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PSA: It is February

caffeineandbooks

By caffeineandbooks,
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caffeineandbooks

caffeineandbooks

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Your curriculum choices probably don't stink.

You probably don't need a new house, job, car, dog or spouse (in no particular order).

Your parenting style probably doesn't need a total overhaul.

It's just February.  Breathe deep.  Have another look before you pull the trigger on that major change.  Chances are, in a couple of weeks things will get better.

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klmama

klmama

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Harriet Vane said:

A reminder we all need, homeschoolers or not.

Yes.  On a related topic, I think it's crazy so many schools require teachers to sign their contracts for the next year in February.  It takes time to find new teachers, so the schools need advance notice, but from a teacher perspective it can be really hard to sign that paper in February.  

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popmom

popmom

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1 hour ago, Arcadia said:

Feb 12 Chinese New Year (traditionally 15 days of feasting)

Feb 14 Valentines Day

Feb 15 President’s Day

Think I’ll be gaining weight this month 

 

Ummm, I’ve been gaining weight this whole pandemic! I don’t need any more reasons to feast! 

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Ditto

Ditto

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, Seasider too said:

Feb 15 half price chocolate day!!!

Darn! I am having carpel tunnel surgery on both hands that day (as long as the pre-op required Covid test is negative), that is totally going to mess up my 1/2 price chocolate shopping.  I should have thought through my surgery date better.

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ktgrok

ktgrok

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, caffeineandbooks said:

Your curriculum choices probably don't stink.

You probably don't need a new house, job, car, dog or spouse (in no particular order).

Your parenting style probably doesn't need a total overhaul.

It's just February.  Breathe deep.  Have another look before you pull the trigger on that major change.  Chances are, in a couple of weeks things will get better.

Oh wow. I hadn't put it together this year. Thank you! 

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MrsMommy

MrsMommy

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Posted
9 hours ago, caffeineandbooks said:

Your curriculum choices probably don't stink.

You probably don't need a new house, job, car, dog or spouse (in no particular order).

Your parenting style probably doesn't need a total overhaul.

It's just February.  Breathe deep.  Have another look before you pull the trigger on that major change.  Chances are, in a couple of weeks things will get better.

I was holding on to the hope of the bolded last year, and we all know how that went...

I hate February. Fortunately, I'm too weary to contemplate any major life changes this time around.

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caffeineandbooks

caffeineandbooks

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Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, Momto6inIN said:

Too late ... I already bought W&R because the new CAP catalog was so shiny and pretty ... It's almost like their marketing dept delivered it the last week of January on purpose 🤔

Actually I must confess I also recently shelved my writing plan and picked up W&R Fable for my 2nd and 4th graders.  So far it is lovely - gentle, thoughtful, flexible, enjoyable.  And I do agree with @Elizabeth86 that if ever the bar for homeschool/bricks and mortar comparisons was low, this is that year!!

Edited by caffeineandbooks
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TravelingChris

TravelingChris

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Posted
On 2/1/2021 at 10:04 PM, caffeineandbooks said:

 

You probably don't need a new house, job, car, dog or spouse (in no particular order).

 

It's just February.  Breathe deep.  Have another look before you pull the trigger on that major change.  Chances are, in a couple of weeks things will get better.

Well I am going to be ordering a new desk and re-arranging my office--- not getting rid of the horrendous textured wallpaper yet- that would be a real major project- but my current desk was given by our pet sitter in 2001 and it was old and the top was unusable as a writing desk even then (gouges, and there are permanent stains to go with it, etc) but it had 7 drawers and a much larger top than my previous.  Forward 25 years and I need a pullout drawer for my keyboard with a built in wrist rest, and a much bigger opening for my legs to accommodate a wheelchair later or a foot rest now.  

My February is hopeful- I will keep slowing improving things to help me navigate my ever increasing disabilities- and I will start planning some shorter vacations.

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PeterPan

PeterPan

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13 hours ago, saraha said:

What the heck is it about February? It took me several years to catch on to the pattern. I actually think my dh noticed it first.

