If you follow me on Instagram you know that I’m not the biggest fan of the snow and just winter in general. I was born and raised in Florida y’all. Where summer is 10 months out of the year and “winter” is pretty mild. I mean as I write this post it is ONE SINGLE DEGREE here in New Hampshire – mean while our family in Florida is enjoying a brisk morning in the mid 40’s! We even had the coldest recorded New Years Eve temperatures in 100 years here!

This is my second winter here in the North East and this year is much more extreme than last year, the temperatures are being called “brutal”, “bitter”, and my personal fave – “subarctic”. C O O L.

So all that in mind – I wanted to put together and share some FAMILY HACKS for y’all that are experiencing an extra cold winter this year, are experiencing your first real winter this year or maybe you’re traveling somewhere cold with kids for the first time and could use some tips!

#parenthacks

1. Stay stocked on those little hand warmers.- I keep them EVERYWHERE. Not kidding. You never know when those little things will come in handy.

2. Get an extra pair of Sunglasses.- With the snow acting like a giant reflector you don’t want to forget your sunglasses! Keep one pair in the car and one in your purse. The brightness can cause eye damage, headaches, and creases in that flawless foundation that you actually put on today so we don’t want to mess that up! (Am I right? haha When I take the time to put make up on I’m not about to just ruin it!) 

#kidhacks

1. Save your recycling! – Y’all are probably like “huh?” When the weather is as harsh as it is here we certainly can’t just go outside to play! And playing inside can get boring for little with short attention spans. Save some recycling like cardboard boxes, milk jugs, plastic bottles and glass jars (all rinsed out). You can make/create tons of fun and inexpensive activities with these and there is no pressure on the kids (or you) to make a “perfect” craft because it’s just recycling and it’s not like you went out and got expensive craft supplies and don’t want them wasted. Then on recycle day you can just toss them out and recollect the next week – it’s like an always changing collection of toys – without the cost and without having to go out in the cold!

Some ideas for recycle use are:

Mega Mega Blocks: Tape empty cardboard boxes closed and let your kids color/paint/decorate them. Then let them build and stack them as high as they want and knock them down (my kids fave part.)

Bowling: Using empty and rinsed out plastic bottles set them up like bowling pins and let the kids roll a ball towards them!

2. Foster your kids interests: If your kid is really into science, or animals lets say, but y’all don’t typically have a lot of time to explore those interests because of your regular day to day lives take some time on a chilly day to encourage those interests! My son is REALLY into science and loves learning about literally anything under the subject of science, on cold days where we can’t play outside all day I like to find some good Youtube videos he can watch and easy science experiments that he and I can do together. We both really love that special time together and he gets to learn new things!

#LubridermHacks

1. Bathe at Night – Bathing strips the skin of oils that keep it hydrated, bathing and heading right out into the dry Winter Weather is NOT good for your skin girl! Take your shower at night, once you’re done DON’T leave the bathroom, dry off in the steam and apply a great lotion like Lubriderm Advanced Therapy while your pores are still open. Then put on your pajamas and head to bed! The less dry air inside your house will give your skin a chance to really absorb the lotion and you’ll wake up with way more moisturized skin!

2. Apply Sunscreen EVERYDAY (yes even in winter!) – I know you’re thinking really? Sunscreen is for the beach. Well first of all no. You should be applying a moisturizer with SPF in it EVERY SINGLE DAY no matter the weather… but I digress…  So, the snow is white right? Well that means that it acts like a giant reflector when the sun comes out, and with less precipitation and smog in the air during winter time the sun rays already has less “stuff” to get through to reach your skin, then add basically a giant mirror to that, and you’ve got tons of UV rays coming for you! I like to use this Lubriderm with SPF on my face, neck and chest each day – I wash my face in the morning and this is the first thing I put on after, make up applies well over it and it’s not oily!

3. Bathe your little less! – I know some of y’all are going to go “whhhhaaaatttt? No way! Not doing it. We have a routine to stick to and we are not deviating!” – BUT hear me out! The air in Winter is way more dry than in summer, resulting in dry skin. You know what also contributes to dry skin? Water. And if your littles sensitive skin is already taking a beating from the weather, adding a daily bath with soap that strips the skin of it’s natural oils isn’t doing them any favors. Try using that time for a “wipe down bath” just wiping off dirty faces, hands and feet with a warm wash cloth instead. When you do bathe them make sure to apply a great moisturizer like Lubriderm Intense Skin Repair.

4. Get your Lubriderm at your local Walmart! 

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

Posted By: platformsandpacifiers@gmail.com · In: Beauty, Wellness