I like to nest (I call it my hibernation time) when the weather is cold, meaning; making my home really cozy so that I’m extra comfortable. My social life goes down to a minimum and self-care becomes my #1 priority. It involves herbal teas in cute mugs, lots of candles (the ones that actually clean the air instead of polluting it are a big plus), soft blankets the cats and I can snuggle under (we’re always cold, thanks to non-existent insulation in our California home) and just making the home environment extra comfy. Below are my picks on how I’m getting cozy this winter:
Candles
Beeswax candles burn cleaner than others with no sticky, black petroleum based soot. They also produce negative ions that are natural air cleaners. How awesome is that!
Essential oil diffuser
When your home most probably smells like a zoo (thanks kittens!), essential oil diffuser to the rescue.
Tea
I love Pukka and Traditional Medicinals, but wishing to move away from bagged teas and start drinking more loose leaf.
New Tea Mug
The bigger the better. If it Instagrams well, even better. Like this one.
Succulents
I love succulents even I always manage to kill them 🙁
Warming spices
Guaranteed that all my meals contain one of these spices: cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, ginger or cayenne.
Warming smoothies
I spice up my green smoothies with warming spices like cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, sometimes even cayenne. Cayenne also breaks down mucous and helps remove it from your body.
Onesie
Two words: warm and cozy. I’m planning on switching my bathrobe to this. More about the bathrobe habit below.
Bathrobe
If you walk in to our home any time of the day you’ll most likely find me wearing a bathrobe. My husband calls it “scenes from the loony bin”, especially when I’m wearing my hair on a crazy looking top knot, cats sitting all over me. I’ve never lived in a well-insulated house in U.S.A and I find every place drafty and cold. Hence the bathrobe which is warm and cozy at the same time.
Soups
I love soups! I can eat them summer, winter, breakfast, lunch and dinner. My favorites are pureed vegetable soups, like carrot-ginger soup, creamy tomato soup, miso-tahini soup and beetroot soup. I always prepare the biggest pot we own, and eat it throughout the week.
Oh, I kill my plants. All kinds, one day I will have a green thumb. Lol My eight yr old loves growing herbs, so I do cook with them often. Candles are amazing during the winter, cuddled with a cup of hot chocolate. Yum!
Haha, me too. Even the succulents that are suppose to be easy to keep. But no. I dream about a veggie and herb garden once we get our California cottage with a yard (currently have no proper yard) so I can learn to grow my own food. I’m willing to study this so I can be successful 🙂
I have a giant fluffy bathrobe that I live in no matter the time of day, it just keeps me so war in my cold home!!
I’m glad to know there are others as well! 🙂 I’ve never lived in a non-drafty home in the US so it’s my ultimate protection against cold. Love coming home and putting on my bathrobe.
Where do you get your candles kat? I always despair once i see the price. I burn candles so often in the winter and go through so many.
I usually get the beeswax candles from fairs, farmers market or Amazon. They’re way pricier than going to IKEA and getting 50 for $5, but they burn longer than the cheap ones + keep the air clean instead of polluting it.