Hi, this is Connie. Well winter is here this makes me think of the times when I was a kid living in Kansas. My mom would always make me bundle up in layers before I could go out to play. If we had snow on the ground, I thought it was to help protect me from my older brother’s snowballs. He could really pack them hard. We had fun making forts, snowmen, snow angels, and man the snowball fights. Of course, sometimes we got into some fights or arguments. It would be my sister and I against my two brothers. We thought they would cheat because while one was throwing snowballs the other would sneak behind and steal from our stash. Those were fun times and simple times when I look back on it now.  I also realize that mom was layering for a different reason. Even though it was helping to keep me from getting hurt, it was for warmth. The first layer is to keep your skin dry as possible. The second layer is to hang onto as much body heat as possible. Then the top layer is the shell that is supposed to protect you from wind, snow, and rain. Now I am sorry I gave my mom so much trouble about wearing so many clothes. I told her “You just don’t want me to run and have fun, it was too heavy.” She proceeded to tell me “You don’t wear it, you don’t go out.” Well, let me tell you I went right out that door and it did not stop my playing.

Mom would let us play outside for a while then she made us come inside and get warm. Sometimes she would have hot chocolate for us to drink while we played a board game. Speaking of board games, have you checked out our store Christianbook. They have some really cool board games, coffee mugs, and throw blankets. They also have children’s books if you know someone who likes to read. I loved to read books as a kid. Books were my friends. I read the Little House on the Prairie books at least 3 times. When my kids were growing up, we played Bible Trivia. We also played Clue, Monopoly, Risk, plus card games like Uno. I am sure you could find something you would like if you just went and looked at the store. They have good prices too.

You know with winter here it is a good thing to have an emergency Kit in your car that has a blanket, flashlight, jumper cables, small snow shovel, traction material like sand or kitty litter, a first aid kit, bottled water, non-perishable snacks like protein bars or something you are able to eat, warm clothes like gloves, a hat, and reflective warning devices like flares or emergency triangles, Ice scraper and snow brush, cell phone charger, Map in case the GPS fails. Try to keep your tank full of fuel in case you should get stuck, and it will take a few hours to get to you. You can run your car for 10 minutes with the heater on every hour to put some heat in the car and conserve the fuel. Move around in the car to make your blood flow and help keep warm. May you not have to use these tips. But it is always good to have a kit in your car in case you do need it.