Strained Prunes by Candelight

You know that Cinderella song, “Don’t Know What You’ve Got (Till It’s Gone)“?  Turns out, the glam metal rockers were hoarding some wisdom under that ridiculously big hair because it is SO true.  Due to a blown transformer, we were without power for about 24 hours this weekend and boy, oh boy, did we realize how much we take electricity for granted.  Refrigerated breast milk?  Spoiled.  Lights?  Nope.  Baby monitor?  Uh-uh. Internet?  *GULP*  Down.  (Particularly awesome, given I had just promised we would “return to your regularly scheduled programming” today.)  Garage door?  Stuck.  Microwave?  As Mr. Candy noted, we realized we would starve without it.

How did people SURVIVE before electricity, we wondered.  I guess we’ll have to ask Larry King.

The nice thing about not having power…?  It forced us to step away from the TV and computer and, you know, actually spend time — a lot of time — together as a family.  After a fun day of walking around the city, Miss Skye enjoyed inhaling her evening prunes by candlelight.  She also slept soundly through the night, despite her top teeth breaking through (ouch), most likely because of the pitch black house.  (Or, um, maybe we didn’t hear her crying because of the whole no-baby-monitor-thing.  Let’s just assume she slept through the night, okay?)  Meanwhile, Marcy enjoyed chasing the light shining from the flashlight throughout the house.  And Matty…?  He enjoyed being a bump on the log, as usual.  Dark, light, Apocalypse now, it’s all the same to him so long as he gets his Meow Mix.  (More on him later.)

“SO nice to have peace and quiet for once, isn’t it?” I sighed contentedly as Mr. Candy and I cuddled on the couch in front of the blank television screen.  “Uh-huh,” Mr. Candy grumbled, visions of the NBA playoffs dancing in his head.

Quality family time.  There’s nothing better.