I promise...

This morning at 4am, I awakened to the true affirmation of Springtime: the song of the American Robin. There were several of them chirping merrily away in the large tree outside our bedroom window. Even though it was still technically dark, and terribly, horribly early... my heart jumped at the sound. It has been a looonng winter for this household, and now I can actually believe that SOON my girls and I will be digging away in our garden, planning annual plantings and dividing the perennials, ENJOYING the warm, watery sunshine and revelling in the fact that we can just step outside anytime we like... Springtime with little girls is like discovering you have a huge "playroom" added on to your house!!

I love the song of the American Robin. I described it to my Sparks Troupe during our birdwatching unit as sounding like "Cheer-up! Cheer-a-lee!!" It's as though they're trying to jolly us along, to make us believe that there is beautiful weather just around the corner. The funny thing is, by about June, I find myself frustrated by being awakened at 4am by the birds... As a mother of three busy little people, sleep is a battleground for me, and it's a struggle to stay on the winning side for any length of time...

This year, I promise (again) that I will NOT take advantage of the music of springtime!! I will pause for a moment and enjoy it... before slamming my window down and muddling back to bed.

It's springtime, folks-- everybody CHEER!