I hate this time of year. I am not just talking about the cold, dark & snowy days, but the time of year that everything slows down …
… to a crawl.
The sun is out less and less every day and my routine totally changes.
I am a lady of routine. I need it.
Like air.
Predictability – call it lame, but i am not a “spontaneous, take life as it comes” kind of girl. & the thing that sucks for me about this time of year is my routine changes completely.
I can’t medically drive. My mode of transportation for myself & my kids all day long is by foot, Moby Wrap and my beloved double stroller. Now that it is winter & the sidewalks are covered in ice and snow { & it is FREEZING } it is not as easy or as possible to go outside every day. I do have to get out a few times a week to get Big P to and from the school bus stop for school but other then that there is no incentive or reason to go out.
My daily routine stalls & changes.
I am stuck. In a rut.
A snowy, cold rut.
Nothing serious. I just need something to get my creative juices flowing. To get some happy into my brain. I have exercise going for me but even last week fell ‘victim’ to the snow storm and cold weather & i couldn’t get outside nearly as much as i do (only once last week ::ducking tomatoes::).
Last year I called this season my hibernation. That is really what it feels like. I have so much going on in the summer – we go for walks 2 times a day, to the park, to the grocery store, to the baseball field. In the winter we do a lot of “indoor”. I know we could totally be outside building snowmen, tobogganing and making snow angels – but that doesn’t really jive with all the kids ages right now. Perhaps next winer we will be able to do all that “fun” winter stuff {sounds like an oxymoron to me}.
Thank you for being patient with me. I am sure I will return to my regular self soon. Hopefully before all this snow melts!
:: How do you survive winter? What do you do to bring yourself out of a rut? ::
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{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
My kids do a lot of crafts — which can drive me batty, yes. They love Benda-roos. I.hate.them. But the nasty things entertain them. Those stupid Blendy Pens are a hit, as well. There is this AWESOME paint that I found when I was teaching called Bio-Color that I swear by. You can freeze it in ice cube trays w/ popcicle sticks in it and then paint w/ it — I LOVE doing that myself. It washes off beautifully and out of clothing no problem. It’s the ONLY paint I would use in my classroom and at home. We make stickers/window clings with it, prints on plexi glass. It comes w/ ideas. Paint w/ pudding, glue noodles and rice and stuff, step on pieces of paper and ‘ice skate’ Hope it helps!
kim recently posted..20 Years Later
Twitter: AccustomedChaos
January 18, 2011 at 9:03 am
thank you so much Kim for all your ideas !!
Twitter: handshomeblog
January 18, 2011 at 10:24 am
Have you checked out the Playful Learning blog? Not a lot will be age appropriate for Baby E but it might give you some good ideas!
http://www.playfulearning.com/Playful_Learning/Playful_Learning_Experiences.html
Twitter: AccustomedChaos
January 18, 2011 at 3:59 pm
Thanks Bonnie
Twitter: cswPduJo
January 2, 2013 at 5:37 am
We live in Las Vegas 10 minutes from the Strip and terval frequently. We often have thought about renting our home out to the gluten free community with the stipulation that you must keep everything gluten free in the house. The house would come fully stocked with a menu and gluten free products. Would this be of interest to anyone in this community? I’m just getting feelers out for this option.
Oh girl I am with you! I always get the winter time blues. And now that I am working from home, well it is a bit challenging. I am trying to create a bit of a schedule so the boys know what to expect. They love coloring, puzzles, playing games, play doh, finger painting w/pudding and I even give them baths during the day since they love playing in it….Its hard to keep them active, looking for ideas too!
Twitter: AccustomedChaos
January 18, 2011 at 4:00 pm
Im not really having trouble finding activities to keep the kids active – more looking for activities to keep ME happy & out of a winter funk.
