March Break (down)

Spring has sprung!
Well, not really.

Here we are celebrating the first day of spring and we find ourselves buried in 20 extra centimetres of snow.  Thanks mother-nature.  We needed this snowfall like a fish needs a bicycle, right?

We are recovering nicely from our March Break.  When I was a kid, my mom affectionately referred to this week off as "March Break-Down".  Now, as a mother of three kids, I understand why she called it this.  Being off the school routine for an entire week is disruptive to say the least.  I thrive on routine.  I like scheduled wake-ups, drop-offs and pick-ups.   A week off is a challenge for me, especially so with a house full of kids!  Luckily, I had lots of help making this week off memorable for the kids.

We started the week with a visit from friends.  The weather was mild enough that the kids played outside almost all afternoon.  What a treat "mild" weather is around here!  We resurrected the side-walk chalk, buckets, shovels, skipping ropes and ride-on toys.   A short game of road hockey was played.  After the kids went to bed the grown-ups got to share some food, drinks and play some Just Dance on the Wii.  Our circumstances have taught us how to make our own fun here at home (after 8pm).  It's hard to get out for a "night on the town" with 3 kids.  So, we let the friends come to us once in a while.

Syd plays road hockey in a skirt- of course!

Early in the week the girls spent a night in Cornwall with my in-laws. That was a nice break for me.  For 24 hours I was the parent to ONE child.  Jack stayed behind with me.  We shopped at Ikea, played cars and had some peace from the girlie squabbles that usually keep us on our toes.  The house was so quiet.   I think that's what really surprises me when the kids are gone.  The quiet in my house is unsettling.  It is a treat though, and I made the most of it of course by doing lots of laundry and vacuuming!  I did sneak a show in on the PVR and a trip to the gym at DINNER TIME!!!   Jack and I joined the girls in Cornwall and we were able to squeeze in some time with both sides of the family.  Between trips to McDonalds, a matinee showing of "Wreck it Ralph" and other small adventures, these kids had a blast!


On the weekend we surprised the kids with a trip to the airport (no tickets though, it was not that kind of surprise) to watch the planes land and take off.  My parents used to take my brothers and I when we were kids and I remembered that being great fun.  The cost of parking for an hour or so at the airport is far more economical than round trip airfare to Disney.  Good thing my kids are a bit too young to realize that you are supposed to be getting on a plane to GO SOMEWHERE when you visit the airport!!!  (As an aside here, it was very hard for me to fight the urge to just buy a ticket to anywhere and take off too.  I miss travelling!!).

Father and daughter spending the day in the Gats!

As a special March Break treat (just for me), I was able to schedule a day on the slopes with my dad.  I have not been on my skis in almost 7 years.  Having 3 children has forced me to give up some of my pre-motherhood hobbies.  Thankfully, James was generous enough to give me a "day off" from my job here and my dad was more than willing to take me out!  Guess what??  Muscle memory is a wonderful thing.  Even after all these years off, my brain/body still remembered how to ski!  I may have lacked a bit of the "style and finesse" of my youth, but this old gal was able to pick up almost right where she left off!  It was nice to spend the day as someone's daughter and not be someone's mother for a change.   It was just the break I needed.

Apres-ski.  This is a critical part of the ski day experience!

So there you have it- the March Break run-down!  Not very exciting, but good memories were made (mostly on the cheap) and that's all that counts.  It won't be long before the kids start asking for more exotic destinations.  For now,  this is all it takes to make happy memories for our kids!