5 great ways to Beat the Winter Blues

Winter in Philadelphia can be a mixed bag in regards to weather. Some winter’s we get almost no snow and others (this year) we get our total seasonal snowfall in one fell swoop! Being stuck inside your house while close to thirty inches of snow buries you in can make the sanest person go mad. Can’t/don’t want to go out, flipping channels and all the local stations are showing you reporters telling us it’s snowing (duh!), so not wanting my family to go insane I’ve come up with a few things that help pass the time during a storm (rain or snow) this winter.

5. Arts and crafts: My daughter is really getting into art at school, her school allows kids to pick a major (it’s so different now than when I was her age) and she chose digital design. She’s really into drawing and creating characters. My husband liked to draw as a kid and considers himself an above average doodler. Me? I’m along for the ride here. But to challenge us I bought a couple of adult coloring books (don’t think X-Rated) these books are more intricate and detailed than a traditional coloring book and challenge you artistically. I enjoyed coloring as a kid and really enjoyed these harder pictures to color, just make sure to have good colored pencils. Crayons aren’t really useful for these books.

4. Baking/cooking: I love to bake, and a tradition I started a few years ago during another snow storm was to bake bread during the storm. This is a great way to get everyone involved and have a part in making something delicious. The morning of the storm my husband made us pancakes, that afternoon we all chipped in on getting the dough prepared and later that night we all helped prepare dinner. My daughter loves to help around the kitchen, she gets all proud of herself when she chops or cuts something and has to let her father know she did it. It’s fun to have her help, it reminds me of when I was her age helping my mother in the kitchen, it’s where I learned to cook and bake and I hope these lessons stay with her like they did with me.

3. Sleep: This one is simple just stay in bed and wake up after the storm goes away. Just pull the covers up over your head and avoid the mess totally. Live in denial that it’s even happening. Pretend you’re in Florida and are soaking up the sunshine and warmth. Like my husband always preaches to me during these storms “You don’t have to shovel sunshine!”

2. Movies: One of the best ways to get away from it all. Take turns picking what you’ll be watching that way everyone gets a chance to see something they want. Make some popcorn and eat candy and just get lost in some movies. Snuggle up on the couch and just make a day of being lazy in front of your television. You could always forgo movies and binge watch a series you’ve been wanting to watch or catch up on a series you’re behind on. Either way a nice lazy day by the warm glow of the television is a great escape.

1. Video games: We love to play video games together, it’s a fun family activity that we can all partake in and just be able to enjoy our time playing. Dance games, to shooting games to action games we play them all. Some great games we were able to try out during this latest shut-in weekend were the new Nintendo games for the Nintendo 3DS Mario & Luigi Paper Jam & Yo-Kai Watch. Mario & Luigi Paper Jam combines the worlds of Mario & Luigi with the world of Paper Mario. Paper Mario is a stylized version of what you’re used to seeing with Mario. 

We grew up on 8-bit Mario and his blocky little body, with Paper Mario the characters take on a look like they’re been drawn, so it changes the whole look of the game. The game is like the old school Mario game with several twists. Mario was just a side-scrolling adventure game, Mario & Luigi Paper Jam is an adventure game with so many little side games and micro-games that the replay ability of this game is near limitless. There is fighting, puzzles, and rhythmic games featuring all the characters you know and love, this game is a wonderful way to pass the time.

Another great game is Yo-Kai Watch. Yo-Kai Watch is a hugely popular game in Japan and that means my daughter will be all over it. She’s fascinated with Japanese anime and kawaii art so anything Japanese is already a winner in her book. Yo-Kai Watch is a crazier spin on the popular Pokemon games, it’s a similar tone but with sillier spin. The Yo-Kai are ghosts that haunt the world you live in and due to special circumstances you’re the only one who can see them. 

You have to recruit the Yo-Kai to your team to have them help you defeat the bad ghosts. These collecting/fighting games can get very addictive. You want to keep finding better/stronger ghosts and you keep playing and playing and even then you’re not guaranteed to find them all. Replay value on this game is AMAZINGLY high. If you’re a Pokemon fan you’ll more than likely be a Yo-Kai fan as well.

These are just a few ways that my family and I like to spend a snow day in. With winters being so unpredictable anymore we like to have as many options as possible to keep our wits and sanity in check. And if you’re lucky enough to only see snow on television…..do you have extra space so we can move in?

If you would like to beat some winter blues with some fun new Nintendo video games be sure to check out the Nintendo Winter Warm-up sale in the Nintendo eShop on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. It's a great time to take advantage of up to 30 percent off select games.

What game would you love to get from the Nintendo E-Shop? 

Disclosure: The reviews and or opinions on this blog are my own opinions . I received games to review for this post.  No monitory compensation was received. I was not required to write a positive review. Your experience may differ. The opinions I have expressed are my own I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsement and Testimonials in Advertising .