vacations can kill you

One of my biggest challenges is school vacations during the winter months when it gets dark by 5pm and is, of course, cold and rainy.  Last week my son's school was out for the entire week of Thanksgiving and to add to the fun, my husband worked a string of 12 hour shifts.  This is a recipe for disaster in my house.  The days start with an array of assaults to my bodily space such as bum slapping, arm slugging, cornering me in the kitchen with breath stopping bear hugs, and loud operatic outbursts.  His sister takes her share too.  He chases her around the house while growling like a monster, takes her favorite toy of the moment and runs around with it while she chases after him crying, and yells crazy things to her like "you're a farkensteinlando".  This is what my morning looks like, unless the TV is on.  I have a love/hate relationship with that TV.  It's a relief tool and a curse.  I try not to beat myself up too much for resorting to it as it saves me from jumping out of the window some days.  (It's only 10 feet down, so don't worry too much.)

I have to get creative to get us out of our small house and not spend loads of money.  While it was my idea to vacuum and wash the car, it was not my intention to lather it up and give it a "full body scrub".  That was my little surprise when I looked up from vacuuming about 2 pounds of cracker crumbs out of the back seat.  Well, I will say that my hood was cleaner than after taking it to the drive through car wash!  We filled the rest of the week with indoor rock climbing, bowling, having the fun neighbors and their kids over for dinner, poking around Goodwill, checking out the reptiles at the pet store, going to Swanson's Nursery to see the Christmas display with real reindeer and a camel, and doing a Christmas present idea gathering trip to our favorite toy store.  I should have thought of the zoo and the aquarium.  Oh well, Christmas vacation is only 3 weeks away!