Life Beyond the Cozies – Surviving the Polar Vortex

It has been awhile since I’ve written a Life Beyond the Cozies post. This is where I give you a peek into what is going on in my world beyond reading cozies (but don’t worry, there has been lots of reading in my world too!)

We have had a cold and unforgiving start to 2019 weather-wise here in Iowa. I will admit the dark and cold of the polar vortex got under my skin a bit. I have three school aged children who are involved in their share of activities, as well as school, and I work and volunteer, which means we drive around town quite a bit. The snow and ice covered roads can leave anytime!

We did get out do to some winter hiking on one of the little warmer days.

My oldest had a lot of fun using my camera to do some photography while we hiked.

And we got to try bird banding! The volunteers were so nice and even showed the boys how to properly (and gently) hold the birds before you release them into the wild.

I made it a goal in 2019 to read more books of different genres. Right now I’m currently reading Refresh – a book with practical tips on how to live a life of grace and rest instead of always feeling we need to charge ahead at such a fast pace. I’m about half way through and it is full of some great reminders.

The boys have started piling into my bed with their books before bed at night and we’ve found it’s a fun time to get a few minutes of reading in all together. Everyone brings their own book. I love to see what is at the top of their pile on any given day.

So that is me. Surviving the cold by spending time outside. Weird, right? I’m crossing my fingers that Punxsutawney Phil is correct and we will have an early Spring this year!

Is it cold where you are? Do you enjoy the cold? What are you doing to survive the days?