One Man's Trash

It hit 50 degrees today in Buffalo, and let me tell you, it felt absolutely wonderful. It hasn't been this warm since October maybe? The sky was gray and cloudy, so it felt a little depressing, but it felt so freeing to be outside in just a lightweight fleece jacket -- no heavy coat, no gloves, no hat. I took the boys to Island Park (it's a tiny park that is enclosed by a creek, so you have to walk over a bridge to get to it). They got to swing, go on the slides, and we found some uncovered grass to run around on. It was great! I'm amazed at how slowly the snow is melting -- after days of temperates well above freezing, there is still plenty of snow on the ground. Still, the boys have been able to play outside for 3 straight days, and it's been awesome.

I was talking with Joyce today and she mentioned that the temperature in Apple Valley today was pretty close to the one in Buffalo -- right around 50 degrees, except that it felt a little chilly to her. She mentioned the "one man's trash is another man's treasure" saying, and I realized how true that is! I remember many 40 and 50 degree days in San Diego that I felt it was too chilly to drag everyone outside to play. I much preferred waiting for temperatures in the 60+ degree range. In fact, until we moved to Buffalo, I don't think the boys even owned anything heavier than a sweater or light rain jacket. If it were cold enough for a heavier jacket, I didn't bother going outside. I think I can safely say that when we get back to California, I won't be taking the wonderful weather for granted!

So, the warmer weather and more sunshine is doing wonders for my sanity. Oddly enough, the boys' moods don't seem to be improved with the better weather -- there have been some crazy drama moments and whining over the most trivial of things. I'm starting to run out of ideas from my parenting bag of tricks, but I'm hoping that a change of scenery and a move into a larger house next month will reset their attitudes a little.