S.A.D.

The "winter blues," the doldrums, call it what you will. Until this year, when people would tell me that they suffered from "Seasonal Affective Disorder" (also known as SAD), I would think to myself, "Well, yeah, no one really LIKES winter." I didn't really believe that SAD was real.

I was wrong.

Perhaps it is because after 5 mild winters with virtually no snow and above freezing temperatures, I have been thrown into a dark, dismal abyss of snow...more snow...and more snow. I thought I was prepared for this, but clearly, there is no way to prepare yourself for staying indoors all day, every day. Particularly not after I spent perhaps the best summer of my life outdoors 90% of my waking hours. No, no way to be prepared indeed.

But there is little to be gained from complaining about the seasons, or as I have now taken to referring to this winter in my mind: the 5th ring of hell. It is time to lift my chin up and get on with things, as wallowing has never served me well. I've upped my Vitamin D supplement, I'm trying to get to the Y a few times a week (it seems the snow has other plans, but I do try) for exercise for myself and the kids. About once every two weeks I manage to convince the kids to play in the snow, which means 20 minutes of outfitting and preparations for usually 10 minutes of actual outdoor play and then another 20 minutes of de-outfitting and mopping up water and laundering soaked clothes. Though they do enjoy the hot chocolate afterward:)

Anyway, you wouldn't know it from a quick glance at this post, but I do promise that I am trying to take on a more positive outlook. Snow IS quite beautiful to look at, after all. We are blessed with a warm house and warm hearts within it. I have a solid, sturdy car with newer tires that takes me where I absolutely need to go. And I have countless happy memories to call upon of warm, languid stretches on the beach, splashing in the waves with my happy, tanned children, soaking up all the vitamin D that we can handle. It will be here again, eventually.

If you're looking for a fun website, this one is great. It's called 1000 Awesome Things and I read through a few pages today and it made me laugh and smile, two things which are hard to come by these days. http://1000awesomethings.com/.

My Awesome Moment of the day? Ava's "Diaper Dance." Every night she gets a pull-up on before bed (she's 100% potty trained during the day now--go Ava!--but still has accidents at night). Tonight she did this spastic dance and little song, "Diaper time, diaper time, d-d-d-d it's Diaper Time!" It's actually a disturbing little diddy from an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia that I must have sung at some point and she picked up, but it was hilarious none-the-less. :) AWESOME!