a cabin fever survival guide

so, the month of february is my least favorite month. mostly because nothing is really happening .. nothing exciting, i mean. the holidays are over, it's freezing (depending on where you live) and there just isn't much to do. with this, those winter blues can creep in and if you're lucky, you can hold on to your well being for dear life and depression won't completely take over ... this is a tough one for me and always has been. 

anyway, let's just say that cabin fever has hit us hard over here. like real hard. i have been trying my damndest to stay on top of it and find things to make me feel better everyday. to find ways to get me through the rest of this month without losing my mind. if you are someone who is also in the thick of cabin fever, i hope these help. 

1. get dressed - this one has been the most important for me. by get dressed i mean, wash your face, brush your teeth and put some actual clothes on. man, this has helped me so so much. 
2. make your bed - i am someone who almost never makes the bed, but on the days that i do ... i don't know, it just feels better. 
3. write letters - something that always helps pass the time is writing a letter. it could be just a small note to a friend or whatever, but i think it is a much healthier way to pass the time than like staring at your phone. haha. 
4. read - i used to read so much more than i do now. social media has definitely interfered with that and it bums. me. out. ... but getting your head wrapped around a good book during a blizzard is magical. it just is. my favorite author is augusten burroughs ... i know how hard it can be to read while you're in the thick of raising kids. so hard... i have been sitting next to them on the sofa and letting them watch a show while i read a chapter or two. 
5. plan ahead- start thinking about an upcoming vacation or a spring project or your garden. read up on it. make some lists. get excited ... a friend gave me this book a few years ago. it is like the gardener's bible. i definitely recommend. 
6. embrace the cold - yea, it's freezing, but get your butt outside. bundle up and take a walk around your house or down the street. take deep breaths. kick snow. crush old leaves with your boots. it feels good. ... i walked around outside today and saw the tops of my hyacinths. it made me smile because spring is coming. IT IS. 
7. join a class- maybe you do not have the luxury of alone time like so many of us don't, but if you do ... join a yoga class. or heck, put your kids in a class. we always do swim lessons with kiddos during the winter because it gives us a reason to get out of the house. 
8. watch television - winter is the perfect time to start a new show. i am not saying watch tv all day, maybe just an episode or two before bed. this is also huge for me ... i look forward to it all day. and having something to look forward to while suffering from cabin fever is everything. 
9. try a new recipe - staying busy in the kitchen is a wonderful way to pass the time. to be honest, i need to slow down on this one because we have been eating cakes like everyday. haha! :) 
10. declutter or organize - clean out a closet or organize your pantry. productive and distracting and you'll feel great afterwards.
11. put flowers everywhere - just do it. flowers look pretty and they add color to your life. instant cheer.  
12. hang out with your kids - so basically raising kids can interfere with 1-11. big time. on most days, i am just doing my best to make sure we all survive and certainly do not have time to organize a closet or read even one page of a book ... but anyway, lately i have been trying to do better at hanging out with my kids instead of just babysitting them. by hanging out i mean, working on a craft together or playing a game or coloring ... something educational, distracting and fun for us to do.

... maybe this post will not apply to you and i really hope it isn't coming off as like bossy or like i know what i am talking about .. because i don't. just trying to encourage myself to be productive during cabin fever which will lead to a positive outlook which will lead to a happier life.

any other cures for cabin fever out there? xo

that last photo shows eggs from my dad's chickens. every time i go over there, i stomp around with them and it makes me happy because it reminds me of my childhood. that is especially comforting during the winter months. it is the really good kind of nostalgia. 

a photo every hour on valentine's day

a couple weeks ago, i took a photo every hour ... well, from 8:00am to 8:00pm. i loved it so much, that i decided to do it again. i get so excited for the next hour, so i can take the next photo. i'm not sure why, but i just love it. anyway, here are photos from our day! happy valentine's day!

8:00am - exchanging valentines and having breakfast

9:00pm - these two are just waking up 

10:00am - every year on valentine's day, i make monkey bread. also, i have been living with these cabinet doors open for the past few days, trying to decide if i want to remove the doors and leave them exposed. any thoughts?

11:00am - they have become best friends and it is just about the sweetest thing.

12:00pm - every sunday during naptime, i go to the grocery store. it was so, so cold today. i listened to this

1:00pm - probably buying books. 

2:00pm - my husband took a few photos of our bath. this one is my favorite.

3:00pm - in sister's room playing with pretend food. when i walked into the room he asked, "mommy want juice?" :)

4:00pm - my boys 

5:00pm - the snow started falling again and it hasn't quit. 

6:00pm - she is always making lists and he is always dumping stuff. 

