Spring Break

When I had kids, I didn't really expect to be affected by Spring Break until they were actually in grade school. Then, I enrolled them in a Mother's Day Out program that is associated with a private school in our area, and they have the same Spring Break as the school. So, the kids are home with me this week. All week. It may be a break for them, but for me...not so much. I adore my children, but there is not enough for them to do when they are at home. Fortunately, the weather has been really nice, and Alison and her kids are on break this week too. Also, Mom and Dad each have taken some time off this week, and Phil's mom has been in town since Monday with our nephew. All of these things have provided some much needed distractions. If it was up to us alone, we would spend a fair amount of time in our jammies, and Nathan would never be too far from a television. However, we have managed to Do Something each day this week so far. On Monday, Mom, Alison, and I took all of the kids to the zoo for the afternoon. They all really enjoyed it, even Amy, who was excited just to be outside and unrestrained. I don't think anyone paid very much attention to the animals, but still, a good time was had by all. That evening, we drove out to a big furniture store to look for some Big Boy Furniture for Nathan and ended up getting him a new bed, dresser and nightstand. They will be delivered in early April. On Tuesday we had a little slower start, but Alison's kids came over and played in the morning for a while, and later that afternoon the kids and I went shopping for Nate's Big Boy Bedding. Phil's mom and sister and our nephew Blake came over for supper. Later, Nathan went and had a sleepover with Blake and Me-me at Blake's house. Today, Amy and I slept in (9:15!!). After lunch, Mom came over to watch Amy and I got to take Nathan to the movies for the first time. I know, lots of kids go to movies waaay earlier than 3 1/2 years old, but we weren't sure how he would react. He is not crazy about dark, loud places. But, he has really gotten to a point where we can explain things to him and reason with him, so I made sure to tell him in advance what to expect. He was only a little timid when the theater first darkened and they initially turned up the sound--he covered his ears with his hands and sat on my lap for a bit. But soon after the movie started (Horton Hears a Who), he loosened up and ended up really enjoying himself. There are a million reasons why being a mom is great, but one of my favorites is being with my children as they experience something new. I love the looks they get on their faces, and the smiles when they realize how much fun they are having. Nathan is at a really great age, where he is overcoming many of his baby fears and is really interested in things that are happening around him. He has been so much fun, starting during Christmas this past year. This was the first year that he understood Santa and was interested in the decorations and cookie baking and TV specials. In fact, we are still watching Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas once a week or so!
But I digress (who, me?)...So our plans for the rest of the week include a trip to the park tomorrow, since the weather is supposed to be perfect. Then on Friday, I am crossing my fingers that one or both of the grandmothers might be interested in watching one or both of my children so I can take a nap before work! I am pretty sick of the whole working every single weekend gig, but at least I can be home with my kids for Spring Break. For now at least, the trade off is worth it.