Here we go again with my kids off for a whole week and a half for this latest school vacation!
That’s right, my kids started their school vacation.
My pre-schooler had her regular 2 1/2 hour school day last Wednesday.
Followed by her older sister, who got out early for a half day at pretty much the same time as her sister on Wednesday, as well.
Then, it was game on for this mom to keep all entertained all day long.
My kids were bouncing off the walls wanting to play outdoors immediately. Even though the calendar says almost spring, mother nature had seemingly forgotten this piece of info as the temperatures even on that Sunny day was downright cold at the start of spring vacation.
They also couldn’t stop bouncing from all the sugary goodness sent home in my pre-schooler’s candy haul bag from the school Easter party–nice gesture and as much as I am not against giving my kids sweets this was overkill even for me.
This mom dreads these long school vacations, because it throws my whole schedule daily for one out the window.
Most know I work from home designing websites and tackling tech issues for website owners, as well as freelance write, too.
I rely on school days to get a good chunk of my work done, but during the prolonged school vacations, the beauty of my work day schedule goes right out the window.
Take this article for instance, I started, stopped and came back to more times than not and knew I needed to get my thoughts together for the One Word Blog Challenge for Wednesday morning, but my kids truly had another idea for me.
That is the beauty of school vacation time for moms like me that work from home.
There just is no escaping it.
But how have we embraced the beauty in school vacations?
1. Attempts to sleep in have all but been thwarted for this mama as the kids, who seem to battle me on school mornings to drag their lazy bums out of bed, are now suddenly up with the birds just because they can be!
2. Thank god that Trix are indeed for kids as that damn bunny has saved me on these numerous, overtired mornings from having to actually cook breakfast for my little minions to be on a more relaxed morning schedule. Meal time, though in general, has been more or less all over the place with more snacking taking center stage for all.
3. Wardrobe changes for wannabe princesses are just as abundant and plentiful, as if they are really and truly royalty from the first clothing selection of the day to the very last one, making for more unwanted laundry to pile up.
4. No matter how many toys that we have in duplicate, the fights are on and more tears have been shed so far over this than Tammy Faye Baker did in her prime.
5. iPad usage is on the rise and at the very least keeping this mom from pulling her hair (grays and all) out of her head to have even 5 minutes of peace and quiet during the spring rain showers.
6. Yet, Mother Nature has taken some pity on us after the brutal winter she forced down our throats and has thankfully still given us time to enjoy some outdoor fun with some new bikes getting a proper workout. Spring might actually be here, which leads to the #7.
7. Since the temperature has rose above 50 degrees this past week, my kids seem to think that they can dress like it is now summer in the Caribbean channeling their best Bob Marley impressions by donning leggings/tights and baring legs for all that will look while hanging around the house.
8. Spring cleaning commenced with winter boots/coats finally being put on ice for next year, with me wanting to throw a party to celebrate or at least crack open a bottle of wine!
9. Our calendars have been full to the brim with not being short on entertainment by any means to keep us quite busy, thankfully making the days go by quite fast even in the most crazy, whiny moments (these are plentiful as girls do whine best).
10. Bedtime, what bedtime? Even once they find their way to bed, my girls will have a gab feast complete with singing their favorite Frozen show tunes and more to make me feel like I am getting a nightly concert for free. Still, I wish this would tire them out to not still want to once again be up with the birds like #1 all over again tomorrow!
Yet, as much as I doth protest here so much, I love having my girls home with me still, because even after all the mayhem that can and most certainly will ensue, I feel blessed and lucky to have this time with them.
See someday as many have told me, I will indeed miss this time and long for it.
So that is folks, I am off enjoying the beauty in the rest of this current school vacation with my kids that I can, because I can and am lucky.
If you are a mom, who works from home, how do you deal with school vacations?
This post was originally written for the One Word Blog Linkup. The words for this week were: Beauty or Lucky.
*A version of this appears on Huffington Post with permission here.
Seana Turner says
I remember wishing we could sleep on school vacations as well. If it is any comfort, it all shifts when they become teens. Then they are very self entertaining, but are often up in their rooms and you don’t hear from them. And they sleep in very well, but want to be out late. I guess my one word is “cherish”… embrace whatever is good about the current stage:)
Janine says
Seana, thank you for that bit of advice and seriously do appreciate it! 😉
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
Our kids get a week in February and a week in April. We always travel on the April vacation, but do nothing in Feb because we never know about the weather. I would love to see them combined and just do a week in March so they get out earlier in June.
