down with February

February is traditionally tough for me. Without a doubt the worst month of the year. The days are still short, the afterglow of Christmas has long since faded and it's still cold. This year was no exception.

I have tried to put things into perspective. But it doesn't seem to matter how much pep talk I do, I am still just down. I have thought in the last seven years that having Zoe's birthday in February might help. There's a party to plan, something to look forward to but even that hasn't helped, only added to the number of things that need to be done even though all I want to do is hibernate.

So my apologies to my loyal readership of two. I just can't seem to get it together enough even just to write notes. About anything. For example, I keep a detailed log of the things that I have read. After I had children I found that it was more and more difficult to remember the details of things and that sometimes I couldn't even place a book in the time period in which I was reading it. And so began the log. Right now there is a stack of twenty or so books in my room that I need to add to the log before I put them away and that doesn't include the books I borrowed and have (smartly) already returned.

Our February was eventful. We have been ice skating in my attempt to appreciate the cold. We have been sledding.




We had a pirate party for Zoe and her friend Zayd who is just ten days younger.





I went to a Crop Til You Can't Scrapbook Retreat for three days on the beautiful Pigeon Lake where I walked outside in the cold and snow just to take in the quiet of it. It should have been relaxing and refreshing but I was on a mission to get our 2008 pictures archived and on the shelf. Mission almost accomplished. A few little details left, the point being it was more work than fun. And I missed my little family like crazy.


Ruby breastfed two more days after I came home and then seems to have given it up entirely this past week. I thought I would be more sad than I am but she's just as lovely and cuddly as ever so I feel good about how it ended and I am looking forward to being done with diapers in a few months. Coming up on nine years now with diapers. I am so looking forward to less laundry, less garbage and less money out of pocket.

We have been worn down by a cold that has lasted several weeks. I got it last and was hopeful that I may have avoided it entirely but working night shifts keeps my immune system worn down just enough that it was inevitable. It has been just one of those nuisance things, annoying and yet none of us are sick enough to justify checking out of our day to day lives and so we carry on a little more tired and a little more out of sorts than usual.

It will end soon. Only four more days. We might survive it yet. With March there is hope. Hope that is a very least followed by April. I have heard that the flowers are starting to bloom on the West Coast. I am infinitely jealous in spite of the beautiful glow of the new fallen snow that surrounds me and the white noise of the furnace running most of the time. I dream of summer.