7:00pm - reading his book and getting ready for bed 

8:00pm - we have known each other for almost eleven years now and every so often, we binge on law & order. it's sort of our thing and i love it. 

finding pretty and bathroom photos

sometimes when it has been cold for days on end and the sun is nowhere to be found, i have a difficult time finding the pretty in things. especially my own things ... and i am telling you what, i'd give anything to feel the hot sun on my neck and to be chowing down on a burger straight off the grill. a cold, sweaty beer would be nice, too. 

anyway, finding pretty ... today i woke up realizing that wolfgang had been wearing the same pjs for three days. and i just downright stunk. the boys were both in good spirits and the sun was shining, so i decided let's put some icing on the cake and get cleaned up. it's amazing how much a shower can put some pep back in your step. sure it was a little crazy, but totally worth it. afterwards, i slathered them with vanilla-y lotion and we all snuggled a bit. and then they both took a nice, long snooze. i had planned on sleeping, but i watched TV in our sunny living room instead ... so after what seemed like forever, i found some pretty. i think there are times in life when we cannot see beauty for whatever reason and i also think there are times in life where we simply just don't wanna look for it. i think that has been me .. i have been way in my head, you guys all know how emotional i am. ha ha. but i felt different today. maybe it was the sun or maybe it was the bath or that small dose of TV time ... but the beauty was there and i felt it and it was really nice. 

im not even sure i am making any sense, but oh well ... i also wanted to share some photos of the kids' bathroom. i just painted it. it was pink and i didn't like it. i also found a book of botanical prints on amazon  and i love them. there are forty five in the book and i have no idea what to do with them all, but i did hang some in the bathroom and in my bedroom. i like them because they remind me of spring. they remind me of warm and pretty things. 

the kids really don't have a whole lot in their bathroom and you know, that's just the way i like it. there are three drawers ... one holds wash clothes, one holds baby things and the other holds toothpaste, eleanor's ariel brush and a jar of hair ties. underneath the sink there is toilet paper ... that's it. i am sure once eleanor becomes a teenager, more thing will show up, like hairdryers and makeup and all that stuff. :)

little mr. men

i don't think it is any secret that i love the baby gap. well, about a week or so ago, they launched a mr. men + little miss line. if you are not already aware, mr. men was a children's book series by the author, roger hargreaves. i remember reading those books as a kid and loved them and my husband did as well. so anyway, whenever gap contacted me to take some photos of our little ru in this clothing line, i was all like, "heck yea!" 

as you can see here, wolfgang also joined in on the fun ... which basically consisted of him putting fruit snacks in between his toes and cracking up. you know, toddler nonsense. :)

i just love this last photo of rufus. my sweet, chubby, drooling, mr. happy man. 

*thank you GAP for letting me be a part of the Mr. Men and Little Miss launch. 

a saturday morning with ru

rufus just went down for his nap, so i am sitting at my husband's desk, taking bites of leftover pad thai and writing this blog post. last night, eleanor and wolfgang spent the night with my folks and arick had to work today, so it has just been rufus and i this morning. it feels quite normal for eleanor and arick to be out of the house, but a little strange that wolfgang isn't here for our daily routine. i am enjoying the quiet, although i do miss the sound of thomas the train in the background and wolfgang taking my hand every five minutes to lead me to the snack cabinet. 

this morning began like an other morning. i was up at seven and came downstairs for cereal and orange juice. rufus sat in the high chair while i watered my plants and emptied the dishwasher. we slowly made our way to the couch where we nursed and i watched an episode of law & order without any interruptions. after that, we went upstairs so i could make the bed and brush my teeth. i laid next to my boy and let him chew on my cheeks, grab at my hair and coo like a bird's song (but really it sounded more like a squealing baby pig) ... he nursed and smiled and drifted off to sleep. 

there is so much beauty in the mundane ... when i was younger, say in my early twenties, i didn't know that. i was always searching for something greater. something bigger than me out there that would magically change my whole world. you know, constantly living in a fantasy and not enjoying the everyday stuff. the normal stuff. now that i am thirty with three babes, i love the normal. the normal is my everything. the pouring milk in my cereal. the remembering to take my multi vitamin everyday. the making of my bed. watering plants. shit, even putting my favorite slippers on, one by one ... all of it. and having babies to share these simple moments, well, that just makes it all even better. even more beautiful. maybe not for everyone, but certainly for me. 

p.s. we just got a new mattress. we had our old one for eight plus years and it was time. we got a memory foam from a company called christeli and omg, our sleep has been better than ever. so, if you happen to be looking for a new mattress, i definitely recommend!

p.s.s. our little kitchen update has been pushed into march because well, they found rot underneath our sink. so what was a tiny project, became a bigger one. i am still really excited about it and trying my best to remain patient and thankful! 

have a great weekend! xo