Spring is in the Air

The world feels all shiny and new when the sun's waking hours correlate with mine. It is a bonus when the sky is blue and the sun is warm. A few days of warmth and sunshine has made the world of difference within my world.

I have woken up ten minutes before my alarm clock all week. The best part of this, is that I actually climbed out of bed before my alarm went off. It is absolutely wonderful to start one's day feeling rested and revived. It's been that kind of week!

I have been able to take my daycare family to the park each and every day. Our afternoons have ended outdoors every day as well. We have been spending hours of our day in the great outdoors and though it hasn't alleviated all of the negative behaviours in our midst, there seems to be a lesser frequency when little people are not cooped up in close quarters. It has been good.

Our back yard "playground project" is almost complete and I could not be happier with the progress. My handyman finished up "Phase I" of the project yesterday and I am thrilled to be able to post a "final picture" of our new and improved playground.

I have found a "grandpa" who is all about finding ways for kids to use their imaginations with what he has on hand. He created a sandbox kitchen and is working on a "sand wall" where the kids can pour sand down various funnels, tubes and what-not to (hopefully) encourage a positive sand experience (sand throwing issues are epidemic this year). He made us a balance board, ramps for our little cars, sanded and oiled our play structure and yesterday he is built us a "roof"!! He returns on Monday to turn our (previous) dog area into a "zen-like" oasis to enjoy after the kids go home.

Back in my daycare world, we have five months of "winter" to undo so it's been a long, hard road. There is still a lot of work to be done but having the outdoors as our playground is a very good place to start.

It has felt good to soak up the sun, come home dirty and need to wash the day out of my hair. It feels like I've been waiting my whole life for this. Spring has arrived and it feels like it is here to stay. But here is a picture from April 26th last year, so I'd better not go counting my spring chickens before they are laid:

Happy April to you! May you wake up with the sun and let it shine upon your day.