WHERE ARE YOU SPRING?
ALT Title: Why do we live in New England Again?
We have officially entered the time of the year when we all convince ourselves that the weather is getting better, temps will warm up and we will start to thaw out. Year after year, however, we (New Englanders, at least) find ourselves remembering that March and April actually suck. They are the long, unwanted encore of winter.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad we’re thawing out a little bit from January and February - I don’t want to go back to single digits and snow and ice storms every other week. But, it’s not, like, waaaarrrrmmmm. Instead, it’s like whiplash. Exhibit A: this week. Started off at 60 degrees. The day before it rained all day and was bone-chillingly cold. The days before that alternated between warm and sunny and cold and wet. Tomorrow it’s supposed to be 50s but rain all day. You need a dedicated 30 minutes to analyze the weather each day and understand the various items you may or may not need in order to be dressed appropriately and stay warm and dry throughout the day. And, that doesn’t even consider kids who are inexplicably drawn to puddles in a way that requires head-to-toe waterproof gear in addition to layers to stay warm in.
This weekend, deep in a fit of a spring cleaning and organizing, I decided that I could not stand to walk in our front door and see our overflowing baskets of winter hats, gloves and scarves one more time. So, I packed them all up. I’m not completely crazy, I left everyone in our family with a pair of gloves and a hat in case they ended up needing them, but it was time to say goodbye to the mess of winter gear that is always spilling over and mixed up. Have I needed to wear a hat since? Yes. Did I sort of regret the fact that I only had one option and that my preferred pair of gloves now lives in storage in my basement until next winter? Yes. But, it doesn’t matter, it’s time.
Whatever the weather is telling me, whatever prior experiences and innate knowledge my mind and body have of March and Aprils previous, and the fact that they are not exactly the “spring” we dream about- it doesn’t matter. Because mid-March comes around and it is just time. If the weather can’t catch up, then I will just have to lead the way and I will start by slowly retiring our winter gear. Then I’ll move on to organizing the crap out of my house and making piles and bags of things to give away. High on the euphoria of a decluttered and organized home, I will finally find the energy to tackle my kids dressers to pull out, organize and put away the clothes that don’t fit them anymore and make lists of things they might need over the next several months. Then I’ll put away winter boots and honestly just hope for the best. There will be days when I will revel in the fact that our front entryway actually has room for all of our shoes without multiple pairs of boots cluttering up the small space. And then there will be days when I am scrubbing mud (hopefully not snow or ice, but it’s possible) off sneakers and wishing we had those boots out for just a few days longer.
No matter what the temperature is, or what wild weather we are having — the signs of spring are there. We have seen tiny crocuses poking out of front lawns throughout our neighborhood. The tree in our front lawn is sprouting tiny buds that will start to pop soon. Through the dead plants and fallen leaves that we convinced ourselves will be “good for the soil” last fall (when we ran out of energy to rake them all up and take them to the dump), we can see the earliest plants starting to grow.
And thank goodness. I need the knowledge that we are through the worst of winter, even if I know it’s not completely over.
We recently spent a few weeks in North and South Carolina, both with family and on vacation (no one asked, but I have a lot of thoughts on traveling with little kids that you can read about here). It was a little escape for the first few weeks of March and it was so nice to walk outside each morning without having to wrangle everyone into weather-appropriate clothes or thinking through whether or not it was worth it to go outside. Before having kids, I never really thought about how differently winter impacts parents of small children. While we were away, I found myself thinking about this a lot - how the climate you live in impacts your quality of live (obviously), and potentially in different ways when you have little kids. We love where we live, and I don’t see us leaving New England really at any point in time, but I will admit that December - February are TOUGH. Especially in a pandemic. It’s been a challenging winter for us with two kids who have a ton of energy and benefit from being outdoors. Getting outside everyday is really important to us and a critical part of our routine and sanity, but it’s not always easy. Not everyone is always smiling. Okay, actually, many of us are actually crying when we go outside! It’s tough to enjoy the playground when it’s covered in snow and ice. It’s hard (and sometimes impossible) to navigate sidewalks with a stroller after any kind of inclement weather. We’re all sick of it.
