It is hard to believe that it is Fall, let alone November, with the amazing weather we have been having. I heard its supposed to be 70 degrees on Thursday! Shorts the week before Thanksgiving! Where do we live again?!? For all of you Iowa newbies, No, this is not normal. Get ready because winter is most definitely coming. Here are some of my best tips for surviving the cold.
LAYER IT UP
Always dress in layers. The weather here tends to change every ten minutes. If you have layers on you make it easier to get warm before you go outside and shed layers when you go inside so you don't melt.
COVER UP
The wind chill out here is nasty. Make sure you have most of your skin covered. I'm talking hats, scarves, boots, the works. When the wind chill is really low, you can get frost bite in about 10 minutes, so make sure you limit your time outside then.
SANCTUARY
If you have little kids, find some indoor places to burn off energy. I recommend the Children's Museum, the indoor play place at the mall, the Play Station in Cedar Rapids, Synergy and the Gym-Nest both have open gym times, and the indoor playground at the North Liberty Community Center.
PASS THE SALT, PLEASE
Invest in a bag of salt. Iowa can get really icy, thanks to the cold and sometimes that means you are stuck chipping ice off the driveway so you can pull into the garage. Cover the ice that settles on the driveway with salt and after a few minutes it should come up easy.
DON'T FREEZE
If you have any lawn furniture or if your kids have any plastic outside toys, make sure they make it somewhere covered for the winter because the cold will ruin it all. Plastic shatters when it gets really cold. Trust me, I speak from experience. Also, make sure that your garden hoses are unhooked from the spigot and in your garage. If you leave it attached, your pipes could burst and make a big mess for you.
CLEAN IT UP
Get the leaves out of your yard before the snow comes. There is nothing nastier than when the snow melts come Spring and there are gross, slimy leaves in your yard.
Hopefully we will get a few more weeks of this great weather before the cold sets in. If this is your first Iowa Winter, buckle up and enjoy the ride. Just remember, the winter doesn't last forever and spring will eventually come!
LAYER IT UP
Always dress in layers. The weather here tends to change every ten minutes. If you have layers on you make it easier to get warm before you go outside and shed layers when you go inside so you don't melt.
COVER UP
The wind chill out here is nasty. Make sure you have most of your skin covered. I'm talking hats, scarves, boots, the works. When the wind chill is really low, you can get frost bite in about 10 minutes, so make sure you limit your time outside then.
SANCTUARY
If you have little kids, find some indoor places to burn off energy. I recommend the Children's Museum, the indoor play place at the mall, the Play Station in Cedar Rapids, Synergy and the Gym-Nest both have open gym times, and the indoor playground at the North Liberty Community Center.
PASS THE SALT, PLEASE
Invest in a bag of salt. Iowa can get really icy, thanks to the cold and sometimes that means you are stuck chipping ice off the driveway so you can pull into the garage. Cover the ice that settles on the driveway with salt and after a few minutes it should come up easy.
DON'T FREEZE
If you have any lawn furniture or if your kids have any plastic outside toys, make sure they make it somewhere covered for the winter because the cold will ruin it all. Plastic shatters when it gets really cold. Trust me, I speak from experience. Also, make sure that your garden hoses are unhooked from the spigot and in your garage. If you leave it attached, your pipes could burst and make a big mess for you.
CLEAN IT UP
Get the leaves out of your yard before the snow comes. There is nothing nastier than when the snow melts come Spring and there are gross, slimy leaves in your yard.
Hopefully we will get a few more weeks of this great weather before the cold sets in. If this is your first Iowa Winter, buckle up and enjoy the ride. Just remember, the winter doesn't last forever and spring will eventually come!
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