I can't believe it but the winter blues are already hitting me! The Christmas tree isn't even down and I am already having blues attacks. Yesterday I tried to do some work at school and I I felt like I was in one of those dreams where you are trying to run but everything is in slow motion. I gave up, went home, crawled in bed and slept for 2 hours. A sure sign of the winter blues.

I am going to be diligent about using my "winter blues emergency kit". My kit includes vitamins, sticking my face in the sun when it appears every 12th day and exercise. But this year I am going to add another tool....writing. I have been reading my cousin's daughters blog (jodimichelle.com) and she inspires me. She writes her way thru life, we all just have been invited to join her. I see what good therapy it provides her.

So today I am going to start right where I am at....my living room! The gifts are all sitting on the floor, wrapping paper supplies under the tree, and my lovely pine branch mantel decoration has fallen down and not one needle remains on the branch. I am going to pick up.

Now the way my mind works is something like this...I will pick up, order new shades for the windows, figure out what to do with the blank wall, get a new coffee table, I will take pictures and write about it, etc. etc. etc. No wonder I usually fail.

I will pick up the living room...period...and maybe dream about what I will do to complete this room, I think that's fair and take before and after pictures because that is just so darm motivating! Picking up this room will help with my winter blues because I will get exercise doing it and I will have accomplished something. So here goes, talk to you when I'm done...

a supporting role

The young lady pictured inspired me! Let me catch you up to speed. I teach my church's middle school Sunday School class. I had every intention of turning down that honor this year when my own middle school age son came to me and said, "Mom, please teach my class!". I thought to myself....how much longer will he actually want me to be anywhere around him and his friends? I've got 6 months or less I'm guessing so I said yes. Flash forward to our Christmas Play in which my class were the actors. I did a poor job of handing out parts. I thought I made it clear that when we first read the play thru they were not reading the parts that they would necessarily end up with. Some feelings were hurt. Then we had practice the week before and had to switch up some parts again because some of the kids weren't there, more confusion. Anyway, the young lady above was given the part of the "little sister". It was a bit part with maybe 3-4 lines in one scene. She took her itty bitty part and rocked it! She came dressed complete with little sister pig tales and a doll. She spoke with so much expression and had the audience eating out of her hand!

I started thinking about that. I want to take whatever bit part I have in life and rock it! Do it to the best of my ability, give it a little flare, do with gusto and who knows...maybe even steal the show once in a while!

I am on vacation for 2 weeks! I started a full time teaching job on November 1 (more about that later) and am on Christmas vacation now. Working full time has been wonderful for the bank account, wonderful for my self esteem and creativity BUT not so wonderful for my kids and my house! The house....is just a house and I will give it a little attention on vacation. The kids on the other hand are my kids. I have said, "I can't do that right now", "maybe later", "I am too tired to do that" and "hurry up" more times than I care to admit. Soooo, on this vacation my goal is to nix "hurry Up" from my vocabulary and say "yes, we can do that" as many times as I can!