Wisconsin

ollieinca · October 2014

Hello. I'm hoping this will be well received. I've been trying to get more active on tb lately, and will likely be posting more frequently as our lives are about to drastically change.
So, my fam and I are moving from sunny SoCal to Wisconsin and I'm probably grasping at straws here, but wondering if any of you are in that area?
I'll be leaving my job to be a stay at home mom to our 2 year old and march 15 baby to be.
I've never stayed home with my son before and have never lived in a cold climate.
I'm looking for pointers, things to do with kids in the winter time so they don't watch tv all day, what it's like being a stay at home mom, what Midwestern living is like, etc.

Thanks for reading.
Go packers and cheese!

genmccarley · October 2014

Wow! That is quite the change of scenery!

I'm from the upper peninsula of Michigan, were about 2 hours or so from the Wisconsin border. The people in Wisconsin have always seemed friendly every time I've been there though!

Winter is hard sometimes, this past winter we could hardly get outside at all because there were so many below 0 days and dangerous windchills. We try to keep occupied inside (coloring, flash cards, painting etc) but we take every opportunity to get out and do something like playgroups and children's museums with friends. Sometimes in the winter we just made an event out of going to the mailbox...

Hope your move goes smoothly!

suzyq0525 · October 2014

Enjoy the cheesecurds. I miss them.

colleen4019 · October 2014

Have a blast with your move. Sounds like an adventure.
On another note- I was hoping that this thread would have cheese in it.

blinksmb · October 2014

harper3 said:
What area? H's family lives there. I visited last winter, which was one of the coldest in a long time. I think they had a full month of negative temps. Hopefully, it's much milder this year.
I've noticed quite a few ladies are from WI here.

I'm not in WI but Minnesota was the same last winter. I worked in a school at the time and we had almost an entire week cancelled because it wasn't safe to be outside for more than a couple of minutes, so the bus stops were out of the question.
You might get a little stir crazy by February or March, that's usually when I can't take being cooped up any longer. I try to get out and go anywhere at all indoors, even the dreaded mall, just to walk around and feel like part of the world.

Zanza_3 · October 2014

I'm from the lake Winnebago area of Wisconsin! I'm a FTM so I've never had to hang with a kiddo all day in the winter, but I always enjoyed playing outside in the snow when it wasn't too cold, or going to museums or the library if it was. Maybe put together art projects or other types of activities? Anyway, welcome to Wisconsin soon!

Kaidi34 · October 2014

Where in Wisconsin? I live in Madison and there's plenty to do no matter the climate:)

Unknown · October 2014

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blinksmb · October 2014

I keep hearing it's supposed to snow here this weekend and I'm not gonna lie, I'm super excited to start wearing my snow boots again. SO MUCH PADDING! It's like walking in a room comprised entirely of pillows.
I refuse to wear any other shoes until the very last centimeter of the last snow has completely melted. Fashion be damned.

JCWhitey · October 2014

We just moved from CA to MN. I'm very worried about how DH is going to handle his first winter. We are buying sun lamps and taking a vacation to Hawaii in December in hopes of averting any winter craziness. When you're used to just being able to walk outside and go somewhere it can be a struggle to adjust to having to put on more layers of clothing, shovel yourself out, and/or pray you can even go anywhere because the plows may or may not have made their way to you yet.

BUT, there are perks. Winter sports are fun (well, when you're not PG). I love to ski and can't wait to get back into that. Sledding isn't just for kids! And you learn to enjoy the indoor offerings of your area. Museums and the like are things I never visited much of in CA but can't wait to visit them once the snow starts to fall here.

ollieinca · October 2014

Wow thanks so much for all the responses! We will be moving to La Crosse WI.
We luckily have an AWD vehicle but I definitely have no idea how to drive in winter, now rush hour traffic on the 405 through the west side of LA I can do, winter I'm not so sure.

So, maybe a dumb question but since we will be pretty largely pregnant this winter, do I buy a maternity winter coat? Or regular one and hope it zips?

JCWhitey · October 2014

I plan to just buy a coat in a size or two up, maybe one that ties around the waste so I can adjust it. If you really want to invest money somewhere get a really good pair of boots that have a strong grip to them. Falling on ice is the biggest thing a pregnant woman needs to worry about here! My friend fell when she was 8 months and even though neither she nor the baby were hurt it was an automatic overnight stay in the hospital just to keep an eye on things.

blinksmb · October 2014

ollieinca said:
Wow thanks so much for all the responses! We will be moving to La Crosse WI.
We luckily have an AWD vehicle but I definitely have no idea how to drive in winter, now rush hour traffic on the 405 through the west side of LA I can do, winter I'm not so sure.

So, maybe a dumb question but since we will be pretty largely pregnant this winter, do I buy a maternity winter coat? Or regular one and hope it zips?

Maternity coats are expensive! I just plan on wearing SO's old winter coat. He's a foot and a half taller than me so I'll probably be swimming in it, but does it really need to look nice? You're going to take it off the second you get to where you're going, or else you'll probably boil to death.
Warmth is number one priority in outer layers. Who gives two craps if it's cute. You can wear the cute sweaters and stuff underneath

littlekeller · October 2014

I am in Wisconsin Rapids. It will take some getting used to the cold. Hopefully it won't be as bad as last winter.
Good luck with the move. If you want to chat let me know.

TwinsCitiesMomma · October 2014

I moved to MN last summer after living in the Bay Area my whole life. It was a huge culture and climate shock especially during that dreadful winter last year. LaCrosse is pretty rural but a cute little town. Just keep yourself distracted during winter. Sledding, snow shoeing, cooking. PM me if you'd like.

Krista528 · October 2014

Wisconsin is cold and snowy and you should probably wear a packers jersey on Sundays. People here are really obsessed with the Packers. Im not really familiar with LaCrosse so i cant help you there.
There is stuff to do in Wisconsin all year long, you just have to be willing to look for it! Summer in Milwaukee is amazing if you ever get the chance to visit.

JCWhitey · October 2014

@littlekeller Have we talked about this before? I used to live in Wisconsin Rapids.

PS why am I in a quote box???

JCWhitey · October 2014

Krista528 said:

Wisconsin is cold and snowy and you should probably wear a packers jersey on Sundays. People here are really obsessed with the Packers. Im not really familiar with LaCrosse so i cant help you there. There is stuff to do in Wisconsin all year long, you just have to be willing to look for it! Summer in Milwaukee is amazing if you ever get the chance to visit.

Sundays? JUST SUNDAYS? You clearly know nothing. A minimum of one piece of Packers gear is to be worn at all times, all year round. Especially today. And Cheeseheads do come in baby sizes.

mandi195 · October 2014

I've lived in WI most of my life. It's amazing, and I can't imagine ever moving out of state again (I moved around the country in my early 20's).

Kaidi34 I'm in Madison too! Love it here!

labgrand2012 · October 2014

I have also lived in Wisconsin most of my life, Green Bay, Milwaukee and now Madison. They have predicted a winter as bad as last year, so you might want to prepare for that. But they could be wrong! A good winter coat and boats are a must or the whole family.

I remember going to the library, museum and children's play places when I was little. I also did play out side quite a bit, when it wasn't below zero. You can also get water park passes to hotels that have an indoor water park.

Another fun childhood memory was our basement. It wasn't finished so it had concrete floors. We used to rollerblade and ride bikes/big wheels down there all the time.

littlekeller · October 2014

JCWhitey said:

@littlekeller Have we talked about this before? I used to live in Wisconsin Rapids.

PS why am I in a quote box???

I am not sure if we have or not. We have been here about 5 years. Both DH and I are from Northern WI. Where did you move to?

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