Staying warm and loving towards family in winter

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Winter. Bleck.😛 I am not a winter person. I dislike the cold, and cabin fever is getting the best of me. It grows increasingly difficult to stay warm and loving towards other family members. I want to escape to someplace sunny and warm–but we’re stuck here.

Anyone else with cabin fever? Beyond moving or vacationing, any advice to help families survive the rest of winter?
 
called DD to find out how things are going now that the kids are back in school after there break was extended due to snow. weather channels says they have more snow, and youngest grandchild answered the phone, she says mommy can’t come to the phone because she is lying on the couch and can’t get up. I am not worried (yet) because I know the feeling well. told Jay baby to wrap mommy up in a blanket and help her keep warm. all the other kids are screaming and yelling as usual, situation normal. the bigger the “cabin” the hotter the fever.
 
does anyone else have a house that shrinks with the cold? My house loses about 500 square feet in the winter. Strange phenomenon.
 
Leonie, we could take a field trip with all our kids to visit PuzzleAnnie in Texas!😃 Okay, I said in the original post I was looking for ideas besides vacationing.

We could lay on the couch wrapped in a blanket while the kids go wild like Annie’s daughter does. Most of mine seem to go wild no matter what I try so I might as well get some rest. I seem to need more sleep in winter–I should take my cue from the bears and just sleep until the weather warms up.

And yes, my house seems to shrink too. I loose the porch, but one of my kids tries to gain that space back by leaving the door open to it. “SHUT THE DOOR!” My family might be better off if I did just fall asleep on the couch.
 
Sleep (10 hours a day shold be good, at the very least), an electric blanket, good tea (at least Constant Comment, no cheapie Aldi bags), a sun lamp, and a calendar to mark off the days until spring is official (that’s spring without or with snow).
 
I’ve noticed that if you start counting down after Christmas to when Pitchers and Catchers report, winter goes a lot quicker!
 
This year Lent comes early, so hopefully that means Easter comes early too, and with it Spring! 😃
 
From the warmth and comfort of your home computer room, become a fanatical fan of the fastest-growing ice skating sport in the world–synchronized skating! The whole family, including the males, can enjoy this great sport. (Many men prefer this discipline of figure skating because it is a TEAM sport rather than a solo or pair sport.)

Here is a link to the Mid-America Competition, held January 12-13, 2008. The team in this link, Chicago Jazz, won the Junior World Qualifier with a huge lead, and they will be our Team U.S.A. 1 at Junior Worlds in a few months. This team is incredible–watch the footwork, especially the double twizzles, which are extremely difficult by yourself, even more so surrounded by 15 other skaters.

hk.youtube.com/watch?v=6wQ_EwQJNW8

The second-place team, The Colonials, will be Team U.S.A. 2 at Worlds. I’m pretty certain you can find their program somewhere on youtube, too.

Junior-level synchro skaters are all 18 or under, BTW. That’s the rule for Junior teams.

You can youtube synchronized skating and find all kinds of teams at all ages and levels. Best bets: Junior and Senior teams from 2007 or 2008. (The new judging system started in 2006, but it was pretty new then. Now the teams know how to win with the new system, so the programs are better-constructed and skated, IMO.)

If you want to see the best team in the world, look up Team Surprise from Sweden. They won Worlds last year-they’re an amazing team.

If you like younger skaters, try the Juvenile levels. If you can find a youtube with Chicago Jazz Juvenile from 2007 Nationals, they won it with a delightful program featuring songs about their hometown. Lots of fun.

And if you like to watch the adults (over 25) or older adults (over 35!), check out the Adult or Masters levels. Denver Synchronicity won it all last year–incredible team.

And if you just want to watch a montage with lots of different teams, here it is:

youtube.com/watch?v=ksnNHytIz4s

(I’ve posted this link before on CAF–it’s so inspiring.)

If you like what you see and want to learn more about the sport, there are several websites you can check out. I personally like synchroboards.

AND–if you really fall in love with the sport, read my novels about it--www.jazzicals.com
 
OldAgeGuru said:
I’ve noticed that if you start counting down after Christmas to when Pitchers and Catchers report, winter goes a lot quicker!
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Ah yes…this is our way of counting down to spring as well. As soon as Pitchers and Cathers report, then you can start counting down to the first Spring Training game and start watching baseball again!..YES!!!

I found this link with a countdown clock to Spring training.

sportsline.com/mlb/
 
Very cool (ha!) figure skating Cat!

My winter tips:
  • Have a regular tea time. Very civilized, the British know about winter.
  • Keep the tree up and lit.
  • Use candles. As well as the full spectrum lights if you need them.
  • Eat comfort food. Also experiment with new foods. Take advantage of whatever exotic ingrediants you local grocery offers.
  • Take up cross country skiing. The Swedes know about winter too.
  • Light a fire if you have a fireplace.
  • Read aloud to your family (or take turns).
  • Take up knitting or crocheting. Those pioneering grandmas knew about winter too.
Hope the sun comes out for you soon!
 
