Getting Past the Winter Blues

Does anybody else find themselves up a notch on the cranky level during the holidays, or is it just me?  It can't be just me.  The kids are getting on each other's nerves, the animals have gone nuts, and I can't seem to focus on anything...  It's the longest case of Cabin Fever ever... And I'm trying to work through it.

We are still surrounded by ice and no snow, which stinks.. It's all white outside but you can't build a snow man and you can't go sledding.  You can't run the dogs outside.  So we figured this was the best time to catch up on indoor stuff:

We went to see the Nutcracker Ballet.  A live performance is always inspiring because the kids can see skills that require practice and talent, and it's not all CGI'd!  Then we saw a live basketball game.  I highly recommend icky weather for museums, plays, ballets, etc when being outdoors is not as pleasurable.

We are catching up on books. Best time to read! Except we don't have a lot of good reading light, so our window is narrow, but we read as much as we can. 

We are crafting. Knitting, drawing, sewing.  Practicing recorders. Baking/cooking.  Doing Christmas art.

We leave plenty of room for pretend play.  It's amazing how my children can take legos and use their imaginaitons.  They make block people - like something out of minecraft - and off they go.  They don't even need actual dolls!

In all this, it doesn't quite cure the restlessness.  So the kids have made it a point to do the exercises on my 21 Day Fix program.  They pick one and do 30 minutes every so often.  I'm doing them too and going to the gym at night with the husband.  Exercise cures my grumpyness.  If I find myself annoyed by things that really shouldn't, I pop in a DVD and just start lifting weights.  Then I'm too tired to be grumpy about anything.

On that note, when I first did the 21 Day Fix in March, my light weights were... none... and my heavy weights were 3 lbs.  Sometime close to May I did 3lb light weights and 8lb heavy weights.  This time around my light weights are one or both of the 8lb dumbells and my heavy weights are one or both of the 15 lb dumbells.  Progress!

It's not enough for me to work out inside though.  I have to run.  So I have to go to the gym.  And I like squats and deadlifts with some real weight - around 80 lbs.  So I have to go to the gym.  At the beginning of this blog I prided myself in exercising without stepping foot in a gym.  But now that I can't run around the block or do real strength training for my legs, I feel that the gym is necessary.  I'm totally  looking forward to being off the treadmill and outdoors again!

I'd like other work out programs too.  Not P90X.  But Piyo, or Jillian Michaels, or Zumba/Dance related work outs.  I'd even try Boxing/Mixed Martial Arts.  Possibly even Barr. I just get bored.  Sometime next year my husband and I are going to join a CrossFit gym in town and train with a trainer.  And I'd like to take some live classes. But finances being what they are, I have to wait on that, and I'd like to do stuff at home.  Plus, stuff at home is fun because the kids join in.  It's nice to see them try!

And the older two kids are starting gymnastics in January, and possibly swimming if I can coordinate it for February or March.  Gymnastics will definitely challenge them physically.

Unfortunately, the dogs are still exerting all their energy in my tiny living room, and my furniture and Christmas tree have paid the price for it occasionally.  But that's temporary.

Just like it's temporary for the youngest one to not really be in anything or do anything.  Except he doesn't get it and he feels left out.  Caleb wants to take classes and read books and do book reports.  His all-time phrase is, "Mom, what do I do now?"  And it can get exhausting.  But he's also very helpful.  He refills all the water bottles with filtered water.  He sets the table.  He feeds the fish.  He just wants to DO something all the time.  Caleb and both dogs... Constantly following me around, counting on me to DO something.

And all I want to do, in the winter, is take long naps, drink good coffee, and snuggle under a blanket.  If I don't exercise at home I'll fall asleep!  But this is temporary.

I miss Hawaii... I don't think that's temporary. I think I would love to live in that climate and have access to the beach.  I can spend the rest of my life swimming, surfing (I will learn how before I die!!), and running in the sun.  I think the vacation there ruined me from Alaska life.  I think it made the Winter Blues worse.