For the half of the planet that’s in the depths of winter, this is the time of year when the cold, dreary days can really get to you. Add to that the after-Christmas letdown, and it’s easy to have some pretty grumpy days. Here are some of the tricks we’ve been using lately to try and keep ourselves motivated.
Kids in charge of lunch day: today’s fare included air-popped corn that had a chopped up cookie (it was chocolate-covered) drizzled over the top. Also featured were peanut butter marshmallow sandwiches, and a special sandwich ‘taco’ consisting of bread and marshmallow for the individual who can’t stand his food to touch. Peanut butter was served on the side.
Get dressed as soon as you can after breakfast. Staying in jammies can make it easier to slump down on the couch
Go out to lunch
Donut day: this one’s a biggie. Hubby has a men’s prayer meeting on Tuesday mornings, and he always stops back home with donuts for us before going to work.
Rearrange the bedroom furniture to make it feel like the children have whole new rooms. (warning, this can annoy the spouse if you take it too far)
Dig out the art supplies and get creative.
Burn a great-smelling candle. For bonus points, have the kids choose the fragrance.
Cook a meal you’d normally eat in summer.
Rent a few movies and have a movie night.
Break out some of the toys you bought for cheap before Christmas.
So how about it? Got any great ways to beat the blahs? I need some new ideas, everyone.
by AmyL
[tags]home, kids, parents, children, snow days, bored, ideas, fun, cooking, art, crayons, furniture rearrangement[/tags]
Photo graciously provided by Basenisa, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved
3 responses so far ↓
IntheFastLane // Jan 25, 2008 at 8:21 am
We will do a breakfast for dinner. Everyone loves pancakes, no one complains, it is easy and we feel like we are getting away with something.
Megin Hatch // Jan 28, 2008 at 11:55 am
We like indulging in the occasional pj day. Lots or relaxing, lots of snuggling, lots of resting.
Shut off the tv/computer/video games- get creative and be together.
Get active- there are a few ideas from an old post about things to do inside whrn it’s too cold outside: http://www.gnmparents.com/baby-its-cold-outside-indoor-activities-for-winter-wimps/
AmyL // Jan 28, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Mmmmm, breakfast for dinner.
Note to self: teach boys to cook. A PJ day is great too. It won’t work as a special treat though, because most of us spend, ahem, rather large portions of the day in pj’s anyway. Especially in winter when surprise visitors are unlikely. Most days you’ll find at least one boy in his undies and bathrobe doing lessons. Of course, the general panic that ensues when a car shows up in the driveway would be worth the ten grand on America’s Funniest Videos.
Creative definitely sounds like a winner! I’ve been wanting to teach the boys how to make pillowcases. The older ones can handle sewing pretty well, and the littles can contribute to the design process. Life here will improve dramatically once we finish the basement and have space to set up some projects. Right now we’re on top of each other most of the time. It’s still a few months out, but the end of that renovation is at least in sight.
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