Posts Tagged winter

Mid-Winter Home Organizing Projects (Indoors, Where It’s Warm!)

It’s cold, it’s wet, and it’s oh-so-very cozy inside your warm and inviting home! This doesn’t mean there’s nothing productive to do. Mid-winter is an excellent time to tackle a few indoor home organizing projects, before the sun starts making a regular appearance and you’ll want to be outdoors. We’ve got some ideas for this—some will take only an hour or two, while a few could take a day or a weekend.

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Turning Your Home Into a Self-Care Sanctuary

Self-care is so important right now. It’s only mid-January and for Pacific Northwesterners, we know that means a few more months of cold, wet greydom. Understandably, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is much more common in our hemisphere. Where can you get self-care if your budget is limited or you aren’t feeling ready to go to the gym or spa, or to travel? The answer is closer than you think: Home. This infographic has 15 easy ways to turn your home into a self-care sanctuary. Print it out and let it to inspire you to create a home that is conducive to self-care.

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Easy Tips to Keep Your Entryway Dry and Tidy During This Wet Winter

Your entry need not look like a post-deluge mess! These quick and easy tips will keep your entryway dry and tidy:

  • Mats on both sides of the door to help floors stay dry and mud-free
  • Boot trays to keep those galoshes from cluttering up and dirtying the entry
  • Small racks or hooks for keys, umbrellas, and hats
  • Heavy-duty racks or hooks for wet coats and backpacks
  • Cubbies, bins, or baskets for books, lunch bags, sports equipment, mail
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New Holiday Traditions To Try

Looking to start a new holiday tradition? Here are a few ideas:

Get Hygge With It. Practice the Scandinavian hygge (pronounced hue-gah) tradition and cozify yourself at home with candles, a fire and warm blanket, a good book, and hot cocoa.

Adopt a Family. Seattle’s Child magazine lists several local organizations that serve families in need during the holidays.

Go Global. Pick a different country each year and try one or more of their Christmas or Hanukkah cultural traditions, foods, and music.

Honor Loved Ones. Remember a special person no longer with you by making their favorite recipe or dining at their favorite restaurant.

Create a Video Holiday Card. Didn’t get around to ordering cards? Create a fun, short video card and send this to family and friends! Bonus if singing is involved.

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Winter Driving: Preparing Yourself for the Cold Weather

Winter is a difficult time of year in a number of northern areas in the world, as freezing temperatures cause a variety of problems in occupants’ daily lives. Weather conditions such as freezing rain, sleet, and snow can be especially dangerous and threaten your safety when driving.

Roughly 76,000 people experience a car accident in the snow every year. This statistic underscores the need for safety precautions in order to keep you and your family protected from these risks. Beyond knowing what to do after a car accident, there are several ways to prepare for unexpected weather conditions. Here are some tips to have your car ready to go no matter the situation.

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Get Ready for A Stress-Free Holiday Season

Get Ready for a stress-free holiday season
Let’s face it, it’s hard to get ready for the next week, much less for the next season! You are super busy with life, children, jobs, family. Life is pretty hectic as it is. But the last thing you need this fall is extra stress because your furnace suddenly stops working or because tree branches damaged your roof. What you do want is calm. You’d like time to spend with your family. It would be nice to entertain your friends and family in your home this winter.  It would also be nice to have gorgeous photos of your family and cute holiday cards printed and ready to go before Thanksgiving. Yea, not going to happen you say?

This mythical holiday bliss is possible! You just need to get started now.

Get Ready for the Holidays

• Schedule family photos. Now. Photographers are booking up.
• Arrange holiday travel plans. Buy your plane tickets and reserve your hotel and rental car.
• Update your address list for holiday greeting cards. Order holiday greeting cards.
• Begin a gift list. To keep track of what you have already purchased and what you still need try a list app such as Wunderlist or Todoist. Share the gift list with relatives.
• Consider “experience gifts” or gifts that do not create clutter. Downsize toys before the new ones arrive at Christmas.

Get Ready for Winter Sports

• Inventory winter clothes such as gloves, ski jackets, helmets and pants and make note of what you will need to purchase for winter.
• Inventory ski/snowboarding equipment and see what needs to be replaced. Sell or donate old equipment.
• If you plan to ski this season, but don’t own gear, arrange gear rental for the season.
• If you buy season passes, take advantage of early purchase discounts.
• Downsize and put away summer sports equipment.

Get your Home Ready for Winter

• Change smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector batteries.
• If you own a generator, start it up and make sure you have fuel on hand.
• Schedule car maintenance. Replace windshield wipers.
• Schedule a chimney sweep to maintain your wood burning fireplace.
• Drain water spigots and cover them for the winter to prevent pipes bursting.
• Clean or replace furnace filters and schedule furnace/water heater maintenance.
• Cover or put away deck and patio furniture.
• Clean your grill and (if you don’t grill year-round) store it grill in your shed or garage.
• Schedule gutter and window cleaning.
• Schedule a tree service to remove any overhanging tree branches that could damage your home in a storm.

Take Care of YOU

• Say “NO” if your calendar is becoming overwhelming. Too many obligations can take away from the joy of the season.
• Book a facial or massage for early December. Self-care reduces stress.

 

Print out this list in checklist format here .
 
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