Syracuse Parent and CNY Family

Jennifer Wing, editor of "Syracuse Parent" and "Mother Knows Best," lives in Manlius with her husband, Eric, and children, Cassidy, 7, and Jacob, 5. She has worked at Eagle Newspapers since 2005. You can leave comments below. She may also be reached at editor@syracuseparent.net

Now that the holidays are out of the way…
Posted on Wed, January 6th, 2010
Written by: Jennifer Wing, Editor
email: editor@syracuseparent.net

Now that the holidays are out of the way…
January and February are, by far, my least favorite months of the year. They tend to be gray, gloomy and cold, with little respite. There are no major holidays (except Valentine’s Day) to lighten the mood, and spring seems so far away.
This year, I am going to try to change my outlook on these months, however.
I’ve never been one to embrace winter; it has always been more of a burden, something to get through, almost a punishment whose reward for getting through is spring and warmer temperatures. So I don’t think that traipsing around the neighborhood like a winter fairy, extolling the virtues and beauty of a crisp winter day is in the cards for me.
So where does that leave me? Finding indoor fun to help get through, and this goal is actually easier to accomplish because I have my two children to help. Some ideas that occur to me right off the bat are:
1. Spending more time at the YMCA. It is such a great facility and, I am sad to say, I have not been very good about going to exercise or signing up for the many free programs they offer. Not only can I take a yoga class, but I can bring the kids to the kiddie pool for some fun, swimming in the middle of winter!
2. Renewing our family membership to the MOST. The kids love the activities and we all love the IMAX movies. This membership is actually a steal at $69 for a family, with an additional $15 per person for an IMAX passport, which grants admission to all IMAX movies for the entire year!
3. Visiting the zoo. We have been longtime members at the Rosamund Gifford Zoo and, believe it or not, prefer to go to the zoo during the winter months. It’s much less crowded and the animals are typically very active. Even though this includes bundling up to go visit the tigers and penguins, I will grudgingly allow that some time outside during the winter months won’t kill me.
4. Game/movie nights with the kids. We made sure to include some family-friendly games among the gifts under the tree this year and the kids are at a great age for board and card games. Our family also has similar taste in movies, and there’s nothing like snuggling up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn while enjoying a favorite flick. (Again, we’ve managed to put some new DVDs under the tree as well.)
These are just a few of the activities I hope will make my least favorite months more fun, speeding me along to spring and eventually summer, my favorite, all-too-brief season of the year.

Jennifer Wing, editor of "Syracuse Parent" and "Mother Knows Best," lives in Manlius with her husband, Eric, and children, Cassidy, 7, and Jacob, 5. She has worked at Eagle Newspapers since 2005.