Guest Post: 20 Genius Ways to Stay Warm This Winter!

20 Truly Genius Ways to Stay Warm This Winter

Author: Amber Brubaker

Disclosure: I am not the author of this post, this is a guest post in which I am sharing with my readers. The photos in this article are not mine. 

Staying warm in the winter is never easy, and there are only so many layers you can throw on. That’s why we've put together this list of truly genius, and sometimes fun, ways to stay warm.

1. Eat

When you eat, your metabolism begins working, which in turn warms up your body from the inside. Eat foods high in protein and carbs for best results. Now you have a good excuse to have a snack!

2. Sneaky Underlayer

Instead of throwing on layer after layer over your clothes, wear tight fitting clothing underneath them. You can get thermal underwear or spandex for a snug fit. No one will even know.

3. Insulate Your Boots

You can buy insulated boots, but they don’t always look very attractive. Instead, insulate your boots by wearing two pairs of fuzzy, high socks. That way your feet can stay warm and attractive.

4. Layer Up

If you don’t mind looking a little like a marshmallow, throw on the layers. Western style clothing is particularly warm, and this article points out some great western, winter must-haves that you can use for your layering.

5. Wear a Hat

The most common place for heat to escape from your body is through your head. Trap that heat where it belongs with a warm hat.

6. Unblock Air Vents

Sometimes warm air has a hard time permeating your home because you have furniture or other objects in front of your air vents. Move those things aside and let the warm air in!

7. Block Drafts with a Pool Noodle

The inside of your house shouldn’t be cold, but cold air often leaks through underneath the door. If this happens to you, slice open a pool noodle and use it to block the unwanted air.

8. Bake Away

If your oven is on, it will warm up your house. Also, if you’re baking, you’re moving around, which will also warm you up.

9. Put Hand Warmers in Your Pockets

Use some disposable hand warmers to your greatest advantage! Put some in your coat pockets and pants pockets (both front and back!) to keep you warm when you’re outside.

10. Drink Something Warm

There’s a reason hot chicken soup is the recommended remedy for a cold. It warms you to the core! Drink or eat something warm any time you need to raise your core temperature.

11. Monitor Doors

If you want your heating system to warm up your whole house, open all the interior doors so that the heat can flow freely. If you want the heat to accumulate in just one room, close all the other interior doors.

12. Make a Rice Warmer

Fill a sock with rice and tie off the top. You can use it for a heat pack to wrap around your feet, neck, stomach—any part of your body that you want to keep warm. On the flip side, it also makes a great ice pack if you sprain your ankle from slipping on ice.

13. Get Heavy Curtains

Your flimsy, sheer curtains aren’t doing anything to help keep your home warm. Get heavy curtains to prevent cold air leaking into your home. Open them on sunny days for some free warmth.

14. Throw Clothes in the Dryer

If you’re really freezing, throw your clothes in the dryer before putting them on. It’s the perfect way to warm up quickly!

15. Acclimate

The more time you spend in the cold, the more you’ll get used to it. Spend some time each day outdoors, where you can experience the cold and slowly get used to it.  

16. Skip the Alcohol

Alcohol is not only bad for your health, but it also makes you colder. It may make you feel warmer temporarily, but it actually decreases your body’s ability to fight the cold.  Skip it on the really cold days.

17. Use Rugs

You might be cold because your floors are cold. Use rugs to insulate your floors and protect your poor feet.

18. Wear Socks

Have you ever noticed that when your feet are cold, you’re cold? Fix it by putting on socks. The thicker and fuzzier the better. If you’re already wearing socks, but your feet are still cold, put on new socks. You’ll be surprised how much difference it makes.

19. Cuddle

Grab your significant other (or a close friend) and cuddle up!  Share your body heat as you watch your favorite movie.   

20. Snuggie

You might have seen Snuggies on infomercials and dismissed them, but they really work! They’re especially great if you need to use your hands for working or reading.

There you have it! 20 ways you may not have thought of to keep you warm.  

Cozywoggle Car Seat SAFE Jacket ($75ARV) Giveaway! US 12/27

Welcome to the Cozywoggle Giveaway!

Sponsored By: Cozywoggle

Hosted By: Mami's 3 Little Monkeys

Cheryln Jenkins created CJ's Kids, LLC. Cherlyn is a mom and entrepreneur who has also been a special education teacher and behavior specialist for 20 years. After learning young children should not be placed in a car seat while wearing their coats, she had a newborn and a toddler. Determined to find a way to keep her children warm as well as keeping them safe, she invented the Cozywoggle. She could not fathom juggling extra coats or blankets to keep her children warm and she was unable to find a safe solution. 

