I haven't had the energy or the desire to do even the basics: clean the house, pick up the toys, do the laundry, unload the dishwasher, clean the dishes, walk the dog. Take down the Christmas tree and decorations that have been up since November 1st, 2009.
Oh, and cook. I don't cook even when I am feeling on top of the world. Forget about it when I am in the weeds.
The children have given to foraging for food amongst the spilled cereal on the living room floor, the day old pizza boxes on the stove, and the fruit bowl on the kitchen table, full of fruit that I was supposed to be eating because THE ME I WANNA BE loves to eat fruit. Eventually, the me I wanna be realized she was fighting a losing battle, and got the hell outta Dodge.
The only effort I was making was for the children because they do need to eat and bathe and be looked after. But it felt like a monumental effort to even get out of bed.
After one particularly crap day, I flopped into my un-made smelly bed, rolled onto my side, and looked down at what was once a swatch of creamy vacuumed carpeting, but was now covered in empty snack boxes, gossip rags, 47 inches of brown dog hair (it's her bi-annual shedding cycle), used tissues, half-eaten crayons, empty two liters of Coke and pizza crusts.
I thought to myself, I am three days away from appearing on an episode of Hoarders. And I'm not even a single gay male living alone with mother issues or a Southern woman clothed only in Snuggies and saturated adult diapers with 72 cats (68 of which are dead and rotting within the bowels of the home) and too-many-to-count unfinished knitting and crochet projects. What is happening to me?
And then from amidst the ruin, I see a glimmer of silver. And it whispers to me,
Pick me up and hold me.
It was my Coach purse.
The one I got for Christmas.The one of my dreams.
She had come to save me.
That night I snuggled with her warm soft leather in my arms and I woke more refreshed and full of energy than I had in months.
Wouldn't you know it, she'd gotten up with the baby that night.
Soon she was hustling me into the shower before the kids even woke up. She said,
If you look good, you do good! And if you do good, you feel good! And if you feel good, you CAN be the you you wanna be!
By God, I think she's on to something.
Next thing I knew...
she was helping me take down the Christmas tree.
And we were scrubbing Oreo cookie stains off the couch.
Reading the same books.
And suddenly I realized, she wasn't just a beautiful Coach purse.
She was a beautiful friend (slash delusional distraction).
Thank you my Coach purse, for not only saving my life but for showing me how great life with a Coach purse as your best friend can be.
Pretty darn great.
Post Script: Although she is my best friend, she is also a constant theft hazard. I can no longer just leave my purse in the cart as I wander through the produce at Wal-mart. She must always be hanging from my forearm. Which, of course, makes her exactly like a best friend, but also sort of an annoyance.
Who else has the winter blahs or post Christmas slash holiday blues? What are your remedies? And no, you can't borrow my Coach purse to cure yourself. That only works in blogs.
86 comments:
Ok..now I can relate..isnt it great how your BFF..Coach...can motivate you, inspire and encourage you..like a breath of fresh air...just lift you into a whirlwind of delight..!!Good for you..Im so glad you and your BFF are having fun...My last new one was about 2-3 years ago..the white leather with the big needlepoint rose.. I love that one..but it faded quite a bit and I think its time for a newbie..Your is gorgeous...Have a wonderful day..!
I have been feeling the same way. My baby also has never slept through the night. She is 16 months old. She not only does not sleep through the night, she still wakes every two hours to nurse. I am lacking all motivation. And I don't have a Coach purse just a scrappy little (huge actually) number from target. She has attitude but does not help with housework or childcare.
My wife has an extra Coach Purse in her closet. The one that she really "wanted"...lol. She said that one is for summer and her new one if for winter. What do I know?
Shane
I, too, am having the post-vacation blues. In fact I've been searching the vacations sites for a good sell-off (don't tell my husband). I don't know who's going to be paying for it yet, but it helps with the sads a little.
BTW - love your comforter!
All I can think is that I watched those exact episodes of Hoarders and thus feel a kinship.
Also, I must go home and purge more crap from my house. Must.purge.
