When does spring start anyway?

Two days in a row Eli has gotten out of bed and asked to wear shorts. We still have snow on the ground. A pretty good amount of snow. Yesterday, after I told him it was still snowy, he replied, "I hate snow." I agreed. It's been a LONG winter. Our snowy days are still around, even if the calender says that it's spring.


There are loads of reasons why I'm...done...with...snow. We are suffering from a smidge of cabin fever. To avoid constant bickering, I endure the "going outside to play" routine.


This is a little taste of what goes down in our house on a day like today...


The kiddos start going stir crazy. I cringe and tell them to put on a sweatshirt then two pairs of socks. That gives me enough time to lay everything out in appropriate piles. I've got this down to a science.
After wrestling on snowsuits, boots, gloves, hats, and coats are donned (in that order--I tell you, it's a science). Approximately 20 minutes have elapsed since the mention of playing in the snow.

I send everyone into the backyard and I stay inside. At the beginning of the season, I was a good mom. I had my own pile of things to wear and scrambled into them so I could join in the fun. But, I've honestly HAD ENOUGH OF THE SNOW.

I can never tell how long the playing will last so I grab a cup of coffee and start to make phone calls. While on hold with a doctor's office, I hear the first grumblings that someone is ready to come in. I shoo him away, but pretty soon all three kids are ready to come in. The fun of snow is wearing off for them too.

I relent and let them all in and we begin the undressing procedure. Which means they shed everything on the front porch with wild abandon. I'm not sure if the 20 minutes of stillness I enjoy is worth all the work.

I'm thankful that it doesn't USUALLY snow in May, since I'm not sure how well our two new kiddos will take to the snow. I have big plans to stow all of our winter gear in the closet tomorrow. If I pretend that spring has sprung, maybe it will happen. Perhaps Eli is under the same delusion. Putting snowboots away is one thing; I draw the line at letting him wear shorts while snow is on the ground.