It is happening - Spring is here (and with it Spring Break)! I can feel myself beginning my yearly pre-spring break ritual (which of course just started last year when my oldest entered public school) which is this... realizing I haven't planned anything really and wondering if I should have. I begin to get nervous and second guess my "wing it" way of living.
Of course I know there are many parents out there who don't have the luxury of taking the week off and who work full-time thus leading to a "no option but to plan it" way of dealing with the kids being out of school. For those folks, I take it there are all-week long, all-day long camps and such.
There are those (which we are not), who I hear rumor use spring break as an excuse to take a family vacation someplace exotic, maybe even Mexico or Hawaii. A parent can dream (at least that's what I'm doing right this very second).
But for those who don't HAVE to have their kids in an activity booked 9-5 or who aren't on vacation, what do you do? Another classic parenting connundrum revealed... do you book them up with activities to keep them as busy as they'd be during a normal week or do you attempt a slower paced, family oriented, laid back kind of a time together? This issue could really apply to parents and non-kidded folks as well... in general - do you plan it (or) do you wing it (and NO I didn't say wing nut :-))
We do some combination of winging it and planning. Pancakes and a lazy morning are a must for one of the days. PJ had been invited to a bday party at Chuck E Cheese a couple of weeks ago (for my nephew), but got sick that day, so I did promise them Chuck E Cheese for lunch one of the days. We are currently having Oregon weather, so whatever we do might have to be inside. It's tough with an (almost) 12 year old, a 10 yr old and a 3 year old. Actually one of those days, the 2 year old is turning 3!
ReplyDeleteMy parents are watching them for 2 days. They usually take them somewhere fun, like the Magic House.
As for vacation--no Hawaii or Mexico for us during spring break. The public school where my husband teaches is on spring break this week, the kids' school is on break next week. Not that we could afford a trip anyway!
We do both. Maya will go to an over night camp with her after school program Monday and Tuesday. I'll be working but Jesse will take them to do something at least a couple of days like roller skating and I'll do the library at least a couple of days. No times are set and it's all done with a very laid back approach. The kids have some fun and we don't have to stress about being somewhere at a certain time. There are sure to be neighborhood kids at our house at least a few days too. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what we're going to do. Normally we do a bit of winging and planning. I think Monkey might go to summer school for a few weeks, and then we'll figure out where to go. For sure, we'll be visiting the cabin and family in Washington!
ReplyDeleteI took some days off earlier in the month, so hubby is on spring break duty! I will plan some activities for them though. We have free passes to the Children's Museum, Ground Kontrol one day( an old school arcade downtown), on my Thursday off, we go visit grandma, and some birthday parties here and there. The main thing is not having the kidlets do a morning schedule of up, eat and dress. They can stay in their jammies as long as they want, til we go out!
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I am happy to have the week off from making lunches!