Now is the winter of my discontent

That pretty much describes how I felt about winter this year. It was dismal, depression, and way too long. Add to that the germs & virus that had infiltrated our cozy little home since January. That being said, can you tell I'm excited about SPRING finally being here??!! I can breathe! I don't feel like I'm trapped indoors, and my kids can go outside & play! What a novel concept! Of course, this really only applies to Emma, as she's the only one I trust to be outside alone, seeing as how we live on a very busy street, on a corner no less, and we have no fences. So, poor Sarah has been relegated to the balcony patio if she wants some fresh air. In theory I should go outside with them, but it just seems like there hasn't been a long enough expanse of time in order to do anything. Sarah's got preschool now in the mornings, Mon-Wed, during which time, Katie takes a nap. Then we go to pick up Sarah, and then it's lunch time, and then Sarah takes a nap. By the time everyone's awake, it's either time to go pick up Emma from school, or wait for her to be dropped off by someone else. Then it's dinner prep time, and then baths & bedtime. Sure, there's time for playing in between, some 20 minute intervals, but not enough to warrant packing both kids, the stroller & a diaper bag with snacks & drinks, into the van and drive 2 miles to the closest park, only to be able to play for 10 minutes & then drive home. SAHM's have a lot of free time, my foot. In between the feeding, bathing, sleeping & driving, there's still housework to be done, none of which ever seems to be completely finished. I don't think my hallway has been without dirty laundry for 4 months. I think the bathrooms were cleaned last week? But don't quote me on that. OH! And doctor's appointments, the ever present medical staff that are entwined into our daily lives. Last week, all FIVE of us were on some sort of medication, all at once. Let me give you a rundown of what types of sicknesses have been in the Wilson household in the past 4 months: 5 cases of strep (by only 3 people, you do the math), 2 cases of bronchitis, 2 cases of a sinus infection, 4 colds, and 1 case of pink eye. I've been threatening the family with baths in antiseptic wash. I was about ready to call in the federal government & ask that our house be declared a hazardous area & to be hit with a "clean bomb". It would kill any living organism and sterilize the entire area. Of course, then we'd probably have a new species of strep germ that survived this micro-organism holocaust & kill us all.
Anyhow, spring is here, and the birds are chirping, and while there's still no leaves on the trees (that will probably happen in May) I can sense the change, and I'm so glad it's here. I no longer have to bundle my children up like Eskimos to go out to the car. And sandals!!! Oh the footwear!! No more snow boots! My pasty white feet can actually get some sun. Of course this means I'll have to start shaving my legs again, but it's worth the hassle to be able to liberate my lower limbs from their winter prison garb.