Is Everyone Staying Warm?

[TNShannon]

It's cold outside! With another serious cold front coming down the pike for the U.S., the deep freeze is on. I thought it was the perfect time to share tips on how you're keeping warm this winter. Here are a few things that work for us:

When it gets really cold, we make a game of staying warm. I let the kids pull the mattresses from their beds and lay them on the living room floor. They get to watch television from the comfort of their "campout." I close their bedroom doors to hold the heat in the living room, and put the heaters in there. By the time bedtime rolls around, that room is toasty warm, and so are the kids.

If you have a really drafty window but can't afford plastic to put over it, try using a thick blanket or quilt. It will hold out the drafts and help keep your warm air inside.

Dress in layers, even when you're in the house. Wear two of everything. If you have bathrobes, wear those over your clothes, too. The more layers you wear, the warmer you will be.

Give the kids something warm to drink. Hot cocoa is good, but spiced apple juice is good, too. Warm it on the stove with a cinnamon stick dropped in the liquid. If your kids are picky, just warm up the apple juice and don't put anything else in it. Drinking something warm will make your whole body feel warmer.

What do you do to stay warm when the cold weather hits? Any tips are appreciated!

[angie1976]

In my house, my son, dogs and I all snuggle up on the couch with an electric blanket. Then we watch either TV or movies and make a night of it, when it is really cold and nasty out.

We usually turn the furnace down to about 65 degrees to save money on heating, and then use space heaters in the room that we are in. This really saves us heating the whole house. I have also put both my gas and electric bills on level payment, so I am not shocked with a really high bill during the super cold months. Since I have been doing this, it has really made my energy bills much more manageable.

[TNShannon]

My mother used to have one of those big gas stoves with the vents on top. When it was really cold, we would each take turns getting the hottest shower we could stand, and in the meantime, she would heat out pajamas and towels on the vents of the stove. When we got out of the shower, the warm towel was heavenly, and the pajamas were nice and warm. We crawled into bed immediately and stayed warm all night long.

I wish I had a big stove like that and could do the same thing for my kids. There was something so special about those warm pajamas...they warmed the heart, too.