Um I may force Hubs to read this. Bc I have been wanting a new designer purse (preferably Coach, I have some Dooneys that I like, but I love the new Coach's...) and if he is led to belieev they will make me a better housewife than I already am, it MAY be within the realm of possibility. We ARE claiming another child on taxes this year....lol
Your purse is a beauty, I hope you two create many happy memories together!
Okay, normally I'm not too into Coach but I kinda want to make out with that one!
I have purse envy!
January blah's are the worst....I hate it when brushing my teeth seems like a monumental task akin to climbing a mountain.
Perhaps new shoes to go with your new coach would make you feel uber fantastic?
I have two Coach purses and I LOVE THEM!!! Sadly, they don't make me want to clean or bathe. I too suffer from sleep deprivation as Baby decided that every night at 2:30 a.m. is playtime. :(
I feel your blues. I have the pre-deployment, post holiday variety. Add in there the "I just moved to a new state and my hubby is already leaving and I have no friends except my dog" and you get one not so motivated B-Dub.
Isn't it amazing how an awesome purse can make things better?
I am happy to say that I think the winter blues have missed me this year! Yes, I still hate the winter and I am longing for spring, but I think the copious amounts of exercise has helped my spirits. Please don't hate me....
Trying to eat the right food is making me have evil thoughts, like ckocolate chip in hot fudge instead of raw string beans.
Secretia
If only my beautiful coach purse would motivate me.
But my new ipod touch with purple skin and swarovski ear buds w/ purple crystals can sometimes due the trick!
Don'tyou just love a good Coach purse that comes to the rescue? Personally, when I was in the weeds this week, I called my Daddy (who lives in FL) and arranged a little vacay in a few weeks. Now, if I didn't have to look at my yellowy green skin in the mirror while I bathing suit shop in January, all would be well. :)
You know those days when you realize you haven't left the house in days, or showered, and you are a little unsure of how long you have been wearing this particular pair of underwear and when you asked your usually amorous husband if he wanted some, and he had a nausious look on his face and turned you down? Yeah, I don't own a Coach purse. Obviously.
This year is quite odd for me. Usually, I'm ALWAYS depressed during the winter months and long for spring/summer to come quickly. But this time around, I'm happy. I was trying to figure out why but instead of wasting my time pondering, I've now decided to enjoy this rare moment.
Glad to hear your chipper again ^_^
I just took down my Christmas stuff last weekend, but one of the live (dead) trees is still sitting in the living room -- naked. It's so sad looking. Now I have to deal with packing up the entire house to move in a month. Oh well. Someday I'll find motivation, someday. Totally loving your bff. I need one.
I haven't found my cure. Can I go out and buy a Coach purse to see if it helps?
My house is bordering on Hoarders too. Our tree is still up!
(I die.)
Your bag is gorgeous. I definitely would't mind that as my new BFF! For me I try to stick to routines and try to get dressed daily. Sadly I have been in a funk myself lately and have not been able to shake it. I dont have a baby anymore but my school aged kids make me get a move on it. I do need to get them from the bus and shuffle them to and from activity's. They honestly help motivate me. also a clean house keeps me in a good mood but since it doesnt stay clean for long I just go and get all upset again. Which reminds me the laundry needs to be started. Great post and it definitely reminds me to put a little pep in my step.
I thought I was the only lazy ass...are you sure you don't wanna loan out the bff purse?
This reminds me of a little snippet on an episode of Sesame Street called "Me and My Llama". They loved each other and did everything together.
I hope you and your Coach purse are very happy together. Who am I kidding? You already are!
I have been too busy since the holidays to have the post-holiday blues. But when they come, they will come like a pack of wild dogs fighting over a porkchop (that'd be me). I'll keep you posted. Or I will suddenly disappear from the internets and go underground with a serving spoon and a case of Ben and Jerry's.
Fabulous handbags make the best kind of friends, and I'm not saying that because I'm obsessed with them, I'm saying that because it's true. They really are there when you need them and they never complain about anything. Can't say that about jeans, or tops, or even socks because gain a couple of pounds and they ALL have something to say about that!
If only my blues were caused by post-vacation blahs. That would mean that I had actually been on a vacation. *sigh*.
I did giggle at this post. Thanks for that! I needed it :)
Jen
You know, I LOVE COACH, and I always wanted a Coach bag, and now I know, I MUST HAVE ONE. I mean, hello, it's a bag, it's a psychiatrist, a cleaner upper...WHOA!
