Wintertime Blues

After hibernating all weekend, when Monday rolled around with a school holiday attached I knew I had to get myself and kids out of the house.  The weekend was cold and snowy but that day promised to be unseasonably warm... a 65 degree in the middle of January type of day.  I considered making a lunch date with the park, but with the melting snow I foresaw a huge, muddy mess.  However, we all needed some activity and some fresh air.

I got up early that morning, something I hadn't done for three days straight.  We were down to our last bottle of formula so Target was calling my name.  Plus, I really didn't want to deal with the late day holiday shoppers.  Fortunately, this Target also has a Starbucks which is quite possibly the only reason I was able to pull myself from the comforts of my blankets and my babies.

Chris was already at work so I decided to surprise him with a little Starbucks treat before heading home.  He had an even bigger surprise for me.  Since it was a holiday, there wasn't much going on at the office.  He had some work to do, but nothing that couldn't be done from home. 

So, here we were at 9am with the whole family home.  Because of my unwillingness to do anything that resembled work over the weekend, I definitely needed to do some laundry and straightening.  But, I'm kind of a pro at this stuff now so I knew it wouldn't take me longer than and hour or two. 

By the afternoon, I was itching to get out.  As the baby napped, we made our plan.

The local community center is less than a mile from our house.  We purchased our membership cards about a year ago and then never proceeded to use it again.  It's a nice, friendly place but with three kids in three different sports most of the year round, we never had much time to get there.  That Monday, however, was the perfect opportunity.

Chris, Grace and Alex played some basketball while Eva pushed Layla in the stroller around the gym.  The track at the community center is like a balcony over the gym.  And yes, this is the same track where the wedding ring incident happened.  This time, though, I took the ring off for my 2 mile run.  While I've never been a huge fan of running indoors, it was quite nice to watch my family play together while I got to run alone.  It was even nicer to not be the one pushing the stroller as.

After I finished my run, I took Eva on a little tour of the place because she'd never been there before. Then we played a family game of "Pig" before starting our next adventure. 

The fresh air and the warm temperatures put a smile on my soul.  Chris must have been feeling it, too, because he agreed to grill some burgers for dinner.  So, we stopped to pick up some beverages and buns and went home for our BBQ.

The kids rode their bikes around the neighborhood while Chris was grilling and I was making the sides...baked potatoes and asparagus.

We sat down for dinner and a few bites in the table was silent.  Who had time to talk when the food was this good!

Once the kitchen was clean and the kids were bathed and in bed, Chris and I settled in for a movie. 

I went to bed that night happier than I had been in a long time. 

And that is how the sun and the fun and the good meal saved me from the wintertime blues.