What’s a gal to do when there’s a high of 13 degrees F? That’s what I have been asking myself these days. I’ve come up with a few strategies over the years, and I’ve compiled them here for your enjoyment. Please employ them in your own life if necessary. You don’t even have to give me credit.
Drink tea. I don’t mean just tossing a Lipton bag in your big old nasty coffee mug. No, I mean Drink Tea. Shop for a wonderful teapot if you don’t have one (like one of these or these, whichever makes you happy when you look at it). Get some great tea with beautiful packaging and even better marketing. Go for the full leaf variety. If you are unfamiliar with the rules of proper steepage, consult an authority. When your tea is ready, pour it into a little cup and drink it slowly. Big mugs let the tea get cold before you’re even nearly done, but having a small cup will allow you to sip slowly and refill often. Then you get to enjoy your teapot more, too.
Let your kids play Cranium Hullabaloo, and play it with them. They will love that you’re playing with them, especially when you do goofy things. They’ll burn off some of that energy that’s annoying you so much. And moving around to music will make you smile.
Wear yummy-smelling sunscreen. Yeah, I know you’re not actually exposing any skin to the air when you go outside these days, but the smell will remind you of brighter, longer days when you were warmed by solar energy instead of just by the dusty air blowing out of your furnace.
Wear comfy clothes, but don’t be sloppy about it. Sometimes it’s fun to be in your PJs all day, but making it a habit is just depressing. Even your old fleece that used to be so cool may be getting kind of ratty at this point. Wear what makes you happy, of course, but you might benefit from dressing neater than you usually do. If nothing you own makes you happy, chances are Kohl’s is having a sale.
That brings me to my next strategy. (This one’s a bit controversial, and it carries with it certain dangers.) Buy things. Check out the sales at Kohl‘s and Penney‘s. Use your Children’s Place card. Indulge via an Amazon wish list. Don’t go bananas and put your husband into fits when the bill comes in, but sometimes something new will cheer you up. It doesn’t always have to be for you, either. Buying things for other people is great, too. Sometimes even better. The dangers I wrote about: One, you could spend more money than is prudent. Two, you can get in the habit of taking your joy from Stuff. Okay, enough about that.
Gaze at seed catalogs. Make your kids sit at the table with you and cut out pictures of flowers and glue them onto a big paper. Then hang the paper up where you’ll see it a lot. Make a couple of them if you have to.
Visit a butterfly conservatory. We’re going soon to Magic Wings in Massachusetts.
I got this next idea from the wonderful woman over at Rocks In My Dryer. She finds that making something with her hands gives her an emotional lift. I tried it, and found it works for me, too. Recently I got some rubber stamps and kid-friendly stamp pads on clearance at JoAnn’s, and the kids and I stamped it up. Then we made some Valentine cards, which was also nice. My favorite handcraft is scrapbooking, but I don’t always feel like journaling when I am depressed. I like reading my scrapbooks, but I fear journaling when I am down. I anticipate looking at them in years to come and wondering why everyone in the pictures is smiling, but the writing tells about all the problems and grumpiness that occurred. So I will save the scrapping for a better time. 
Above all, remember that spring will come. And that God made the winter as well as the warmth.
