How Do You Make Snow More Fun? Turn It Into Art!

As the snow abounds across the US and kids are stuck at home for snow days, one things for certain: you have to find ways to enjoy snow, or at least to get your kids to enjoy the snow. Snowball fights and snowmen can get old really quick. Trust me, I know this as a kid that comes from the land of snow. There's a new way to enjoy the snow now: make art out of it! I'm not talking about snow angels and writing your name in the snow; this involves color :-) Let your kid turn into an artist with a huge white canvas and all you'll need is some food coloring or kool-aid.

There are two ways for your kid to be an artist: by using paint or spray paint. As you can probably guess, most kids opt for the latter. If you want to make the "paint", mix water into food coloring or kool-aid in a cup until the color is consistent. Obviously, it won't be like actual paint, it won't be pasty at all, but a liquid. Hand this and a paintbrush to them to help them enjoy their day.

If you want the cooler choice, mix "paint" using the instructions above, but instead of putting it in a cup, you put it in a spray bottle. Just be warned, they will probably be coming inside for refills quite often.

Painting will make every snow activity more fun and create new ones. Building a snowman can now include dressing him in a Hawaiian shirt or tie. They can also write warnings on their snow fort or decorate a snow castle. With this, they can now have competitions on who can create the best art or just have some simple fun. Just make sure they watch out for the yellow snow....

How to Whisk Away the Winter Blues

It is the dead of winter for all of those of us in the western hemisphere. Now that the Christmas season is officially over, the cold weather can sometimes now feel like a drag. If winter has gotten you down, here are some tips to help get you through the rest of the season and hopefully enjoy it as well.

Keep Fresh Flowers in Your House

One thing to greatly help get you through the barren of winter is to have nature around you. There really isn't anything more beautiful in nature than flowers. The sight and smell of these lovely plants are sure to delight your senses and help you escape the lack of live vegetation outside. Keep flowers in at least one room of your house and replace them weekly or biweekly to get full effect. Be sure to rotate your flower choices as well. You don't want Poinsettias after the holidays, even if they can live that long.

Decorate in Light Colors

Christmas decor is the epitome of rich colors. Dark hues of green and red give gorgeous contrast to the white snow on the ground. Once the holiday season is over though, having dark colors around can remind you of the glorious season which has just ended and/or make you feel stuck. Dark hues can also have the power of seasonal depression on some people. Avoid any downtroddeness by minimizing or eliminating dank colors for winter. Stick to brighter and/or paler colors such as yellow, orange, lighter blues and lighter greens. If you are feeling that a grand change is in order, paint one or a few rooms in your homes. If you're looking for a temporary change to trick your mind, change the adornments on your tables and walls and possibly your comforters. This change will make you home uplifting and serve as a refuge from the season.

Eat Summery Foods

Now, I'm not talking about lemonade or popsicles. Obviously, you should steer clear of cold foods. They will only make you the cold even more. To put yourself in more a summer mindset, eat foods like hot dogs, hamburgers and if you're lucky enough to be able to right now, barbecue. Your taste buds will put you in a summery state of mind, at least momentarily. For most people, eating as a splendid pleasure, so use it to help you this winter.

Play Sports Indoors

One thing that people miss most in winter is the ability to go outdoors without the snow inhibiting each thing you do. The snow and cold make is difficult or impossible to play most sports outside. If you're feeling cramped inside your house, go the gym or rec center and join in a league or some pick-up games. There are sure to be other people missing outdoor sports just as you are (if your friends don't want to play). Even in the tiny town where I grew up, there were constantly games of basketball, indoor soccer and baseball during the winter. Get your blood flowing in the games you love and you'll soon forget what season it is.

Go Have Fun Outside

To make the season more bearable, see the good sides of it. Other than the beauty of snow, there are other things that only come once a year. Only in the cold weather of winter can you go skiing/snowboarding, sledding, ice skating, snowmobiling and numerous activities. You will see the brighter side of the season in at least one way if you can enjoy one of these things. You may even come to look forward to it next year.

Now that there is at least one month of winter to go, I hope you can use some of these ideas to cope with the blues and possibly even enjoy the rest of the season. It only comes once a year, whether good or bad.

15 Reasons to Love the Holidays

Christmas and New Years are the greatest time of the year. Why are they so great, though? There are so many reasons, that it's difficult for most to choose just one. I've compiled a list of the top 15 reasons to love the most wonderful time of the year to bring some cheer!