Janine says
Robin, that would totally work for me. We were originally going to do Disney this week, but was supposed to be going to an out of town wedding, which ended up not happening as kids weren’t included and just couldn’t swing it with Easter being wrapped around it. But definitely think in years to come will try to do a real family vacation around this week, as well.
Nellie @ Brooklyn Active Mama says
Omg Janine! Your house was ExACTLY like my house last week! (Minus the dresses of course lol) bright and early wake ups, insane iPad usage, cereal for breakfast, meal times all over the place, toys everywhere and zero work done! Spring break is one of those things I don’t think I will ever master unless I go on vacation!
Janine says
Nellie, like I just said to Robin, I think I may just have to try to do a vacation away from home in the years to come, because this week so far has done me in just a bit.
Jennifer Weedon Palazzo says
Good luck with Spring Break!
Confessions of A Mommyaholic says
Thanks Jennifer as I need all the luck I can get right now! 😉
Bev says
That is a LONG break! School vacation isn’t for another couple weeks here. I can imagine how much it throws off your business and schedule having them home for that long. Hope you are able to squeeze in some work as well as enjoy your time with them!
Janine says
Thanks Bev and I haven’t forgotten you. It has been crazy around here and trying to get work in whenever I can this week, as anything goes right now sadly!
Meredith says
I feel like your life is the exact same as mine–it has been a wild week! Thanks for getting it and for recognizing the blessing in what we have too!
Janine says
Meredith, if I have to have this in common with anyone, I am seriously glad it is you, my friend! 😉
Diane Roark says
Janine,
You crack me up and I can so relate. My kids are older now but I have NO time to do anything when they are home. They constantly want to go somewhere or do something. Not to mention how much they eat and want me to cook meals a day. Because I have kids in private school, public school and homeschool, None of them have the same Spring Break. The entire month of March someone was home. Yes, I enjoyed it and truly cried when they went back to school, but I got nothing done. I am hoping April will be better.
I loved reading your post.
Blessings and have some fun with the girls this week. Hopefully, we will both find some time to catch up on work soon.
Diane
Janine says
Aw, thanks Diane and totally hope that we get both get to catch up on work real soon! 😉
Diane Hill Roark says
Janine Huldie I loved this post. It is so hard to enjoy your kids while you need to be working. It is a battle that all moms face.
Confessions of A Mommyaholic says
Aw, thank you again Diane and definitely such a battle for us moms with school vacations to keep all afloat.
Kristen says
I stuck to strict bedtime on spring break – had to for my sanity! Have a good week!
Janine says
Thanks Kristen and even though I have tried as of last night our youngest found her way in our bed yet again!
James Oliver, Jr. (@jamesoliverjr) says
Sounds like bedlam! Haha.
As you know, I’m a dad who works from home. Now that the twins are two and in day care twice a week, the thought of not having that time to myself makes my head spin!
Janine says
James, it is definitely head spinning at times and so just trying to keep all my balls in their air as I am juggling it all this week 😉
Bill says
Fourteen years as a single parent….three years of teaching my son….I hated vacations. LOL Seriously, I would love vacations if I got one, but that meant more time of father/son bonding and after about year ten I’d had enough. 🙂 You know I’m joking, right? Kind of!
Have a great Wednesday!
Janine says
I know you are totally, but like you as much as I loathe them, I can’t help but still love them, too as crazy as that sounds. Happy Wednesday once again! 😉
Dara says
yup. we’re on break too and I find it so hard to keep up with my regular stuff as well as make sure the kids are entertained! I take them out daily and always fall behind on things while we are out of the house!
Janine says
Dara, same here and have a playdate early this afternoon and trying so hard to get so much done now before I go, but will come home to more for sure, too!
Kenya G. Johnson says
LOL to the wardrobe changes! The upside of living “away” from the grandparents is “breaks” such as last week for us. I met my dad halfway on the Saturday before and met him halfway a week later. I actually slept in and stayed up late – a flip flop of my usual schedule. Ask these questions again this summer though and I’ll be pulling my hair out with you. Christopher won’t leave for the whole summer like I used to. Of course I wouldn’t know what to do with myself for a whole summer anyway. But I could figure it out 😉
Janine says
I am so jealous of your week off last week, but now you also got me panicking a bit for this summer as it will be weeks on end of this. I am still trying to figure this out and now need to come up with a plan though, because God help us all if I don’t! 😉
Marcia @ Blogitudes says
School vacations have to be especially difficult to manage when you work from home. Don’t know how you managed to get this wonderful post done in the midst of all you’re juggling right now — but I’m awfully glad you did. Kids here had only 1 week off. And it did warm up nicely one day last week. Lots of kids were outside playing, and I’m sure lots of moms were breathing a sigh of relief that they could. Gave them a reprieve if only for a little while. 🙂 Hang in there, Janine. And yes, enjoy your time together as much as possible.
