winter blues.

The weather this week has been insane.

On Monday, we got several inches of thick, nasty snow, which makes the total for this winter 47" so far.

On Tuesday, it was surprisingly nice out.

On Wednesday, it was seriously warm enough to have a picnic outside. The warmest it's been since December 4th!

On Thursday, it was raining.

Today, there is a wind advisory with a current windchill of 2 degrees.

Wisconsin is obviously bi-polar.

I would kill to get more days like Tuesday and Wednesday! There was actually sunshine which is like, one of my favorite things in the world. Winter is so depressing sometimes. After the tiny spark of joy from the first snowfall and then Christmas, winter is a draaaaaaag. Walking through slush, snow being blown in your face, pant legs getting stained with salt... no thank you! Is anyone with me on this?

I'm that person who, by the end of summer, can't wait for fall - cooler temps, sweaters & boots, bonfires and pumpkin flavored everything... and then I'm ready for peppermint mochas, Christmas carols starting on November 1st, and the holiday season of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. I usually get excited every year! Then January 2nd hits and I'm sick of it.

I guess all of this contributes to the winter blues I get.

Winter seems like the longest season of the year. My husband's "busy season" at work is January - April so for the first 2.5 months of that where it's too cold to go outside, I'm pretty much constantly alone with our son and I would give anything to be able to go outside with him and actually DO things! We spend a majority of our day watching Nick Jr, throwing balls around the living room, eating snacks and napping. It's a good life. But we have major cabin fever.

I used to not mind winter quite so much. There was only one winter before Ezra was born that I wasn't in high school. Winter of 2010-11, I was in school and planning my wedding and working as a CNA, so I didn't mind the cold. Winter of 2011-12, I was a newlywed and Marcus didn't work crazy hours so I was fine spending time with him indoors. Winter of 2012-13, Ezra was a newborn so I didn't like taking him out in the cold but I still got out enough to keep me sane. This year, it's a whole new game having a toddler. He wants to run around and I want to let him! I'm so thankful for different mom groups I get to go to each week just so I can see some other people and let Z play with other kids. Plus, this year's winter is probably the worst winter I've experienced in my whole life. We've had dangerously cold days where schools have closed due to a windchill of -50 degrees, plus three times as much snow so far as last year.

I can honestly say I HATE it! I begin to feel stuck, like winter is never going to end, and I'm always going to feel sad and "out of it" - and then we have days like Wednesday where the sun shines and it actually feels like a cool spring day, and I remember that it will all be over soon and spring WILL come. (I hope!)

I'm so excited for summer - going to the pool and swimming with Ezra, passion tea lemonades from Starbucks, going to Frostie Freeze for twinkle cones, grilling out in our new backyard, playing on our new swing set, going on walks around our new neighborhood, and of course, the birth of our baby girl!

I say that after this horrible winter, I won't complain once about the heat we get this summer. But let's be honest - I know that when I have a newborn cuddled to my chest, I'll get sticky & hot and probably complain. ;)

But at least summer has more sunshine! And sunshine is my favorite.