Defeating Your Winter Blues

So the holidays are over and there is nothing before us for awhile but the drabness of winter.  Some people really love winter (though I notice those people tend to get a lot of snow where they live and excel at things like skiing and ice skating which, as a pregnant woman, it's not really recommended for me to do right now), but I look forward to the coming spring with extreme eagerness.  However, I try to make the best of what I have every day, and a few years ago decided to take advantage of all this indoor time that I have for all those various indoor tasks I don't want to do when it's finally nice outside.
 

 

If you are like me and would normally be hiding in the closet clutching your summer wear in agony for months, I encourage you to use this time to get some things done that you have put on the back burner or that you just never seem to have time to complete.  For myself, I go through the whole house and reorganize, clean, and get rid of everything I can.  I find this task to be so fulfilling that I start to get excited for New Year's to come and go so I can put away the Christmas decorations and really delve into the whole project.  I look forward to the home organization and decluttering magazine issues in January as much as others look forward to the fashion issues in September.

 

On top of this massive project that takes me until springtime to actually complete, I am also this working on a First Year scrapbook for my daughter.  I have decided to do this instead of filling out the normal baby book, but it does take a lot of my time.  Plus I decided to do it when she was about four months old, so I have quite a lot of time I still have to backtrack and complete including the all important days around her birth.  I really want to have this finished in time for her birthday in March and will then take a breather in scrapbooking until her sister is born a month and half after that (whew!).

 

Now I'm not telling you to get off your couch and clean the entire house this winter (although I highly recommend it!).  Instead, I am giving you examples on how I take a massive time of the year that I am not particularly fond of and make something good and enjoyable out of it.  This is the time to organize a book club with some friends or watch that tv series you enjoy but never got to see passed the first two episodes or get some crafts done that you never finished or take up an indoor (or outdoor if you're very brave) sport.  Figure out something to fill those long dark evenings we'll still be having for awhile.

 

The best thing for you to pick is something that you enjoy doing now and that you will benefit from later.  I'd rather spend my warm weather months outside as much as possible so getting my house ready and organized now means not having to bother with it when I really don't have the time to spare.  Of course, if you can only find something that you enjoy now, then that is still a winter time well spent.  Make some memories during the unmemorable time of year.