Let’s Hibernate

It’s that time of year.  The time of year when I just want to sink deep down inside my cocoon.  Surround myself with warmth and cozy-ness.  It’s the time of year when every inch of me just wants to hibernate.

I’m trying hard to fight it this year.  I’ve been planning outings and activities and trying to keep myself from shrinking within the confines of my home for the next three months.  If I don’t force myself outside of my cave, I find that when the spring finally rolls around, I almost resent it.  I enjoy these quiet, cozy winter months more than the average bear.  I like the slower pace.  I like the extra “me time”. 

So yes, I have been making myself get out of the house.  But still, I relish the thought of hunkering down for a few days and just… hibernating.  And if the long-range weather report is to be believed, it looks like I’m going to have a nice little snow storm to hunker down in coming up on Monday.

That delights me.  Way more than it should.

So if Monday does indeed turn into a “snow day”, what would I like to be doing?

• For one thing, I wouldn’t be rushing to get out of bed.  I hate waking to an alarm, but usually I keep it set, even on my days off, so that I don’t get used to lazing around in bed.  Makes it easier to get up on the days that I DO have to.  I might just cancel that alarm for Monday, though…
• Having an extra cup of coffee.  “One cup a day” is my rule, except for Sundays (I have one before church, and one after when we go out for brunch).  I will for-go that rule on a snow day, though.

• Watching Retro Toons!  Not for long, but the kid at heart inside of me still enjoys starting off the morning with some cartoons.  I love the Teletoon Retro channel, because it allows me to watch many of the ones I grew up loving.

• I’m not a “stay in the jammies all day” kind of girl.  Never have been, never will be.  So by mid-morning at the latest, I’ll be ready to get showered and dressed.  However, I can guarantee that I’ll be dressing cozy!  Leggings or yoga pants, oversized comfy sweater, fuzzy socks… perfect lounging attire!
• I’ll be eating comfort food.  When I was a kid, my absolute favourite lunch was macaroni, tomato soup, and cheez whiz.  I don’t make it very often anymore, but for some reason, I do associate it with cold and snow.  I might just whip some up for lunch on Monday! (don’t worry, I’ll make sure I have my Shakeology for breakfast!)
• Working on a puzzle.  It’s become one of my favourite winter pastimes in recent years.  I love to start a puzzle after Christmas, then leisurely work on it during the winter months.  The one I started this year hasn’t gotten very far, but I look forward to having downtime to work on it.

• Putting on a pot of soup or chili or pasta sauce… I haven’t quite decided which yet, but I’ll be picking up groceries tomorrow and that will dictate which I end up making.  There’s just something about being holed up inside while the snow falls, and having the delicious smell of something simmering on the stove… it totally adds to the atmosphere.

• Watching movies.  For whatever reason, this is the time of year that I yearn to watch “old school movies”.  And I have a list of favourites that I could potentially watch.  #1 on my list, though, is Three Men and a Baby, which is new to my collection and I can’t wait to watch it.  It’s been a long time!

• Making popcorn and hot chocolate.  They just go hand-in-hand with a cozy day inside watching movies.

• Oh, I can’t just spend a whole day bumming around, can I?  I’ll do laundry.  Monday is always laundry day.  Come hell or high water.  Or snow.
• Maybe bake something? I’m trying to get my ass back on track (pretty unsuccessfully so far, though), so this might be one thing that I don’t do, but it is the time of year when I want to make bread or muffins or cookies.  We’ll see… Maybe I can finally teach myself to keep a few for myself and give the rest away. (ha!  yeah right!)
• Reading.  I’m on a literary mission, and that is to finish The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.  I started reading it over a year ago, after enjoying the first two novels in the trilogy, but just couldn’t seem to get into this one.  I ended up abandoning it about half-way through, but I very rarely walk away from a book, even if I’m not liking it.  I feel like I have to get through it.  And I have promised myself that I’m not picking up another book until I finish this one, at long last.

• Staring out the window.  It’s no secret that I love snow.  So if the white flakes are falling, you’ll find me peering through the blinds at any given time, mesmerized by their beauty and soaking up a winter wonderland scene.

I’m an expert hibernator. I can’t wait!  Let it SNOW!!!