Baby Its 'Freakin'' Cold Outside...
Well, we're in the middle of a cold snap. Heating the house is nice, but once that gas bill rolls around, I'm sure to be feeling some pain! yikes!! Well, I have a few practical ideas on how to keep yourself comfortable in your home, while keeping the gas/electric bill from skyrocketing.
1. Excerise, move your body, dance like you've got ants in your pants.
2. I block drafts from the windows, with the usual layers of blinds and curtains, but also with anything else to keep the chill from seeping through our windows. Yeah, it looks kinda crazy, and not the slightest bit HGTV, but its practical charm woos me...it hides/stores the object, while adding an extra layer to window. Right now, I have the kids gigantic fabric ice cream tent folded and propped up between the blinds and windowpane glass. The tackiness can not be seen from the inside, so it doesn't irk me in that way. And, yaknow, if you live close to another house, even with the blinds closed, the occupants of the house next to ya, CAN see into your home, with relative ease, at the right angle. That sounds, uh, paranoid, perhaps--but, lets just say I know first hand, its true. Perhaps in the future I can elaborate as to why, right now, I'm still too shy to share. (maybe too smart to share? lol)
3. Wear layers, even indoors. Its a cold snap, expect to dress warmly and not rely totally on electricity/gas to keep warm.
4. If you don't use a room or rooms, block them off. Either close the door or tack blankets and sheets from the door jam. With areas blocked off, the less heat will be needed, thus less money will be needed to live comfortably in your home.
5. Do your baking, and laundry, in the morning and let the heat from the oven, and dyer, warm your home.
6. If you have radiators, make sure the units aren't blocked. (Or any heating vents) Warming gloves and jackets on the radiators before heading outside, is yummy.
7. My kids sleep on those vinyl covered mattresses. I noticed tonight, that the mattresses are cool to the touch. Although I know their body heat will help keep them cozy under layers of blankets, sheets, and pjs, touching the vinyl, as I changed their sheets before bed time tonight, made me shiver. So, I put a thin baby blanket under my son's fitted sheet, and a large fitted sheet on top of, and tucked under, my daughter's mattress. Instantly, their beds felt more welcoming and not the slightest bit chilly.
8. And, woooweee the walls get cold to the touch. I suppose its the old-school plaster. So, my girl's stuffed animals are lined against the wall, right on her bed. This way the cold does not disturb my child's slumber because of the added "insulation". And, seriously, its not like I had to convince her, she loves as many stuffed animals and dolls in her bed as possible.
(Then again, I could pull her bed away from the wall, but she falls off enough as it is, so giving her two sides to fall from isn't appealing!)9. My son sleeps in a car bed. Having issues with being scared at night, we toss a sheet over the top of his bed and it drapes down--a makeshift canopy--with him snuggled inside. Little e feels so comforted by this, and the added bonus of a warm air environment, allows him to sleep comfortably as well.
10. Can you sleep with a stocking cap on? I can't, but for those who can, it can make a huge difference in staying warm.
11. In extreme cases, when one may be choosing between keeping your home (not foreclosing) and heating it, make brave choices. Go to a friend's home, go to a shelter, wear your winter clothes indoors. Its okay to need help, as long as you're trying, right?
In fact, I'm chilly right now. But, as I've mentioned in an earlier post, I like the cold. But, I know, Cold must be respected, too. Believe it or not, I've gotten frost nip before--not when I lived in Alaska, nope, in Va. There wasn't snow on the ground, its wasn't even as cold as it is now, but it WAS cold. I went outside to get my dog and bring her inside. I fumbled with her metal chain too long and bada-bing bada-boom, I lost feeling in a few fingertips, for a few days. And, I was kid enough to not tell my parents either, when I should have! Yeah, not my brightest moment. Anywho.
Please, take care of yourself and your loved ones and even that grumpy neighbor down the street--maybe they're just cold.
Stay warm
Melinda
p.s. completely coincidental, our furnace is groaning. one heck of a noise. hopefully, it will keep trucking along...wish me luck
Posted by Mama Bear at 1/9/2010 10:15 PM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: use the heater if brad pitt is no where near frostnip lower heating bills winter health
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: use the heater if brad pitt is no where near frostnip lower heating bills winter health
I was thinking of a stocking cap myself just a few hours ago......and how nice it must be to be one of our pets, whose coat gets thicker/thinner as to the weather need, w/o much thought by them. Not that I want to be them, but sometimes fur instead of skin sounds sooo good and, oh yeah, warm.
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so, wear a cat on your head? lol
i try to observe Gibson's coat, trying "use" as a indicator, like a furry weatherman? lol
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Robert has several jackets with hoods. He wears one to bed with the hood up and says it really helps to keep him a lot warmer at night.
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zipper jackets? or pull over kinda things? i can almost "picture" it...
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it's so funny to me that we've become kinda wimpy. alaska was SO very cold, and i know i've been THAT cold and worse since leaving there, but i just can't take it like i used to! i wear as much as i can to sleep in AND i pull the covers over my head, leaving a little space for me to breath fresh air (not my own hot air). i put lotion on my hands and wear light cotton gloves at night. sometimes i put on socks. sometimes i pray for another hot flash.
we've even resorted to wearing long underwear! and liking it!
alas, this too shall pass, hopefully with great memories of cuddly quilts and hot chocolate.
i really feel sorry for the little doggies feet! even though it's funny to see them try to balance, i can't imagine why they poke around instead of getting right to their business!
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wimpy, wimpy, wimpy--hefty, hefty hefty!! (ahh..marketing at its best)
oh good point, little e, snuggles under the covers, under his 'canopy', but he does leave a space for fresh air to hit his face. but he is snuggles with the warmth underneath. did you follow that? i'm not sure if I folloewed that!
'pray for a hot flash"?! thats one of the funniest things i've ever read! rofl!
yeah, poor little pups!! that instinct to sniff and search was be super strong!
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