F is for ... February, Frustrating and Freezing

I haven't done a 'Wordy Wednesday' for a while, so thought I would try and get back in the groove of having a bit more structure to my blog posting again, as for reasons of 'living life and what it throws at you' they have become a bit hit and miss of late.  I was pleased to be able to get a Disability Diaries post out last week so making baby steps on the right track.

The introduction to this blog post really leads in quite well to the point of it.  For reasons beyond the control of the mere human that I am, since November things have been moving a three hundred miles an hour around our lives and there has been little time for sitting and pondering and physically being able to pull blog posts together. 

November saw us house hunting, December saw us move which lead straight into a very busy, but amazing Christmas and New Year.  January and sadly through to February, we have all been blighted with viruses and weeks of being under the weather (and we know, unwell children means you are even busier as they can't go to school / nursery and my two become super clingy) plus, The Hubby had another stint in hospital. 

Many people struggle with February.  It is still the depths of winter, it's usually still dark and gloomy, it feels like it has been like this for a long time and the fact that spring is still a whole month away can feel pretty depressing.  On top of that, if we are honest, February usually sees us all still pretty broke, just when a spend up might be one way to lift us out of the low mood.

However, I have not suffered with that for the last few years.  I put this down to being a stay - home - mum.  Months are not particularly that clear cut and just in general I have been a lot happier being at home with the children.  If it's cold outside, aside from the school run, it is my choice if I have to go out, or if we stay cozied up indoors.  In 2010 I was pleased we had reached February as it meant the arrival of J2 was pulling closer, and last year it was packed full of last minute 60th birthday planning for my Dad, 1st birthday planning for J2 and Wedding Planning for the Hubby and I!

So this year the approach of February did not phase me too much.  However, it's been a bit of a stinker to be honest.  I thought January was a bit of struggle, due to the aforementioned continuous plague of bugs / viruses / colds / coughs etc.  But the fact this has continued into February and throughout - thus postponing almost anything planned is just damn frustrating now.  The lack of attendance for the kids at school and nursery has a knock on effect for getting anything else done and this is now starting to get to me. 

Add to this the start of February flourished our country in snow and an extreme cold snap was not great fun either, it was quite literally freezing and our big old house, although had been really quite good up to then, the fact that it has original windows (drafty) and old doors (drafty) and an old roof (part collapsed with the snow so, drafty) couldn't stand up to the minus temperatures to the balmy degree's that I like to be honoured with indoors (yes I would relocate to Florida if given the chance!).

However, this is not a negative post, that's not my style.  Yesterday, after dropping J1 at school, I made the journey across to the shops with J2 in tow.  This is always a nail biting time.  J2, at present, will either be an angel or complete nightmare so I try and keep necessary visits short, sharp and to the point, in the hope we are in and out before 'meltdown city' occurs.  Yesterday, he was an angel (phew, a bag of buttons for once worked a treat - for some reason J2 can not usually be bribed with sweets), team that with the beautiful blue sky and sunshine and positively mild temperature, spirits started to pick up.

So yes, although we are in February and it has been cold, dark and germ frenzied, we have to remember that F is also for Fight (ie. Fighting Spirit) that at over the half way point of Freezing, Frustrating February, we are now seeing longer, lighter, warmer days and we can only hope health wise we are all on the mend and we can resume seeing other friends and family and getting out and about with energy and minus the need for a pharmaceutical filled back pack.

And if all of that starts to happen, we might start to get some better nights sleep, which is always a good pick me up, whatever the time of year.