Snowed In: Things to Do When You Are Snowed in by a Blizzard!

Recently I was snowed in by a blizzard which dumped two to three feet of snow across the state of Connecticut. I live in an area along the coast, and due to that, the high winds of the blizzard along the coastline knocked out power in our home for two days. The fact that there was no electricity, cable TV or internet connection for that amount of time meant that people had to get creative regarding how they spent their time so they wouldn’t be bored to death. Here’s a list of things to do when you are snowed in:

1) Shovel Your Driveway and Walks: This goes without saying, but regarding finding things to do, this ranks on top. Going out to shovel driveways and walkways every few hours during the storm ensures you don’t end up with a huge amount of snow to shovel all at once at the end of the storm. The exercise will also do you good, but involving all family members helps make the job faster, and you can all go in and warm up with hot chocolate together afterward. That's a great family bonding experience!

2) Build a Fire: If you are fortunate enough to have a wood or gas fireplace, build a fire as soon as the power goes out to ensure the house doesn’t start losing heat.

3) Roast Hot Dogs: When a storm hits, and there’s no electricity to cook with, it’s great fun to take some hot dogs out of the freezer and cook them up over a wood fire. You can use shish kabob sticks or branches off trees. It makes things seem like more of an adventure for kids.

4) Make S’mores: Again if you have a wood fireplace, being able to treat the family to something fun and delicious like S’mores makes the event more of an adventure.

5) Play Board Games: With the internet around, hardly anyone ever plays board games anymore, but they can be so much fun. Monopoly, Scrabble, Parcheesi and Trivial Pursuit are some standbys that will help pass the time for couples or the family in a memorable and old-fashioned way.

6) Play Cards: When I was growing up, my parents spent a lot of time playing cards with their friends. If you enjoy playing cards, take this time to so during this time. If you have kids and they don’t know how to play certain games you enjoy, this would be the perfect opportunity to teach them.

7) Play Pool or Ping Pong: Neither of these games requires electricity, so if you have a pool table or ping pong table set up ay your house, this is the perfect opportunity to play. Playing by daylight is best, but lots of candles around the room can still enable play by night. If your family is playing, have a tournament.

8) Read: I don’t know about you, but I never seem to have enough time to read. But I have a lot of books in my bookcase that are there because someday I hope to read them. A blizzard is an opportune time to do this since there’s not a lot else you can do. Reading in the daytime works best, but flashlights and candlelight also can do the trick and provide light to read by.

9) Do Puzzles: I enjoy doing crossword puzzles, but don’t often have the time to work on them. This is a perfect time, as well as to do word searches, Sudoku, etc.or jigsaw puzzles as well.

10) Work on Crafts That Don’t Need Electricity: There are many crafts that people do that don’t require electricity. Knitting, crocheting, quilting, scrap booking, painting, fly tying, wood carving, jewelry making, etc. can all be done with no electricity needed. When was the last time you had time to work on a craft without feeling guilty that you should be doing something else? During a blizzard would be a wonderful chance to catch up on any of these.

11) Write Letters: With texting and email beings the operative way people communicate with each other these days, hand written letters have become a thing of the past. But who doesn’t like to open their mailbox and see an actual hand-written letter from a friend or relative in there? Hand written letters send the message that someone cared enough to spend a lot of time with a pen and paper, just for the benefit of the recipient. During a blizzard is the perfect time to write a letter or letters to bless those that you care about.

12) Clean Your House: This one may not be a lot of fun for some, but if you enjoy doing housework, this can be a great time to do those chores you never seem to get to like sweeping the kitchen floor, polishing the silver, using wood polish on your wooden pieces, etc.

13) Organize Your Junk Drawer: Everyone has at least on of these in their home. Maybe it’s in the kitchen or the office, or maybe you have more than one. Being snowed in is a great time to get some organizing done. And once you have completed the task, you will feel as though you have accomplished something worthwhile even without electricity.

14) Go Through the Junk Mail: If you’re anything like me, you may have a pile of junk mail mounting up on the kitchen counter, or in a cupboard somewhere that you plan on going through, “someday.” Well, if you are snowed in during a blizzard that someday is today!

