Tuesday, October 28, 2008

How to keep warm in cold houses (and a giveaway)

Colds seem to be going through the blogosphere this week -- Amy is freezing at 50 degrees ouside, and Stephanie is freezing at 50 degrees inside. (I would be too!)... And, my entire family is sick with colds, so they're definitely on my mind!

So, I thought I would share my tips for staying warm in a cold house.

I'm definitely no expert on this -- we keep our house around 65 degrees (18 C), because the little ones seem to get sick so frequently if we keep it colder. However, in the past, we've lived in several drafty houses, and here's my best survival tips.

  1. eHow: Draft Dodger SnakeStop your drafts. This is almost an at-any-cost type recommendation. Roll up blankets (or sew some tubes and stuff them firmly) and stuff the edges of your windows and doors with them. Hang blankets over leaky spots. Two winters ago, before we replaced them, our kitchen doors had a constant covering of ice around them. Eating supper (or breakfast) was much more pleasant when we decided that we just wouldn't use that door and covered it with a giant wool army blanket. I've also had good (warmth-related) results with plastic over windows. But I don't like having my view obstructed. In one apartment, we bought caulk and caulked our windows shut. In the spring, we simply peeled off the caulk. If your paint is old, this probably isn't a great solution. But it really helped that winter. You can also buy styrofoam inserts for your outlets, to stop drafts coming in there. And don't forget about drafts from the basement - we hang a blanket over the stairs doorway too.


  2. Dress for the weather. Think layers. The kids and I nearly always wear 3 layers. For the underclothing layer, wear insulated underwear - I love wool underclothing. I have this long-sleeved Woolrich brand shirt that I bought at a thrift store for 12.5 cents. Make sure you wear socks too (and shoes). I also like to wear a scarf around my neck. My youngest wears hats all the time. If your clothes aren't warm enough, cuddle together under blankets to read books on the couch.


  3. Sleep warm. Pile on the blankets (you can always throw them off if you overheat during the night. Pre-heat your bed with a warm water-bottle or with a heated rice bag. Change to clean socks for sleeping (you'll be amazed at how much warmer your feet are in them). And keep your head warm. My husband always wraps a blanket around his head. I thought he was nuts until I tried wearing a hat. Wow, it really makes a huge difference! This is our first winter that we've had the kids sleep together. Four kids in one bedroom raises the temperature significantly (and not just because they're fighting). We also have a humidifier in their room that outputs a warm mist. It's toasty!


  4. Eat and drink warm. Let the kids drink hot cocoa. Here's my favorite recipe (because it's cheap for us who get free milk).
    Boiling Hot Cocoa
    Hot CocoaFor each cup:
    Heat 1 cup of milk in a saucepan on the stove top over medium heat. Stir the cocoa sludge into milk. When it's as warm as you like, add 1/2 tsp vanilla (optional) and sip to your hearts content.

    Drink lots of hot herbal tea. Instead of drinking cold water, heat it up - it'll warm your hands too!


    And don't forget to eat warm (spicy) foods. Cayenne pepper warms you up by improving your circulation -- no more freezing fingers and toes! Consider taking it as a supplement (add some garlic too) if using in food isn't appealing to you.

    Use your oven to cook. When the food is done, turn it off, but leave the oven door open to heat the kitchen a bit longer.


  5. And when it's just too cold to bear - get active! Run around inside, up and down the stairs, do jumping jacks or dance. Even better, bundle up and play outside. Come back in to a cup of hot cocoa and a new appreciation for the indoor "warmth".

And now, to help you all warm up. I've made you your very own hat. It's incredibly soft 100% wool, cut from a felted sweater. There's nothing warmer than a double-layered bomber hat, and this one is reversible too. I made it up last night in just a bit under an hour from the Betz White's pattern in Warm Fuzzies: 30 Sweet Felted Projects.

This hat is yours to win by either commenting, by subscribing to this blog, or by linking to this post (or my blog) from your blog. If you do all three, you get three entries. But in case I can't figure out how to chase you down, you should probably comment to let me know if you linked to me or subscribed. In your comment, please put your email or blog address. Blogger doesn't automatically show these to me, and if I can't contact you, you won't get your hat!

Bomber hatBomber hatBomber hatBomber hat

Comments will be closed on November 1st, and a name drawn then. You'll have until November 5th to get back to me with your mailing address, and I'll send it on out!