The Cozywoggle is the only product on the market that looks and acts like a coat, but that can also be worn safely while in a car seat. She felt this product should be available to all parents so she started CJ's Kids, LLC in 2012. CJ's Kids, LLC is in Alexandria, VA where Cherlyn tries to balance the non-stop excitement of work as well as family responsibilities.

Wondering why you really should not place your child in a 5 point harness with anything bulkier then a thin fleece sweatshirt? CJ's Kids, LLC has explained it very well here.

 

Cozywoggle is the car seat safe coat that has been crash-tested. It is available in four different colors; Navy blue, red, pink and purple and comes in sizes from 12 months through child's size 6. 

You can read Mami's 3 Little Monkeys review here. 

One lucky reader will win their own Cozywoggle coat in their choice of color and size. This giveaway is open to US residents whom are at least 18 years of age at time of entrance and will end on December 27th at 11:59pm CST. For your chance to win, simply complete entries in the Giveaway Tools form below, you may complete one, two or all of them. It is your choice, but remember the more you complete the better your odds of winning will be. One winner will be chosen at random, winning entry will be verified and winner will be notified via email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to this email or a new winner will be chosen. Good Luck! 

Entry-Form

Disclosure: Mami's 3Little Monkeys is not responsible for the fulfillment of the prize. I received the above product in exchange for my honest review. If you would like to see your product in a similar event or if you have any questions, please contact Sarh at mamis3littlemonkeys@yahoo.com.

Cozywoggle Car Seat Safe Coat Review

Cheryln Jenkins created CJ's Kids, LLC. Cherlyn is a mom and entrepreneur who has also been a special education teacher and behavior specialist for 20 years. After learning young children should not be placed in a car seat while wearing their coats, she had a newborn and a toddler. Determined to find a way to keep her children warm as well as keeping them safe, she invented the Cozywoggle. She could not fathom juggling extra coats or blankets to keep her children warm and she was unable to find a safe solution. 

The Cozywoggle is the only product on the market that looks and acts like a coat, but that can also be worn safely while in a car seat. She felt this product should be available to all parents so she started CJ's Kids, LLC in 2012. CJ's Kids, LLC is in Alexandria, VA where Cherlyn tries to balance the non-stop excitement of work as well as family responsibilities.

Wondering why you really should not place your child in a 5 point harness with anything bulkier then a thin fleece sweatshirt? CJ's Kids, LLC has explained it very well here.

Cozywoggle 

The Cozywoggle ($75ARV) is a car seat SAFE coat that is crash-tested to be safe with any 5 point harness car seat, whether forward-facing or rear-facing. This awesome all-in-one solution comes in five different colors for little girls and little boys as well as sizes 12 months through child size 6!

The Cozywoggle is not just a coat with a zipper up each side, this coat is truly designed with children in mind! As you can see in the above photos, the sleeves fully unzip for ultimate comfort based on your child's preference. Both sleeves have a velcro strap that covers the zipper so it does not poke your child and make any car ride uncomfortable. The hood is easily detachable, both Ezio and Cade love having their hoods up, but I know there are many children who become annoyed by them. The detachable hood is also nice because if it causes to much bulk behind your child's head you can simply remove it by unzipping it. the body of the coat is fleece lined for ultimate warmth and comfort for your child and last, but not least the neat little fabric flap at the top of the main body zipper, this helps to prevent your child's chin from being pinched when you or your child zips the coat up as well as preventing the zipper pull from poking your child in the chin. This is the only coat with this little flap at the top that we have and I love it!! Sometimes when one of the boys is wearing their jacket the zipper pull flips up and pokes their little chins, which seems pretty painful. 

Ezio is fully buckled into his 5 point harness car seat and is seated rear-facing. He will be 2 years old on the 20th of December and while it is recommended to rear-face for at least 2 years, you can and should continue doing so beyond 2 years of age. Rear-facing is the safest possibly was for anyone to sit in a vehicle. Cade is 3 1/2 years old and also still rear-facing. While Cade's feet do reach the back of the seat and some do fear broken legs in the event of an accident, there is not a SINGLE reported case of broken leg(s) in a car accident from a child rear-facing and having their legs on the back of the seat. Besides, I MUCH rather run the "risk", which there isn't one, of him breaking a leg rather then him potentially being ejected from his car seat or the vehicle or even internal decapitation, which all can and DOES happen to child who are forward facing. Why go with the minimum, which by law is 1 years of age AND 20 pounds? Why not exceed that for your child's safety? I am very passionate about car seat safety and for the right reason, to keep my babies safe and ALIVE! They only have one chance at life. 

