I’m pretty sure we’re all about to mob together to confront BOTH Punxsutawney Phil, AND Gertie the Groundhog from the Wildlife Prairie Park with the super cold temps this week, but before you get your pitchfork and overalls (mobs are ALWAYS wearing overalls), check out this list of fun things you can do to keep warm and keep your patience until Spring decides to make it’s way to Central Illinois…

1.Have a dance party.

You know what warms you up quick? A dance party. Grab your family, grab your friends, say “Alexa, Open the Peoria’s Ninety-Two Three Skill” and jump around until you’re out of breath, sweaty, and laughing a lot, and you’ll quickly forget about the frost on the windshield of your car outside!

2.  Netflix and Warm

I mean, you have enough chill, it’s in the single digits outside… so instead, grab yourself a cozy mug of tea, wrap yourself in your favorite blanket, and watch something drama-filled on your TV. Extra points if it takes place in a warm location, so you can imagine yourself THERE instead of in Illinois

3. Baking

There’s so many amazing things about baking…. first and foremost you have something tasty to eat fresh out of the oven. It also warms up your house, so you don’t have to keep fighting with your furnace to stay warm, and did I mention the whole having something tasty to eat? Share the fun experience with a friend to also warm your heart!

4. Redecorate a room… or the whole house!

You may feel very little desire to walk outside, but the same ol’ scenery in your bedroom will drive you ABSOLUTELY crazy, so do something about it! Move your bed. Rearrange your living room. Reorganize the cupboards in your kitchen! It’ll make your space feel like you’re on vacation without having to chap your lips!

5. Have a sleepover

Remember sleepovers in Junior High? You played games to chat with spirits, you made a homemade oatmeal face mask, you watched movies, and bonded with your best friends by staying up all night talking and gossiping? Who says you can’t do that as an adult? Get a few bottles of wine, whip up some DIY face masks, get a few on demand movies, and definitely post it all to Instagram. Kick ass pajamas REQUIRED.

6. Clean Out Your Closet

You’re most likely not wearing at least 20% of what’s in your closet, so why not make room for new things? If you’re like me, and seeing some sort of organization makes you happy, reorganize your tops by color, then length, and it’ll make getting ready in the morning so much easier! Then I give you permission to order cute new things from your favorite shop direct to your door!

7. Learn a new make up look on  YouTube

YouTube has NO shortage of tutorials, so get EVERYTHING out and start playing around with a new, fiery look. It may be cold outside but that doesn’t mean you can’t look as fierce as a fire emoji…

8. Learn how to Knit or Crochet

You may feel like an old lady while doing it, but you make yourself insanely proud when you complete a hat or a scarf… or if you’re really ambitious, make yourself a cozy blanket! And NOTHING warms you up when it’s cold outside than having a lapful of yarn. Plus it’s insanely instagramable.

9. Call a friend that doesn’t live nearby

Life gets SO busy that sometimes we don’t have a lot of opportunity to keep in touch outside of social media… and social media can be an outlet for sharing only good things that happen in your life. I bet you have a long-distance friend who’d LOVE to chat with you for an hour and catch up.

10. Work Out

You don’t have to have a gym membership to work up a sweat and warm up! There are plenty of great apps that don’t cost much that’ll give you a great workout using only your body weight! A few free ones! I’m partial to the Nike Training and Nike Run Club apps, which are both free! Still not convinced? Get on YouTube and find a free workout there!

We’re almost there. I can SEE Spring on the horizon… even if it’s small and in the distance… it’s there! Stay warm, friends!