February Vacation

Cape Cod Weather Today: Partly Cloudy and 30 degrees, but those clouds are still spitting flakes of the white stuff down onto my neighborhood... we got a few inches overnight, enough to blanket the trees and grass, but not enough to really build a snowman...

Is the phrase "February Vacation" an oxymoron or just a cruel joke?

At the very least, it's a misnomer for parents everywhere. Kids home, none of the regular activities, extra-special activities to organize... yeah, no vacation for the parents. But a well-needed break for the kids. Well, I guess my alarm isn't going off at 5:30 a.m. either, so a break for me too. In a way.

I did have things planned, but then the stomach flu which was ravaging the elementary school found its way into my home and devastated not only my Valentine's Day, but ruined my Girl Scout Skating Day and destroyed my Museum of Science Day with my sisters and kids. The flu stinks. Figuratively as well as literally.

The worst part about a vacation week at home is having the kids in your face all day long. The best part about a vacation week at home is spending time with your kids. Go figure. I really enjoy the time we have to walk on the beach together and talk, to catch up on not only what's going on in school but what's going on in their heads. I'm always surprised by how much is twirling around in their inner universes.

Yesterday I dragged my eldest to the mall with me to return a microwave oven (don't ask) but the car ride and the time spent sitting in the food court were really nice - even if we were eating awful mall food. He relaxed, smiled, told jokes... I really like my kids as people, which is amazing to me. Maybe it shouldn't be, but it always is.

At the end of the week we'll go on a trip to give them something to talk about when they get back to school and have to write the inevitable essay on "What I did over vacation." In the mean time, I think I'll just enjoy hanging out with them, playing games and talking about whatever pops into their little heads. Which is a lot more than you would ever imagine.