Shannon Stacey


Winter woes & a gift idea

Lately I’ve been struggling with the absolute worst part of winter in New England. You might be thinking heating costs, frostbite, trying to figure out which ginormous snow mound is your vehicle. You’d be wrong.

It’s winter laundry.

I hate winter laundry. Summer laundry’s the best because shorts and T-shirts don’t take up a lot of room in the washer and dryer. But winter laundry is a daily mountain of jeans, sweatshirts and sweaters. Dressing in layers means multiple tops per family member, and the husband wears his thermals every day. Mountains of laundry. And it’s heavy, too, which sucks because the dirty laundry’s on the second floor and the washer and dryer are in the basement.

Did I mention I hate winter laundry?

Speaking of thermals, I just ordered my husband his annual set of wool underwear. The teen thinks it’s ridiculous his dad gets wool underwear every year for Christmas, but they’re not just any thermals. They’re from Minus 33. It’s $120 for a mid-weight set (separate top and bottom), but they’re worth it.

My husband’s work has him in and out of buildings and houses and vehicles all day. He might be working in somebody’s 70-degree living room or he might be outside fighting a -5 degree wind chill, or both in one day. The merino wool Minus 33s keep him warm when he’s outside without making him hot, sweaty and itchy if he’s inside. He wears them snowmobiling, too. Pretty much, he wears them from November to April.

I borrowed one of his sets when we went four-wheeling in November once. It was hovering around the freezing mark and an idiot riding with us thought it would be funny to blow by me in a deep puddle. I was drenched and soaked through, but I didn’t get cold. If I hadn’t been wearing thermals or if I’d been wearing a cheap pair, I probably would have had to go home.

Sorry for the commercial, but I totally, 100% believe in Minus 33 products. If you have a loved one who’s outside a lot in the winter and struggles to find a decent underlayer, they’d be a great Christmas present.

And did I mention I hate winter laundry?

5 comments to “Winter woes & a gift idea”

  1. Lee Laughlin
    Comment
    1
      · December 15th, 2011 at 11:26 am · Link

    OH AMEN TO THAT!! With my own close, I try to re-wear as much as is socially acceptable (no stains, no stink). My daughter is catching on and my husband does his best, but let’s face, boys stink :) So, my son is on strick orders to wear it once. Yes, the bulk is overwhelming. Thanks for the tip on the thermals :)



  2. Lynda the Guppy
    Comment
    2
      · December 15th, 2011 at 12:59 pm · Link

    My mom is cold ALL the time, and when she was working she was in and out of office buildings, so she started wearing silk long johns. They’re light, warm, fit under your clothes nicely, and pack really really small when she’d travel for work.

    Wool, though, would be perfect for you New Englanders. It’s light, warm, breathable, and can absorb up to 30% of its weight in water before it feels wet.

    Yes, I’m a knitter. How can you tell?



  3. Jean
    Comment
    3
      · December 15th, 2011 at 5:53 pm · Link

    Wool is wonderful that way. And you want to get decent quality for what Mr. S does — both for work AND play.



  4. Tracy S
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    4
      · December 15th, 2011 at 11:29 pm · Link

    I am with you–I hate winter laundry too!! I live in SE Wisconsin and we are having a warmer than usual winter SO FAR–I’m sure that will change any minute now. But we are still wearing jeans/sweatshirts, etc.

    The bulk and the walking two sets of stairs is a pain (we have a 2 story house with the washer/dryer in the basement also!)



  5. Cady Steinberg
    Comment
    5
      · December 18th, 2011 at 9:28 pm · Link

    At least this winter (so far) isn’t as bad as last winter. Winter laundry that includes clothes weighed down with snow is even worse!







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