Also, driving with the windows down. Willingly.

One of my favorite things about the change in seasons (besides the novelty which makes it easier to get my kids outside) is the new wardrobe that comes with it. And I'm not talking about the wardrobe that has come straight from the mall.

I'm talking about the one that comes from the back of your closet. Yesss, we get to pull out the frilly t-shirts, not just the ones to layer under sweaters. Cropped pants (cause it has to be REALLY hot for this mama to wear shorts). Sandals and flip-flops.

And it's just a bonus if you spent the previous summer pregnant and/or nursing. That opens up a whole segment of your wardrobe that hasn't seen the light of day for almost 2 years: closer fitting button-down tops (I know those should be nursing-friendly, but it's much easier to pull up than unbutton). White shirts (baby spitup? leaking boobs?). All bottoms that didn't fit (either too big OR too small, depending...). And the biggy? DRESSES. After several family weddings, I have a good supply of them, but they are decidedly NOT nursing-friendly, unless I want to put the thing over my head. Which I don't.

I love me some pretty skirts, and have many, but I've taken my opportunities to wear dresses for the last four dressy events I've attended (and those would be, just so you don't think I'm attending black-tie events: Easter Sunday church, school banquet, and two nights of the dinner theater I directed.) Dresses that require special undergarment considerations - and I'm not talking nursing bras. REAL dresses.

And to prepare, I even planned ahead. About a week or so before the first dress event, Easter, I started on my crusty heels. I thought I'd end up heading to a salon for a pedicure (Oh, the TORTURE), but instead I just used my pumice stone in the shower. Within a few days, the skin looked new. Not, of course, baby-new, but at least nearly-middle-age new.

I also started making my legs look less like they'd spent the winter buried under denim, being shaved once a week (on average). My favorite tactic for this is Jergens Natural Glow body lotion. From past experiences, though, I have learned to put regular lotion on my knees, tops of my feet, and shin bone first, before applying the tanning lotion. Otherwise that thinner? skin absorbs more color and it looks very UN-natural.

Of course, painting my toenails was a must before the first breaking-out of the sandals. One of the rewarding parts of having little people around is that they are much closer to your toes, and therefore oooh and ahhh very satisfactorily over any improvement in the view. There's nothing like a kid appreciating your purple toenails to make the day a little brighter!

I do tend to go shopping for a few new items each spring - especially solid color t-shirts, which are my uniform of choice. I have one in almost every color, but wear them so often they DO need replacing, although Aaron has yet to be convinced of that. (The replacing part. The every-shade-of-the-rainbow part he's in complete agreement with.)

In summary, (this is a tip of the hat to my 8th grade writing instruction) spring to me means wearing almost-forgotten clothes - especially dresses - , shaving & coloring my legs, and painting my toenails. All this comes before planting my gardens...which are in the process of being built. More on that soon!

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A non-nature sign of spring for you?

Which type of clothing do you most look forward to wearing when the season changes? From winter to spring, OR summer to fall....