April Showers Bring May Flowers

I know that the saying goes "April Showers Bring May Flowers"... but why does it feel like it's raining more in this month than it did last month?

Springtime always makes me want to surround myself with fresh flowers. I wish I could go into the park by me and just pick every single tulip and daffodil that I can get my hands on and put them in vases all around my home. Wouldn't that be beautiful?

Tomorrow I'm going on a field trip with my son to Central Park. It's supposed to be sunny and warm - and I'm so excited! The class is going bird watching. We're going to be on the lookout for robins, sparrows, cardinals, swallows and blue jays. We might even get a glimpse of a peregrine falcon! It's going to be fun because the only birds that we see on a regular basis are pigeons.

It's funny, I feel like I've been stuck indoors all winter, and now I seem to be going to Central Park every few days. I love it!

Sunday in the Park

Life doesn't get any better than a perfect Spring Day in Central Park.

My mom was in town and after a whirlwind weekend of seeing Mary Poppins on Broadway, a birthday party celebration, back-to-back baseball games, etc...we were finally able to kick back and relax!

Once in the park, we tossed baseballs, chased birds, floated in a row boat and my favorite... took a nap in the sun! Central Park is an oasis for city dwellers. I leave after most visits with a renewed sense of being.

We all tumbled home on the subway...all happy, hungry and EXHAUSTED!

Let's Play School

The other day, I overheard a young girl on the subway telling her father that she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up. This got me to thinking... how come some kids love school, and the idea of learning, while others can think of nothing but summer vacation?

I remember when I was a kid, I loved to play school. My brother and i would take turns being the teacher (I usually was!) , and each of us would patiently sit at our desks with our pencils and notebooks, pretending to learn.

Nowadays, my boys play on the computer...no desk or teacher! And I know that it's not just my boys. With TV and video games being so dominate in their life, are kids pretending as much anymore?

Or is school, and the idea of education, less "fun" than it used to be?