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Monday, February 1, 2010

Things You Can Do in the Snow

So, the past few months have been interesting for ole' VA.  We've had two (2!!!) fairly large snow storms in one winter.  Each snow storm accumulated more than a foot of snow in less than 24 hours.  The last time I saw that much snow in VA was in 1996.  There two different ways to really approach this kind of weather.  Like many Virginians, you can choose to stay indoors where it's warm, or, like my Minnesotan family, you can venture out and enjoy it.  Either way, do what you like best.  Here are a few ideas.  (Note: Ideas are mainly for Virginians.  Not too many Virginians own snow-mobiles).

Indoor Activities

1) Stay inside.  If you're lucky enough to have Netflix, download a movie.  Of course, you can always use these days to take advantage of the Netflix free trial.  Download a few movies.  Pop a bag of popcorn, lay back and relax.

2) Use the time to catch up on your cooking.  Who needs special places like My Sister's Kitchen and the like when you can use your own kitchen and free time.  Write down a menu of foods and prepare them all for the next week.  This will make the rest of your week much easier.  Since pizza places probably won't be delivering, try your hand at a homemade pizza.

3) Clean!  Reorganize the furniture, try your hand at decorating, or just get your spring cleaning done early.  If you're stuck inside, take advantage of the time.

4)  Grab a book and a hot chocolate and relax. This is very similar to number 1, but it's a bit difference.  It's main focus is relaxing, but it also makes you feel slightly more accomplished because you're reading.  Besides, who doesn't enjoy hot chocolate?

5) Build a fire, cuddle up with your loved ones, and watch the snow fall outside.  Oh yeah, and make S'mores!

Outside Activities

1) Build a snowman.  Take the time to revisit your youth.  If you don't have carrots or coal, don't worry about it.  Make something up!  Cookies make decent eyes or find sticks and twigs and break them up.

2) Go sledding.  I love this one.  Sledding can be super fun.  You can also change this to tubing or even skiing if you have access to a good ski area.

3) For dog lovers, try to teach your dog to mush!  Unless you really know what you're doing, this one's bound to end in disaster (a no go), but it's really fun to try anyway.  Tie your dog to your sled (use a harness instead of his regular collar) and let him pull to his heart's content.  Note: Make sure you stay on flat surfaces.  Pulling down hill could mean catastrophe!

4) Have a snow ball fight.  Need I say more?

5) Have a snowball fight with your dog.  Ok, this should really be retitled, "Trick your dog into thinking that snowballs are things he can actually catch."  Cody actually seems to love this game.  Hans and I will throw snowballs in different areas and watch Cody try to find them.  When he starts to get frustrated will throw one right at his mouth.  He's great at catching them and loves to eat the snow.  Just remember that snow is cold and that eating too much of it could cause problems

6) Go for a hike through the woods.  What's greater than a snow-filled wood?  It's quiet and peaceful.  There's a certain beauty to the stillness, knowing that everything is alive and well just below the surface.

Well, that's all I have for now.  Of course, there's no law saying you can only do one thing.  Do a few, do them all, don't do any.  These are just things I enjoy doing.  Of course, make sure you're well dressed for the outside activities.  For inside, just have fun!

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