Keep warm! And visit here for other bloggy giveaways!

50 comments:

  1. I LOVE the hat!! That's great - I'm jealous you made it in one hour!!!

    michelle

    chellegoodson at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just subscribed to your blog!! Thanks!!

    Michelle
    chellegoodson at gmail dot com

    I posted a comment earlier, but don't see it? hmmm.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a great hat! We love the outside and this is perfect for us!

    Thank you!

    art and nature *at* juno [dot] com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'd lvoe to win this for my nephew who lives in Green Bay, WI. It's so cold there!

    efuson_2000 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great hat! I've been looking for an "Elmer Fudd" looking hat for my son! AWESOME!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for saving me such a nice spot on your blog. I love bomber hats. I hate having my ears cold. Since yours is so soft, I hope I can sleep with it.

    Thank you.
    Maybe later you can post the pattern for us all to try to make.

    Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  7. awesome! how warm and cozy!
    mavfreck16(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love love LOVE it! ty so much for the chance to win it!

    ReplyDelete
  9. That hat looks so deliciously warm! My husband needs one for his poor bald head!

    quitecontrary1977@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Cute hat! I grew up in Minnesota and we wore those kind of hats all winter!

    minnesotapeachy(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  11. that looks warm!!! :) we'd need that today! thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  12. So cute! I'm impressed with your talent!
    torijames7@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Cool hat. I love handmade things. It looks very warm. Thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  14. The worst part about winter is cold ears -- the hat is great!

    vmlay@artsci.wustl.edu

    ReplyDelete
  15. Really cute, count me in.
    thanks

    liahec@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. That looks great for playing in the snow here in Utah!

    ReplyDelete
  17. So cute!

    Thank you for the great giveaway!

    kerin0874 (at) yahoo (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wow, one hour! I would love to have this hat. It looks so warm and soft!

    ReplyDelete
  19. It's not quite cold enough here for that hat yet...but it's coming!

    melaniesands(at)yahoo(dot)ca

    ReplyDelete
  20. Subscribing as well!

    melaniesands @ yahoo . ca

    ReplyDelete
  21. cute! felting and knitting are on my to learn lists for next year.

    sarahn4639 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  22. i'm subscribing to your blog too.

    sarahn4639 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  23. wow i realy could use one thanks

    ReplyDelete
  24. Great giveaway--thanks for the chance!
    holley dot vandenberg at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  25. I subscribed to your RSS feed.
    holley dot vandenberg at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  26. I also posted about the giveaway on my blog.

    http://myshabbyliddlecorner.blogspot.com/2008/10/meijers-kmart-trips-target-deal-freebie.html

    ReplyDelete
  27. Great tips! And that hat is wonderful! Thanks for the giveaway!
    princess3sah(at)cs(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  28. Great hat! I'm sure it would come in very handy this winter!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I could've used that hat this morning- thanks for the chance to win!

    oreo89 [at] gmail [dot] com

    ReplyDelete
  30. Love the hat- I could use it!

    ReplyDelete
  31. How fantastic! Thank you for this giveaway; I hope I win :)
    eyeslikesugar (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  32. That is SEW cute! I wish I could make stuff.

    pixiemarierose(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  33. These are great tips. I have to try that hot chocolate. Love the hat!

    ReplyDelete
  34. nice tips
    KawaiiNeko2008 (at) aol (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  35. I can just see my dd in that hat...thank you for the offer

    cvdmvega@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  36. A) This hat is too cute I would absolutely love to have one!

    ReplyDelete
  37. C) I linked you on my blog

    http://www.kirbyleigh.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  38. Great hat -- I can't believe you made it so quickly! Must be talented. :)

    shaunjoy(at)juno(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  39. Thanks for a great giveaway!
    jjdragonfly [at] gmail [dot] com

    ReplyDelete
  40. Very nice!

    lilacbutterfly [at] earthlink.net

    ReplyDelete
  41. That hat is amazing! I love it.

    boldnessbe(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  42. Nice hat! I could certainly use that here to keep warm! Thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Thanks for all the tips, we have been keeping the heat down so need these!

    ReplyDelete
  44. Great hat! Thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  45. I also subscribed to your blog in my Google reader!

    ReplyDelete