My sister moved back to Michigan from California about 10 years ago. And she still gets very sad in the spring.
"In California, I always had Easter dinner outside as a picnic," she says sadly.
Those days are over, sister. Welcome to the Great White North!
As late as Easter came this year, it was still a cold and yucky day. Even the big famous marshmallow drop in Oakland County was cancelled due to a cold, drizzly, wintry rain.
Bleh …
But one of my biggest complaints of the whole spring thing here in Michigan is that my kids always run out of stuff to wear.
They’ve been growing fast and furious all fall and winter – wearing their clothes hard. By April, many of their clothes become unwearable.
Of Suzi’s clothes that actually still fit, her dresses are faded from washing, her leggings have rips and holes and her shirts bear the stains of a thousand school lunches.
Patti’s shirts still fit sleeves-wise, but she’s cautious about what she wears for gym day – as some shirts have become so short in the waist, lifting her arms to grab a basketball bares too much mid-drift for elementary school.
In the past month I have thrown away four pairs of pants that weren’t worth giving away. And while Suzi is enjoying some wonderful hand-me-down tops (she gets to look as sophisticated as her fourth-grade sister!), Patti is running out of clothes.
Now, this wouldn’t be a problem if the stores actually sold new clothes for a "Michigan spring," would it?
But, no. Oooooh, nooooo. They sell clothes for a lovely Hawaiian spring. I can get kids’ bathing suits and sunglasses and sandals by the beach bag full. Can I find a light, long-sleeve shirt for a kid? Heck no. Long white pants for a kid? Heck no! Can I find an Easter dress that wouldn’t show off a half-body’s worth of goose-pimpled skin?
No, ma’am.
It’s springtime in Michigan and my kids look like ragamuffins. Deal with it.
But I’d better hurry out and buy up a bunch of those spring clothes while they’re on the shelves. Because by the time my girls can wear their spring duds in June, my favorite store will be selling kids boots and earmuffs.
Grrrr.
