Cabin Fever

School delays and cancellations, icy roads, mounds of snow, brutal cold, post-holiday slump, winter blues, whatever the reason, it’s easy to feel a little depressed or down in the dumps this time of year. There are a few ways to break that cycle.

One is to get a little sun. Now sure, it would be nice to fly off to some tropical location and sip rum punch with your toes in the sand but not too many people can afford it or fit that into their schedules. Those diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder are prescribed “light therapy” to help boost their mood. Seeing your doctor might be something to consider if you feel you need more than the proverbial pick-me-up to get out of your slump. Natural sunlight would be great but it can be hard to come by and we need to rely on Mother Nature to cooperate.

Another option is to get some exercise. It’s a natural and healthy way to lift your mood. Picking up a winter sport is a good idea especially this winter. However, if being out in the cold is not your cup of tea and part of what might have you down in the first place then swishing down the slopes may not be the best answer for you.

My favorite go-to fix for the blues is to socialize. It’s easy to hibernate and become a hermit when your spirits are low. Isolating yourself can start you on a downward spiral that can be really difficult to climb free from. Socializing can be as easy as calling a friend. Not to cry on their shoulder but ask them all sorts of things about their life. Give them the chance to lean on you. Hearing how someone else is feeling can make you feel less alone and make you feel good about yourself for being a support for another person.

You can take it up a step from there and invite a few people over. This is a great time to have a party. (It only takes three people to call it a party). Get a few drinks and set out some snacks and you’re ready to go. Ask your guests to bring an appetizer over and add a theme to your evening and they’ll be talking about how much fun they had for weeks.

There are so many fun ways to add a theme now. Fight the blues and have everyone wear something blue. Write down some conversation starting questions and put them in a basket to help “break the ice”. (Pun intended). Call all your single friends and host a non-traditional Valentine party. With the Olympics starting, you have a readymade theme. Have your guests dress in red, white and blue or ask them to bring an ethnic food to share. Pull the names of various countries out of a hat and each guest gets to cheer for a different team.

Whatever you do find a way to have some fun, put a smile on your face and warm your heart.

Beach or Shore???

Since we just got hit with yet another bout of the white stuff I thought it would be a good time to take a trip to the beach albeit a virtual trip.

I know I’ve mentioned it before but I have some really great friends. Several live close to me and I get to see them regularly. Others live some distance away. One of those friends is truly an amazing person. I love her dearly as a friend, role model and a priceless mentor.

This past summer, she offered us a week in her condo at the beach.

(The view from the patio)

This was our first weeklong vacation in about 6 years. That alone was a blessing. Then to stay in someone’s home for free was really really nice. Especially for the germ-a-phob in me. Knowing I was in a home that was only used by family helped me relax so much more.

This place was so inviting and very spacious. It’s in a private locked building in a more residential area. The beaches to the north and south are more public and touristy but this one was way more private. There was no through traffic and the restaurants and shops were all out on the main road into the beach. That meant only those living in the neighborhood were coming and going. That set the tone for a quiet relaxing week.

Here are some shots of the condo.

The girls stayed in this room. They loved having separate beds but being in the same room.

They had their own bathroom too.

We had a full sized kitchen and it was stocked with all the things you might need but not think to pack for vacation. Plus she told us to eat any/everything we could or wanted.
And not only that but when we got there she had a huge tray of her homemade baked Ziti waiting for us. What a gal!!!!

Here’s the dinning room. Plenty of elbowroom and the other half of the room was the perfect place for the kids to spread out all of their toys.

(Someone wants a cool-pop)

Nice cozy living room with the most comfortable denim furniture. There was a beach view out the front window or you could step out onto the patio for a better look.

A big 15 by 15 foot patio with a partial wall was a great place to set the kids out but keep them contained and safe. Sitting here after they were all tucked in for the night was a nice way to end the day too.

Here’s the sizeable master bedroom. We had plenty of space to set up the pack-n-play for little man’s bed.

Our bathroom was in here.


