How did it go for you this year? I pushed through on Sunday and got up at the normal time, even though I forgot temporarily on Saturday and stayed up a little later than I should have. I ended up paying for that both Sunday and Monday.

BUT…by Tuesday I was acclimating and the end of the torture was nearly over! I’d say by today…Friday…this old body is completely changed over to summer time.

The kids are still having a little more trouble acclimating. Which is strange to me because you would think that youth would help them along. I think they resist it though and cling to the old time, which slows down the process.

So anyway…the lesson learned? Switch over completely as quickly as possible. Don’t cling to the old time and your body will give in and get used to it!

Now…this is Wisconsin, of course. Tomorrow, we are supposed to be back to reality with highs in the 30s…but we know the end is in sight! Before long, the winter of 2011-12 will be a dim memory!

Hint:

It’s next Sunday…March 11, 2012.

Does that help? No?

It’s the beginning of Daylight Savings Time! Yes — I know…we lose an hour and that can be a challenge. BUT…there are so many benefits. The extra hour of daylight at the end of the day just does something for my soul.

It’s invigorating, rejuvenating and motivating in a strange sort of way. Somehow, the sun hanging out with us a little longer every day is such a sign of hope for spring at the end of a long, cold winter.

So…how will you spend your extra hour of daylight?

Getting that itch for spring cleaning yet? No excuses! OK, so if you’ve just undergone laser spinal surgery, I guess I’ll give you a pass…but otherwise — no go! Grab the duster, vacuum cleaner, cleaning rags and assorted chemicals and dig in! It’s time to make your home sparkle!

You’ll feel better when you’re finished, promise!

Start with something small…but try to do something each day to bring your house a little closer to deep cleaned. Spend 20 minutes vacuuming up the cobwebs along the ceiling and walls. This alone will make you feel sooooo good! Got an hour to spare? Clean out your pantry! Only 15 minutes? Clean out ONE bookshelf! Empty it, give everything a good dusting, and put everything back. Keep chipping away at the tasks and by the time spring is here, your house will be sparkling.

Oh, how I hate mud! Our yard is so torn up right now because the winter has been so mild. The ground hardly seemed to freeze all winter and with the kids outside playing, they have created an unbelievable amount of mud.

I’d love to take a baby jogger city mini out for a spin, but frankly, I’m afraid we’d be spinning in the mud instead of speeding along the sidewalk.

Seeing as we still have another month of winter, I really wonder what kind of weather we’ll be dealing with.

Still…I’m dreaming of spring. Starting to think about planning the garden and getting back outside to dig in the muck. Starting to do some reorganizing and cleaning, getting ready for spring. Also taking advantage of the winter downtime and getting some sewing and other fun projects finished. If we use winter to rejuvenate and organize, it just makes the rest of the year that much more productive!

Seasons have reasons!

As a child, my family had a membership to a neighborhood pool that was located about four blocks away from our house. From the time that I was old enough to bike independently, I would ride my bike there in the early afternoon and meet my little gaggle of friends to spend several hours playing and hanging out in the water.

I’ll never forget how sweet that first splash into the cool water was…especially on those muggy summer days when there was absolutely NO relief from the heat! Those were good days…great memories.

Even though I’ve lost my love of the water, I’m glad that my kids will have similar memories of growing up swimming in the local swimming pool.

It sure does make it easy when there is a pool located near our home. I have no worries about buying pool supplies and having to maintain a pool in our backyard. Pool accessories are expensive! I’m very thankful that our small city has a municipal pool.