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Beat the midwinter blahs


The weather forecast for the Northeast calls for snow, snow, and then more snow. That’s not unusual for late winter here. But this is not your average winter. With COVID restrictions and the seemingly relentless snowfall, how do you deal with the winter doldrums? We did some looking around and Kettler Forlines Homes has some ideas to break the midwinter blahs.

Embrace the snow.

You can’t make it go away. So, make friends with the white stuff. Get outside and play in the snow. Make snow angels, go sledding, tubing, or snowshoeing, make snowmen, or engage in a full-out snowball fight. Try your mittened hands at snow sculpting. Take some of the chill off with a bonfire where you can toast marshmallows and make s’mores.

Get cozy and warm.

How often do the temps tempt you to snuggle up and get warm? Use these cold days to make a pot of hot cider or cocoa, or maybe homemade soup, chili, or chowder. Wrap your hands around a warm mug and throw a fluffy throw over your lap while you look at the beautiful scenery outside your window.

Binge-read.

Rather than spend hours and hours in front of the television, dive into that stack of books that is collecting dust. Get into a series and follow your favorite main character from one book to the next. Families can read out loud together, passing the book along from one person to the next. If you’re a magazine fan, take some time to go through your backlog. Tear out the articles and ideas worth keeping and recycle the rest of the issues. Slip those pages into clear sheet protectors and put them in a binder for inspiration later.

Turn your home into a 5-star cinema.

With streaming convenience, you can watch movies without a trip to the kiosk. Set up your snacks, slip into your comfortable at-home clothes, and host a weekly movie night. With these events, it’s more about the quality of snacks than the movie itself, so invest some prep time into creating inspiring treats. Lay out all the ingredients for a gourmet popcorn bar, with flavorings (cheese, ranch, nacho, cinnamon sugar), sauces (caramel, chocolate), and add-ins (nuts, M&Ms, pretzel pieces, chocolate chips). 

Take an online class.

Thanks to Zoom, you can learn just about anything you want without leaving your home. And expanding your knowledge is a real mood-booster! You can join a yoga or dance class, get started with a hobby, learn a language or skill, even take music lessons. There are online class platforms, like Udemy, Shaw Academy, and The Great Courses Plus, where you can find a staggering array of class topics.

Cook up something special.

Is there anything as inviting as the smell of something cooking in the kitchen? Whether you like to bake bread, experiment with sauces, or have a favorite culinary style, look for new recipes to try, a twist on an old favorite, or even a type of food you’ve never had, like jicama, turnips, or okra. You might find a new favorite.

Break out the board games.

If you’ve ever spent hours on end with a game of Stratego or a jigsaw puzzle, you know how much fun you can have without electronics. There are so many classic games that can be played with as few as 2 people all the way up to a crowd: Monopoly, Scrabble, Clue, Yahtzee, Risk, Connect Four, Battleship, Life, Uno, Rummikub, Pictionary, Apples to Apples, Trivial Pursuit, Mexican train dominoes, backgammon, mancala, chess, checkers, cribbage, and Chinese checkers, to name just a few. 

Have a home spa day.

When the winter blahs kick in, be extra nice to yourself with a home spa day. Start with a long soak in the tub. Be sure to surround yourself with candles and calm music. Give yourself a pedicure, starting with soaking your feet in warm soapy water. If you don’t have a foot massager, it’s a wonderful gift you’ll appreciate over and over. Put damp towels in the microwave and wrap them around your calves. And when you’ve sufficiently pampered yourself head to toe, kick back and do absolutely nothing!

The ultimate idea for beating the winter blues

If you’re not finding complete comfort in your home, maybe it’s telling you something. Time to move! Who buys a home in the winter? People who are motivated and don’t want a highly competitive market. Kettler Forlines Homes can guide you to your dream home in the DC Metro area, either in our Poolesville, MD, community, The Reserve at Brightwell Crossing, or build on your own land. And if you’re not ready to move but know that remodeling would help, talk to us about our Design, Build, Renovate services. Get the same exceptional craftsmanship and quality that we put into our award-winning homes. Start by contacting George Neill to explore your many options for better living.




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