The days of doom and gloom have begun, snow that doesn’t seem to stop, cold that chills you to the bone and a yearning for sunshine on days where you start your day in the dark and eat supper by artificial light. Personally fall is my favourite time of year; I love the cooler weather sitting on the porch watching the birds fly South, the beautiful colours of the changing trees and our silly dog, Pork Chop, friskily playing on the acreage but fall is far too short. Winter quickly rolls in and although it takes a little adjustment, we find the beauty in the closeness of our big family.

Last year our winter was horrendous; I enjoyed it, don’t get me wrong, but it hung on forever. I love the beauty winter brings; if you’ve ever seen hoarfrost on a crisp still morning or snow stormed in watching big fluffy snow flakes fall while you snuggle by the fire, you know what I’m talking about. Winter isn’t just about days hunkered down; some of the best are enjoying a perfect sunny day tobogganing down the hill or skating on the dugout in the perfect temperature. No matter the activity, winter brings the closeness of family. Some of my favourites are spending extra long mornings snuggled in bed on a snowy weekend morning or when makeovers and silly play suddenly becomes more fun than the world of tweens and electronics, whatever it is, our family continues to find ways to build on that closeness.

How do you enjoy the colder days with family?

Sometimes snuggling by the tv with popcorn and beverages is just what the family ordered. One of our Baby Girls favourites is Sofia the First on Disney Junior. What I love about Disney Junior is that in every episode you know your LO is learning something good, ways to share, ways to be thankful; ways to use words to communicate but sometimes it’s hard and there are struggles. My little princess recently had a little lesson in patience. Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was the long lineups or maybe a combination of both but when we were at the Animal Kingdom, this little Princess recognized when she’d had enough patience and put herself in a time-out. I was proud. Even as adults we recognize when we have had enough and need time to calm ourselves quietly; for her to recognize that she needed some time was a milestone in her development.