winter break blogging, chapter one

... in which we find the author so taken by the change of routine while on break from teaching that she decides to report on every mundane aspect of her first day home...

Winter Break. Two words that make teachers hearts flutter all across the land, with visions of consuming cups of hot chocolate in the quiet absence of the cacophony that children naturally create.

While that vision may be fine and dandy, it's not necessarily realistic for me, as I'm never really able to free myself of that cacophony, since the kids are home, too. But, there still was something nicer about my own offspring's chaos versus that of a preschool classroom this morning, and it could be partially due to the fact that I've spent the day in my pajamas. I've found that always helps.

Day one is halfway behind us, and here's the bullet-point version of my experience:

• Awakened by a stiff neck and sore back somewhere in the 6 o'clock hour. Still better than the alarm clock at 5:20. 
• Informed all three children that today's main agenda item was to transform our house from the state that it was in (i.e. eligible for CPS workers to deem it an unfit house for children) to a house fit for human residence once again.
• Cleaned living room while talking with my parents, fun multitasking at its best.
• Supervised as our new temporary, furry living room residents received a feeding and snacks throughout the morning. Frankie and Annette, Red's kindergarten class guinea pigs are with us for the break, and they'll eat us out of banana peels, carrots and hay soon enough.
• Sent a sulking and attitude-prone child off to clean the small bathroom, and perhaps the fumes knocked out his senses, as the attitude quickly dissipated.
• Sent younger ruffians to clean bedrooms. Subsequently laughed at their versions of "perfectly cleaned and put away" declarations.
• Worked with then not-sulking tween to organize items in his room, which led to the discovery of the "Let's Talk about Puberty" pamphlet I made him take from the doctor's office last summer. He started a conversation on the topic, saying that he read it. I asked if it made sense, and received the response, "Well, not really." This in turn led to a, I kid you not, 45 minute conversation as we worked. Oh, the joys... we hit several topics that would bring this blog up on Google searches I don't wish to be involved with if I identified them by name. I love that my son is seemingly getting more comfortable talking about stuff with me. As I tell him, I'm not embarrassed in the least... I'd rather be frank and up front about stuff now than be a grandparent in a few years.
• Continued the cleaning downstairs while the younger two ate, and the older one went off for a special lunch with his beloved babysitter from years ago. I wasn't sure if he was going to be nervous about it all, but he had a fun time visiting with her and several of the other children she has watched over the years. She is a kind and loving woman who cared for JAM every day from his infancy until he went to preschool at three years old. 
• Sent children off to nap time, and I did NOT have to sit with anyone for 30 minutes to get them to fall asleep. Joy of joys. 
• Reveled in the joy of listening to regular old weekday NPR programming. Caught the tail end of The Diane Rehm Show and a segment of The Kojo Nnamdi Show that was perfectly suited to my children's literature loving self. Felt so friggin happy.

And now, I prepare to do what hubby and I do best, finish our holiday shopping for the kids at the very last minute. If the babysitter comes as planned tonight, we will be heading out to round out the piles, and to earn some more cash back rewards on our credit card. Fun, fun.

Winter Break, it's official. I love you.


Shamelessly unshowered-and-still-pajama-clad,