The Sweet Smell of Spring!

Yesterday and today have been absolutely spring-like here in Rhode Island! The air is warm, the sky is blue and the birds are chirping! We spent all yesterday and this morning in the great outdoors and I plan to rejoin it in an hour or so. Taking a short indoor break to get some things done in the house.

The kids have been riding their bikes, drawing with chalk and swinging on the swings. It has been so blissful! I have been in my happy place pulling weeds and surveying my gardens. I have discovered so much new growth and life. My perennials are all ready pushing themselves up from the ground like they can hear the sun calling their names. I find it is inspiring to witness the beauty and energy of nature!

I also feel a new sense of urgency to get my indoor projects completed…once Spring is in full force I will be spending very little time indoors! One more room inside needs painting before I can feel fully satisfied with my progress. Then it will be outdoors to complete new projects….and our list is definitely adventurous! We plan to power-wash and stain our deck, power-wash the house, paint the trim, paint the outsides of our doors, plant some new gardens and possibly even start an organic vegetable garden. Of course, some of these projects have been on our list for years but now that the kids are a little older we are able to accomplish much more. And because we have a well-established "village" we know there are people we can call on to help with the kids when needed.

A new trick to complete that endless to-do list…Pick one project a month. I learned this one from my neighbor. This is so much more do-able than just staring at a long laundry list of things you intend to finish but are overwhelmed to even start. Take your calendar (everyone needs one!) and write an intended task for the month. Do your best to complete it within the month but do not feel defeated if it runs into the next month. Just do your best to keep it going. And another trick my neighbor and I are working on…sharing child-duty one morning a week to get all those silly 5-minute jobs done, like hanging things, changing lightbulbs, cleaning windows. Maybe not really 5-minute jobs but all those extra jobs that are nearly impossible to get to amidst the regular chaos of the weekly routine.

So, I will keep you posted on my to-do list! But in the meantime I will definitely be enjoying the fresh-air with the family!!!!! Enjoy!