Frozen -- The Real Deal!

Published in ChicagoNow, January 6, 2014

My granddaughter from Indiana (age 7) sent me her drawing of Elsa and Anna from the movie Frozen. Her comment was that Elsa was working her magic to freeze everything outside. After a wintry 14 days off from school, no school again today for sure. Maybe no school tomorrow.

At this point, most parents are suffering from frozen spirits and minds, numbed by the challenge of finding even more indoor activities for their housebound children. Traditional winter delights are out:

• No sledding – too cold

• No ice skating – not only too cold but how to find the ice under all of that snow

• No field trips – car is also frozen

That does leave lots of screen (and screaming) time. I asked my granddaughter here (also age 7) to make a list of what we could do to entertain ourselves today while the -45 wind chill rages outside. Here’s her 8-point plan:

1. Bake a challah

2. Balloons (as in blow up, tie, and hit with an old badminton racket)

3. Wacky string (to be squirted all over my basement)

4. Bowling (home plastic version with her keeping score and mysteriously beating her sisters)

5. Roller blades and scooters (also all over my basement)

6. Dance to What Does the Fox Say?

7. Have a pajama party

8. Watch a movie (maybe The Swan Princess for the 25th time)

And what will we do after lunch? Seriously, do you have any idea how hard it is to keep kids busy after they have been mostly indoors for over two weeks?

As I reflect on this list, already tired in anticipation of another long day, I also reflect on my earlier intergenerational review of Frozen. I still feel less drawn to Elsa, despite her magical powers. She endured her frozen castle alone. At least I’ll have some company I love today.

So I’ll turn up the space heaters, cook up some hot chocolate, and not blame Elsa or the weather reporter or closed schools for this frozen day.