There is another approach you can take, but it’s kind of scary.

Embrace winter.

I believe it’s in the book, The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder, where Laura and her sisters have an opportunity to go outside between blizzards. It is bitterly cold, but Laura opens up her arms and embraces the cold. She says, “Cold is not so cold if you aren’t afraid of it.”

So perhaps you should go outside. Play in the cold.

The Norwegians say that there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. So make sure you are dressed for the weather. It won’t necessarily look pretty or stylish, but it will be warm.

The Norwegians CAMP above the Arctic circle. They set up their tents and sleep in the snow.

So do the people of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Give it a try. Don’t be afraid.

And I would highly suggest, with all my heart, that you check out the book The Long Winter and read it together as a family. It is the BEST of the Little House books and IMO, one of the best books in American literature. I wish someone would do a really good movie (not cheesy and not sickly-sweet, like the TV series) based on this book. Talk about heroes.

You will FEEL the cold and experience the suffering and hunger that the town lived through during that long winter. Yet, Mrs. Wilder writes the story in such a way that you are lifted up and encouraged. It’s so optimistic without being fluffy.
 
Cat said:
…I would highly suggest, with all my heart, that you check out the book The Long Winter and read it together as a family. It is the BEST of the Little House books and IMO, one of the best books in American literature. …
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Thanks for the book recommendation.:bible1: I do love reading out loud to my children in front of the fire during winter. Winter always invites cuddling up with good books and a warm beverage.:coffee: (I keep well stocked on cocoa, tea and coffee.)

I hear what you’re saying about embracing winter. There are parts to it that I enjoy, like fires, and teas, and good books. Hubby and I went cross country skiing one day, which perked up my spirit and the physical activity helped keep me warm in spite of the cold. My hubby seems to thrive on winter sports–but he thrives on all sports (a countdown to baseball season is a bit like counting down to widowhood ;).)

Thanks OutinChgoburbs and Sr. Sally for mentioning lighting. :idea: The more I think about it, I think I should invest in some full spectrum lighting. I probably do struggle with a mild form of seasonal depression. I don’t feel quite like myself in winter, but on occassions when I lived or travelled further south in winter I felt like myself again.
 
Cat said:
There is another approach you can take, but it’s kind of scary.

Embrace winter.

I believe it’s in the book, The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder, where Laura and her sisters have an opportunity to go outside between blizzards. It is bitterly cold, but Laura opens up her arms and embraces the cold. She says, “Cold is not so cold if you aren’t afraid of it.”

So perhaps you should go outside. Play in the cold.

The Norwegians say that there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. So make sure you are dressed for the weather. It won’t necessarily look pretty or stylish, but it will be warm.

The Norwegians CAMP above the Arctic circle. They set up their tents and sleep in the snow.

So do the people of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Give it a try. Don’t be afraid.

And I would highly suggest, with all my heart, that you check out the book The Long Winter and read it together as a family. It is the BEST of the Little House books and IMO, one of the best books in American literature. I wish someone would do a really good movie (not cheesy and not sickly-sweet, like the TV series) based on this book. Talk about heroes.

You will FEEL the cold and experience the suffering and hunger that the town lived through during that long winter. Yet, Mrs. Wilder writes the story in such a way that you are lifted up and encouraged. It’s so optimistic without being fluffy.
Click to expand...
Of course, in the Long Winter, they almost starve to death. Their hands bleed from trying to tie enough straw to burn so they don’t freeze to death.

Amanzo and what’s his name go for seed wheat racing against a blizzard–falling into ditches and having to dig the horses out every few yards.

In the beginning all the school children almost venture off into the blizzard to die.

I guess we don’t have it so bad, just being cooped up and bored, huh? We could be struggling to survive instead of struggling to keep our sanity.
 
leonie said:
Of course, in the Long Winter, they almost starve to death. …I guess we don’t have it so bad, just being cooped up and bored, huh? We could be struggling to survive instead of struggling to keep our sanity.
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I sometimes consider what winter used to mean in terms of simple survival. We are blessed to have enough food to eat. I voluntarily diet to loose a few pounds I gained at Christmas, but in the course of human history people sometimes literally starved to death in winter. No, we really don’t have it bad. Thanks for the reminder.
 
CatholicSam said:
This year Lent comes early, so hopefully that means Easter comes early too, and with it Spring! 😃
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Are you kidding? 😃 Where I come from we had freezing temperatures and snow on Easter from time to time. All the little girls in their short-sleeved, knee-length Easter dresses and their straw hats. It was just too comical. Not to mention the Easter Fire. Um, yeah, the fire was extra nice those years, but only if you were close! 😃
 
LovingHim said:
… Where I come from we had freezing temperatures and snow on Easter from time to time. All the little girls in their short-sleeved, knee-length Easter dresses and their straw hats. It was just too comical. …
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Easter is March 23rd this year. Yes, I can picture those straw hats with winter coats and snow boots on Easter Sunday. :tiphat:
 
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