That is one crafty bitch, er, Bag!
I have the "I'm still f'ing pregnant and it will be a long f'ing time before I get to be skinny again, if ever" blues.
I want my thighs back. I want my butt back. I want my blonde highlights back. (I do want to keep the boobs, but apparently that's a lost cause wish.) (I also want your purse. She is beautiful and clearly the awesomest of friends!)
What's cheering me up? Hubs is *finally* to the tiling part of our master bath remodel and I am only a few weeks away from my Gorgeous New Bathroom!
One of your best my friend!
I had the January blues, then I got a new pair of Clarks on Saturday :) I do the laundry in them...
i've been ok with the blues, mostly bc the weather has been good, and because for some ungodly reason my brain is craving healthy food. but i digress. I blast music and dance around like a fool while doing household activities...it motivates me...and then sometimes i pour a very hefty glass of vino and work with that...then i realize i mopped all crooked, and half dusted...so maybe nix the vino...
i almost yakked on your description of hoarders...that show is my nightmare slash i can't stop watching
I definitely feel the winter blues from time to time. But I do find a good purse will pick me up, as well. I have several. I really don't even have use for a purse, since my little one is so small, but I still carry one of my beauties once in a while to make me feel better.
Holy crap...the more you share the more that I love you!!! I'm not kidding. I freakin' love you. Almost as much as I love that badass purse!
I have em too....yup, i'm with ya.
throw on top of that impending job loss and a freshly broken heart and yeah, ohio winter isn't just looking cold and snowy, it's looking cold and heartless!
Lately, I found these things help:
1-running. I started running on the days it's not sub-zero temperatures. I thought i could wait until spring, but my body needs some endorphins....so I am braving the cold and running again.
2-Sun. Even if it's out for just a minute, go sit in your car....don't wear your sun glasses either....squint...feel the heat on your face...
3-Wear suntan lotion as body lotion. We need the extra moisture anyway...and smells can trigger good feelings. Suntan lotion, when applied correctly, with one's eyes closed, while stretched out on the living room floor on a beach towel can really make a normally depressing tuesday a little nicer.
4-have winter projects. Organization things, refinish furniture...repaint the living room, whatever that thing you keep saying you want to do (ie: taking down x-mas decor)...get movin. it really does help having a small sense of any kind of accomplishment.
and lastly if you have any friends residing in a state that has 70 degree weather or better....go directly to expedia, find a cheap ticket, and fly yourself there and sleep on their couch, and soak up THEIR sun...for a couple days anyway. worth ever penny this time of year.
xoxox
~hl~
I did have the blahs, but then I started focusing on my diet and exercise and I couldn't feel better now! I feel like I'm the only one that doesn't have a Coach purse. No fair! :)
Let's be honest here though...aren't most best friends annoying?
Now this is confirmation. Shopping cures depression. I'm getting my credit card.
Oh and this post was really funny. I loved the photos!
OMG I am a Coach junkie! I collect bags, shoes, wallets, key chains! We have a Coach Outlet just out of town. When I need retail therapy it is where I go! Love the post:)
Oh yes! January kills me. And I love (a little too much, like I can't look away) the show Hoarders. Your pictures cracked me up!
I love my Coach purse so much I had to get her a sister of a different color. And then they decided they wanted babies and each gave birth to a matching wallet.
And the Wal-Mart cart problem? I put the child seat belt through the straps and buckle the sucker in there.
18 months a no sleeping over here. I'm exhausted! Love your new bag. Sadly my distraction has lately been Hershey's Kisses. So good, and so not good!
You are hysterical! I am so touched by the sisterhood you and Coach share. It's truly a beautiful thing. (And really, it's a lot cheaper then other methods of treating depression so you should probably go and get another one. Just in case the original sister-wife needs a break)
I do not share your passion for expensive purses but I do rely heavily on my SAD light and lately salt and vinegar chips. I think it is because they remind me of my childhood in South Africa..where the sun shone more then 3% of the time, the way it does here.
I'm still suffering from the post-holiday blues. The scene you described at the beginning of this post pretty mirrors the state of my house and my kids as well. It ain't pretty.
