NZ springtime is beautiful, there are cherry blossoms everywhere, yummy smelling flowers abounding and the sun FINALLY starts sticking around later than 4pm. It's glorious.
Last year I was caught off guard on many occasions needing to have brought a cardi, or pack an extra layer for the kids... So this year I've tried to be a bit more on to it. Of course I'm not 100% successful, but I think my going rate is already better than last years. Hooray for the small successes, yeah?
A lot of days go like this:
Wake up to cold temps (4-5C maybe?), layer up, layer children up, pack blankets into the car and head out for the day. Drop biggest at school. Go to beach in multiple layers with little ladies. Out of NOWHERE it gets hot and you must peel all layers off. All of them but the bottom layer.. And even then you're still feeling a bit too warm. Head home to put on shorts and tank top. This lasts about 1hr. Pick up big kid, play in remaining warmth.. Sun starts setting and layers pile back on, kids go to bed in winter jammies. And you keep layering up until you're a lump under a blanket wondering if you should turn the heater on.
We like it here. That's for sure.
Our biggest girl starts preschool soon. And I'm caught between wanting to rejoice and sing from the mountain tops and this faint bit of sadness... One whole day a week that she will be away from me. That 52 days a year! She's going to be off bringing smiles to someone else, singing and dancing and asking silly questions to someone else... That makes me a little sad. Once again, the ridiculous dichotomy that is motherhood. The battle between sadness and joy. Pushing forward and holding on.
