Beating the Blues

The boys and I have been cooped up in the house a lot recently. Part of it is due to the weather and part of it is due to the fact that one of us has been sick at any given time for over a month now (and I'm sick of it!). I pulled the lucky "sick" straw this week and was in "Survival Mode" Monday and Tuesday, feeling like it was an accomplishment when I unloaded the half empty dishwasher yesterday. Because I have had bouts of Winter Depression (SAD) when I lived in Sacramento I know the symptoms. I realized yesterday that the symptoms have been getting stronger lately and I needed to do something before it got too bad. When I was in Sacto, I could spend a day or two in bed all day and then hit the tanning salon to get a good dose of Vitamin D, which helped (and left me sunburned in the middle of Winter) but I don't have those options with 2 young boys. So I decided to be proactive and plan to do housework AND fun stuff with the boys today. That one decision had me out the gate at a lightning speed this morning! I sent P to clean his room while I did a load of laundry, cleaned the boys' bathroom, wiped down the windows and mirrors, shot off a couple quick emails and put my clean laundry away. (Yes, it takes him forever to clean his room because he gets distracted and plays!) Then I found a play group activity at a local library. When he said he wanted to go I cringed because secretly I wanted to find an excuse not to leave the house, to just get back in my jammies and shrink back into "Survival Mode". But his confirmation was all I needed to get it in gear. We went to the library for the craft project and then on the way home I decided we were going to have fro-yo for lunch. P was thrilled and Easton decided he was a big fan of the stuff! Both boys still wanted lunch when we got home and our sweet neighbor made a big pot of veggie beef soup for me so we ate some more. Before naptime I got a wild hair to bleach the kitchen and pantry so I tackled that while the boys played. (And then afterwards I realized why I haven't used bleach in several years. P-U!! Even all stuffed up the smell was bothering me!) I continued on my cleaning spree and wiped down some of the baseboards and in the crevices by the doors. After naptime I topped off the day by taking the boys to Chic Fil A for dinner because that's the place P chose. I'm glad I made the choice to get out and about today because it really did help my mood. The weather is going to be better by this weekend and we'll be able to get out more. That should help beat these Winter Blues!