Is it starting to get realllly cold where you live? Yep, here too! November through February tend to be the hardest months of the year for serious sun-seekers like me. So what’s an active outdoors lover to do? Are we supposed to stay cooped up indoors hiding under an electric blanket just because baby, it’s cold outside?!
I don’t think so!! Like they say – if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em! Though I’d rather follow summer all the way around the globe each year, it’s not a lifestyle remotely conducive to wife & mom life 😉 So here’s what I’ll be doing the rest of this fall and winter to avoid the SAD pity parties that might tempt me otherwise!
Warm up to a cold day with these creative ideas
Practice seasonal photography skills
One reason I love outdoor photography is it’s one fun hobby I enjoy that compels me to quite literally stop and smell the roses. It promotes such a feeling of peace and mindfulness in the present followed by meaningful memories of past moments, thanks to my beloved camera. Thankfully, photography is something we can enjoy outdoors all year round!
Make a leaf bouquet
Remember the lovely expression, bloom where you are planted? This is just the type of thing that represents living that out to me. It’s about looking for the good and embracing the best of what surrounds you – no matter what that is and where you are! So quite literally, dive in and celebrate the gifts of the current season! If it’s autumn – make a leaf bouquet, if it’s winter – build a snowman with your kids 🙂 See how beautiful it can be?
Make a Fall themed fairy house
If you’re a parent, you know we’re always looking for new ways to engage our kids, especially when it’s cold out and we’re all climbing the walls with cabin fever. The thing is we can still do so many of our favorite warm weather activities with our kids year round, if we make the right modifications!
Did you see the fairy house & garden tutorial here earlier this year? If you created one too, you might assume you’ll be letting it languish for another year, right? Nope! No need! 🙂 You can actually work with nature’s gifts all year round! Here is an example of a fall themed fairy house my daughter recently built. We’ll be winterizing our summer fairy home soon, too. You can get lots more ideas on how to do this in this fabulous book!
Reach out to your neighbors
Fall and Winter are full of holidays and other occasions perfect for meeting your neighbors! One kid-favorite that tends to bring people together is Halloween. Trick or treat night may not be for everyone, but like many people, we choose to jump in and give it the best we’ve got because it’s a perfect opportunity to connect with those living closest to us we may not have been able to meet otherwise. Whether you’re bonding over a backyard bonfire or hot apple cider out front, nights like these are invaluable for deepening connections and forging new relationships 🙂
Do your kids like raking leaves as much as mine do – (or at least they do at someone else’s house)? You may even want to consider encouraging your kids to join you in neighborly acts of service to get them outside on the sunnier days. So many people live alone or are sick and otherwise too overwhelmed to tackle outdoor chores like raking leaves and shoveling snow. I am hoping my kids always remember how rewarding it’s been when they’ve helped our neighbors with chores that were too much for one person. Jumping in leaves and snow along the way is just a bonus – the real gift is seeing the look of true relief and gratitude in someone’s eyes and understanding the true difference we make when we give of our time and energy!
Embrace ideal temperatures for outdoor exercise
Have you ever noticed your motivation for exercise dip when it’s hot in the summertime and super cold in the winter? Me too! Though Summer will always be my favorite, one thing I love about the temperate weather of Spring and Fall is it’s not too hot and not too cold to get outside and work out! Honestly, even winter can be a good time to exercise outdoors if you are willing to think outside the box and consider things like snowshoeing, cross country skiing, sledding, or even shoveling snow! I don’t know about you, but I’ve always wanted to try cross country skiiing!!
What helps motivate you to get outdoors when all you really want to do is hibernate indoors till Spring? Share your favorite things in the comments below 🙂
I love the outdoors and after the past two winters I’m really not looking forward to winter this year. My girls are still at that age that we’ll venture outside on snowy days to play in the snow. But the idea of hibernating does sound quite tempting.