Reconnecting over Spring Break

By Cooper

Sometimes I feel like I am living life at the equivalent of "level 10" on the volume control of a stereo sound system.

That is to say, there's a lot of noise around here, both literally and figuratively.

My children have powerful lungs, which they exercise with abandon, usually when I am on the phone or, like right now, when I am trying to write a DotMoms post.

But mainly the "noise," for me, is the chaos of daily life.

It is mind numbing to think about the layers upon layers of emotional and physical needs, tasks, chores and commitments that come with raising a family.

In the five minutes I was trying to figure out what to write in this post:

• One child fell
• The baby filled his diaper
• The phone rang
• The doorbell rang
• A fight broke out over a small, stuffed tiger
• One child wanted a snack
• A homework problem needed to be explained
• A cup of milk spilled across the kitchen table
• The dog had to be let out and let back in again
• My son yelled from the bathroom, while standing in a puddle, "I have powerful pee!"
• The baby tried to unplug my computer
• One child got gum in his hair

Add in the other things that seem to always be hanging above us: my husband and I are trying to figure out where to put our daughters in school next year; a close relative is sick; jobs; money; sleep deprivation...

I think I need some time to slow down and turn it all off.

Good thing spring break is coming up.

This year, on purpose, we are not going anywhere, we are staying home. My husband is going to take the week off from work, and I want to take that time to "reconnect" with him and our kids.

But I need some ideas.

One mom told me her family spent a memorable vacation at home one year, hanging out, doing silly things around their house, like putt-putt golf through every room and theme dinners like "backwards" night.

Help! I know I am going to need lots of ideas to keep the week together at home fun and sane!

How do you use vacation time to reconnect with your families in interesting, fun ways?

Comments

[andrea]

Just last night the girls took a bath with their clothes on. I scrubbed at the stains on one of their t-shirts. Man, they loved it.

[Laxmi]

In the midst of making the week fun for your family, do remember to take some time for yourself, to recharge. And of course some alone time for you and your husband. Have fun!

[Square1]

P.S. Found you through Sleeping Mommy.

[Square1]

Running your kids everyday outside works wonders. All that fresh air fills them with energy while outside, and the amount of space gives them a chance to let it disperse.

Another suggestion... leave the tv and computers off. Break out some board games. Play charades or pictionary. Help the kids put on a skit. Just find things to do without too much distraction. Scavenger hunts are good too.

[kat]

gardening either inside or outside. trips to nearby cities and towns. long outdoor walks. building forts or setting up an indoor tent. movie days. lots of laziness and relaxation. enjoy it.

lol...powerful pee.

[Tami]

Be a tourist in your own hometown. Send for the chamber of commerce info like an out of towner would and find out if there are treasures you overlook or take for granted. Is there a family are class at a local univeristy or gallery? Does a cafe you've never go to have a kids' night? Do the little things you never take the time to do. Most of all, enjoy! The time will go too fast!

[andrea]

It's not just vacation days that should be remembered, but the regular days. My kids tend to remember the more offbeat things we do. Happily, these are usually things that can be arranged on the spur of the moment and often require the least amount of planning.

At least once a week, my daughters talk about how they got to walk around in the sprinkler with their umbrellas. This was one day... last summer! This teeny thing made a huge impact on them. That and the time we ate apple pie for breakfast, right out of the pie plate, while watching cartoons.

They also love impromptu tea parties (we make and deliver invitations to the Most Important Plush Animals) and making play doh. :)

Good luck! I'm currently on day one of our Spring "Break" !

[Charlene]

so i don't have any thoughts on the family vacation thing because our little guy is still going along with everything we do and our families are all local.

but i had to comment on the "powerful pee" scenario. what a riot -- my son has said some pretty hysterical things but i think if the phrase "i have powerful pee" came out of his mouth i'd be completely beside myself!

[Cori]

An idea I recently heard and will be trying out with my kids this spring break is to let each child plan a day. If they want to go to the park for sno-cones, we go. If they want ice cream sandwiches at 9am, eat up! It is only a day and I think it would make my kids' day! We all sat down and brainstormed some ideas and the kids took it and ran with it! Let us know how your week goes.

[Jennifer]

Have you spent a holiday at home with all of them?? He. I'm not trying to bring down your idea of staying home and reconnecting, I just realized over our last break from school, that I CANNOT spend an entire week at home alone with my kids. Husband tried to work. I tried to do everything. Didn't work. I ended up having panic attacks!

You may be different though and able to handle it better- you also may not have twins going through the terrible twos early.

at any rate- I would, if I were going to plan something like that, maybe get out and do stuff thats silly and not to 'organized' like fly a kite in a big open space for a whole day. Do picnics. Take day trips to local landmarks. Around here we have plantations and stuff like that is great for the kids- they love it. You could also spend a day getting plants/flowers/trees from the nursery to put in the yard. Kids love that too. Bake and decorate cookies. Easter egg hunt?

[maria]

I don't think I could really re-connect the way you're talking about at home - When I'm in my house it is very hard for me not to see everything that needs to be done. Laundry, dishes, meals, dirt, dirt, dirt (and I'm not a neat person;) I find it easier for me personally when I'm at my parents' or in-laws - since I don't have to do chores.

That said - you know your family best. I might pick something special to do w/one kid each day - so I can truly enjoy each one as an individual and remember what it's like not to juggle - maybe lunch and a movie, a trip to the zoo - for my oldest, it would be a baseball game.

Have fun - I laughed at your list - it sounded like my house.

[Emily]

Here's an idea ... what about choosing a day to make a family movie? Tell the kids that you want to spend a day making a movie together, one that will stay in the family forever, that you can look at in years to come. Everyone gets to choose one locale for shooting, and everyone can talk together about what should be a part of each shoot ... maybe doing a favorite family thing together, or having the kids act out a piece of family history (with costumes of course!), or predicting where everyone is going to be in five years. You could give everyone rotating jobs ... director, props, lighting (within reason!), and make it feel very official for everyone. And you could venture all over town for different scenes. But you have a deadline of one day ... and then you can have a movie night with popcorn.

Too involved? OK just do a scene and then do the popcorn!

[Gina]

I read somewhere of two older grandparents who successfully took care of young children for a few days. They had a secret: Take them outside and "run them" everyday.

Even if your vacation is at home, I think you'll find it works well to take them outside every day and "run them." It can be in your own yard (especially if you play with them out there or make it special in some way) or you can have an adventure hiking or riding bikes in your neighborhood. You can also picnic in the park with bikes, frisbees, etc.

The nice thing about running them outdoors is that they are not messing up your home while playing outdoors. (Of course they will mess it up when they return, but at least the total amount of cleanup is reduced.) They also work off some of their extra energy and usually get along better with each other too. They also have a great time and accumulate wonderful memories.