Janine says
Aw, thanks Marcia and I worked on this one post over the course of three days for about an hour each with more interruptions than you could imagine, but was worth getting the article, which I think conveys this week pretty much overall and also the time that I walked away to just enjoy the moments so far with them, too 😉
Rosey says
Ha! you totally ha me laughing out loud with your post today. 🙂 My kids were all spaced apart so largely that fights were rare. The two oldest shared a room for awhile when they were kids, and I do distinctly remember the younger one putting everything on his brother’s side and declaring his side ‘clean,’ which of course led to tears. 😉
Janine says
Oh man, you just made me smile right back with you comment. So thank you so much for that, too Rosey 😉
Jen says
Haha! These week breaks smack dab in the middle of the school year just tend to mess with a Mom’s flow. Our kids are already programmed to wake up early and with their already full school days our visions of sitting around and watching movies is systematically nixed by their over eagerness to get out and do!
Janine says
I know they really do mess with the flow, but totally feel guilty still that I am complaining though still, too!
Sarah Coulter-Gremley says
Mine never seem to sleep in much either. Letting them stay up later is just a challenge lol. Good luck with the rest of the break!
Confessions of A Mommyaholic says
Thanks Sarah and I know staying up later doesn’t even help here either!
Meredith Ethington says
There is a lot of joking about how crazy it is when the kids are home, but I kind of love it. No lunches to make, no schedules, and my oldest is great at playing with and entertaining my boys! 🙂 BUT, it so hard with work. I always feel much guiltier.
Confessions of A Mommyaholic says
That is such a big part and my guilt is on high with them being home and me still having work. So, I definitely can agree with you on this.
Jessica Ullrich says
Mine aren’t school age yet, but I work from home as well. It’s a difficult balance some days for sure!
Confessions of A Mommyaholic says
I remember before they were in school here and did work from home but not as many hours as I do now when they are in school. So my hat is off to you, too
Dana says
I just don’t get much done. I didn’t post at all last week, and I tried not to let it bother me. Soon enough my kids will leave the nest – I’m not going to miss the time I have with them now! It is easier with teens, though – they sleep most of the morning away anyway. 🙂
Janine says
Dana, I needed to hear this as my guilt on all levels gets me at times like this. So thank you 😉
Kelly L McKenzie says
Ouch. I well remember those days, Janine. It is so hard. You have a schedule that’s calling and well, you can’t get to it. The worst for me was in September when my kids’ school took at least 2 full weeks to settle on what child goes with what teacher. Classes started late on some days and got out early on others. Then finally when that problem was settled they’d schedule parent/teacher sessions all during the third week. More early dismissals. It was hell. I am sending you nothing but good wishes and thoughts to “hang in there.”
Janine says
Aw, thank you Kelly and I know the early dismissals definitely are also an issue here, too. I seriously appreciate your comment and wishes though so very much 😉
Leah says
All I can say is the days are long but the years are short. It is hard, so hard, the stage you are in. I promise you though, you will be so grateful for the good memories (and forget all the bad ones!!!)
Janine says
Aw, thank you Leah and I truly want to hold onto all the good memories as much as possible, too 😉
Jill Ginsberg says
Hmm, maybe try changing their clock for tomorrow morning and see if it works. Sneak in and set it back like 3 hours, hehe.
Confessions of A Mommyaholic says
I really would love to try this and definitely made me smile reading this. Thanks Jill 😉
Jill Ginsberg says
Oh my, I’m tired just reading this Janine, the girls are keeping you busy! I’m really not sure how you find the time to write/work/write some more/always be such a great audience for other bloggers. Seriously, it’s a-mazing!
Janine says
Aw, thank you so much Jill and trust me I just try my best on any given day here 😉
Anonymous says
It’s good that the weather’s getting better over there! I loved school vacations as a student before definitely. Not sure how I’d feel about it once Reiko goes to school full time. Hehehe. Hope you enjoy your vacation Janine!
Janine says
Aw, thanks Rea and we have had both good and bad weather this week, but so far been trying to enjoy as much of it as we can 😉
Jenny @ Unremarkable Files says
What is with #1? Every time! Every Saturday and Sunday they wake up earlier than usual, yet on school days it practically takes a voodoo ritual to pry them out of bed!
Janine says
Jenny, I know totally the same here and wish I knew the answer to this, too!!