So, all this to say, it doesn’t matter that I know that March and April are going to have a lot of different temperatures. Beautiful days followed by crappy ones. Freezing days followed by perfect days when you can wear jeans and a t shirt and be comfortable outside all day long. I will still tell myself that it’s spring. That winter is over - WE MADE IT. Eventually, the weather will catch up with where my mind is. Then, it will basically be summer! Just kidding.
Happy spring - its a really good season to shop for, even if you should probably keep your winter coat on standby just in case!
White blouse / 2. Cinched Waist Blouse / 3. Button Front Linen Top / 4. Long sleeve Blouse / 5. Smocked Long Sleeve Top / 6. Ruched Floral Top / 7. Scoopneck Sweater / 8. Cream Jeans / 9. Jeans / 10. Button Up dress / 11. Blue Dress / 12. Chambray Shirt / 13. Rib Knit Dress / 14. St. Barths Tote / 15. Short Sleeved Smocked Dress / 16. T-Shirt Dress /
White blouse - My closet is missing some cute tops/blouses that I can pull on with jeans when it’s a little too chilly for dresses, but I want to feel more dressed up than just a tee or tank with jeans. Love the look of this one!
Cinched Waist Blouse - On the topic of cute tops, here is another great one! Also, when I noticed that J.Crew is categorizing blouses like this as “going out tops,” I laughed out loud- used to have a whole section of my closet dedicated to going out tops in college and my early 20s. And here we are again!
Button Front Linen Top - Clearly having a J.Crew moment, here. This is so utterly wearable, it’s in my cart right now!
Long sleeve Blouse - I love the pattern on this blouse- a literal interpretation of spring! I’m not always sure about whether I like or can pull off an oversized collar like this, but this one is more of an in-between size, and I really love it!
Smocked Long Sleeve Top - Probably getting to the point where I will have too much ruching and too many going out tops in my closet, and I’ll regret it. BUT, this is an awesome color and a nice price point!
Ruched Floral Top - Clearly riding the “going out top” bandwagon!
Scoopneck Sweater - this is more for those of us who are going back into the office or have slightly more formal events, but this could work for work and also on a dinner out! This is also in my cart right now!
Cream Jeans - I am on the hunt for a pair of high-rise, non (or low) stretch, slim cut straight or wide-leg white, cream or ecru jeans this year. These are one of the pairs that I have been eyeing - definitely more on the ecru color scheme. I see this style working great with basically any blouse, but also with just a simple tank tucked in with sneakers or sandals. Also intrigued by this pair.
Jeans - These jeans are outside my price range for jeans but they look SO. GOOD. I’m going to search for something similar, but for now will pine over these babies!
Button Up dress - Love the utilitarian look of this dress. Also great for anyone who is nursing!
Blue Dress - Can’t control myself with anything blue and white!
Chambray Shirt - This is a closet staple, and can be worn pretty much in all seasons, but especially as the weather gets warmer. I have an old version of this top and I think I need to replace it this year because there are several holes that have developed in it. But, with white jeans, any normal pair of jeans, black cropped pants, shorts, a silk midi skirt…the styling options are endless. Then, in the summer, wear it as a cover up at the beach or pool! This one in another great option!
Rib Knit Dress - I am on the hunt for a dress like this — can be worn alone with espadrilles in the summer, and in the spring works with a variety of layers - a sweater, a chore jacket, sneakers or even boots.
St. Barths Tote - A change of seasons is a great reason for a new bag. I have been eyeing this one for awhile and have also heard great things!
Short Sleeved Smocked Dress - Another utterly wearable dress. I like a short sleeve for spring, and I think this would work all summer long and even into fall. And, it looks like smocking is here to stay for another season, which is great because it is so flattering! Also, this looks like you could pull this off it you are breastfeeding, which is always tough to find!
T-Shirt Dress - A dress like this is another closet staple. It pairs well with boots, a Jean jacket, you can even pull a sweater on top for those in-between days!