You've been without sunshine, cooped up, your D drops, angst sets in. I never really thought I was having that problem severely until I took a trip to Florida a few years ago to attend a wedding. I came back and was like WHOA WINTER DOESN'T HAVE TO FEEL LIKE THAT? Hahaha! So now I take a trip south to look for sun every year. There's some sacrifice involved in that, but it makes such a HUGE difference. I just got back. I knew a whole bunch of stuff was gonna hit the fan this week and I was like covid, oh well, I've got to have sun. 

And you know, it was fine. People wore masks even in the outdoor farmer's market. We laid low, doing carryout, walking the beach. It was great. The risk of NOT going and taking care of myself and getting my mojo back was higher than my risk of covid. Now we'll see if I get sick, because sure the plane was packed. But lots of people do it, taking some kind of migration for sun midwinter.

And yeah, this is the time when we get this uptick in the world is falling apart, everyone needs to go to school (or leave school), on and on. And it's FEBRUARY. 

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PeterPan

PeterPan

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On 2/2/2021 at 12:27 AM, Arcadia said:

Feb 12 Chinese New Year (traditionally 15 days of feasting)

Feb 14 Valentines Day

Feb 15 President’s Day

Think I’ll be gaining weight this month 

 

At the farmers market in Fort Myers Beach they had this italian guy selling donuts, french people selling really ham/cheese croissants, cubans selling sandwhiches, and even a guac guy so you could have fresh guac and salsas. It was a serious problem. I mean, it's ok to buy 3 pastries for 2 people, but every day? :biggrin:

I hadn't really thought about Valentine's, oh my. Is there something traditional for that besides a bunch of candy? Maybe a beet salad? It's red...

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Arcadia

Arcadia

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 2/3/2021 at 8:02 AM, sassenach said:

I always appreciate a good February warning but that was the longest January of my life!

Flowers are blooming 🙂  (supermarket parking area)

ETA: sorry the photos’ orientation is off.

0A37053B-9004-4F6B-B610-0BE4BE9D83C5.jpeg

9D7515AC-E732-48D0-B727-226C9C8DC72C.jpeg

Edited by Arcadia
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Shoeless

Shoeless

Posted
Posted
On 2/2/2021 at 7:57 PM, saraha said:

What the heck is it about February? It took me several years to catch on to the pattern. I actually think my dh noticed it first.

It's grey, it's cold, the snow is dirty, and there are no really fun holidays to break up the monotony of the season. First semester is back to school, then various fall festivals, the Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas and New Years, and then...nothing really great until Spring Break.  It's a long stretch of blaaaaaaaaaaah. 

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Guest

Guest

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Posted (edited)

Here’s the view out my window this February morning:

 

Yup, looks like February! This time last year, I was getting ready to go to Europe for the best-timed international travel ever. Cause when I got home on Feb 29, everything went to heck and finding toilet paper and flour became my new occupations. 

9B2093A3-DA0F-4AD4-961C-327F5D05E302.jpeg

Edited by Quill
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mommyoffive

mommyoffive

Posted
Posted
On 2/3/2021 at 9:14 AM, PeterPan said:

You've been without sunshine, cooped up, your D drops, angst sets in. I never really thought I was having that problem severely until I took a trip to Florida a few years ago to attend a wedding. I came back and was like WHOA WINTER DOESN'T HAVE TO FEEL LIKE THAT? Hahaha! So now I take a trip south to look for sun every year. There's some sacrifice involved in that, but it makes such a HUGE difference. I just got back. I knew a whole bunch of stuff was gonna hit the fan this week and I was like covid, oh well, I've got to have sun. 

And you know, it was fine. People wore masks even in the outdoor farmer's market. We laid low, doing carryout, walking the beach. It was great. The risk of NOT going and taking care of myself and getting my mojo back was higher than my risk of covid. Now we'll see if I get sick, because sure the plane was packed. But lots of people do it, taking some kind of migration for sun midwinter.

And yeah, this is the time when we get this uptick in the world is falling apart, everyone needs to go to school (or leave school), on and on. And it's FEBRUARY. 

