Gwen- You asked about the animals in cold weather. Most people who have outside cats or dogs plug in a heat lamp for their animals (usually in a garage) or will add lots of fresh straw inside their dog house. OUR cats and dog are let inside the house! (They are trained indoor/outdoor animals but in this frigid weather it doesn't take long for a pet to get frost bitten ears so we keep them in the house.) They let us know when they need to go out- but are scratching at the door to be let back in after 3 minutes outside!!! Large livestock animals are usually shielded from the raw winds in a barn. A herd of livestock can make a barn toasty warm in short order! Let's face it: raw winds & frigid weather like we've been having is not fit for man nor beast!
FYI- all the days of school we miss...get tacked onto the end of school. Presently, we will be going at least six more days after our original school dismissal date.