Thursday, October 29, 2015

A Winter Wellness Plan for Winter Haters

Fall has a few bright spots: football games, scarves, changing leaves. It stops about there. Let's face it. Fall is just the harbinger of winter and I hate winter. 

Winter should come for one week a year; the week of Christmas would be ideal. Let's have some snow and hot cocoa and bundle up in cute coats that are a pain in the car and take twenty minutes to outfit our children in cold weather clothes to go outside. Clothes that they can't wear in the car so you take it all back off after you walk the fifteen feet to the car door. 


Winter is dark and gloomy. The sunlight is gone by five and you can't go play on the playground after dinner and it's too cold to romp back to the cemetery and collect walnuts and leaves and rocks and sticks. You can only run around the circle between the hallway and living room so many times before you start to go crazy and your hip starts to hurt so you have to at least run the opposite direction. 


The holidays are a bright spot in winter. I'll admit before someone accuses me of being a Scrooge. But there are a good three and a half months of winter after my birthday at the first of the year. Then there are no more parties and excuses for cookies and people turn off their Christmas lights. We should just make the lights a thing all winter. Can we agree to that? 


Since we can't just have that one week of winter but must endure months of it, I'm developing a plan. Don't worry, the plan definitely includes not whining about winter to everyone who sees me. I think I've gotten it out of my system now. 

Time is changing this weekend; to me that signals the start of winter (I realize that's not the official sign). I do have one advantage this year over last because I am not having a baby this weekend. But I made a few of these notes last year when winter was ending: I worked hard to make winter work for me even with a new baby. I plan on doing the same this year- just without the new baby. 

First two guidelines and then a few ideas I've been compiling. 


1. Move to somewhere warm and tropical.  Nice thought though. 


1. You choose your attitude. Even when it's cold and gloomy outside you get to choose what's on the inside. I help myself by staying in my Bible and exercising regularly. Also not literally becoming a hermit because winter coats are a pain. 


2. Have some goals. Give yourself a purpose. Don't flitter around the house all day doing nothing. Write the words, do the homeschooling, practice the instrument, read with the kids, draw the pictures. Whatever your thing is, do it regularly. Keep yourself in a good rhythm of life. 

I've been making a list of winter activities that will get us out of the house some and keep us focused when we're home. Here are a few of them: 


-Make a list of activities for the evenings: playdough, play ball, kindergarten games, coloring

-Bake bread or donuts or cookies (also- avoid the scale or workout more)
-Share the baked goodies with others
-Pick a "donut breakfast" morning- bonus points if you invite friends
-Complete a few home projects
-Eat out a few times a month
-Try one new recipe a week
-Invite people over for dinner
-Go on dates (without the kids)
-Set some winter goals (This was crucial last year and really jump-started the work I've done this year.)

Justin is coaching a basketball team this year and we'll be going to practice and games with him. The boys love it and it occupies those long evenings. Double winner for a winter activity. 


Do you like winter? How do you manage if you don't? 

3 comments:

  1. I couldn't agree with you more! Winter is hard :/ I like what you said about choosing your attitude… I also feel that we appreciate the spring and summer more because of the terrible winters we go through. But I think I'd be ok with moving to Phoenix or Southern Cali too 😉

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    1. Yes, there is definitely a great appreciate for spring! Southern Cali sounds very nice about now. I'd pick it over Phoenix because I love the ocean :)

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  2. we love winter! :) mostly cause my husband and I love cuddling up with cozy blankets, candles, books and hot drinks. But a must for me is getting outside even if it's terribly cold. I'm slowly learning how to dress well and even just 20 minutes a day helps so much!

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