15) Cut and Organize Coupons: If you enjoy saving money with coupons, you probably always wish you were able to find time to keep your coupon box more organized and up to date. If you have coupon fliers that you haven’t looked through yet, this is the perfect time to go through them and cut the ones you need. Then file them in your coupon box, while pulling out and throwing away all the expired ones. When you go shopping after the storm is over, you’ll be quite happy to have had the time to get your coupons organized as it will save you time when you are looking for coupons.

16) Organize Your Recipe Box: Do you have recipes in your recipe file that are just thrown in and you think you will sort them and put them under the right headings, “someday?” Well, someday is today. Empty the whole box, and start sorting by type of recipe, for example, main meal, dessert, appetizers, etc. Then refile with everything going into the right section. If you are like me and rip pages of recipes out of magazines and just throw them in the box, it’s a good time to neatly cut the recipes out and file them without all the extra paper.

17) Organize Your Tool Box: If you have a tool box in your garage, go get it and organize and clean your tools now. When its time to use them again, you’ll be happy that you took the time to do it.

18) Write Out Bills: This is a great time to write out all those pesky bills that have been piling up on your desk, if you still pay your bills by mail. Also, take a look at your budget and see where you can trim some of the fat (if there is any) since you have some extra time to play around with it.

19) Write a Business Plan: Have you had a great idea for a business but just haven’t had time to sit down and make out a business plan? This is the perfect time to put your dreams into action.

20) Write a List: Whether it’s a Bucket List, or a list of goals you want to accomplish, while you have the time, there’s no better time like the present to write it out. They say the people who reach their goals the most often are the ones who write them down. Since you have extra time on your hands, start writing and who knows what you’ll be able to accomplish when the power comes back on.

21) Play With Your Pet: Ever wish you had more time to play with your dog or cat? Now’s the perfect time to brush him, throw a ball the length of your basement for him to chase, play tug of war with his toys, etc. He’ll love you for it and you’ll enjoy watching him have a good time.

22) Take a Walk in the Snow: If there are no power lines down in your immediate area, take a walk in the snow and enjoy the serenity. It’s so quiet and beautiful the walking will not even do you good physically, but the beauty of the snow falling around you and on the trees will soothe your soul as well.

23) Write Hubs ( or poetry or anything else you like to write)!: If you are a writer on Hub Pages, this is a wonderful time to write hubs, albeit by hand with good old fashioned pen and paper. Just think of all the time you will have to write. And if you run out of things to write about, if you have done anything on the previous list, you can write about that experience!

24) Make a List: List everything you will need for the next time you are snowed in: Once you do get power back, you may be so relieved that you’ll just go on with life, grateful for electricity. But it will be helpful to your family if you replace things now that were used up during this storm. New flashlight batteries, extra candles, gas for the generator, firewood, etc. are all things that you may need to stock up on for the future and it’s helpful to get prepared now, when the current storm and its inconveniences are fresh in your mind. You may even want to purchase larger things, such as a woodstove or generator for just such an occasion.

If you have children, here are some extra things to add to the list:

25) Play With Your Kids: If you have young children, they would love to have some one on one time with Mom or Dad. You can get down on the floor with them and offer to build things with blocks, play with them with their Barbie dolls, use Play dough, etc. Any of these activities will be a wonderful experience for your kids. And it will build wonderful memories and take out some of the apprehension they may have about having no power in your home.

26) Read to Your Children: Children love to be read to, and a snowstorm gives you plenty of time to do just that. If it’s cold in your house, sit them on your lap in a rocking chair and cover both of you with a nice warm blanket or two. Or cuddle with them in your bed or theirs and read the day/ night away!

27) Teach Your Children a Craft: If you have a craft that you love to do, but haven’t taught it to your child, offer to teach them now. Whittling, knitting, crocheting, etc. can be lifelong hobbies for children and a wonderful legacy for you to hand down to them. There’s no time like a blizzard to have someone on one quality time with your kids.