How cold is too cold to send the kids outside? Tell me I’m not the only one who has Googled this!
After 34 years of living here, I know winter happens. We embrace it with ice skating, sledding and fat biking. But, there are always a few long weeks where I need a boost!
Here are a few ideas to make your winter brighter, easier and more fun (and none of them involve being outside)!
For Your Home
1. Trader Joe’s Flower Section – Buy a few bunches and play florist. They last a long time, they’re cheap and it’s an instant way to bring spring inside! It’s also a fun winter project to do with kids. Let them pick out their own bunch and create an arrangement.
2. Paddywax Literary Candles The scents are named for famous authors. The female candles are a bit more flowery and the male ones are a bit more musky. I love the matte black color with the copper lid and tassel. They’re an instant mood and style lift.
3. T-Rex Cookie Jar Who can say no when grandma shows up at the door with this gem? We keep candy in it because baking doesn’t happen a lot. When else in my life will a t-rex make sense sitting on my counter? Work kid stuff in to your normal decor in unexpected places. It’ll make you and your kids smile!
Make Life a Little Easier
4. Google Home – My husband got this, and I thought it was so dumb. Why do I need one more thing to yell at? I was wrong. My kids love asking it to play songs – winter entertainment! I can add things to my grocery list. And, if I don’t know the answer to one of their 10,000 daily questions? Literally, go ask Google.
5. A ‘Grind and Brew’ Coffee Pot – Load the beans, set the timer, and wake up to extremely fresh coffee. It’s loud but worth it, especially on cold winter mornings!
6. EASY to Clean Sippy Cups – When we had our first kid, I came home from our baby shower and started assembling things. I opened the bottles we registered for and a million pieces came out of the box. Not happening. If my kid really needed this complicated of a bottle, we’d cross that bridge later. I returned them and we bought Nuk – three pieces to clean. Then we entered sippy cup land. I can’t tell you how many cups we lost parts to and had to toss. Finally, on our second kid, we found these and there are NO PIECES. It’s a lid and a cup. No weird places for mold to grow. No parts to lose. Easy, easy, easy.
Make Connections
7. Throw a Party – A morning donut play date, a favorite things party…search Pinterest for ideas and do something simple that brings people together. Chances are, the people you invite are tired of winter, too!
8. Parents’ Club – A group of our friends started this elusive club when we all had super small humans and just needed to get away. Membership requirements? You have to be tired. Start your own club by grabbing some friends and going out to dinner. But, not a fancy dinner. A casual weeknight dinner. Sitters are easier to find, restaurants offer deals, sweatshirts are the dress code, and you’d be amazed what a couple hours of adult conversation can do.
9. Group Me – Get the app, put your friends in a ‘Group Me’ and let the good GIFs roll. You’d be surprised how funny parents in their mid 30s can be. The best part? Your best friend can live across the world and you can still connect. Take this gem on the night of the RAGBRAI announcement party as an example. Or, the picture you share when you find your kid hanging like a bat from the kitchen counter.
Summer will be here soon. Until then, buy some flowers, find little ways to make life easier, and throw a party!
