Kate’s Escapades – Spring Break Frolic

Kate — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 05:01:13 +0000

Ahhhhh…spring break is finally here. Seems like we’ve been waiting for it since the day after school began last year. A break from the routine of alarm clocks, bed times, endless homework, car pools, nagging. I am as excited as the kids are. It’s hard work to parent school children. A lot of stress. A lot of responsibility. A lot of effort trying to keep up with the perfect parents who are probably busy trying to keep up with a whole other set of perfect parents. It’s a vicious cycle…one from which I am ready for a break. I went to bed last night with “visions” of relaxation, going to the park, eating sand coated sandwiches at the reservoir, soaking up the first glorious rays of the summer soon to come.

It seems that my ‘visions” were slightly off, as I am now, on the first afternoon of spring break, staring forlornly out my window at snowflakes. Three inches of snowflakes to be exact, and I fear there is more to come. How could this happen? How could Mother Nature be so cruel as to single-handedly destroy MY spring break? MY time to sit outside and read a frivolous paperback while the kids frolic. There will be no frolicking this week, only whining bored kids and a frustrated mom. Snow has long ago worn out its welcome. That happens at about the same time as the after Christmas sales wind down. I have lost count of how many times I have already heard today, “Mom, what can I do?” It’s the same phrase I’ve been hearing for the past 3 months. I want to say, “Go outside and frolic in the sun!” Oh, wait a minute…there is no sun!

Thankfully, there is a little angel in the form of a 9 year old girl, who lives down the street. She came over minutes ago to rescue my son from the gloom and doom pervading my home. They are now outside in full winter gear: snow pants, puffy coats, snow boots, hats and gloves. I’m not joking! If I didn’t know better, I would think it was the middle of winter, not the first day of spring break. I can see them playing outside in the snow. Their cheeks are rosy. They are laughing, throwing snowballs and generally having a great time. Dare I say they might be frolicking?

Maybe I should take a lesson from the kids. Maybe it’s time to roll with the punches, even if the punch means one more blast of winter. If a couple of 9- year-olds can do it, so can I.

I say if Mother Nature can break the unspoken spring break rule of warmth, sunshine, and frolicking, well then it’s high time I break some rules as well. Drastic measures are now called for. I am now putting on a Michael Buble Christmas cd in an attempt to lift my spirits. This will mean breaking my set-in-stone Christmas music rule. (I made a rule years ago that Christmas music could only be played from Thanksgiving Day until New Years Eve in an attempt the keep the music “special”. ) Strains of “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” are now flowing through my house. Liz suggested presents and Santa cookies might be in order. I say “Let’s not go nuts, here.” Perhaps Liz does not realize what making sugar cookies entails. I mean it is Liz we’re talking about. She’s probably on a first name basis with the employees at the local bakery, so how could she know!

I think chocolate chip cookies are a suitable substitute, and perhaps I can find some hidden for a rainy (snowy) day dollar store treasures in a closet somewhere. Maybe we’ll even blow up a beach ball and toss it around in the snow. It’s spring break, after all…might as well have some fun frolicking!

-Kate

Liz’s Rants – When spring sprang back to winter

Liz — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:43:42 +0000

Hi all! Liz here.
It was less than 24 hours ago that Kate and I were discussing the fact that I was basking in the heat of 70 degrees while she dug her way out of seven inches of global warming, er, snow. The heat, if you can call it that, had been building for a couple of days, almost as if to prepare us for the idea of going outside without a jacket or earmuffs. Heaven forbid we jump right into 90 degrees, some humidity and a sandy beach. (Give a girl her dreams, ok?)
Anywho, as Kate’s green-with-envy attitude came through our conversations, I reminded her that our warm temperatures would be short-lived. That in less than 24 hours, we’d be back to the same old and very tired routine of coats, gloves and chattering teeth.
While I held on to the dream that the weatherpeople had been wrong (like that ever happens…), I instinctively knew that he or she would call this one right. Sometimes I wonder if they do it on purpose to rain on my parade – literally. Sometimes I wonder if they drive by the house, see me doing a little bit of spring cleaning in shorts and a T-shirt, and start making the calls:
“Seems like Liz is having a little too much fun for the second full week of March. She’s productive, smiling, and one of us thinks we even heard her doing a couple of bird-calls. Looks like it’s time to bring it down a notch. Let’s call for highs in the low 40s for the rest of the week.”
With that, weatherpeople around the country set in motion the anti-Liz, lower-the-temperature conspiracy. And as I write, our temperatures continue to fall.
But that’s okay. Because Kate and I have learned to roll with the punches. We’ve also learned that things aren’t always as they appear to be. That sometimes, just a tweak in perspective can turn a bad day into a good one. Sometimes a simple smile can mean the difference between tears and laughter. Sometimes smiles mean good tears, too.
While we may tend to grow a bit cynical with age, and perhaps more confined by the rules and dictates of what society deems appropriate, it’s okay when the kids fall asleep while they’re doing their homework or reading a book. It’s okay when all we can manage for dinner is to microwave frozen chicken nuggets. It’s okay when a bad day is the best we can manage.
See, I know something the weathpeople might have missed: those noises weren’t me – they were really birds! Chirping at the tops of their little lungs as if to say, “See? Spring really IS coming! Don’t give up now!”
So that will be our mantra. To feel spring – whether it’s in the air or in our step! And to have fun doing it – even when the world may seem a bit off base.
With that, we invite you to help us make this come alive! Comment or complain, share a problem, a recipe, a dilemma or a story. Just remember, when you’re here, you’re on a coffee break – with Liz and Kate!

Coffee Break with Liz and Kate » spring

Kate’s Escapades – Spring Break Frolic

Liz’s Rants – When spring sprang back to winter