Since winter-esque weather doesn't always get the memo that its time is done for now, you might have to do a little extra to get in the spring frame of mind. Here's five tips for getting a jump start on spring when it still feels like winter.
1. Embrace bright colors: You don't have to wait for warm weather to add color to your wardrobe and your living space. In fact, if you wait for warm weather you might completely miss the chance to wear all your pretty pastel colored clothes (that happened to me last year). This time of year I still wear heavy pants and sweaters, but I usually only wear pastels or bright colors because I just can't take dark colors anymore. Switching out clothes, bed spreads, and painting my nails always helps me feel like I've got a new lease on life.
2. Plant something: Spring is all about new growth and new life. But sometimes that growth can be hard to see, especially when several inches of snow still cover the ground. Luckily you don't need warm weather to grow plants or seeds indoors. When I start getting antsy to start my garden in February and March, I order seeds and then immediately realize I'm already a few weeks late on starting my seeds indoors. It's the only time in spring when I want the warm weather to hold off a bit longer. And until everything starts sprouting, don't forget the beauty of grocery story tulips and flowers. They work wonders.
3. Spring cleaning: Have you had that moment on the first warm day of the season when you suddenly realize how disgusting your apartment/house has gotten over the winter? Maybe it's the increase in sunlight that helps me see all the dirt and salt that has accumulated all over my floors - and maybe that's why spring is associated with cleaning up and clearing out. This spring, I'm working on an Apartment Therapy home cure (that's been coming along verrrrry slowly), and I'm appreciating how having a nice living space can help distract me from whatever is happening outside.
4. Turn up the jams: Put away all your sad, slow winter albums (sorry Bon Iver), and put on some music that gets your toes tapping. I've got a Carla Bruni french singers Pandora station going right now that has the perfect touch of spring to it. I also love some good pop/dance music and anything that has the word spring or summer in the song or title. Good music does wonders for a dull mood.
5. Put together a spring/summer menu plan: Friends of mine created a binder that just included their go to meals, and I've been wanting to follow suit. In the height of summer, I'll sometimes waste the produce I was waiting all winter for simply because I can't think of what to do with it. It's lazy I know, but on a weekday night after derby or a long day at work I don't have any extra energy to menu plan....ugh. So why not use this time of year to dream about all the salads and stir fries and casseroles I can make when my favorite produce comes into season? It'll help me make the most of the crazy amounts of vegetables and herbs I want to grow this season.
What helps you prepare for spring?