Winter Snuggles
Here’s how it happened. As I was making my visuals for the 10 Reasons It’s Great to Be a Homeschool Mom in the Wintertime webinar last Thursday, I hurried into the library where Ray was working, laid my camera on the back of the loveseat across from this one, set the camera for self-timer, told him I needed a snuggle photo for the webinar, hit the button, ran over to the couch, and snuggled beside him. This is the result:
As you can see, neither of us minded the assignment.
I’m sure I could have found a snuggle picture somewhere, but, if you knew the disarray of my digital photos, you would understand why it was quicker to take a new one. I want to organize them, really I do. I like organization and lots of our stuff is very organized — other things, not so much. Digital photos — abysmal.
Well, all that said, let’s talk about snuggle time. The opportunity to snuggle with your kids goes by really fast — as fast as lightning or a cheetah or a Peregrine falcon (I read they are really fast) or a sailfish (they’re fast, too). Don’t miss it. And don’t miss snuggle time with your hubby either. You know that wonderful melting feeling you feel during a hug from a good friend or your hubby or your mother or your daddy or your child or grandchild? It makes your hugging partner feel that way, too! What a gift — and it’s free!
In the webinar last Thursday, I recommended these books as sweet winter snuggle reads with your children:
- Snowflake Bentley, a picture book by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
- Katy and the Big Snow, a picture book by Virginia Lee Burton
- All of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House Books — You know I love these. All have at least one great winter chapter and, of course, winter is the main theme of The Long Winter.
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis — I know it’s controversial for some people and I don’t agree with every bit of Lewis’ theology. Still, the Narnia books have been huge blessings in the lives of each member of my family.
- I didn’t think about this book for the webinar last week, but another powerful winter story is Treasures in the Snow by Patricia St. John. I hope you can find an old version. Sadly, the modern edition of this book is abridged. The movie is powerful, too.
One of the many, many benefits of mamas teaching at home and children learning at home is that there is more snuggle time, and what better time to do that than in the winter.
“While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
And cold and heat,
And summer and winter,
And day and night
Shall not cease.”
Genesis 8:22
Just think — you’ve got something to look forward to next winter, too.
For the last couple of days, I have been expanding on some of the thoughts I shared in the 10 Reasons It’s Great to Be a Homeschool Mom in the Wintertime webinar last week. If you missed the webinar (which lasted about 30 minutes), you can watch it here.
10 Reasons It’s Great to Be a Homeschool Mom in the Wintertime