Beating the Winter Blues

This week's Meme at Heart of the Matter is all about how we beat those winter blues. Well, I was just talking about this over lunch today with my friends ... and I can honestly say that I'm not always the best at actually beating them - wanting to beat my kids, maybe!? But beating the winter blues is a real challenge for me!

{Surely you know that I'm joking about beating the kids, right?!}

Anyway, winter is hard for us. Winter is the one and only time when I actually do wish we lived in a Southern state. Don't get me wrong, I love where I live ... but when the cold, cold temps go on for months on end we all start feeling like wild animals who've been cooped up too long.

So, we have to have some coping strategies! Here are just a few ideas to help beat those winter blues without losing your mind ...

• Let the sunshine in. Every morning as soon as I've filled my coffee cup, I go around the house and open up all the blinds and curtains. It's not always sunny out, but it's nice to let in whatever natural light that you can.
  
• Get out of the house. This is hard when it's cold out and especially hard when your kids are sick. But if you're all healthy find ways to get out. Our kids go to Awana and Girl Scouts this time of year. We also try to go to the library or any other indoor field trips that we can. We recently went to an art museum with a group of home schoolers.
  

We also have a yearly membership to a local aquarium - and even though it's too cold to see some of the outdoor exhibits, we can still go see the indoor ones. Some times we might even just go to a local McD's that has an indoor playplace. Just bring a good book and let the kids play for a 1/2 hour while you read. Just having someplace else to go {a different change of scenery} can do wonders.

• If you can't get out then make fun at home. Do something different than you would normally do. Shake things up a bit. Make a fort and eat your lunch picnic style under it. Have the kids help you bake something to bring to a neighbor.
  

• Do your school work in a totally different way - let the kids teach the lesson, or anything else that is new and different.
  
• Tell everyone to put on dress up clothes, grab there favorite teddy bear and meet you in the living room for a teddy bear tea party.
  
• Pull out some board games and play something you haven't played in awhile.
  
• I keep a huge assortment of craft supplies. Kids stuff and my stuff. {And I'm even getting better at sharing my stuff with the kids!} There are lots of things that we can pull out and get involved with on any given day.
• Read, read, read! Long winter days beg for snuggling on the couch surrounded by piles of books. Gather the kids in your lap, snuggle up with blankets and get lost in a great story!
• Do something for yourself. I'm talking to you Moms! Take care of yourself and plan for time to be alone and time to refresh. When the kids have naps or quiet time in the afternoon - put down your mop and broom and go lay down yourself - read, pray, or just simply rest. On Friday nights, my kids go to Awana Bible club. While they are at Awana (for 2 hours) my girlfriends and I go out for dinner or coffee. We often go to Panera to eat and spend the time just chatting. It's so refreshing for me to get a little break from the kids and get some girl time with with girlfriends. I have also begun to make exercise more of a priority in my life {see previous post}, doing something good for my body helps give me more energy and makes me a much happier Mama. Another thing I often do for myself is my own personal little spa night {at home!} I soak my feet in a foot massager, repaint my toe nails, put a mask on my face and relax in front of the TV.
  

There are so many {little} ways that you can take care of yourself, even when you're a Mom of little ones.

• Plan an overnight weekend at a hotel. We recently went to a hotel with an indoor waterpark. Being in the warm water, flying down the waterslides, having such a blast ... it all made us {almost} forget that there were piles and piles of snow just outside those hotel doors!
• Or when you've run out of ideas ... just decide to make the best of things, bundle everyone up real warm - and head out to play in the piles of white, fluffy snow! The fresh air and exercise will do everyone well ... and when you come back in you'll all really look forward to that warm cup of cocoa!
  

And lastly try to remember ... these days will not last forever. Meaning the winter days, but also these childhood days. Next winter your kids will be one year older - another whole year gone by. It goes so fast. Yes, the winter is hard, yes, it seems to last forever, but trust me - these days will be long gone before you know it. The day your daughter gets married you might actually think back and long for one of those long winter days where you snuggled her close with a book in your lap.