For All Your Snow Day Needs - Activities for Indoor & Outdoor Snow Bunnies

Photo by Arthennessey on Flickr

Us New Englanders have been in the thick of winter for quite a while now.  And of course, I'm looking forward to the warmth of spring, and wearing flip flops well before the temperature actually warrants it.  However, there's more snow projected for this weekend, so it seemed like a good time to list some activities for all the snow lovers and those less than pleased with winter's dander.

For rhe Great (Snowy) Outdoors

• Make snow angels
• I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't made snow angels since I was a freshman in college, which really means it's been too long, especially when you factor in how much snow we've gotten this year alone.
• Throw a snowball
• You really can't go wrong with this one... unless you miss your mark. Oops.
• Snowshoe to work (or anywhere you need to go)
• Or to the public transit that will get you to your final destination. It's environmentally friendly, a workout, and makes passersby chuckle.
• Polar Bear Plunge
• Irregardless of the fact that I think people who skinny dip through holes in ice may have lost a few too many marbles, this one goes on the bucket list. May be this year is the year. 
• Snowman scene
• Instead of making a lame and lonely single snowman, create a whole snow family. There's plenty of a snow around, so go big!

The Warmer Indoors

• Hibernate
• Seriously, sometimes it's just nice to nestle in with a blanket, a book, or a whole season of Mad Men or Rome. (Thanks to @hublawer for that last one.)
• Stock up on tea
• A hot cup of tea with honey, lemon or even milk, if you're one of those people (I am), warms you from the inside out. Nummy, yum, yum.
• Build a fire
• A fireplace would be ideal; however, if you don't happen to have one, I hear the MBTA may have a few steel reinforced trash cans they'd part with on the cheap. (Seriously though, do not set a fire in a trash can, no matter how safe it seems. I don't want to get sued. Thanks.)
• Prepare food
• Get your crockpot started in on dinner when you first wake up.  Turn the waffle maker on for breakfast. And get the oven going for all your baking delight. If your food projects don't turn out, you'll probably have heated up the place trying.
• Roll out your mat
• I suppose you could expect this from a yoga teacher, but one of the best snow days I've had this year was largely because I rolled my mat out well before everyone else woke up and rocked a home practice.  And because I had practiced, I didn't mind leading a class in the living room for everyone else a few hours later.  If you don't happen to have a yoga teacher spending the night in your place, there are great resources available online (Yoga Zone on Hulu, MyYogaOnline, and Yoga Vermont on YouTube). 

If we actually get any more snow, how will you pass the time?

New Years' Resolutions: Yeah Rights and For Serious

Tis the season of self awareness... well, no. We have a season of giving, then we have some time for self reflection and introspection. Perhaps this is another tradition that's gotten away from us (like the holiday season). But after all the holiday mayhem, there are a few days to reset yourself and think about what you want to do differently in the coming year.

Yeah Rights
The other day, I shared a few "yeah right" resolutions on Twitter. And a couple of the regular twitter-verse chimed in too. Most everyone joked about cutting out coffee--in fact, the idea of giving up coffee prompted the "yeah right" resolution discussion.

In a post called 10 Reasons Not To Make New Year's Resolution This Year, Jeffrey Strain of the Saving Advice blog wrote a post blasting the whole tradition of creating New Years resolutions. One of his major critiques is that people make resolutions like they're writing down a wish list--resolutions should be attainable goals. And when you decide on a goal for yourself, you should start immediately.

For Serious
So today is the day. What resolutions, err, goals do I have for the coming year?

Here's the short list:

• Eat healthy. To me, diet is another four-letter word. So I normally ignore it. This year, I want to focus on eating healthy.
• Substitute tea for my morning coffee.
  
• Post often. I decided to participate in blog365. That's the goal--let's see if I can do it.
  
• Start saving. I've been out of college for a few months now and it's time to start putting some mullah away.
  
• I've chosen a small amount I can squirrel away each month in a high interest savings account. Every month.
  

Is there something you really want to do this year? One major thing you want to change? Please share in the comments.