1.) Snow

Snow! Snow! Snow! SNOW! If you can't hear Bing Crosby when you read that, then something is wrong. You might be slowly turning into a grinch. It's time to get in the Christmas spirit! There are so many amazing things you can only do in the snow. Snowball fights, forts, snow angels, snowboarding, skiing, watching pets and little kids have fun struggling to move through it and most of all: waking up to a blanket of white on Christmas morning. Wake up your inner child and go enjoy it :)

2.) Sledding

I know it's something you can do in the snow, but this one extra special. It's the only time of year you can rocket into soft powder just by sliding. This is a fun, free activity for everyone in the family. My entire family goes every year, no matter what age. We're slowly making daredevils out of my little nephews, which we started to do at the age of 2 :-)

3.) Christmas Tree

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum, how lovely are your branches. There's nothing quite like going to get the tree together, weather you cut it down yourself or buy it from a lot. No matter if your family fights strapping it to the roof or getting it through the door, everyone always comes to together for fun to pick it out and decorate it. You'll remember at least one year for your entire life, even if it is something like Ralphie saying "oh, fudge". Also, I love how the Christmas tree stays up through the entire holiday season, for weeks before Christmas until New Years Day. That give plenty of time to fill up your home with scent of pine tree and a constant glowing reminder of the season.

4.) Christmas lights

Each house lit up in a different array of lights, manger scenes, Santa on rooftops, red ribbons on lampposts and so much more. As with the rest of the list, it’s only done once a year, and it lasts the entire season from beginning before Christmas and lasting through New Years. Christmas lights truly have to embody Christmas itself.

5.) Watching classic Christmas TV shows/movies

I don't know about your family, but mine has a tradition of watching certain movies and TV shows every Christmas. We have to watch A Christmas Carol, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, It's a Wonderful Life, A White Christmas, The Little Drummer Boy, A Christmas Story, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, A Very Mickey Christmas (we recorded 15 years ago, commercials and all) and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. They bring you back to childhood instantly, almost like a time capsule. Everyone loves Christmas favorites, and it's great to pass the tradition to the young ones.

6.) Carols

The songs you only hear one time a year. I love singing songs that I know have been sung for hundreds of years, and my entire life. If you don't want to sing, it's also neat to just listen to carolers make their way down the street singing sweet melodies and wishes to all who hear.

7.) Seeing old friends

Most people head home for the holidays, back to their hometown where they grew up. It's always great to see people you've spent your entire childhood, or at least part of it, with; to see what they've done and how they have been since the previous year. And you may just run into a long lost friend that you haven't seen in years.

8.) Family together

This best time of the year brings one the greatest things people can have: family gathered together. If you're fortunate enough to be able to have your entire immediate or extended family together, enjoy the greatest gift you have in life. Time with them may sometimes be annoying or trying for you, but look deeper and see how precious it really is to be with the only people you're related to. After all, is is the time to be together and it only comes once a year.

9.) Parties

So many festivities this time of year! There are office parties, parties with your friends, some with your parents, some for homecomings, and of course, the biggest party on New Years Eve. It truly is the season for celebration and togetherness.

10.) The meals

Part of the greatness of parties during this season, coming home and just Christmas overall is the food. For some, it's the one element of Christmas they look forward to the most. Usually, people have a big feast on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas. In my family, we have a banquet on Christmas Eve of seafood, steak and sides then eggnog french toast and eggnog on Christmas morning. I look forward to it all year every year. Christmas just wouldn't be right without these meals. So, make Whoville and roast up a roast beast :-)

11.) The presents

Everyone loves presents, and this aspect of Christmas. Giving and receiving are part of what makes the season so grand. And there's nothing like little kids shooting out of bed that one day of the year and jumping for joy and the sight of filled stockings and gifts under their glowing tree. Now that I've relatively grown up, I love seeing my nephews' reactions as they sit under the tree with the presents waiting to open them and their excitement when they do. And, I love to see each person's face when they open my gifts and the ones that were exactly what they wanted as well. It's great to get what you want, even greater when it's from your family and the greatest when you give that perfect gift.

12.) Desserts

To me, the sweets are better than the meals. Like the other things on this list, there are things you will only get one time of year. Sugar plums, candy canes, gingerbread cookies, bread pudding and countless other sweets help to make the season bright. Of course, I look forward to this. And it's heat-warming to give and receive a plate of goodies from your friends and neighbors.

13.) Shopping on December 26th

It's the most wonderful deals of the year, with the store doors jingle belling and every shopkeeper telling you " here is a steal!" It's true, the absolute greatest discounts of the entire year occur on December 26th. Not to brag, I've actually gotten a brand new wool winter coat for $25 marked from the normal price of $200. It's thee day to do any necessary returns and exchanges or just shopping in general to get the most bang for your dollar.

14.) Not working/no school

Hopefully, you're part of the majority of America that gets Christmas Day off. And if you’re really fortunate with your career, you’ll have the entire week of Christmas off. If you’re a student, you get at least 2 weeks off around Christmas and New Years. It’s always good for everyone to take time away from the hustle and bustle, especially all together.

15.) Jesus is born!

Above all the great things of Christmas, it is ultimately the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Considering that most of the Unites States and the western world is Christian, it’s our greatest celebration time of the year. A time to rejoice and gather at church with family and close ones.

I hope you can find 15 things, if not more to love about the holiday season. We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!