image via mister baker’s instagram

I love this time of year, when the weather is dancing between moody and bright, and the colorful wildflowers indigenous to coastal Southern California are in full blossom. It’s still too cold to bare shoulders, but thick sweaters have definitely been put away for the season. The days are being to stretch bringing with them hints of summer nights, and everything seems just a little bit more relaxed, as if the Earth herself has let out a sigh of relief that yet another harsh winter has been survived.

These days have been good to me. The baby is sleeping a little more regularly at night, and consequently, I have more energy. Thank goodness, because I was teetering on the verge of exhaustion and/or hysteria. Having the big kids home from school was exactly what I needed, and while we spent most days cozied up in our house playing card games and watching classic movies from when I was a kid, we managed to make one excursion to the beach while Babe’s sister was in town.

We also took advantage of the fact that she stayed in a hotel with a rooftop pool, and enjoyed a fun afternoon of swimming and sitting in the hot tub. Just as we had suspected, our tiny guy is a real water baby! He was so relaxed and content floating around in the jacuzzi, and he looked mighty cute in his new swimsuit and sunhat.

Today was the day I had originally intended to return to work, and although I miss my students and my colleague something awful, I’m glad to have made the decision to extend my leave. Instead of rushing to ready myself along with the kids in preparation for a day of school, like a proper stay-at-home-mama, my morning consisted of making breakfast, packing lunch boxes, doing laundry, and nursing a baby. I made a lovely lunch for my sweet mister and me, got a bit of writing done, and even managed to take a nap.

I don’t plan on staying home for very long, but I do plan on taking full advantage of this time while it lasts.