Some winter days are just too cold to go outside and play. What are some fun winter games you can play indoors?

Build a snowman inside - All you need is some construction paper and a few white paper plates. Be creative and see who can build the most realistic paper snowman. Hint: the paper plates are perfect for the round snowman.

Sock Snowmen - A simple sewing project will turn your old mismatched socks into a snowmen town. If you have stuffing or just a lot of extra mismatched socks, stuff then and sew up the bottoms. Use more old socks to cut out eyes, a nose and mouth. Extra little socks can be used as hats and scarves. It won't be long before your town fills up.

Paper Snow Flakes - Even the youngest of your kids will enjoy this project. Folding papers and making odd snips here and there will create the most unique snowflakes to hang on your window. It's true no two flakes are the same and it's true for this project too.

Horse drawn sleigh rides through the snow must be one of the most romantic gestures that can be done during the winter. Many a proposals have happened on sleigh ride. But sleigh rides are not for the young and in love. Families can enjoy the magical experience too. Covered with a warm wool blanket, drinking hot chocolate and sound of sleigh bells as you travel back in time will bring out the kids in all of us. If you don't have a lot of snow where you are many times they will have a horse drawn carriage. The cost is quite minimal, around $5.00 per person for a 1/2 hour ride. Remember to take lots of pictures as this is sure to be a family favorite memory.

If you are unsure if your town offers sleigh rides, contact the local Chamber of Commerce, or a local resort in your area. You do not need to be a member of the resort to enjoy their sleigh rides.

Our back yard is about as plain as a yard can get. No trees, no hills, just grass and dirt. However, sometimes having nothing in the way can be a lot of fun. Our recent snow fall gave us about 7 inches of fresh snow. It was a little on the wet side and made perfect snowmen. After shoveling the walks and seeing a large mound of snow, the kids and I headed to the back yard to make our own hill. We set up our next to the porch and the kids had fun sledding down in all sorts of positions.
Having your own personal sledding hill can keep you entertained for hours. I think the next time we have a big snow we will try building it in the middle of the yard and see just how big we can get it.

My kids love steamers. When my husband and I have coffee, you can be sure there are children around begging for their own version. I found that we can make a version of our own steamers that will warm up your little snowmen in no time.

Ginger Bread Steamers

Ingredients:

1 cup milk (skim, 2% or whole)
1/2 tsp. molasses
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick for garnish (optional)

Preparation:


Combine all ingredients in a microwave-safe container. Heat on high 1 to 2 minutes until milk is scalded, but not boiling.
Stir.
Beat with an immersion blender, magic bullet, or just in a regular blender for 1 to 2 minutes.
Garnish with cinnamon sticks.
Serve imm ediately.T o make a vanilla steamer omit molasses, cloves and brown sugar. Add 2 Tablespoons white sugar and 1 tea spoon vanilla extract or 1 tablespoon of vanilla syrup.

We love when the snow starts flying and we can get all the neighborhood kids out to play together. Bundled up and warm, the kids have fun sliding down the sidewalks, having snowball wars, and smiling for the camera.
While snowball fights can be random pick up games, or planned and full of strategy and scoring, we prefer to just have fun. We do not keep score, but we do have rules. If you throw a snowball, you joined the game. Unless you have special permission or are under 4. We do not throw snowballs at the face or head. Snowballs can not be soaked in water, or full of rocks, ice or anything but snow. The goal of the game is to have fun, and come inside for hot cocoa and more laughing.

We love to take pictures and let everyone see them, however the best format is using a video camera to capture real time action and be able to replay the funny parts.

Buy some bubble soap, and blow soap bubbles when it is below freezing, just to see what happens. Put some food coloring in the soap, and see what sorts of patterns you can make by popping the bubbles on a snow bank.

If you have time make your own bubble solution so you can make lots of different colors. Make sure to take a picture before it all melts away.

Bubble Solution

1 cup water
2 tablespoons light Karo syrup or 2 tablespoons glycerin
4 tablespoons dish washing liquid

Mix together and have fun!

Our family loves winter where we live. We have skiing, sledding, and ice skating all with in a few miles from our doorstep. While skiing tends to be on the more expensive side, sledding and ice skating are almost free.
Here we have a local pond that freezes over in the winter and for years they have rented ice skates for $1.00 and provided all the hot chocolate you can drink. While the pond is not as smooth as an indoor skating rink at the mall, the outdoor skating experience just can not be replicated indoors. Falling into snow banks instead of hanging for dear life on the rails, maybe that is just me, provides laughs for many. Nothing beats a red nose and a grin from ear to ear. We can easily spend several hours skating around the pond enjoying each others company and talking non stop all the way home.