Monthly Musings

Hello and happy Thursday !

My kids and I are chugging along on this five day school week. It’s been a major reality adjustment.

I’m linking up with Patty and Holly for the first Monthly Musings of 2025.

This month’s topic is…winter self-care.

1. What do you do to stay warm in winter?

Stay inside! haha

Truly, thankfully, if it is really cold, I don’t usually have to go anywhere. I never wear socks in the house, but if I’m cold, I will wear some fuzzy socks.

Even with our really cold temps last week, we never turned on our fireplace, but we usually do.

Of course, I’ll dress in layers. As soon as I get home from school, I put on a cozy sweatshirt.

A cozy blanket is a great way to stay warm too.

2. Favorite wintertime activity?

Staying inside! (again, haha)

We seem to have more downtime in January and February which means I get more time to catch up on my shows or watch movies.

I always love having a bit more time to read.

3. Any different beauty routines in the winter?

During the winter, I tend to have very dry skin which means I get out any of my favorite body butters.

Right now, I’m using the candy cane one from Trader Joe’s.

I always use lotion after a shower or for dry skin, but when my skin feels dry and itchy, body butter is the best way for me to combat that.

4. Skating, sledding or skiing?

I think I’ve been skiing once, and it was in high school. Growing up, we’d ice skate occasionally at Crown Center. Sledding is fun, but now that the kids are older, they do that on their own.

For years, we’d go tubing with friends at a place outside of Cincinnati, and that was always really fun!

5. Favorite winter recipes?

Chili and soups are my favorite recipes to make. Pasta recipes are cozy, but I will make pasta dishes all year, but I don’t make chili or soups outside of fall and winter.

Beef chili, Chicken chili, Bev’s soup, Turkey Rice soup, Sausage Tortellini soup

6. Favorite winter hot beverage?

There’s nothing better than a hot cup of coffee on a cold morning, and while I don’t usually eat breakfast, a warm breakfast, like an English muffin or waffle will hit the spot.

7. Best winter memories?

Snow days! ….and sledding down my front yard hill.

8. Coldest day that you remember?

I know we’ve had colder days in the past, but we hit negative windchill for the first time this year last week, and it was pretty cold. Homer sometimes refuses to go down the back stairs if there’s snow or ice on the stairs or the ground. Even when we clear the steps off for him, he seems to remember that there used to be snow/ice on those steps! Anyway, for a stretch of about four days, we had to take him out on a leash a few times in the front yard…and then, he decided he needed walked around the block to find the “perfect spot.” Ohh…it was cold taking him on that lap around the neighborhood for a few days.

9. How are you practicing self-care this winter?

Honestly, I’m usually in a pretty good head space in January and February. Those months, especially January, feel like one big deep breath after the hustle and bustle of December.

So having a bit of extra downtime during those months is a nice part of my self-care. I still stick with a routine of my morning “me time.” Even when we had our stretch of time off for the snow and cold temps, I made sure to make my bed, do skincare and shower, get dressed (even if it was just leggings and a sweatshirt), and even put a little bit of make up on. Even as the days ran together, it was good to keep a routine.

10. Flannel sheets…yes or no?

I like them, but we don’t have any on our bed. For Christmas, my mom got Hadley these cute penguin flannel sheets.

Hadley already loves lounging in her bed. Now, she’s extra cozy. That’s a blessing and a curse!

As much as I love all the months, and I certainly appreciate a snow day, mentally, it does end up taking a toll on us, and we are better when we are in a routine and out of the house!

I hope you’ve taken care of yourself this winter!