I loved the photo commentary by the way. It made me cry man...good stuff.
Oh, that's funny! I so covet a Coach purse, and I don't know why. I'm not even a purse person.
PS---LOVE that you're reading Kathy Griffin. Is it good?
1. thanks for stopping by my "crib!"
2. i think i love you already - let's be friends.
Umm, have you READ my whole series about anxiety and depression!? ahaha. And yes, pretty things help me feel better about my life.
I think that this was too funny!
Glad you are feeling better (if not a little delusional/scary institutional) Your pics made me pee my pants! You and your BFF!
BAHAHA
don't you just love some questionably healthy coping skills! Glad you got out of your funk, those are seriously the worst!
Oh. My. Gawd!! I LOVE the purse...nevermind I have a HUGE crush on Coach (and MAC, but that is for another comment)...I can't believe you forgot about your new best friend!!! Well, maybe not forgot...just had other "life" things going on! I'm jealous...it is official!
~WM
I'm in a funk, more than a usual winter funk - but with good reason, and the only thing that may pull me out of this is my own coach purse.
Going shopping - will read more later!
Not a purse person... so it kinda sounded like "blah blah purse blah" but I LOVED this post because...
THERE'S YOU!!
I reckon that the post-Christmas blues has hit everyone...and pretty hard too! I spent £300 on retail therapy, and that usually works, but I'm going to have to do a bit more! I bought this most gorgeous handbag, then realised that I had nothing that really matched it, so, look out I'm off to do some more retail therapy!
(£300 = $510)
Had to laugh because my floor is covered in Rice Krispies, that snap crackle and pop whenever I step on them and we have had pizza twice this week already. AND I love Coach, and Coach loves me. Do you get their email updates? They send the love directly to my inbox.
I also have that exact bag in a medium brown leather. Don't be sad you have to carry it in Walmart, be sad for the other shoppers who don't have one. Besides, a good handbag makes you look skinny. It's an investment. Seriously.
lol I'm glad your life coach saved you!! I think what you had was the winter/after holiday fun stuff blues. I've been feeling alittle like that lately too, like I don't want to clean and cook, which normally I like or don't mind doing. lol love the reading with the coach one! I need to get me a life coach:)
cute post. i have tons of old coachs that are collecting dust i don't ever take them out and give them love lol
OMG......LOVE IT!!! You are so hilarious. I have this as well, but I get the sheer joy of severe morning sickness with it. Two thumbs up. :)
After reading this post, I must now follow your blog. My current best friend is actually a beautiful purple purse by liz&co. We go everywhere together.
I can understand why that purse would make you feel all better. It's lovely and I want it.
I'm so jealous that your dog only sheds biannually (I think mine does biweekly - i.e. constantly!) that I'm not sure I WANT to share my "secrets" with you.
OK, I cede, they involve red wine and chocolate. But that's all I'm telling!
You look like you're having soooo much fun with your new purse best friend!
I'm going to go touch my beautiful Coach purse now to make me happy.
Wow...it is awesome. But I recommend a maid and invite some "people" over to chat. Yeah...the purse might grow old. I have to say, this is the most creative post I've read today.
I was too sick to do much of anything for a few weeks. The amount of dust on the coffee table and the unvacuumed living room rug got me motivated as soon as I was feeling better. I did put a few things off to catch up with everyone's blogs, though!
I haven't hit the blues yet! After Christmas I had to plan my Hubby's 40th Birthday, Grotbag goes back to start the new school year on Mondayand it's Bugalugs 1st birthday in a couple of weeks so I am still riding that train! The New Me starts when Grotbag goes to full time school (after the first two weeks)I will have whole hours of time to "do stuff" that I have been needing to do for AGES!!!
Cheer up chick, I think sleep deprevation has a LOT to do with how you are feeling! I went to a sleepworks program and I got Bugalugs sleeping through after just one horrible night - let me know if you want to know how I did it!
Oh, I definitely have the blahs. I've tried to be irrationally proactive about it, though. To make sure we don't see 6 more weeks of winter come February 2, I've been sending hate mail to that soothsaying groundhog in Pennsylvania, with the hope that his shadow will look like a fairy compared to what I'll look like if he tells us there's more cold coming.
