Wednesday, February 5, 2014

10 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues as a Family

10 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues as a Family

Lately I have been hearing from a lot of family and friends saying that they are tired of winter and that they wish spring would come soon.  With short days and our fair share of polar vortexes, it is not surprising that so many have a little case of the "winter blues".  Well, according to Puxatony Phil we have six more weeks of winter, so here are 10 ideas on how to beat the winter blues with your family:
  1. Embrace the weather and go sledding, make snow angels or simply teach your kids to catch snowflakes on their tongues.
  2. Celebrate "Library Lover's Month" in February and check out books for the entire family.
  3. Have an inside picnic.  (LP loves doing this currently.)
  4. Bake cookies and share them with neighbors, friends, or family.
  5. Make a fort out of blankets, pillows, chairs, etc. in the house.
  6. Go to a local sporting event such as a basketball game, wrestling meet or hockey game.  (Our family personally loves going to at least one hockey game each winter.)
  7. Go bowling.  (And the best part of bowling with kids is that everyone gets to use the bumpers!)
  8. Go to the movies or have a movie and homemade pizza night at home.
  9. Send a hand-written "just because" letter or postcard to an extended family member or good friend.
  10. Take a step out of your normal routine and do something new, different and special as part of Random Acts of Kindness Week, February 10-16.

I hope these ideas can help you combat the "winter blues"!  What is your favorite thing to do during the winter?

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18 comments:

  1. These are great suggestions, Val! I love the idea of an indoor picnic and homemade pizza and a movie! Those are great suggestions in case the weather is keeping you home!

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    1. Thanks Sarah! We even have been known to combine those two into one - have an indoor picnic of homemade pizza and popcorn while watching a movie :)

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  2. Loving the indoor picnic idea! May try this one this weekend!

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    1. It is one of our 2 1/2 year old son's favorite things to do this winter. We lay out our picnic blanket, bring all our food to the blanket, use paper products and have a fun, casual time.

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  3. Fabulous suggestions! I agree--with winter dragging on and on we all need to focus on some diversions and maybe some of these ideas will make the difference in another snowy day!

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    1. Thanks Beth Ann! I figure embrace the season, indoors or outdoors.

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  4. One of my favorite ways to beat the Winter Blues - finding things that make me laugh :) For example, comedian Tim Hawkins (watch a clip here http://youtu.be/_-0TN9w0fz8) - around minute 8 are some pretty funny food jokes you will appreciate!

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    1. Funny stuff! His sketch made me think of Jim Gaffigan's Bacon sketch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaK9bjLy3v4

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  5. These are great ideas! Having all teenagers, they probably just roll their eyes at anything I'd try to suggest. :-) So I'll stick with my blanket, warm cup of coffee and a good book.

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    1. That works too Jenni :) I bet your teenagers would enjoy a hockey game though! We bring our church's high school youth group to a hockey game every winter and for many it is their first hockey game and they love it!

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  6. GREAT list!
    My husband is a stay-at-home daddy, and I'm sure he'll appreciate me sharing this! Our 3 year old is going stir-crazy with all the school cancellations. thanks! :)

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    1. Thanks! If he hasn't made a fort yet then he must! Our 2 1/2 year old son will play in a fort for hours!

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  7. I totally embrace the weather. Can't change it so we might as well!

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    1. Same here. I actually enjoy winter and snow but there are some day you just have to have fun inside!

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  8. I like sledding if the temperature is above 20 degrees, not when it's in the teens or single digits! That is just too cold to be fun! Reading in a cozy spot is good too!

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    1. Lately I have been enjoying snuggling under blankets on my couch at night after the kids have went to bed and reading, thinking and writing in my journal as part of a Bible study I'm in.

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  9. I think your tip #1 is key: embrace it! I adore the idea of an indoor picnic. And seriously, forts were one of the best things about being a kid. Great list!

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    1. We love building forts at our house. We've actually had one up for a couple days now since it has been too cold to play outside!

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