 

As you can tell NONE of the coat is under the straps of his car seat. This is the key! The zippers on the sides of the coat/along the sleeves allows you to place your child in the car seat, buckle them in securely without having to loosen straps for bulky winter wear and then you place the Cozywoggle over them. They can wear it with their arms in the sleeves as Ezio is in the above photo or they can keep their arms out of the sleeves, it is really just a preference of your child's. As I'm sure you've noticed (to the left of Ezio) we have lots of blankets in the car. Up until about 3 weeks ago the heat in our car didn't work and I refuse to put a coat on my children under their car seat straps so those blankets as well as warm, long sleeve shirts or very thin long sleeve fleece sweaters were their warmth when it first started becoming cold. The Cozywoggle, keeps both Cade and Ezio (of course only one at a time) very nice and warm. They are both very comfortable wearing this coat and if you look at the photo below you will see just how much Ezio loves it. 

 We got in the house and he was so excited to have the coat on fully. Even after we took it off it continued to bring it to me for me to put it on him. He has drug this coat around with him ever since we received it and anytime daddy or I say that we are going somewhere he immediately runs for this coat! I got a 4T so that Cade could wear this since Ezio has more warmer sweatshirts then Cade does, but as you can tell Ezio has claimed it. Which is fine by me. Ezio usually wears an 18-24 months size, with this coat being big on him it covers his legs in the car seat as well as his arms and chest. 

The Cozywoggle is definitely a product I do and will continue to recommend to not only family and friends, but of course all of my wonderful readers as well! The coat is crash-tested as stated above, just proving how safe it really is. For the amount of warmth it provides I do not feel it is overly bulky at all, in fact, it is probably thinner then your average winter coat (it is thinner then Cade's other winter coat). 

Cozywoggle Sale!

Cozywoggle's are on sale from now through December 17th for only $50! You save $25 if you order now!!

Connect

Website

Facebook

Disclosure: I received the above item in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and experiences with this product are our own and may differ from those of your own. 

Heavenly Soles Sheepskin Boots Review

Heavenly Soles products are designed and manufactured by one of the most experienced sheepskin companies. their products include rubber soles that do not wear out and are a much more comfortable and supportive insole which is recommended by Podiatrists, their insoles are also ergonomically correct and provide the proper support for young and growing feet. The "outsoles" do not slip in bad weather while other brands are extremely slippery and even dangerous. They also use the highest quality sheepskin available. Heavenly Soles products carry a one year warranty against faulty workmanship.

Heavenly Soles donates all profits to charities in which help aid different segments of the population. They help under privileged children and individuals with mental and physical impairments as well as other charities. Your order of Heavenly Soles will help profit these organizations.

Heavenly Soles also has a 100% money back guarantee, please read more in their return policy.

Classic Tall Sheepskin Boots

Heavenly Soles Classic Tall Sheepskin Boots ($195ARV) available in 4 colors, Sand, Chestnut, Chocolate and Black. They are of about mid-calf height and so very soft and comfortable! These boots have an Australian heritage which dates back to the 1900's. The wool properties of genuine Twin Faced Sheepskin upper wicks moisture away from your feet to ensure that your feet stay warm when the weather is cold and cool when the weather is warm! Wool is really magical for many different purposes. These boots were first made popular by the Australian Surfers and it is now one of the most popular boot styles world wide today!

I am in love with these boots! I've never really been a fan of boots of any kind, really I much prefer to be barefoot and not even wear socks. Yes, even in the freezing cold, Wisconsin winter months! However, I rarely take these off and when I do, I quickly remember just how cold it really is. They are a bit snug at first, but just like any other shoe they will stretch and form more to your foot. In fact these will probably even more or better as they are made of sheepskin! I've never owned anything sheepskin and I all I can do is continue to ask myself WHY I have not owned anything made of sheepskin prior to these boots. I have quickly began to appreciate the sheepskin for it's warmth as well as it's "wicking" abilities as they have kept my feet warm and dry. This is pretty important if you don't want to walk around the grocery store or wherever your going after putting your child in the car, on the passenger side of the vehicle on a city street where the curb is ankle deep in snow! Oh, being able to sit down in the car without frozen toes and not having to walk funny through the store or wherever our errands have landed us are definitely a plus! As a mother of three and two of those three being toddlers, I really have no time to waste! The boys of course don't like being tossed back and forth, in and out of their car seats and shopping carts or even our carrier so the faster I can move and get things done the happier everyone will be. The mid-calf height is also great for this as snow is much less likely to drop into or fill your shoe.

