According to Wikipedia the definition for cabin fever is “a claustrophobic reaction that takes place when a person or group is isolated and/or shut in, in a small space, with nothing to do, for an extended period.” Every year since we moved here to Idaho Falls we get cabin fever. It usually starts snowing here in October and doesn’t stop until April. Leaving us pretty much stuck inside for that period of time. Cabin fever usually starts to set in around January and into February. Some of the symptoms (again according to Wiki) are “restlessness, irritability, irrational frustration with everyday objects, forgetfulness, laughter, excessive sleeping, distrust of anyone they are with, and an urge to go outside even in the rain, snow or dark.”
To break up some of the monotony we’ll go on short trips or do something fun for a day. A couple of weeks ago I was able to take my kids and go to Boise for a day. My mom was there with my nieces and we went swimming a “Givens Hot Springs”. Of course I forgot my camera and don’t have any pictures of that fun trip. It was the best medicine for my cabin fever. I not only got to get out for a while but I also got to see my mom. It was like killing two birds with one stone, cabin fever and homesickness.
After a few weeks the cabin fever starts to set in again. I start to feel restless and irritable. I just want to get out and do something. In the past week our lows were around -15 degrees Fahrenheit and the highs were not much higher. I feel like I’m just going to snap. Then we have a day like today. It was around 27 degrees Fahrenheit. The kids suggested we go sledding. So that’s what we did. We packed the kids and sleds up and drove out to a new (new to us) sledding hill. Because it has been so cold the snow was pretty icy. That made the sleds go really fast. We had so much fun. I’m sure my tushy is going to regret it tomorrow but at least the cabin fever is gone for a while. The boys really liked going over the jumps and Preston really caught some air. Corey went to take a picture of him going up but the batteries in the camera ran out. After going up and down the hill 5 or 6 times my body was telling me that was enough. So Sophia, Corey, and I sat in the back of the truck and watched as the boys went down. It was nice just to be outside and enjoying the scenery. It wouldn’t be a sledding trip if we didn’t have some hot cocoa afterward. We really enjoyed our day out.
