If you’re anything like me, you think winter is best experienced from inside a warm, cozy home! I hate to be wet and cold, so I leave the outdoor activities to my husband, kids and dogs and hunker down indoors.

Here are a few good things to do when winter weather keeps you homebound:

If you like to cook and bake, go through your pantry and dump any cake mixes, spices and other baking supplies that are expired.  Simultaneously make a list of what you need to replace. And then make something delicious!  Apple cake, stew, chili – something that will warm your home and make it smell heavenly.

Go through all the family’s board games and check for missing pieces. Toss anything that can’t be used and donate any games your family has outgrown. Place all of the game’s pieces into Ziploc bags and label with a permanent market. Create a binder for instructions, placing each one in a clear sleeve. Keep the binder where you are storing your games for easy reference. Torn or missing boxes can be replaced by an ingenious board game box replacement, available at Amazon.com

Get organized for holiday tipping by creating a list of the service providers and teachers you need to thank. Buy some cards and pick up some crisp bills from the bank to put inside or purchase gift cards (Border’s, Target, and Starbuck’s are my faves — anyone will appreciate those!) . If possible, mail your gifts  - simply call your service provider and find to whom to mail your gift directly to.  This works well for trash removal – instead of taping your gift to your trash can (as I know some people do) or trying to catch your trash removal person in the act,  find out the names of the guys on your route, and mail in the gift.  Remember to thank your mail carrier, newspaper deliver person, kids’ teachers, and anyone else whose service is indispensable or has gone above and beyond for you over the past year.

Organize your photos! This is the bane of my existence-I am seriously behind in downloading my photos and categorizing them.  Sites like Shutterfly and Snapfish and make it so easy to organize your pics and create albums; all you need is a little time and diligence. I love the fact that once you upload your photos to your chosen site, you will have them forever! The dark days of winter is a perfect time to catch up on this chore.

Make photo books. Once you have your family snaps organized, create photo books. This are irreplaceable keepsakes. I like to give them as gifts to proud grandparents, and to each child so they will have memories to look at.  And don’t just limit yourselves to photos of soccer games, birthday parties and family vacations.  Create  ”coffee table” books featuring your kids’ artwork:  dig out all of those beautiful masterpieces you’ve been keeping in boxes since your kids’ pre-school days, take a photo of each one, and make a  book.  This way you don’t have to hang on to the “originals”  which take up precious space, and you can make as many books as you like – your kids will love to page through them as they grow.

Cold, snowy weather is the perfect excuse to stay inside and get a lot done!