See, now I have purse envy. :)
click, click girlie.
you are to friggin' much! I love the buddy shots with your new BFF. you two should audition for your own reality show. hee.
seriously though, I've got the winter blues B-A-D! It takes a trip to the therapist and UV light to make it through the week...and repeats of Family Guy
I haven't found anything to cure my post holiday/vacay blues yet. Blogging is tough when you feel like crap...ya know?
I can SO feel your pain. I actually posted about it, although not NEAR as eloquently, on my blog. I don't know what's going on, but the blahs are pretty bad right now. I don't feel like doing anything, eventhough I know that I should. I keep hoping they'll go away, but so far, no such luck.
I'm glad yours are getting better. I don't have a silver Coach purse to push me along!
Mich
So jealous of your bag!!!
I have the January blahs, for sure. I like to go book shopping and spend money I don't have on things I don't have time to read. The shopping is fun, and I'm pretty sure just OWNING the books will somehow make me smarter by osmosis.
Whaddya mean it doesn't work like that? Don't burst my bubble!
I sprinkle Xanax over my pasta and wash it down with a glass of Chardonnay (because she loves me like that)
ahaha- amazing! LOVE the big, first off- and i'm glad it saved the day! right now the only thing saving me from certain doom and depression is the fact that i FINALLY have a job interview on friday (after 5 months of job-hunting) yippee!!
A good purse will do that! I just need the gold standard...chocolate!
First of all, love the pictures.
Second - you and I are on the same wave length. I've had the post holiday blues big time.
I bought shoes ;)
And finally got back to the gym today which made a HUGE difference to my outlook.
I'm just home from vacation so I'm feeling pretty good, but glad to know of the Coach cure if the blues set in in a few days, which they are sure to do when I have to go back to work.
Thank you so much for including a photo of this silver wonder purse, as I was reading I tried to picture what it looked like. Hoarders LOL.
I guess everyone with small children have homes that resemble a hoarder. At least many of the ones that I've visited throughout the years. You're not alone kiddo!
I'm actually not in the winter doldrums this year :) I think it is the morning runs that are helping with that, although a new Coach purse would be helpful too.
Oh how I love this post!
I need something to get me out of these effing post-holiday blues... somethings gotta give!
Here's my remedy:
1. A glass of wine
2. Putting on my special, super-soft, super-cozy, super-fluffy red socks
3. Blasting the soundtrack to Mamma Mia in the kitchen while dancing around in those very same socks, resulting in sliding, spinning, shimmying hilarity
4. Another glass of wine
Cheers!
We are sisters from another mother. My mother would be a whole heck of a lot older than yours...in fact I could be your mother...but still...we are soul sisters when it comes to our purses. I had a picture of a coach purse on my sidebar for a while for no reason. Just because it was so, you know. :)
I love the term delusional distractions. Pretty much sums up my life.
Thank you for your comment the other day, very much. Greatly appreciated.
I totally have the blahs...may or may not be the winter blahs. I am prone to them. Some good days, lots of bad days. I feel for my kids. They did get to play outside today for three hours!! That was very nice for everyone. So far I haven't been able to find a consistent cure...but I'm lookin'. Chocolate comes close. But it is probably also a great contributor in the end. haha
I think the post Christmas blahs are really setting in at the office. For awhile you don't mind your coworkers, but then they're annoying little habits that were pissing you off on the 23rd of December come back and you don't know if you can make it through the year.
Maybe I need to get all the girls Coach purses so they'll stop gossiping about each other and trying to get the (3) men in the office on side.
But the men are worse than the girls I guess.. because we're two faced. We'll just agree with whichever one is talking to us (out of fear)
I have a similar friend.
It's a bottle of hand lotion.
That's enough about that.
I love the pics of you sleeping with and hanging out with your new purse!!
Um, someone needs to tell Michael Kors to make his bags more helpful, then. So far my red python has done nothing for me, except appear in grave danger of being soiled if I place it on a restaurant floor. It also refuses to sweep, which I find offensive.
(First time visitor, sent over from Only Girl.)
Kate@And Then I Was a Mom
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