How to Survive (and Even Enjoy!) Another Snow Day Stuck Inside

This is really only applicable if your kids are little (once they're old enough to venture outside alone, let them go for it all day if they want!), but it's a biggie. Getting all of that Winter weather gear on, then taking it off again 30 minutes later, is a major headache. It's worth it for some fresh air and classic snow-day fun, but restricting your outdoor adventures to just one "bundle up" session a day is a major sanity saver.

As soon as you get wind of potentially paralyzing weather, phone a friend with kids the same age as your own and suggest putting together a selection of their toys to swap for a few days. Do it while they're sleeping to avoid questioning, and keep the whole thing a surprise.

After you've all been stuck inside for a few hours, show them their new (temporary) acquisitions. Voilà, it's Christmas in February, and it's free!

If your kids are old enough to do so, then bundle up and shovel the walkway and driveway of an elderly neighbor's house. It's good exercise for you and your kids and an act of kindness that will surely be appreciated.

If your children are too little to shovel, consider having them help out with baking cookies or a hot dinner for said neighbors instead.

Relax your typical screen-time rules on a snow day and take advantage of all being stuck home together to discover a new favorite family flick.

Every now and then, laziness is bliss. If not on a snow day, then when!?

If you have babies or toddlers, it's called naptime. If your kids are a bit older, give them a set amount of afternoon quiet time to read or play quietly in their bedrooms. For overwhelmed parents who would normally be in the office (or working from home with a sitter), trying to get some work done from home, this will be a game changer. For everyone else, it's a total sanity saver.