SNOW DAY!

In case you can't tell, it's snowing in Nashville. Well, at least it was, a little. And that made us wish for a snow day, which sadly, as working adults we don't get very often. So count your blessings!

But if you're stuck inside because of ice, snow, and otherwise yucky conditions, we do have some ideas to help liven up your day. Check them out on page 56 of the January issue of ec. Whatever you do, don't just sit around and count the hours until the day is over. And if that list of ideas isn't good enough for you, what about some of these:

• Stage a movie marathon. Pick a bunch of movies starring an actor you like, movies that all deal with a specific theme, movies by a certain director, or even movies in a trilogy or with several sequels, like LOTR or Indiana Jones.

• Cook. If you're not dealing with power outages because of the ice storm affecting much of the U.S., you might have the opportunity to make something really good or something that takes awhile to make. So get out the cookbooks, find the measuring cups, and amp up your culinary creativity!

• Games. Games. Games. You're stuck inside, but that doesn't mean sports have to go by the wayside. Check out Sportscenter on ESPN and see how your favorite teams are doing, especially your favorite college basketball teams since March Madness isn't all that far away. (BTW, Duke plays arch-rival Wake Forest tonight. Duke is the #1 team in the nation this week!) You could recruit your siblings to play video games with you or test out the Wii Fit you got for Christmas. Or just make up some sort of low-impact game you and your family can play inside. And if all else fails, when there's snow, there's always opportunity for a snowball fight!

• Read. Books aren't the enemy. Read some of the classics or a contemporary writer you like. Pick a genre or topic you usually don't read about. Ask your mom or dad to name their favorite books and see if they'll let you borrow it. You can discuss it at some later date. Or find out if some of your favorite movies were based on books. We think you'll find most of the books are better.

• Catch up. We hate to be the voice of reason, but if you're behind in your homework, a snow day could be the perfect day to catch up. Read. Do the problems, write the paper, look over your notes. It won't kill you, and it probably won't take all day.

• Bored games. If you're bored, locate some board games and enlist family members to play with you. Mandy, ec's editor, loves the game "Clue" even though it's probably meant for much younger players. “Trivial Pursuit” is fun and challenging. “Cranium” is also a good option.

Whatever you do, this is the day that God has made. Rejoice in it!