It gets even better. Not just a beautiful place to stay, we were right across the street from the beach and a 2-minute walk to Asbury Park’s boardwalk. Now, on top of this plus making us a meal for our first evening, she also had toys for all the kids, new buckets and shovels to take to the beach AND she had photos of my kids all around the room so they would “feel like they belonged”. Too sweet!!!!

(This was the best walk of my life!!!)

Aaahhh. I feel relaxed just thinking about our trip to the beach or is it the shore???
I’m still not sure?

What I do know is that we have wonderful memories of a fun family vacation.

(The most fun by far on a bike ride!)

(I had to have a soft-shell sandwich while we were there)

(My little man went exploring)

The best way to start your day....

Plan B is not so bad

A few years ago as I was approaching a milestone I started to plan my dream birthday party. I wanted there to be lots of finger foods; various breads, cheeses, olives and fruit. There would be all different types of wines. Each guest would bring their own wine glass to use during the "wine" party and then they would leave it as a gift to me and memento of my 40th birthday celebration. I would have these glasses and each time I used one I could look back and think of the good times and remember the friend who gave it to me.

Well when my 40th birthday rolled around, I was pregnant (no wine for me) and my husband was in the hospital have 23 centimeters of his colon removed. Needless to say that party was put on hold indefinitely.

This year brought another milestone birthday around. It is my Mother’s 60th birthday. I struggled for a while on what to do/get her for such a big birthday. Then it hit me… Hey! She likes wine too! I could plan something that she would like and I could live vicariously and we’ll both be happy.

The plan was for the hubby and I to take the kids and my Mom on a road trip. My Mother loves to spend “everyday” time with the kids. She likes to see them in the morning, at bedtime, during meals, while they play; she could watch them all day. I figured riding six plus hours in the van and spending the weekend in a hotel would be more than enough to fill her “kid fix” and on top of that we going to cover a wine trail. There is a trail in the southeast corner of Pennsylvania that has seven local wineries within a few miles of each other. It’s called the Brandywine Valley wine trail.

All the wineries are mapped out and you can go from one to the other and sample wines at your own speed.

Did I mention when this trip was???? Remember that blizzard that hit the northeast, dumping 2 feet of snow and putting everyone into a state of emergency. Yep. Good timing huh?

Well, the trip went on just with a slight “detour” to plan B. As we headed into town on Friday, we were able to make stops at two of the wineries. The first one was the Twin Brook winery.

It was a nice easy way to get in the mood. We were there for about 30 minutes or so and sampled about 5 wines for free. The wines were fairy good but not the best during the trip.

From there we followed the map and found our way to Stargazers Vineyard.

It would have been really nice to read the fine print that said they are only open on Saturday and Sunday. Ooops. It looked like a cool place and we thought we might get to go back on Saturday if the weather forecast was wrong. (That didn’t happen).

Next we headed closer to the hotel and made a stop at Chaddsford Winery.

The state of Pennsylvania has over 200 wineries and this one is ranked number ONE. It was such a good find for us. We had a wonderful visit there. We were there for a little over an hour. There the fee was $8.00 pp and you get to sample 8 wines and keep the glass as a memento. We left there with a case and a half of wine.

As we walked out it was just starting to snow. Within 20 minutes we were in our hotel and had ordered out for dinner.

In the morning we woke to find the city covered in that white stuff and everything was shut down. Thankfully, I had a cooler full of food, bags of toys and actives for the kids, we had 21 bottles of wine, room service, an indoor swimming pool, 2 adjoining suits with plenty of space and 4 televisions. If you’re going to be snowed in this is the way to do it!!!!


We midded out on going to wineries on Saturday but on Sunday we checked out and found our way to one more winery. I was determined to try for another before the long drive home.

Penns Woods Winery was the closest to our road home. We stopped there for about 45 minutes. Mom and I bought 2 bottles each.

All-in-all a good trip even if it was plan B. And the most amazing thing was what I found when we got home. Remember the 2 feet of snow that dumped on us while we were traveling fools???

Our next-door neighbor shoveled enough space at the end of the drive so we could pull off the road and then shoveled a path to the door so we could just come inside. What an Angle!!!!!

Thanks Anne!!!!