One of my goals for this winter is to enjoy it as much as possible. I will still curse the season every time the roads are slick, but when I have the option to voluntarily go out in it, I'm going to. With the sun shining today, I just couldn't resist.....although I tried.....
I was incredibly tired around 1:00 and wanted nothing more than to take a nap. I put Wyatt down for his and then told Rylee to go pick out a long movie because I was going to take a nap. I walked past the windows and felt the warmth of the sunshine as it landed on me. I then thought about my goal of being outside more...and my hungry cat. I looked over at the super warm blanket I had planned to use for my nap, let out a sigh and went back upstairs to put some warm clothes on for my trek outdoors.
James always tells me "It's not cold out, you just aren't dressed warm enough." I hate to admit that he's right, but.....
I'm learning just how much truth there is to that statement this winter. Every time I've gone out on these super cold days, I've been dressed in layers and have not been cold. During my hike last week, I even unzipped my coat. I got sweaty shoveling the driveway another day (we have a skid-loader, but I thought shoveling would be fun....I thought WRONG!!) I will admit that I haven't braved a super windy day yet, but this 2 degree day with 10mph wind was nothing.
Here is what I wore today:
Hooded sweatshirt (no shirt underneath), fleece jacket, knee-length down coat, fleece hat, thick mittens, 1 pair socks, tall all-weather Bog boots, leggings (okay these weren't that warm, but my long coat and tall boots helped out).
The only thing that was cold was my face, which I did not have properly covered. I pulled my coat hood up and kept my head down and that helped a bit. But really, I was not cold. I didn't experience that bone-chilling feeling that I did every winter day last year and several years past. I'm sure the warm sun shining on me helped a lot too.
One mistake I did make was taking off my mittens to snap a picture. My hands were frozen and in pain after a short 5 seconds of exposure to the frigid air. It took about 20 minutes after coming inside before they finally gained feeling again and stopped hurting.
On my way back to the house after I fed the cat (she was so happy to see me), I stopped to face the sun and soak up a little vitamin D. I feel like we don't see the sun enough during the winter and I wanted to absorb as much of it as I could. I stood there for about 5 minutes and then headed back indoors to restore feeling to my hand.
I'm glad I resisted the urge to stay inside. A little sun and fresh air never hurts me!
If you hate winter as much I used to, here is my advice to make it through the season:
1. Change your attitude! It's tough, I know. But, unless you are going to move south, you are stuck with winter and you might as well make the most of it.
2. Dress warm! I have spent a pretty penny on a few cold-weather items and I would do it all over again too. Here are my go-to items:
* Knee-length down coat with a hood (I got mine on sale at the end of winter-- $90 for a coat that was normally $350).
* Carhartt Coat for getting dirty/stuck by thorns. Anything Carhartt is super durable and will last a really long time---they are also very warm as they are made for working outdoors in cold weather. They come in girly colors too if you prefer.
* Bogs all-weather boots...tall ones. You can wear these in the rain and snow and your feet will stay dry and warm. I like the tall ones for extra warmth.
http://www.bogsfootwear.com/shop/womens-winter-snow-boots
* Sorell waterproof lace boot. I didn't really NEED these since I have my Bogs, but I wanted something I could wear with jeans and leggings on a normal day...to take kids to school, run errands etc. My Bogs are a little to clunkly for every day wear. I love my Sorells because I can wear them under my jeans or expose them with leggings and they work either way. They are also very comfortable and super soft inside. I wore these on my hike through the woods and was glad to have them.
And don't forget your sunglasses of course!! Have a Happy Day!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment