Winter Survival Potpourri
* Drink Hot Chocolate.
*Enjoy your local coffee shop.
*Take a job in a bakery or pizza place. A job that is too hot for the summer but just right for the winter.
*Stay Inside
*Move South
*If you cannot move to the South, maybe a time share would be a good investment?
*When buying a winter coat, remember that warmth and comfort is key. For example, my mom has a winter coat that is so warm but yet so bulky. So depending on where she is going, she will not be able to wear that coat, because of how much space the coat takes up, ie events with limited seating capacity.
*Take advantage of indoor sports. Indoor tennis. Indoor Swimming. Volleyball. Bowling. Miniature golf, to name a few.
*Salt your walk ways, sidewalks, and driveway.
*Watch for black ice.
*I enjoy the hot packs that you shake when you need instant warmth. For example, you can buy these packs for shoes and gloves and when you are ready to use them you shake them and for a limited amount of time heat radiates from them. This is useful for outdoor activities.
*Know what frost bite looks like.
*Keep your skin well moisturized.
*Keep Exercising.
*Keep a radio with fresh batteries. In the event that the ice causes your home to lose electricity.
*Keep flashlights with fresh batteries.
*One of my favorite ideas is to put a tarp over my windshield (as pictures on the right). This saves so much time and hassle not to scrape my windshield.
*Keep a scraper and brush in your car.
*You may want to keep a shovel in your car depending on how well areas are plowed in case you have dig your car out of the snow drift.
*If your car is equipped with 4-wheel drive, know how to use this feature.
*After sitting down in your car and before putting your feet into your car, tap your snowy shoes/boots outside of the vehicle to minimize the mess of car floors.
*My friend as a automatic car started to warm the car in the morning. But she still has to go out to the car because she has to turn on her rear defrost button. So she saved me money by my learning from her. I start my car in the morning with one set of keys and then use another set of keys to lock my car, to minimize the risk of automobile theft.
*Bundle up with your favorite blanket(s).
*If you have the luxury of a fireplace, enjoy!
*If you have a pet, buy pet safe salt. It may be more money but in the long run it may save you a trip to the vet on behalf of your pet.
*If you have an outside pet, use a wet washcloth or baby wipes to clean their paws, in addition have a dry towel/old shirt that can be used to dry. One of my friends uses a hair dryer on her dog because the dog is so small the snow at times engulfs the dog causing a very wet pet with a very unsatisfiable odor.
*Feed your outdoor birds.
*Keep a well stocked pantry, in case the roads become unbearable.
*Have an alternate route for your child to get to school if a school delay would cause a problem with the bus and/or sitter.
*Use this time to do crafts.
*Catch up on a book, that you have been wanting to read in its entirety.
*If you have travel plans, be sure to know possible delays.
*If you are leaving your home for an extended period, know what temperature to keep your house to prevent pipes from freezing and/or bursting.
*Keep your cell phone charged.
*Make a fist around your car key to keep it warm if you have to walk to get to your car parked outside. As you know car locks can freeze and keeping your hand around the key will help to keep it warm for when it makes contact to a cold lock.
*Stock up on winter supplies and clothes post season to save money.
In conclusion, you can see that there are many aspects to winter survival, and this is just a few. Keep learning and enjoy every day the Lord hath made.
