By Meghan Olsen
Staff Writer and Mother of 2

When that first cold wind blew in November, and the first snowflakes hit the ground soon thereafter, what were you thinking about? For many, including myself, some of those thoughts were consumed with dread. Dread for all of the runny noses, stomach bugs, and earaches that being indoors seems to breed in small children. Dread for the countless times I will help stuff a leg into snowpants, a foot into a boot, or a hand into a mitten (not an easy thing to do with a toddler!).

Well, it is March and we are now nearing the end of this earache and mitten season, and I thought it might be helpful to think back on the last few months and find some of the good moments to get me through what still remains. Even as I write this I have two sick kids in bed – one with the ear, the other with the stomach – and I find that all of the runny noses and mitten struggles sort of blend together and are already becoming a bit fuzzy.

What does stand out are just some of the “magical” moments that happened this winter. I remember when my 4-year-old daughter played Mary in the church pageant; when my 1½-year-old son said “snow” for the first time; the excited smile on his face when I was about to push him down the hill on the sled for what seemed like the 50th time that day; the hours and hours my daughter and I spent making and decorating paper snowflakes while we watched the snow fall; and the cozy feeling of drinking hot chocolate (with lots of marshmallows, of course!) by the warmth of the woodstove after a fun romp in the snow.

These and many other little moments make me so grateful to have two fun-loving, inquisitive, and adventurous kids during the winter months. So grateful, that I don’t think I want them to grow up – at least not yet.

If you need help thinking of reasons to enjoy the rest of winter, just curl up with your little ones and the book Winter is the Warmest Season by Lauren Stringer. The pictures are beautiful and the text is sure to warm your world!

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