How to have fun in that white, wet, freezing cold stuff Part 1 of 2

Winter is my least favorite season and if it weren’t for Christmas I would have absolutely no reason to even be open-minded about Winter. But HELLO I live in UTAH! It feels like winter for approximately HALF OF A YEAR! I can either moan and groan and be miserable… 

Or I can find some ways to enjoy it. The snow, that is.

First rule of thumb came from a friend/neighbor who is originally from Upstate New York. Apparently, it’s even colder there. Whatever. Cold is cold. But she made a really great point in response to one of my anti-snow Facebook statuses a while ago. Paraphrasing, she told me, to learn to layer because “Nothing beats the spirit (of winter) like being cold”. Words of Wisdom! I think I’m going to get this quote in vinyl lettering to put on my door. Hahaha… not. Okay, maybe.

So rule #1, Get the right stuff to stay warm in the snow!

• Long sleeve shirt? check.
• Sweater? Check.
• Big, warm snow jacket? check.
• Beanie/warm hat? check.
• Scarf? check.
• Snow pants? check. (These have to be waterproof or they don’t count.  These can also be called “bibs” I have learned. You might feel like a farmer but these things work warm, toasty miracles!)
• Two pairs of socks? check.
• Snow shoes/boots? check. (Again, these have to be pretty water-proof, my skater-style DCs do not count! Neither to my knee-high faux leather boots!)
• Gloves? check. (One (or 2) pairs of those thin cotton kind to go under the water-proof snow kind).
• You also may want to consider earmuffs if your hat doesn’t cover ‘em up.

Alrighty. Once I actually had the right clothing to keep my warm I became open minded to exploring the possibilities of PLAYING outside in the snow… and maybe even enjoying myself. Yes, it’s a hassle to layer especially when it’s me + 2, but we’re working on the “system” and it is getting easier. oh yes, and you should probably make a bathroom run BEFORE you have 4 or 5 layers of clothing on…

To be continued…