Getting Through the Winter in St. Charles, MO

Winter can be so very boring if you are an outside person. Here are some great ideas for what to do indoors until the winter months have passed.

Take a Class

Taking an adult education class or college class can preoccupy your mind. If you don't want to get out in that nasty cold to take a class on campus at Lindenwood or Sanford Brown College, sign up for an on-line course through University of Phoenix in Earth City, Missouri just over the bridge from St. Charles.

Curl Up with a Good Book, Warm Blanket, and a Cozy Fire (or electric space heater)

There are several bookstores in St. Charles and St. Peters and there should be one close to where you live. Barnes and Noble is located at 320 Mid Rivers Center Drive and Borders Books is at 1320 Mid Rivers Mall Drive. If you are closer to down town St. Charles, there is A-1 Books off Old Highway 94 or Main Street Books, which obviously is on Main Street.

If you need firewood just drive around and look for a yard sign. They are located on just about every corner in St. Charles. One resident sells it every year right off his driveway and lives at the intersection of Hackman and McClay Road. There are probably more people selling firewood than there are bookstores. A rick of firewood sells for about $35.

If you don't have a fireplace, you can purchase a space heater for $18 at the Super WalMart. Just be careful not to run it too often, we made the mistake of using ours a lot and our electric bill was astronomical.

Load up on Movies and have a family movie night

Seems like all the best movies come out at the end of the year or in January, just a little too late for the Golden Globe awards, but perfect for the cold weather. In St. Charles and St. Peters, there is a place to rent movies on every corner as well. Try Blockbuster off Jungerman and 94 or stop at one of the many Red Box locations in WalMart, Walgreen's, or McDonalds. They're everywhere. If you don't want to get out, you can order a NetFlix movie or download movies on line.

Write a Book

Do you like to write or be creative? You don't have to be a great author to create your own book. If you like to cook, you can make your own Cookbook with recipes and add your own photos. Or you and your family can write some short stories or poetry together and make a family keepsake of your collective writings. No matter how silly or stupid the poems or writings may seem, this activity can be a really neat way to pass on your personality to family members yet to be. You can type it out on word, insert a few pictures and email it to the local Kinko's print shop on Mexico Road to print and bind. If you do it before Christmas, this could be a really neat Christmas gift for extended family.

You can also publish a classic paper back or hard back book with writings and pictures at Walgreens.com. If you have little ones in the family, maybe you could write a children's book together and include pictures of your kids as characters for the book

Look at Old Photos with Friends or Family

Drag out those old photo boxes and have a good chuckle about past photos. If you miss the warm weather, pull out some old beach pictures, put on your bathing suits and crank up the heat and it will feel like summer again.

No matter what you decide to do, winter can be a great time to reflect, partake in individual quiet activities, or spend quality time with your family. There is no reason to be bored. Just get a little creative and you will learn to like winter as much as you like the warmer months.