Goodbye Winter Break

Today is technically the last day of winter break (the last day I actually get off). I must say, it was a pretty great two weeks. I actually love when Christmas is at the start of the break, and most of our days off come after that big day. That way I avoid spending my time off doing last minute stuff for Christmas, and instead get to enjoy the down time after. It’s even better when we get two extra days off, because Christmas is SO close to the start of the break (like this year! Squee!) Those two days really did make this break feel long and luxurious.

But the best thing about this break? How little we had to do. Most days we just stayed at home, and while there were moments when I worried the kids’ bickering would drive me batty, most of the time we all enjoyed each other. The whole family has gotten cough after cough after cough since Thanksgiving, so it was nice to have some extended time to rest. And while my daughter did get sick again this past week, now she seems much better. I think we are all officially on the mend after over a month of respiratory maladies.

I think what made this break so great, was the balance between getting stuff done and doing nothing. And while I look around the house and wish more had been accomplished, I recognize how much I enjoyed all the nothing I did over the past two weeks. I think I struck a good balance.

The first week of break was all about now-me, the one who just wanted to indulge in the present moment: lie around and read and watch TV and play The Room. The first week of break, I let myself do all of that, without laying on the guilt trips, and it was awesome. The second week I decided that it wouldn’t be fair to f*ck over future-me by doing absolutely nothing of substance for the entire break, so I got off my ass and got some shit sorted. There was still plenty of time for fun stuff, and I think I was in a better mind set to do shit after having such a long break off.

Fun things I did:

– Read Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan (in Spanish). I’m a sucker for quality YA fiction, and this was really good!

– Finished The Room 2 and almost finished The Room 3 (they are so fun, seriously, try the first one out). I’m actually taking my time finishing the third one because 4 doesn’t come out until Jan. 25.

– Watched Mindhunter (a Netflix original series) with my husband. It was surprisingly awesome – I would definitely recommend it.

– Watched most of The Magicians season 2 while I was getting other work done.

– Slept in until my son woke up, which happened most days around 7:30! It was blissful to sleep so late.

– Stayed up until midnight, secure in the knowledge that I’d probably still get 7 hours of sleep. So amazing!

– Drank cocktails on weeknights. (Not every weeknight, but a few.)

– Played The Room a lot with my daughter. She is incredible at that game! (And it’s fun to go back and revisit the rooms I’ve already finished.)

– Spent a wonderful 24 kid-free hours with my husband celebrating our 12/9/4 anniversary (12 years together, 9 as domestic partners, 4 married).

Shit I got sorted:

– FINALLY sold this huge stroller that had been taking up space in my garage since the summer.

– Took down the tree and hauled it outside.

– Packed up all the Christmas stuff.

– Graded and inputted the work for my four 7/8 classes.

– Made my grandmother’s calendar! (This took at least 7 hours!)

– Made the summer photo book and sent copies to my aunts and uncles (this took another 4 hours!)

– Moved a bunch of toys and books to the garage, where they will live for a few months until I am sure my kids don’t remember them, at which point they will be given away.

– Packed up all my son’s 4T clothes and many of his toys.

– Actually dropped off those clothes and toys at my friend’s mom’s house. (This part is huge, as it can take MONTHS for me to make that final step!)

– Create a flier for PTA (in English and Spanish) and copied it.

– Planned the first week of school, and went there today to make copies of everything. I am set and ready for the first week!

– Went to the SFUSD enrollment office to get questions answered, and then visited two TK and aftercare programs.

– Filled out my son’s TK application, gathered the necessary documents, and then had my HUSBAND turn it in! He texted me three times while he waited, bitching about how inefficient the process is. Yeah. Tell me about it. (He also remembered to articulate that he never has to do that kind of stuff, and to thank me for always doing it for us – double win!)

– Filled out the paperwork, gathered the documents, made the copies and got us all to the Post Office on time for our appointments to order the kids’ passports.

– Deep-cleaned the trashcan in our kitchen. It was DISGUSTING.

– Deep-cleaned the shower.

So yeah, I actually did a shit ton! And yet, it felt like such a restful break. And while I did get pangs of envy reading other people’s posts about trips to amazing places, I’m ultimately grateful we didn’t go anywhere. Staying home for two weeks was exactly what I needed. I’m so, so thankful for this break.

And while I’m not 100% prepared to return to the grind this Monday, I know that I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Bring it on.