We did that a few years going to Florida, Arizona, and California and you are right it makes all the difference.  It made all the difference the years that we did it.  Of course it stunk to come back to the cold, but it seemed like you could make it through.   If I can't move south I should do that.  In normal life though with my kids it makes it hard.  They are dancers so Nutcracker takes up all the time until December 27th.  Then the first days of January starts audition season.  Makes it really hard to put a trip in there.  But I should try to either put in a warm trip or just plain move. 

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mom2scouts

mom2scouts

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Posted

I came back to read this PSA again because I really need it today. It's 17 degrees and snowing with no sign of the sun. It's getting harder and harder to wake up with any kind of motivation to do anything at all. Today I want to give away half the stuff I own and move south near the beach or overlooking any kind of water. Actually, dh and I have started talking about moving somewhere warmer in a few years. I've been dealing with SAD every winter, but since I haven't left the house much in the past year it's tough.

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mommyoffive

mommyoffive

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1 minute ago, mom2scouts said:

I came back to read this PSA again because I really need it today. It's 17 degrees and snowing with no sign of the sun. It's getting harder and harder to wake up with any kind of motivation to do anything at all. Today I want to give away half the stuff I own and move south near the beach or overlooking any kind of water. Actually, dh and I have started talking about moving somewhere warmer in a few years. I've been dealing with SAD every winter, but since I haven't left the house much in the past year it's tough.

Sending some hugs.  I need the sun.  When it is no sun it really bothers me.  Today the high is 0, it is currently -15 without wind chill.    Thank goodness it is at least really sunny.  But yeah this winter is so much harder than any other year.  

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Lady Marmalade

Lady Marmalade

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2 hours ago, mom2scouts said:

I came back to read this PSA again because I really need it today. It's 17 degrees and snowing with no sign of the sun. It's getting harder and harder to wake up with any kind of motivation to do anything at all. Today I want to give away half the stuff I own and move south near the beach or overlooking any kind of water. Actually, dh and I have started talking about moving somewhere warmer in a few years. I've been dealing with SAD every winter, but since I haven't left the house much in the past year it's tough.

We have all the sunshine today, but it comes with a side of 35 degrees below zero windchills that I could really live without. 

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ktgrok

ktgrok

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Posted

So, I admit it. I'm giving in to February. And ordering a unit study to do for a bit to mix things up. Whatever, lol. I look at it not as a mistake due to February, but as a way to treat the February blues. And it isn't a full year of anything, just a month or so for us. (Gather 'Round Inventions and Ideas - they are not particularly rigorous but for my kids ages the stuff works great and we do a ton of rabbit trails). 

 

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Wheres Toto

Wheres Toto

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Posted

I'm jealous of the sunshine and flowers.  This is the view from my window yesterday.

I really need to get a Happy Light.  I think of it every year about this time but by the time I get around to researching, see how expensive they are, think if I really need it, by the time I'd pull the trigger Spring is showing signs of coming and I figure it's not a big deal.

It is sunny today but very very cold and I have to shovel snow before I teach classes because dh is away at his moms.  

20210207_102152.jpg

20210207_102220.jpg

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mommyoffive

mommyoffive

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I am dealing with planning spring things I want to do, looking into summer vacations, and buying some things for the house.  I am also redoing all the bedrooms and our great room.  That is just the planning stage though, because I want new furniture when it is warm enough to have the windows open to air it out.  

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regentrude

regentrude

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Posted

It's grey. My cat woke me five times last night and I'm exhausted. I have a ton of work and get unreasonably angry at all the "oh we have soooo much extra time now" stuff. I miss my family. I miss my friends. There's nothing to look forward to in February. They should just cancel the damn month.

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Hilltopmom

Hilltopmom

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I just got quarantined for 10 days due to a student in my room with Covid being IN school today. February is now my least favorite month. I was supposed to get my second vaccine dose this week but now can’t leave my house 😞 my rescheduled appointment is in April!- that’s the only slot available 

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