Today Amos and I took our walk on our favorite walking trail in Gladstone, we were the only ones on the path so I let him run off leash the entire time. He wore his sniffer muscle out and is currently sacked out on the floor. While on this walk I had a lot of time to think(I come up with most of my blog posts while walking) about this current season and time of year. OK OK OK, I know it is not officially winter but if the past two days are any indication of what is to come, it is going to be a LONG season and we need not go crazy waiting for spring. So I titled this post "Surviving Winter 101" let me preface this with the following statement, these are my ideas, some of them may actually be rooted in scientific fact but most of them are common sense and just things I've learned!!
GO OUTSIDE!! Do not spend the next 5-6 months trapped in your house with the heater or fireplace keeping you toasty. Bundle everybody up, babies included, and spend some time, playing, walking, shopping, doing anything, OUTSIDE. You will feel better afterward, your children will burn off some energy--because we know that cold air burns off more energy--your babies will build some tolerance to the cold, but most importantly you will move around in the cold and appreciate your nice warm house when you go back inside. Go outside everyday, now if it is freezing rain I will give you a pass, snow! go. Kiddoes love playing in the snow. Go out for a little while everyday, I walk for 30-60 minutes most days and sometimes that is the only time I get out but I try my hardest to do so. I am healthier, happier and hungrier when I have spent this time outside in the cold.
DRINK HOT BEVERAGES!! Coffee, tea(there are so many flavors that are meant to be enjoyed in the winter), hot cocoa, the choice is yours. I love the feeling of the heat going down after that first sip. And the way it warms me from the inside out. Plus hot beverages just taste so good. Use real cream, high fat cocoa and all that is rich for your winter beverages, your body loves the extra fat in the winter time. Don't worry about the calories, if you are doing the aforementioned activity, you will burn them off. And the fat keeps you warm.
OPEN THE WINDOWS!! Now this one may seem a bit controversial to some but I swear by it. Once every couple of weeks open some windows in your house, turn off the heater, and let the cold air in to kill off any extra bugs that may be trying to survive the winter. You can do this while your outside playing. So many folks get sick in the winter and I believe it is because they keep themselves cooped up with their bugs and it is hard to ward it off. I especially love to open the windows when it is snowing because it just sounds so pretty. So open it up and kill them off. Again, you will enjoy the warmth after you close your house and turn on the heat. It will also make you so thankful that you have the ability to warm your home--many do not have the luxury.
SNUGGLE!! There is no better activity do experience in the winter than to snuggle with someone. Your spouse, or significant other, your kids or grandkids, or maybe your puppy. Pick one, two or all of the above but snuggle. Watch a movie, a football game, read a book or listen to music. You can also talk or take a nap. " I don't have anyone to snuggle with" you say, that's okay snuggle up in a big blanket with your nice hot beverage and do whatever you want.
So there you go, this is how I survive most of the winter. I have to be honest by the time the first of March rolls around I am pretty much done with the cold and am ready to move on. There will be days when I don't go outside because I'm sick of bundling up, I'm sick of the time it takes to get ready to go outside and I'm sick of everything looking brown. But if I do most of what I have mentioned, it does make winter more enjoyable for a longer period of time.
That's what I've learned!!
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