Jedilynn, my nearly 8 year old daughter is not all to pleased with me that these boots are not hers. She received a pair of fuzzy boots for Christmas last year and loved them, but as she seems to be in a CONTINUOUS growth spurt they no longer fit her. She so badly wants and has tried to guilt trip me into giving them to her a few times now by asking me, "What? Do you want my feet to freeze when I'm waiting for the bus in the morning?" and so on. She is my sassy girl. I may let her try them on and see how big they are on her. I am able to fit my feet into her size 5 shoes! 

I wear a size 9 in mens, I usually wear mens shoes as most womens shoes are too narrow and/or just too girly for my liking. I wear the same size in these boots, size 9 in mens which is a size 10 in womens. They fit me great and I know I will have them "broken in" in no time.

Connect

Website

Facebook

Twitter @HeavenlySolesUS 

Disclosure: I received the above boots in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and experiences expressed in this post are my own and may differ from those of your own. 

GO-GO Monkey Business Blanket Review & Giveaway US 7/4

Cade's 3rd Birthday Bash!!

GO-GO Blanket's Story

GO-GO Blanket's story began in 2007 on a blustery winter evening, with a cold grandchild. After a day at Mimi and Papa's, the grandchildren enjoyed a nice, warm bath before the car ride back home. To Mimi's surprise, they were wearing only their pajamas as they were being secured into their car seats. No snowsuits! No jackets! No blankets! Thought Mimi while the car heat was pumping, but she was shocked and concerned. Her daughter had explained to Mimi and Papa that federal guidelines for car seat safety dictate that the straps should be only one finger's width from baby, toddler or child. Simply leaving no room for bulky winter outerwear and traditional blankets tend to just slide off onto the floor. Of course, Mimi understood the safety issues, but she thought "what about the cold?" As they drove home, Mimi could not stop thinking about this dilemma... there MUST be a better solution. 

Mimi woke the next morning with the answer! What if the blanket had sleeves so it could go over  the safety straps, but still be held into place with the child's arms through the sleeves? This would be like wearing a coat backwards, only it would need to be much more comfortable and easier to get on and off. With this idea swirling in Mimi's head, she went and bought a traditional baby blanket, cut off one end, made some sleeves and attached those sleeves in holes she had made. She was not quite sure about the size, but she did her best. When she showed it to her family, there weren't so convinced at first. They didn't think the blanket would stay on with out a fastener or ties, so she put her new blanket to the test. After lots of miles and many trips with children of different ages and sizes, using both car seats as well as strollers, she learned that these blankets did stay in place... perfectly... every single time! Upon discovering this success they learned of an unforeseen advantage! Baby's hands are now free for pacifiers, toys or whatever else as well as the ease of putting the blanket on and taking it off.

After five years of being used by family and friends the GO-GO Blanket has now been patented and available to all! Your baby will be safer and cozier then ever before.

So how exactly does the GO-GO Blanket work?

Once you've secured your baby in their car seat, you just simply slip baby's arms into the GO-GO Blanket sleeves! Then tuck in the sides to keep your little one nice and cozy all around. GO-GO Blanket follows federal car seat regulations. Simple as pie for your little cutie pie!

 

Eight adorable patterns to choose from, which is your favorite?  

Our Monkey Business GO-GO Blanket!

Of course I chose the Monkey Business pattern, I am after all the mom of three little monkeys. It is adorable and super soft! This is definitely a nice cozy on the go blanket for any little one! Cade doesn't like when we have the windows open in the van, even if his window isn't open he still complains about the wind, he is able to use his GO-GO Blanket to block some of the wind. He loves and always needs a blanket when we are in the van, but he often drops it and it is a bit hard for me to reach it most of the times. With the GO-GO Blanket he doesn't drop it because he is wearing it. 
(Will update with photo, keep forgetting to grab my camera)

Connect with GO-GO Blanket

Visit GO-GO-Blanket's website to check out all of the cool patterns, give them a 'like' on Facebook, follow them on Twitter @GOGOBlanket, check out their videos and subscribe with YouTube and last, but not least don't forget to subscribe to their RSS. 

GIVEAWAY!

GO-GO Blanket would like to offer one lucky reader their very own Snoozy Baby GO-GO Blanket! 

To enter for your chance to win this adorable Snoozy Baby GO-GO Blanket head over to Cade's 3rd Birthday Bash Event page and enter using the Rafflecopter form available there. This giveaway is open to US residents whom are at least 18+ years old. 

 GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Disclaimer: Mami's 3 Little Monkeys received the above product free of charge, in exchange for our honest review. Our opinions and experiences may differ from those of your own.