Things seem off at my house lately. I’m crabby and tired. Michael’s acting weird, stalking around the house. John’s fidgety and sometimes downright bad. I think Matt would be happy if he could go to bed around the time it gets dark. We’re not a particularly harmonious household right now.

I couldn’t figure it out until I looked at the calendar for next week and realized: March. In my opinion (and my location): the worst month of the year.

Now, if you’re reading this from south of Washington, D.C. or somewhere in California, you’ll look out the window at your budding daffodils and tulips and shake your head. You won’t understand what I mean, so help yourself to a nice post about star wars instead.

But if you’re in New England, this might make a little more sense. Stupid March.

In November, a little snow feels exciting. In December, snow and cold feel very festive. In January and February, they feel appropriate. And in those months, bright and sunny skies seem to cheer up the cold. Not March.

The novelty of snow is long gone. The snow we have right now is patchy, heavy, wet and dirty. For a non-skier like myself, there’s no upside to having it at all. Be gone, snow.

The weather is slightly warmer (all the way up to 41 today!) but still not a good temperature for playing outside, even if the ground wasn’t a soggy mess. The slightly warmer air is pressed toward the ground by a low gray sky. It’s not raining or snowing all the time, but it looks like it might.

And that’s the worst thing about it actually: it really might. We can’t take a 40 degree day as a sign of spring, because this is definitely not it. We still have plenty of cold left and likely have plenty of snow left to get through. The whole “out like a lamb” part of March? Unlikely.

I’m tired of wearing a coat. I’m tired of wearing gloves, and I’m tired of wearing heavy socks. I want to put all these sweaters and scarves in the closet and not see them again for six months at least.

My friend Shannon and I have long agreed that this is a brutal month. It is something to be tolerated. We know we should avoid just going to bed for the entire month (kids still need to get fed) but the bar shouldn’t be set too high. It’s not a month for creative energy. It’s not a month for grand adventure.

I think the trick is to be realistic about it from the outset. Enjoy the above-freezing temperature. Buy some tulips for a dose of color. But do not be fooled into thinking that a corner has been turned. It hasn’t. We’ll discuss this again in April.