Do you ever find yourself in a bit of a funk during the months of January and February? I never seem to mind the cold and snow in December, but now I’m ready for warm weather to return. It doesn’t take long for me to find my mood plummeting right along with the temperature.
Thankfully, I’ve learned that a cranky attitude doesn’t help anyone, especially me! So, I’ve developed a list of five things I use to help myself overcome the wintertime blues.
1. Movie Night – Having something to anticipate with enthusiasm always helps my mood. Watching a movie at home with a fire in the fireplace, cuddled up under a cozy throw, munching a little buttered popcorn.
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“Wow! Look at that! Can you see that, Mommy?”
“Oooooh…look over there!”
I smiled as I listened to the joy-filled exclamations coming from the back of my minivan. You would think we were driving through some exotic locale or past a squeal-inducing theme-park. But we were just driving down a normal, everyday road in our hometown.
So what was all the fuss about?…
Two little girls with their first pairs of glasses could finally see! With the lifting and lowering of her bronze-colored frames, my oldest began a little chant, “Fuzzy…not fuzzy…fuzzy…not fuzzy…”.
As a fellow farsighted one, I totally get the wonder my girls have been feeling.
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You have heard the old retort to when a kid asks his parents how he came into the world: “The stork brought you.” I’ve decided that is actually a pretty good response to my nine-year-old daughter and eleven-year-old son. Yes, we have already had the “s” talk, but more than anything I need them to know something even more important… Someone who loves you and will protect you to the death brought you into this world.
I have been stumbling through the book of Job lately. Job has really been difficult for me to glean much from because I just keep going back to the fact that Job’s friends are just jerks dishing out a bunch of twisted truth.
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And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:52 NIV
Earlier this month, we started talking about what it takes to raise godly men. I shared a little bit about how God captured my heart and gave me the desire to be a boy mom. If you have not had a chance to read it yet, then take a minute to go back and read it (Raising Godly Men, Part 1).
I shared about how to get started if your boys are in preschool and now I want to take a minute to talk about elementary, middle, and high school boys.
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We live about 20 miles outside of a major city and we love the beautiful drive we have along forested highway to get to and from church, work, etc. Each time I prepare to make the drive, my dh (dear husband) says, “Watch out for deer and trucks!”
So, when I saw the Associated Press article titled, Wisconsin Runner Collides with Deer During Race, I had to know more. It seems that a high school sophmore was running a cross country race when a deer ran into her path. Thankfully, no injuries more serious than a bruised leg were sustained, and they each continued on their way.
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It’s past the middle of January.
We’ve had a good three plus weeks to work on those resolutions. Over 26 days. Many hours. Maybe you’re right on track with those goals for 2011. Or maybe, just maybe, you’re like me and haven’t been perfect with those new resolutions. Or you stopped.
That’s okay.
Life isn’t about a one time commitment to change something. Developing a new habit involves persistence and constant diligence. Oh yeah, and faith. Faith? Yes, faith. Because deep down we need to begin to replace the doubts that we can do something with the new belief and mindset that we will accomplish those goals.
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As a mom, I have often sent my children to the “time out” chair or corner. Sometimes it would be 15 minutes, or 30 minutes. It was an opportunity for my children to sit quietly and reflect on their behaviors, attitudes and motives. I cannot say that it always worked, but when it did, I was thankful because their hearts were changed.
Lately, I have been wanting to give myself a time out. Not so much for discipline, but just to simply be alone. I feel an increased need for moments in my day where I can breathe in Jesus and exhale the cares of the world.
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I drove along the unfamiliar road, going maybe 50 mph at best. The sun was quickly setting in the west, much faster than I had hoped. I had left my house forty minutes earlier for the hour and a half road trip, equipped with nothing more than anxiety over navigating country roads by myself and – of course – my trusty GPS.
His name is Walter. You know, the faceless guy who gives you minute-by-minute driving directions. The same one that announces, “You missed your exit. One moment. Redirecting.” Walter and I had made several trips together before this night, and he’d not given me any reason to doubt him before now.
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