Spring Break

We are staying home for Spring Break. Yes, that's right. I have absolutely no interest in a tan or a margarita. I'm certainly not interested in listening to the crashing waves or hiding my tows in the sand. Well, that is not entirely true. The real truth is that we've NEVER been on spring break with the kids and apparently this wasn't the year to break tradition. But that doesn't mean we aren't going to have any fun.
I am going to do some fun things this week with the kids and most of them do not involve money. Although we are not going anywhere, I'm going to change my usual "chop chop" attitude. Here are a few things that I hope my kids will enjoy.

Chilli Cheese Fritos with dinner (did that one tonight...it was a real hit!)
The words "hurry up" have been deleted from my vocabulary for exactly one week.
Dessert after lunch.
Friends over to play and/or spend the night.
Outings to free/cheap places with picnic lunches.
Checking on all the dogs in our neighborhood to see if they want company.
Cinnamon rolls for breakfast.
Lemonade stand (I've been trying to talk myself into this one. Now that it's published it's official).
Playing outside after dinner.
Less bathing (I know it's gross, but my kids love to skip a bath now and then. They'll think they're getting away with murder).
Television after 6pm. They just realized a few weeks ago that there actually IS programming on in the evenings. They've been dying to watch.

It's not a change in scenery, but it is a change in routine which is so needed after this long winter. I know they'll get a kick out of each of these little things that I've come up with.
And we're bound to have some good memories from our "staycation" if mom can manage to deviate from the usual routine.

A Few of My Favorite Things

There are so many things that I have been enjoying lately about my children. We all have our "favorite things" and I thought I'd share mine.

Stinky baby toes, you know, the kind that have been in red keds all day with no socks.
Baby's breath....especially a 12-24 month old baby's breath. And especially after nap.
First baskets on the big hoop (had that one yesterday for our 4th).
When the older kids dote on the little ones.
Watching/Listening to them laugh at America's Funniest Home Videos.
When children pray. Especially for people that have died. A long time ago. Yet they keep on prayin'!
The smell of their blankies
Toes. All of them. Even if they are not my kids. I love their pigs.
Good grades.
I love when my children see someone elses baby and they fall in love with them.
I love stories about the kid in class that manages to get himself into trouble every single day. God love him.
Toddlers in helmets. I always think they are just gonna tip over.
I love when they are so small they can only hold a finger, not a hand. And they hold on for dear life.

At the end of each day I think about all of the funny things they did. I try to relay them to my husband and in doing so I get to relive it. In fact, I don't ever go to bed overwhelmed or disappointed about how the day went. I'm grateful for that.

Daylight Savings

Has the time change sucked for you as much as it has for me? I don't get it. I simply don't get it. I was perfectly content when daylight savings came well into spring...April or May, wasn't it? Now I'm just irritated and I'll tell you why.

"Springing" the clocks forward the 2nd week of March is NOT good for the average structured family. And here is why. BECAUSE CHILDREN ARE STILL IN SCHOOL! They can't stay out past dinner even though the sun is still up because they have to do homework still and get in bed in order to get up for the school day. Now that DST is in effect, it is difficult for children to fall asleep because it's either still light out OR it has only been dark a short while and their bodies havn't adapted. Here's an example. My 4 year old goes to bed at 6:30 (he's an early bird and doesn't nap). When we put him in bed he's confused because it is still light out. And he doesn't fall asleep easily like he normally would...it now takes a good 30-40 minutes until he is out, yet he gets up at the same time everyday, thus shortchanging him on sleep which we all know brings on a world of hurt for everyone. Same story for my 7 year old twins...can't seem to fall asleep yet that alarm still goes off at 6:45am. They have been in tears each morning because they are so tired. And not tired because they were able to stay outside playing...for one thing, they have school so must be in bed, but also it's too darn cold! It's 32 degrees today. So it won't get dark until 7:00 tonight. Whoopee. We can't enjoy it anyway.

Also, I like to run in the mornings. And I'm not one of those die-hard runners that can run when it's pitch black and sleeting. Here's the deal. I can run in the cold. I can run when it's dark. But I can't run when it is cold AND dark. The morning temps this time of year are typically in the 20's but it has gotten to the point where it's light by 6:15 so I can get out the door and not feel like it's 2am. But all that changed with DLS. So now my kids are crabby and I'm not getting in a workout. This is not the way to start a today.

I realize that lots of energy is being saved now that DST is so early. I just wish they had consulted me first!