Winter time thoughts

Christmas is now over...that means that people begin taking down their outdoor christmas lights. It's a time of saddness for me. With as much rain as we get here in Oregon, the lights bring a cherrful atmosphere during the winter.

These last two weeks of christmas vacation have been long. First, because the kids came down with colds. Meaning, we haven't been going anywhere to avoid sharing this nasty, snotty virus. Which is an adjustment. I've been getting used to being able to head down to the Jefferson Indoor Park as often as 3 times a week. Although it doesn't matter these two weeks that we have a cold, because the park isn't open during christmas break. But I would love to take a trip to the library for a relief from this cabin fever.

I always wonder how it was for mothers of young children 100 or so years ago during the winter months. How did they survive and keep their sanity. Or did they keep their sanity? We have so many options to help us relieve some of the pressure. We can "escape" into a good book, or TV show. We can get out for the evening to visit with girl-friends. Or we can head to the library, indoor park or make a play date with friends. I think about that and feel really grateful.

Today, I pulled out our expensive camera, that I know nothing about and decided to read a bit of the manual and famiarlize myself a bit. That was fun taking pictures of the kids while they played.