Tips on Surviving When You're Frozen

My eldest child was an infant when my friend over at aseedinspired.com gave me a littleBIG piece of advice to cope with Pennsylvania's long fall/winter seasons.

E M B R A C E  I T.

This girl has weight in her words. It was blunt and I love it.

Seasons were a'made to change. So, if you are like me, let this list compel you to EMRACE IT. Seasons were made to change, warm months and all.

10. Mark down on your iCal all the traditional holidays celebrated by the postal service (they observe all of them). Then, make plans to do something extra special on those days. Teach your kids a lesson about the holiday (that will make you and them feel super smart) or watch a video about it on YouTube.

9. Eat seasonal food. I get so excited when I know fall is settling in and I can makes soups every week. Comfort food. Something so hardy and PA Dutch. I may be scarfing down chicken and wild rice soup as I type. I may.

8.  Plan your summer vacation. Somehow, planning for the summer makes me not want to wish away the colder months. No one wants their vacation to come and go, so plan for it when it's cold. Dream about the tropical. Look at all the pictures of the waves and sand.

7. Thank AmazonPrime for providing you with free shipping, a.k.a., every product under the sun at your fingertips. Yup. Do it. Buy new slippers. They scream fall. Buy a scarf. You'll thank me later. Buy your kids adorable scarves that they'll never wear, but at least they will look cute in that one picture you threatened them with their lives to get. (I'm just kidding, of course, calm down.)

6. Make best friends with leaves and snow. I know what you're thinking. And yup, you're right. BUT, what I'm saying holds true as well. IT IS A LOT OF WORK, but you will sleep bettersweeterhappier knowing that you raked a huge pile of leaves and listened to your kiddos laugh long or looking out the window one more time at that less-than-perfect-snowman. Best. Friends.

5. Light some candles. Another friend of mine would meet me at Kohl's every fall for our yearly candle hunt. Not sure why we went to Kohl's, but the moral of the story is, if your house smells like fall or Christmas or fresh new year (does that smell like cotton?), you will be happier and cozier. Promise.

4. Read. You'll be inside for plenty more hours than the warm months. Make yourself a cozy reading corner or add a new pillow to an old chair. Claim it. That space is yours for the taking.

3. Catch up on the list of movies you haven't seen or TV series you haven't finished. And don't feel guilty. Don't feel guilty (preaching to myself). With the amount of educational television out there these days, give yourself permission to let the kids watch a couple episodes while you read in that corner or make purchases on Amazon. It's ok, really.

2. Get your game face on. We've already played an embarrassing amount of Twister since the temps have dropped. Apparently games are a great way to teach your kiddos about taking turns and being a "good sport". And sometimes, games may even lead to a competetive match between mom and dad, while the kids sit on the sidelines. Wait. Just our family?!

1. Turn your mourning (of summer) into dancing. You may never love the cold, and that's ok, but your frown will turn upside down when you start to count the things you are thankful for. Like a warm home, healthy kids, comfort food, dance parties, and quality time inside with friends and family.

CHEERS to embracing what we are walking through, even if it's snow!