Getting Over Winter Blahs

Posted by Belinda | 0 comments

Unless you pride yourself on being completely off the grid of mass communications, you probably know that the NFL’s champion of champions matchup, the Superbowl, occurred in Dallas, TX.   You might also know that during the week in which the game took place, Dallas had the worst winter storm in 15 years.   The ice from the stadium injured several during the week, and, almost as significant if you’re a sports fan, was the storyline that 1200+ fans arrived to find themselves seat-less after an inspector failed to sign off on the additional chairs placed in the dome.

What you may not know is that this type of winter storm is uncommon in many parts of Texas.   Here in coastal Texas, the area shut down for two days due to the anticipation of ice or snow.   Our norm is to get about 1 week of “real” winter, so we take our hysteria as it comes.    Nevertheless, there are signs of the season that I absolutely love:

• The chill, even in the inside air, that absolutely begs for warm stew and bread—rich comfort food.
• Increased hours of darkness. allowing our family to relax more and enjoy times of “nothingness” together.
• Warm, fresh-smelling blankets, just out of the dryer—blankets for napping, blankets for snuggling over football or a movie.
• Holly berries and evergreen trees—symbols of God’s sovereignty that laughs in the face of what we consider to be the “normal” growing season
• Scarves, coats, and sweaters that cover that extra slice of sweet potato pie so very well
• The smells of winter—pine, cinnamon, nutmeg, cranberry, and vanilla.

Like many, this is the time of year when everything I read and hear says to get energized about a new year, while everything taken in through my other senses says to slow down.    When it comes to homeschool, this is also about the time when I reconcile myself to the fact that my best-laid plans for the fall and winter just did not happen.    This year, as one example, our daughters are studying medieval history.    With one a high schooler and one an elementary school student, their level of depth into the period and associated activities look vastly different, but I was so proud as I listed those lesson plans that we could do together, bringing in a kinesthetic component that would seal in that learning for both children.  Now in February, I reviewed my plans and thought, “What happened?”    Maybe it only happens in my house, but just in case, I thought I’d share some tips for getting past the winter it’s-mid-year-and-I’ve-gotten-nothing-done-that-I-planned blues:

1) Get your story straight. Speaking of football, the NFL once ran a commercial where various men, at the season’s end in January, would attempt to clarify some prediction they made back in September that was now 180 degrees from reality.   The humor of it does not play out well in written format, but the message is still worthy of remembering: know how and why you got off track. As a personal example, each year I find myself behind in science and reading.   The “common household items” listed in various experiments are never common in my household, and I want the kids to read every book ever listed as “a wholesome addition to any library”—way too aggressive a plan for children with church responsibilities, extracurricular activities and a healthy amount of interaction with local homeschool networks.

2) Change your routine. Even something as simple as a change of scenery can energize you and help you refocus on what are your plans and why.    I have a friend who packs up her brood once a week and conducts “school” at a local bookstore, the kind with the coffee house and lots of sofas.    I once tried the same with our children at the local library.    Though the overall mission was unsuccessful (our kids like schooling in their pajamas and raiding the fridge at will too much), it was revitalizing for me to get out of the house, breathe some fresh air and embrace the sunshine.    If getting out is too much, considering scheduling a “reading day”—all plans laid aside except for the readers and read-alouds.   Grab some hot chocolate and a blanket and enjoy some cuddling time, no matter how big those feet have grown!

3) Don’t waste your season. It is so easy to fall into self-pity and frustration over all the things that did not happen during the year; self-doubt travels closely behind.    Instead, think along these lines: what did I learn?    This latter perspective is far more empowering, yes?   Through this lens you might see some non-conducive patterns of your own:

a. Do you overplan your fall?

b. Are your field trips and outside activities incorporated into your schedule, or are they taking you away from your schedule?

c. Can you better utilize the resources available to you to be more productive—homeschool networks, grandparents, reading/ playing time at the library?

d. Are the plans you have effective in helping your child learn more about the topic, or are they (and you) just doing “stuff”?

Consider this: baking that homemade bread or milling dried corn might be a wonderful complement to your Little House studies, but does it really teach your child the essence of the stories?   Would it be a tremendous loss if you did not get to light the oven?

4) Get excited about spring. Suppose winter is a total washout for you.   Nothing happened as it ought.    Poor lesson planning, even worse execution, depression, frustration—whatever may have happened, the beauty of this life is that whatever happened is temporary.   God knew this when He wisely began scriptural passages with the words, ‘and it came to pass…’    Life is a compilation of seasons, each with the possibility of immeasurable success and/or painful failures.    Yet, if we embrace God’s perspective, whatever happened, or did not happen in your first semester, are a part of a season, and if you hang in there, your failures will be wildly overshadowed by your successes.

Each day is a day that the Lord has made.    Each day, whether we sink or swim, is worthy of thanksgiving, of reflection in order to learn from it, and of re-commitment to do even better on the day following.     During my corporate days, we would at times use a change-management term called white-boarding.”   The concept was to take one of those dry erase boards, wipe everything from it, and begin again.   My friends, this is our task during our winter, it’s-mid-year-and-I’ve-gotten-nothing-done-that-I-planned blues: learn from where we are, wipe our frustrations and self-pities away, and start moving toward spring.

Belinda Bullard is a wife and homeschooling mother of three, Belinda is an author and the owner of A Blessed Heritage Educational Resources, a literature-based history curriculum featuring African-American presence in history, as well as the contributions of other races to American history. A chemical engineer by formal education, she also serves as adjunct faculty for college distance learning programs. Belinda blogs at Simply Belinda and Chronicles of a Blessed Heritage.