Brrrrrr!

It's really cold in Toronto right now. Last night it got down to -25 degrees C with the wind chill. That's keep-the-frozen-food-on-the-back-porch cold! We actually put the thermostat up the 75 degrees F (I grew up learning Celsius, but for some reason every house I've ever lived in has had the thermostat in Ferenheit), which is something I only ever do a handfull of times in the year. Sadly, it takes a long time for my bedroom to warm up (isn't warm air supposed to rise?!), so these are some of the things I do to keep warm at night:

- Fleese pajamas. Mr. Broccoli's mom gives me a pair of fleese pajamas for Christmas every year. I love the kind with the shirt and pants, as opposed to the nightgown kind, becuase it's always my feet and legs that get cold.
- My "snuggle blanket" (this isn't juvenile. really). The first place I lived in after I moved out of my university residence was a house that had been converted into 3 apartments: one on each floor. The heating of the whole house was controlled by a single thermostat on the ground floor, which was locked away inside a clear plastic box. No one had the key, or knew what had become of the key - including the landlord - and so it was impossible to turn the heat up in the winter. So my mom and grandmother made me a kind of sleeping bag/blanket out of 2 large pieces of fleese sewn together and left open at one end. I used to live inside this when I was at that place, but now it's just great to snuggle in when the standard bed covers aren't quite warm enough.
- The Magic Bag. Anyone remember the commercials for these? It's a heating pad you put in the microwave (or freezer, if needed) and it's used to sooth soare muscles. My mom bought me one when I was in high school and it's been my constant companion ever since. I do sometimes actually use it for back pain, but on cold nights it's just the thing to keep my feet warm (cold feet = no sleep).

Last night I needed all three. And since we're supposed to get a biggest snowstorm of the year tonight, I imagine I'll need all three again tonight. :)