Cabin Fever Corrections

There are many things I like about winter: snow, winter sunlight in the afternoon, sweaters. Ok, several things I like about winter. There's are innumerable things I like spring, summer, and fall. Those short days in the winter when it's too cold to play outside bother me more than the boys, I think. There are several things I've learned to do around the house to brighten up the day and my spirits. I thought I'd share some of them today. 

Photo Courtesy of digitalart/freedigitalphotos.net

• Drink hot chocolate: have something warm and yummy to savor for a few minutes
• Spend time memorizing Scripture: nothing helps my spirits more
• Clean your windows: try it. It makes an amazing difference. 
• Spot-clean curtains: once again, makes a huge difference. I dusted the top of the ones in our bedroom and cleaned off spots on the dining room ones. (Who thought it was a good idea to sit the toddler in front of them?)
• Light a candle: it's pretty and smells amazing
• Move some furniture: even something small makes a big difference! 
• Be grateful: spend some time each day thanking God for your blessings. Walk through your home and thank God for specific things in it. 
• Decorate with a child's artwork: bonus if you help them make the art! 
• Get rid of clutter: clear it out and give your brain space to see
• Clean off counters: again, open space is inviting and brighter
• Fresh flowers: pull a few dollars and grab some cheap flowers when you're grocery shopping

I threatened last week to throw a party for the sun when it came back out! We had several dark, dreary days. My philosophy on those days is to turn on a lot of lights and play our music really loud. I try to do extra active things with Micah too, like chasing him around the house and dancing in the kitchen.  The sun did come back out after a beautiful snowfall. Micah was thrilled watching the snow fall! He probably doesn't remember the ones last year. And until the beautiful weather is back, I'll keep planting my flower bulbs to enjoy in the spring and drinking my homemade hot chocolate (keep in mind that I added an extra cup of powdered sugar to this recipe.)