How to Break into Spring

Reflect how the verbs "spring" and "break" sound suitably ebullient yet destructive enough for the joyous and heart-breaking season where your weeks of patience can be crushed again by snow on the crocuses and bitter wind whipping through your light coat.

Take two days to pack up for the short trip to the borrowed downtown apartment, even schlepping the kindergartner's Science Fair plants. Still forget your glasses, the more comfortable shoes for the girls and all the Easter morning surprises you thought you were so conscientious for stocking up on weeks ago.

Pack two poetry books (Mary Oliver and Jorie Graham) because it is National Poetry Month after all, and poetry should be just the right weight for a week without the childless afternoons school affords. End up reading the New Yorker reviews (West Side Story and God of Carnage) and US magazine instead, leading to a violent attack of schadenfreude giggles at Lindsay Lohan's latest sorrows.

Abandon the ambitious plan to visit a new museum every day for the more reasonable schedule of one morning at Day Frog, and a bus ride to Harold Washington Library. Wonder at the old school approach of a children's library with no puzzles, toys or comfy floor pillows. Imagine that.

Sigh at the email from the sitter canceling again.

Cajole the four year old to hike across the street to Walgreen's to buy a packet of dye despite your best intentions of going the natural way with coffee, cabbage and beet dyes. Marvel at the simple pleasure of egg dying and the miracle of nothing spilled on the rug.

Work with Daddy, with uneven results, at convincing the girls that they will enjoy a video of Yellow Submarine. Take pictures of their slack-jawed faces as they watch the Blue Meanies. Love that they ask to watch it again, this time the whole thing, the next day. Jump on the Flashback Express because you haven't seen this one since you were a kid. Days later, thrill to your six year old warbling "He's a real nowhere man" sweetly off key.

Skip splitting up the family so the older girl can see Mary Poppins with Mommy in favor of sticking together to another trip to Navy Pier. Swell with pride at the girls' talents in the inventor's room of the Children's Museum. Take the girls on their first el trail ride to Comiskey, sorry, US Cellular to see a single inning of the Sox vs. Minnesota. Marvel that your lone inning before the chill does you in happened to be a thrilling one with multiple walks and a line drive single with the bases loaded.

Stay up way too late cramming jelly beans into plastic eggs halves that don't want to snap back together. Don't mind the task since The Ten Commandments, one of your favorite holiday traditions, is on. Consider a couture runway show of cute little separates based on the dresses Ramses wears. Giggle at the campy dialogue ("Beauty is but a curse to our women!" "You lost him when he went in search of his God; I lost him when he found Him!") and overwrought acting. Fall for Yul Brenner all over again; unbelievably admire Vincent Price.