An Ode To The End Of Spring Vacation

Ok, this is not really an Ode, more of a...well, a blog entry. A blode?

They say endings make room for new beginnings. Well, the end of 2 weeks of school vacation is making way for the beginning of having my sanity back! (Some would argue that my sanity ever existed, but I swear, I had it once, long long ago….)

Oh, you read that right. 2 weeks. See, we have kids in two different school districts. That's two different week-long vacations. Let's add to that, 2 birthdays, an Easter celebration, and various relatives throughout the two weeks, who bestowed birthday gifts and Easter candy on my little lovies in unending quantities (ie: complete spoiling).

The life of this work-from-home, stay-at-home mom, is thus: Part of my contract is that since I’m home, I’m the one that drops everything for school vacations, sick days and holidays. Gladly. But clients continue to call (and text), and kids “patiently” wait for (food, chocolate milk, a butt wiped) the bedrooms start to grow laundry mountains, the kitchen floor shouldn’t be eaten off of, but could be. And in place of structure, there’s lots and lots of spontaneous cuddling, bathing is optional, breakfast is for dinner, dessert is for breakfast, and schedules are non-existent.

Please Rewind. The two weeks of school vacation started with a bang. On day 1 we were graced with the presence of a boa constrictor, a hedgehog, a ferret, a tarantula....and quite a few other critters for my son Jackson's 7th birthday party. Not to mention the 10 or 12 boys all tromping thru the house with Nerf guns and baseball bats.

Are you understanding what craziness went on in my home? Tarantulas and boys and sports and dirt and freewheeling food. What was I thinking?

Day 2 was my 4 year old Bode's turn to have a party. That party consisted of mud and trucks and a bouncy castle. Pretty tame stuff. But the overall weekend contained multitudes of cupcakes, homemade mac & cheese, various pizzas, fruit salad, the addition of 5 lbs, one successful sleepover, one aborted sleepover due to the threat of vomiting...and lots of over-tiredness. Parents included. 

I actually loved every minute of it. Reminder: this was just the first two days. I had neglected to pace myself.

In my efforts to keep everyone occupied, Day 3 contained a trip to the John Deere dealership for tractor-crazed Bode. Day 4 was a trip to the see the African Cats Disney movie. Days 5, 6 and 7 were a complete blur. On Day 8 we took a trip to the batting cages and the driving range for my budding 7 year old sports enthusiast (or sports enthusiast in training a la "psycho mom").

By Days 9-14…I had kind of given up with organized activities, which resulted in:
• various errands made double their usual length and effort
• many impulse-purchase laden grocery trips
• lots of bribes, threats and time-outs
• some crying, some yelling, and some nights at grandma's
• about 2 hours worth of billable time.

Did I mention all the TV? Oh I didn’t? Hmm, that must have been an oversight on my part. Ok, I’ll admit to:

• lots of TV
• lots Nintendo DS time
• lots of DVD Movies
• lots YouTube watching
• a few board games (ok 1 board game)

So, come on spring! We’re ready! Spring vacation, you can hit the road. No offense. But I’m ready for eggs for breakfast again. Plenty of cuddling will be offered between the hours of 2:30 and 7:30 pm, bathing is mandatory (so is tooth-brushing), bed-time is non-negotiable, and the TV is allowed to take a rest. Oh, and please, no tarantulas.

Now how many days do I have till summer vacation!?