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From the amazing to the mundane — what the arrival of spring means to me…

  • The flowers that first peeked out in February begin to grow at phenomenal rates, now that the fear of frost has passed.
  • FREE Dunkin Donuts iced coffee – only March 20, 2012, with coupon from Sunday’s paper. Dunkin does it right and gives you a full 24 oz. of sugary goodness (unlike McDonald’s when THEY have a promotion and give out shot glass-sized smoothies)
  • Capri season officially opens. Scott likes to make fun of the fact that I have about twenty pairs of capris — clothing which seems to have a two-week season in the spring and fall, before you’re either dying to wear shorts or bringing out the jeans.
  • Yard sales! 10% about needing anything, really; 30% about getting out and getting some exercise walking; and 60% about tracking down the amazing “fried rice lady” that shows up at all the local sales. She’s the one with the blue tarp. Accept no substitutes. (I realized that this detail is useful for about 1% of my readers, but I’m sure that the sales in “your neck of the woods” have yummy food, too)  I usually take one of the boys with me, and we eat a hot dog with sauerkraut, fried rice, and the ubiquitous bake sale rice crispy treat, all before 10 am.
  • Girl Scout Cookies pop up on street corners and in front of shopping centers.  The house favorite is Thin Mints, which are best served cold, from the refrigerator. I know I’m not the first one to notice that, while prices remain somewhat stable, the boxes are SHRINKING. The box we bought last weekend was about the size of a pack of Marlboro’s.
  • The volume of laundry dips significantly, as sweatpants are exchanged for shorts, and socks are tossed in favor of Crocs or flip flops. Quantifying the decrease would, truthfully, require a calculated algorithm – taking into account the increased incidences of full contact football on grass, sliding into the water at the bottom of the slide, and other seasonal factors.
  • I can finally stop “forcing” the kids to wear coats, hats, and/or gloves. They will gladly wear a sweatshirt, with the slightest encouragement – making mornings at our house kinder and gentler as the weather warms.
  • Free Rita’s Italian Ice at their 550 locations. A free regular-sized ice awaits you! The lines are long, but totally worth it.
  • The neighborhood kids have come out of hibernation, mine included, and everyone is spending more time playing outside which is a welcome change from “Mom.” *poke*   “Mom.”*poke*   “I’m bored”*poke*
  • Reese’s peanut butter eggs reappear. Sure, they make pumpkins, hearts, and holiday trees, but the eggs are old school and are my favorite. Evan threw a pack in the grocery cart last week, and (sorry, Evan) I ate them ALL.