Come play in my world for awhile!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Desperate housewife

More like desperate mommy.

My kids are on a year-round school calendar. They are in school for 9 weeks and out for 3. Except when the 3 weeks coincide with Winter Break. Then they're home for 5+ weeks. We are currently in the midst of this 5+ week hiatus from school. I look forward to these breaks, but they are always carefully orchestrated to achieve the optimum mix of laziness, friends, and excursions. With the kids being close in age this takes a heck of a lot more social engineering than one would think. Either that or the problem's with me, but this is the world according to me so clearly the problem can not be a result of anything related to my doing.

We've been busy with the holidays and guests up until today. The plan was that we would have a quiet weekend and then leave on Monday to tag along with my husband on his business trip to D.C. This was quite literally the perfect plan. We'd spend the week visiting the monuments and the museums and reveling in all that vibrant cities have to offer, and then return to a week or so of fun around the house before the kids return to school. Except the plan got cancelled. Or at least the business trip did.

And so now I sit. With 18 days of break spread before me like a blank canvas. Oh, crap.

There were camps and opportunities and invitations. I turned them all down. Now all the other kids are booked, and we're on our own. And did I mention that it's cold outside? Not frigid, but cold enough that I don't enjoy being outdoors (alright, I'm from California. It's cold, but I'm definitely part of the problem here).

I figure I have two days to get this resolved. Two days is my magic number. It's the amount of time my four kids will co-exist harmoniously and peacefully. After that I expect they'll be swinging from chandeliers. I seriously need a plan.

If the blog goes quiet the world according to me is in serious trouble. Please send a search party...


I'm the head piggy in charge -- on the middle chandelier

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh dear. I truly, truly feel for you. I had a hard enough time with the 2-week holiday break we had! (They are back, YAY!) Anyhow, I hope you figure something out. Maybe a small road trip? Indoor water park (do they have those around you...they are big hits here in the winter)? Lots and lots of crafts? Yikes, keep us updated!

Anonymous said...

Please post what you decide to do so that I can steal it and file it away for when my girls get to that age.

(And while I don't endorse stealing in general, I do feel it's okay when it's a defense mechanism and one asks nicely first.)

Anonymous said...

I feel for you too. My Tooters is out for 3 mnths in the summer and I am ready to pull my hair out by the end of the summer. All I can say is that is the one time I am glad that I have work to run away to during the day to keep me sane and give me other adults to talk to.

Court D said...

Oh now I get it. I stared at the design forever trying to find the pigs. Must. Drink. Coffee.

Anonymous said...

Oh man. It stinks that your plans got canceled. I don't know of anybody who can do long stretches of breaks with children without a plan. And if that plan goes awry? Oh boy.

Have you thought about checking out a YMCA (or rec center or other such place) for youth programs that have some last minute cancellations/openings?