Beat Those Winter Blues!

It's hard to fathom beating the winter blues when you live in Southern California but for everyone else who can't enjoy sunny and 70 degree weather in January, I know that the little ones can go a bit stir-crazy being cooped up all the time indoors. And while playing in the snow, sledding and building snowmen can be fun, it does have a time limit and your kids will inevitably end up playing indoors, maybe sooner than later.

To keep your kids busy, switch it up with a few fun indoor activities which will help wash away the winter blues.  I found some great ideas from the Sheknows.com website.  Enjoy! 

Bring the outdoors in

Who says that outdoor activities need to stay...outdoors? From those favorite yard toys to beloved summer activities, you can bring some of it indoors for lots of winter fun.
Once a year Eileen Wolter and her family celebrate summer in the winter. “We have an indoor beach day on a snow day. We wear shorts and drink fruity drinks and eat corndogs,” says Wolter.

Be artsy

The chilly gloom outside doesn’t mean you can’t bring some cheery activity to your home -- with art. Kids love creating, and the creative outlet can be a fun activity for an otherwise inactive day.
Seattle mom of two Allison Ellis enlisted her kids to create some new living room art. “Both of my kids like paint and we had some really bad hand-me-down art hanging in the living room. I went to an art store, bought some huge canvases and let them go to town! Now I have two beautiful pieces to brighten up the days and cheer up the living room,” says Ellis

Embrace winter sports

Winter sports can be tremendous fun for kids and adults. Whether you are into ice skating, snowboarding or something else, the cool temperatures are the perfect time to take up an active winter sport.
For New York City mom of two Gia Machlin, that means a lot of weekend skiing in Vermont. “We rent a half share in a ski condo for the winter, sign the kids up for the developmental ski programs, get season passes, and drive from NYC to Vermont every other weekend from Dec 15th to Mar 15th. It's a schlep, but it sure beats hanging around the city on frigid days,” says Machlin.

Have an indoor campout

Who says a campout has to happen outdoors? It can be tremendous fun to pop a tent in the living room and pretend.
Cass Comerford of New York did that with her daughter recently. “There was tons of imagination play (I'm going swimming in the lake, aka the couch) and we had hot dogs (well, tofu dogs) on sticks and we made roasted marshmallows in the toaster oven, sang songs and read books and pretended to star gaze which she thought was hilarious ("I see Max & Ruby in the stars Mommy!"),” says Comerford.

Send a Letter - Save the USPS

Don't you love walking up to the mailbox, peeking inside and shuffling through your mail (when it's not bills) and notice a cute card or note from a friend or family member?  It saddens me that the USPS is threatening to close down over 3,400 post offices because of a billion dollar loss.  I love receiving mail and I want to urge everyone to send out at least one friendly letter a week to someone you are thinking of to support our USPS. 

We can help you out as we have the perfect set-up for you - very cute notecards from shoes to playful pets and a gorgeous little stamp dispenser which looks like it came from Tiffany's. 

Wonderful Stamp Dispenser

 

Dogs Dressing Up Notecards (in gift tin)

 

Stiletto Notecards

Happy Writing!

New Year Traditions

Happy New Year from our hearts to yours!  So, you survived the holidays and now what...?  We recommend one way of starting 2012 is create family traditions.  Traditions are fun and a way to get your entire family involved in memory making.  It can be culturally themed or something that goes back to your ancestors on how they celebrate the new year. 

Below are some ideas from various mommies in Wondertime Magazine and how they keep the "tradition" spirit alive even throughout the entire year.  And if you need even more suggestions, check out these 11 fun-filled tradition making activities from FamilyFun Magazine.

We go online to watch (and celebrate!) the new year's arrival around the world.

— April Deener, Kentucky

 

On New Year's Day we write our wishes for the coming year on brightly colored tags and tie them to a tree in our yard. It's beautiful to look out my window and see the paper wishes blowing in the wind.

— Miranda Peacock, Texas

During the week between Christmas and New Year's, we clean out our closets and send some clothes to the foster mom in Guatemala who cared for our daughter until we adopted her.

— Jennifer Crissman Ishler, Pennsylvania

 

I give each of my eight children their own seed packet, and on them they write what they hope to accomplish in the upcoming year. They plant their seeds on New Year's Day, and when they water them, they look at the packets as a reminder of their goals.

— Cheryl L. Butler, Rhode Island

During the year I throw party invitations, 4-H ribbons, newspaper articles, back to school letters, locks of hair, etc., into a box. On New Year's Eve we spend an hour or so looking through the items from the year, then store them in the attic.

— Mynde Goble, Indiana

On January 1 out come the hammers and the mugs of milk — time for the demolishing (and devouring) of the gingerbread house.

— Becca Riding, North Carolina