Susanne Lewis Kerns says
I’m with Meredith Ethington – We carry over our weekend rule of “after 7am the TV can stay on as long as you don’t wake us up.” School vacations are the best sleep I get all year.
Confessions of A Mommyaholic says
I try but my girls are still not there yet sadly!
Chris Carter says
HA! I totally get every one of these Janine!!! NO sleeping in… constant fighting and eating and no schedule and random crazy weather ETC!!! Oh, do I get it!!
Aren’t we lucky though?
<3
Janine says
Chris, more lucky could we not be in the end! 😉
Rabia @TheLiebers says
I work out of the home, so my situation is a bit different. My parents were able to take the kids for me for a few days during their Spring Break. I took Friday off to spend with them, but we had a ton of stuff planned because it was Good Friday.
Janine says
Rabia, I am so glad you had a ton of fun last Friday and seriously so happy to hear! 😉
Tamara says
My time is coming! Spring break is conveniently lining up with Cassidy being AWAY for ten days in a foreign country. That’s right.
Even though he works 10=12 hour days and isn’t much help anyway on weekdays, it’s that thought of him coming home every night and rescuing me that saves me.
At least we already got three stomach bugs out of the way when he was here to help.
At least the weather looks great in the coming weeks.
At least the kids have three grandmothers who have offered to help..
Janine says
Tamara, my heart just went out to you completely and huge fear of mine is if Kevin will have to travel for work in the future. Don’t get me wrong, I can take care of the girls, but I do love having him here in the evenings after work to help out, plus I think I would miss his company so much, too. Hugs to you and message me if you need to chat 😉
Kim says
Well, because I’m so behind, you are almost at the end of the long break – hope y’all had fun!
Now I have to get at least one of my boys (the oldest) up during school breaks – if I didn’t he would sleep all day. I usually give him one day till about noon even though it drives me crazy. The other days I think 9-10 is late enough:)
Janine says
Kim, we have a few more days, but still what I wouldn’t give for 9 or 10 am here!! 😉
Janine says
Aw, so glad to have brought back that memory. Hugs to you, too 😉
Kristi Campbell says
OMG Janine!!! SO feel for you. My son’s break was last week and I had to laugh at your observations! Because as much as the school break sucks and makes us feel guilty, it’s almost awesome but still omg what do we DO WITH THEM????
Janine says
I know Kristi, “What do we do with them?”! I totally have had this thought too often this week myself!!
Allie @ The Latchkey Mom says
Oh, Janine. I feel you:)! But I have no answers. I’m just counting the days, you know?
Janine says
I totally know and counting them here, too! 😉
April G says
The adjustment period of having three to entertain has not finished, as I struggle to determine how each day should go. It didn’t help that my son was grounded, so I had to weigh his “fun” against the girls and quite frankly, staying home won out over and over. My tablet is primarily used by Bee who is adept and getting much better at controlling it. I would have to say, I’m glad it’s over, even though this past week was worse.
Janine says
April, see the that is the thing I complain, but I also know next week I will miss them when they aren’t here, still too (if that makes sense).
another jennifer says
Our vacation doesn’t start until 4/20. My kids will actually be with their dad for the week, so I get a break! I’ll miss them, but I need some me time. Can’t wait. 🙂
Janine says
I am just slightly jealous of you me time now 😉
Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom says
Funny stuff! Those kids kept you hopping! lol
I’m scared to put the winter gear away. I’m worried it will snow when I do. We’ve had snow in May before… I’m serious. I hope that’s not the case this year.
Thanks for sharing.
xoxo
Janine says
I did a bit more today and probably snow next week here, because I did! 😉 xoxo
Alison says
We had a school vacation about a month ago. I let them pull out the Lego and Play Doh! 🙂 Enjoy your Spring! (finally)
Janine says
Thank you, Alison and most definitely did all we could to enjoy it so far 😉
Rachel says
I understand the woes of school vacation. My kids go to school year-round 9 weeks on and 3 weeks breaks off. It’s a good schedule, but there are some days I can’t get anything done. I try to plan lots of activities when they are out of school, but it’s hard when I need to work. Thanks for sharing on the Small Victories Sunday link up.
Janine says
I know that is it, I love having them home, but I truly don’t get much done when they are. Thank you for sharing with me 😉
The Pinterested Parent says
LOL! I don’t know about school vacations yet, but I do know the struggle of trying to keep a precocious child entertained while trying to accomplish my other daily activities & I only have one. IPADs are a life saver & I have had many cereal days myself, except in our house it is Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Janine says
We love Cinnamon Toast Crunch, too!! 😉