surviving the winter

Maybe first I should talk about surviving Hurricane Sandy? So far it's a lot of wind and a little rain, but it's expected to get worse throughout the day and tonight. Say some prayers for us up here, will you?

Last winter was...difficult. I've never been one to be affected by the changing seasons and I actually kind of like winter and the coziness of it all. But last winter almost did me in. Really.

To my defense, there was a lot going on. A new baby. A recent move. A new stay-at-home mom status. No friends. A husband who was working a lot. A rental house that was not built for cold weather. I guess you could say that the odds were stacked against me. All of that to say, my experience with last winter - which was apparently mild by Connecticut's standards, God help us all - has me feeling a little bit nervous about the time change. All jokes aside, I really don't want to feel the way I felt last year because I was not healthy.

Yes, things are different this time. I have friends now. I'm more confident in my role as a mother. I've gotten used to being without Andrew (it still sucks, but I've gotten used to it). I have a house with working heat! It's amazing what those sorts of things can do for your mood. And when Mir, who lives in Seattle, and I were commiserating about the winter ahead she shared with me her list of things to get us through the cold and sunless months. The essentials, if you will: full spectrum lighting, Vitamin D supplements and cute boots.

Obviously.

She also talked about embracing the indoors and making the most of the time inside. And a little tip she learned in England? There is no bad weather, only inadequate clothing.

So I took all of those pearls of wisdom and came up with a plan of attack. Let's do this, winter.

First of all, accessories. A nice scarf, some cute gloves. Embrace the cold, I say!

 

+ Neutral striped scarf from Old Navy.

+ Yummy cowl from MelodyJoy1983 on Etsy. In oatmeal, in case you were wondering.

+ Aztec flip top gloves from Target. Which I may have already acquired for my winter wardrobe.

Also, the cute boots. Completely necessary. If you don't have adequate footwear, you won't go outside in the rain or snow. And it rains and snows a lot, so you'll be inside a lot. Which will make you sad. See? Necessary.

 

+ Loving these all-weather boots. I can't decide between the ones with the buttons or the buckle because they're equally adorable.

+ These Sperrys. Maybe not as versatile as the brown, but still. How fun are they? 

 

And as I think of embracing the indoors, I think of warm drinks and heavy blankets and good books. I also think of toddlers who must touch anything that's in my hands regardless of whether it's a cup of coffee, magazine or writing utensil, but let me dream! There's always nap time.

 + I figure it might be time to join the rest of my generation and finally read Harry Potter. I KNOW.

+ Speaking of jumping on bandwagons, I just added The Hunger Games to my Kindle. I don't usually get into young adult literature but enough (reputable) people have recommended this series that I think it's worth a shot.

+ I would also like to re-read Little Women because it's been a while and what a good book to get into around the holidays, yes?

Some of these things apply to hurricane survival as well. For example, I'm still in my pajamas and I plan on staying under this warm blanket with my Kindle until Jack wakes up from his nap.

I've totally got this.

What about you? How do you survive the winter?