It started snowing yesterday around noon. Nothing too heavy, but it was coming down.

By 3:30, the roads were covered and the plows weren’t quite keeping up with it.

Around 6:30 last night, someone in our neighborhood abandoned their car at the bottom of the hill. Heavy wet snow covering the roads left things slick and not friendly to small, light cars.

Chad shoveled at least 6 inches of snow before we went to bed.

And overnight? It just kept coming. The power went off and on, off and on, off and on. Tree branches around the area were snapping off under the weight of the snow, landing on power lines. We are happy to have electricity this morning, when many people have none.

And this is what it looks like outside our garage this morning.

Remember how I said Chad shoveled 6 inches before bed? Well, here’s where things stand now:

Yes, apparently we got at least 20 inches of snow since noon yesterday. The local news can talk about nothing other than record-breaking snowfall, the importance of staying home today, and the fact that there are states of emergency being declared all over the place but that (thankfully) things should taper off this afternoon.

Some more pictures for your enjoyment.

Here’s Chad’s car, huddled under a thick blanket of snow in the driveway:

Can you see it? There’s a stop sign across the road from our house. It’s still peeking out above the drifts:

Oh, and those trees on either side of the stop sign? They are not pine trees. They’re not spruce trees. They’re not any kind of conifer whatsoever. They’re oaks. You know, trees whose branches usually stick straight out to the sides. They look so tired right now:

Apparently, other cars were abandoned last night. Here’s one I just noticed across the street. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s a car. It’s hard to tell with all the snow.

And here’s my wonderful husband, attacking the next 14 inches of snow:

The crazy thing is, I don’t think we’re getting the worst of it. People further east may get even more snow.

As for us, we’re just going to sit tight today. I’m thinking that, as long as our power stays on, I’ll get some hot chocolate going on the stove. Maybe we’ll play some board games or watch a movie. Maybe we’ll just each cuddle up with a blanket and a book. I don’t know. But I do know that we’re not going anywhere. We’ll be perfectly happy to hibernate today.

So…did you know that these existed?

I didn’t. Until a recent trip to the grocery store, that is.

As I walked down the cereal aisle, this brown box practically jumped out at me, set off in stark contrast to the standard yellow Cheerios boxes.

Let me tell you something about my childhood: My favorite cereal of all time was Count Chocula. My mother (wisely) did not allow me to eat it each and every day, but boxes of Count Chocula occasionally showed up in our house, and I happily consumed the chocolaty goodness. Crunchy cereal pieces first, saving the marshmallows for last. (And yes, I might have had some cereal-eating OCD-type issues.)

There was something magical about chocolate for breakfast.

Now, as a responsible adult, I attempt to eat responsible-adult-type cereals. You know, things with fiber and whole grains. Things without way-too-much sugar. Things, sadly, without marshmallows — chocolate or otherwise.

That’s not to say that I have never pilfered a bowl of Lucky Charms when Chad was out of town and the kids were in bed. Because I have. But for the most part, I try to eat cereals that are somewhat good for me.

Which is, perhaps, why the box of Chocolate Cheerios caught my eye.

After all, the cover clearly announces that they’re good for you, with phrases like, “May Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease” and “with Whole Grain Guaranteed.” At the same time, there are words like “Chocolate” and “Real Cocoa” calling to my sweet tooth. I had no choice: I had to take a box home.

L. (3) was not impressed. I should tell you that he’s an incredibly picky eater, and picky in weird ways. (This is a kid who asked for peas and carrots one night when I offered him waffles and ice cream for dinner. Yeah. Really.) He tried a few of the Chocolate Cheerios, and then asked me to take them away.

But I don’t take his word for anything, so I poured a bowl for myself.

The verdict: Meh. Okay.

I guess I was expecting something similar to the Count Chocula yummyness of my youth, but better for me. Alas, it didn’t quite measure up. The chocolate flavor was present, but not very strong. I mean, it was okay. But I think I decided that if I really want chocolate cereal, I should just buy a box of Count Chocula. And I’m perfectly happy with regular (or Honey Nut) Cheerios if I’m in a Cheerios kind of mood.

But for now, I’ll just go back to my responsible-adult-type cereals. (Oh, okay, I might finish the box of Chocolate Cheerios. You wouldn’t want me to be wasteful, would you?)

What’s your favorite cereal (now or as a kid)? Have you tried any new ones recently?

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I’m linking this post to the Moms’ 30-Minute Blog Challenge, hosted each Tuesday at SteadyMom.com.