Saturday, December 12, 2009

10 Ways to Enjoy a Beautiful Winter Day

Ok, so technically, winter doesn’t begin for another week and a half. All I know is that I’ve been wearing snow boots all week and I can no longer drive in a straight line so as far as I’m concerned, it’s winter. Here’s how to make the most of it:
1. Make some hot chocolate.
Heat milk in a saucepan just until it steams. Add cocoa, vanilla and healthy sweetener to taste. For a mugful, I usually do a cup or so of milk, a heaping spoonful of cocoa and a teensy weensy bit of sweetener for a super-dark hot chocolate. When it’s all mixed, pour it into a blender and frappe for about thirty seconds to make it foamy. Yum!
2. Get your workout and shovel some snow. Shoveling is a fantastic full-body workout because you use your upper body to scoop and lift, your abs to swivel and dump while your lower body works to support the shifting weight. This is also a great opportunity for service and potential family time, just arm the kids with shovels and troop over to shovel for a neighbor who could use some help.
3. Catch a snowflake on your tongue. Relive your childhood and catch a little piece of winter on your tongue. Nothing compares to a freshly fallen snowflake, and who doesn’t want to feel like a child again?
4. Read by a fire. Nothing says cozy like a fat book and a fireplace. Read something uplifting or festive. Right now I’m reading The Penny Pinchers Club by Sarah Strohmeyer, a hilarious novel with eye-opening insights on marriage, frugality and consumerism. Read whatever strikes your fancy, whether it’s a novel, magazine, or comic book.
5. Enjoy a hot cup of soup. Soup is often cheap and healthy and hits the spot on a snowy day. Invent a recipe to use up those leftovers in your fridge or even heat up soup from a can. Either way, soup warms you up and fills you up.
6. Make snow angels. Need I say more?
7. Take a hot bath. My favorite way to unwind. Make your bath luxurious; try adding some olive oil to soften you skin or some Real Salt to soothe tension and achy muscles. Put on some soft music and candles or read a book. A good hot bath will warm you up inside and out for a good half hour afterward and nothing beats sinking into a tub of steamy water when you’ve been freezing all day.
8. Build a snowman. My favorite are the Calvin and Hobbes demented style snowmen with two heads and stuff like that, but building snow men or snow forts or what have you is a great way to let loose and half fun with your kids, friends, or significant other. Don’t forget sticks for the arms and something for the face.
9. Learn to knit a scarf. Check out a book on knitting from the library or find some free online instructions or tutorials. If knitting doesn’t work out, try crocheting. Homemade scarves, washcloths and hot pads make great gifts that the recipients will appreciate for years to come. My younger cousin knitted me a washcloth for a wedding present, and it’s still the best one I have.
10. Have a snowball fight. Let that inner child out! Utah snow is very dry and doesn’t pack well, so if you have this problem, do what my husband and I did the other week: grab some snow shovels and dump the stuff on each other instead. You’ll be sore from laughing and ready to come inside to a steamy cup of homemade cocoa. Enjoy.

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