I hear that! When I lived in WI it was hibernation mode! We baked, colored, played games and started all kinds of house projects! Hope the sun shines for you soon! =)
Ember recently posted..Stuffed Mini Peppers
Twitter: AccustomedChaos
January 18, 2011 at 4:01 pm
Thanks! I am just LONNNNGING to see green again! We are half way done though
I sympathise! And we are having a summer here that is more like winter, so much rain (have you heard about Aust. floods?).
You know what, surprisingly, I get a real kick out of giving over (in?) to the kids’ craft. Sometimes I just grab big sheets of paper, the pencils, crayons, texta’s…. and just start creating patterns. Not only is it apparently extremely impressive – my daughter thinks my doodles are GENIUS! lol – but it can really be very soothing, creating with colour. I am a graphic artist and have always loved art, though, so it could just be under my skin. But I do believe it is good for everyone. And really, we don’t often enough put colour in our lives. To create this way (and not via a computer screen which is how I do most of my creative design work these days) is very aligning for your inner self
Maybe give it a shot? Even buy yourself some really nice waxy crayons or chalks or something? You might be surprised how happy it makes you feel! (even if you screw the page up at the end) Easy clean up too!
Kirrily recently posted..I can be a judgemental hypocrite
Twitter: AccustomedChaos
January 18, 2011 at 7:49 pm
i used to love colouring when i was younger. funny enough it was something that i did when i was really stressed out!
There you go! Hey, try it. You never know. Sometimes the things that seem so simple are really the best
Kirrily recently posted..I can be a judgemental hypocrite
Don’t apologize! I feel the same way. I’m a planner. Spur of the moment not so much. And summer, or even Spring or Fall are so much better for so many reasons, to me anyways, it IS easier to get out and be active – for both you and your kids. I hope that you are feeling better and more like yourself soon
Khara recently posted..Amazing!
Twitter: AccustomedChaos
January 18, 2011 at 7:50 pm
Thank you so much Khara! ♥
Twitter: jdfuerst
January 18, 2011 at 9:48 pm
I never had a problem with winter until I became a mother myself. Pushing a stroller through a shit ton of snow, on sidewalks that are supposed to be clean? NOT COOL. I stay in all the time, unless Calvin wants to go out somewhere because he pushes the stroller through the crap.
What keeps me going through the winter, is my photography. I am always taking pictures (even if it’s just in our yard playing in the snow). I focus more on getting things done around the house, and dreaming of summer…even spring. lol. I keep myself busy, decorating and cleaning and playing with Dustin. Lame, but it works for me. lol.
To bring myself out of a rut? SO much! lol. I shower. I SHAVE! aha.
I brush my hair and put some new, fresh awesome clothes on. So I look good. I get my hair cut and/or dyed. Or I spend a few dollars on myself. Whether it be clothes, or food. Sometimes cooking cheers me up too. Also cleaning as dumb as that sounds, because when you sit down and look around and everything is clean, I feel better about everything and are less stressed about things. 
Feel better!<3
Summer will be here soon enough!
Jessica recently posted..A Dog 4 Deeds
Twitter: AccustomedChaos
January 19, 2011 at 7:49 pm
We just got a new camera so perhaps photography will be something i take up
I LOVE the get out of rut ideas you have – i think that is what i really need. pamper me time!
Thanks Jessica ♥
I never mind winter when it first starts. I mean, Autumn is my favorite time of year anyway so the beginning of Winter is something I look forward to. But right around this time of year it starts to drag on and on. I live in Baltimore, MD so we don’t always have the cold. We do, however, have ridiculous weather patterns, lots of ice, typically, and random warmer days (like today, where it’s 45* outside, despite the fact we had an ICE STORM yesterday). More importantly, we have a distinct lack of sunlight. It’s like living in a grey, drizzly colorless drama. Ugh.
Rebekah C recently posted..Circumcision- A Choice
Twitter: AccustomedChaos
January 19, 2011 at 12:18 pm
Oh i am a SPRING love – my favourite
& yes this is when it all seems to just DRAAAAAG on & the sun is out less and less.. ugh!