warm as anything anyone else is wearing. Both children wore hand-knit wool socks, hats and mittens. The mittens are the Fiber Trends felted mittens with extra, long cuffs knit on after felting. The addition of the extra cuff kept the snow out of their mittens and out of their sleeves. The mittens were quickly coated with snow but they did not get wet on the inside until they were allowed to sit for a while after we disrobed at a friends apartment. That is, I must admit, the only drawback to the woolens. Unless you have access to a dryer, they are useless for the rest of the day after being worn once. Once the outer coating of snow melts and soaks in, they can take a long time to dry.

The kids did go out twice today -- once in the morning while I did the laundry -- but I was able to take the hats and mittens and toss them in the dryer before we went out again.

For those of you interested in NYC sledding places, we can now compare two major sites. The first, and until now our main destination, is Cedar Hill -- just south of 79th Street in Central Park. Cedar Hill is very large and has the benefit of a double hill -- you go down one and if you have good speed you bump across the path at the bottom and go down another slope and then -- if you are really lucky -- up the hill on the other side. Today's hill was the one at 91st Street in Riverside Park. We found the crowds to be more civilized but the hill is steeper and a tougher climb. DH and I had some nice conversations with other adults while the kids slid, slogged and slid again. Once the cold finally penetrated all of the layers that the adults were wearing (the kids were fine) we headed back to the subway and bumped in to some friends who live nearby. We accepted an invitation up for hot cocoa and conversation and stayed for an hour or so. Finally we re-dressed ourselves and slogged back to the subway only to spend another 20 minutes excavating the car for tomorrow.

Yes, New York City schools are open tomorrow. I admit it, I look forward to a snow day as much as the kids do. Tomorrow, however, we will bundle up extra early and I will make a judgment call about driving.