Taking a (Spring) Break
I hope you've made plans for Spring Break, and I don't mean a Florida vacation on the beach with hordes of unruly college students. After all, we're a little too mature for that, I hope.
No, what I'm talking about is a vacation for you---from your chores, your responsibilities, your routine. We homeschooling moms wear so many different hats. If we don't take the occasional week off, we'll burn out.
Believe it or not, you can take your break at home. Stop laughing and I'll tell you how in a minute. :)
First, though, I'll acknowledge that taking a vacation at home is not the ideal situation. When my kids were younger, I used to say I needed to be sent to Mom Camp. That was my wishful thinking vacation spot--- where weary moms can spend a few days sleeping, reading novels, eating chocolate, and (when they can summon the energy) sew or make crafts. No cooking, no cleaning...just bliss, because all the chores would be done for us at Mom Camp.
While I never found Mom Camp (we probably couldn't have afforded it anyway!), I did find that a short vacation at home was just what I needed to rest and regroup. The kids enjoyed the break from our routine as much as I did.
Giving yourself the week off requires you to put things into perspective. The world will not end if you stop cooking and cleaning. Modern civilization as we know it will not screech to a halt because you're taking a breather. Give yourself permission to do this. To ignore your exhaustion is to ask for trouble. Besides, taking a little time off feels so good that once you've done it, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner. So why not try it, just for a week?
Here's the plan: get the kids occupied, decide what you want to do with your week, and then give yourself permission to do it. The older your kids are, the easier this will be, but if my email is any indication, the hardest part for us as moms is making ourselves jump off the merry-go-round and take a break from our hectic routines.
Once you've made the decision to do this, what do you do with your children? If they have doting grandparents or other close relatives who would love to take them for a week, that's your ticket. What are you waiting for? You need to do this.
For the rest of us who don't have that option, taking time off is a little trickier, but it can be done. The two main questions we must answer are, 1) how will we keep the kids busy so we can relax, and 2) how will we feed them without having to cook?
First, after doing a major grocery shopping trip (more on that shortly), declare a moratorium on driving for the week you're taking off. Cancel or reschedule everything on the calendar. No classes, no sports, no running around. You're in charge, and you're on hiatus from chauffeur duty. The kids will survive without extracurriculars for one week. Who knows? You all may decide life is a lot easier when you don't live out of your van.
Next, summon your creativity. Keeping the kids busy involves novelty. Bring several new items into the house to keep them busy. Pick up some new toys at garage sales. Hang a swing from a tree branch. Make a playhouse (indoor or outdoor) by draping a blanket over a card table or other furniture. Rent some good (and new to your kids) DVDs for them to watch. (Personally, I think it's worth investing in a few things they've been dying to see.) If you live in a warm climate, get a kiddie pool and a sandbox if you don't already have them; buy a new pool or sand toys if you do.
Most importantly, free them from their usual schedules. Make this week different for everyone. Let them stay in their pj's all day, as long as they're occupied doing something.
As for the cooking, don't. If you have older kids who want to cook, let them, of course. Otherwise, stock up on yogurt, fresh fruit, and crackers and cheese....easy, simple eats. If you really want to let loose, pick up some of those ridiculously overpriced, microwaveable kids' meals---that's high excitement for the child who's used to home cooking. Pizza rolls, pasta in a can, refrigerated lunch kits....stock up on anything that you don't have to cook. These items probably aren't very nutritious, but it's only for a short time.
While you're at it, make sure you have juice boxes on hand. Little bottles of milk are fun, too. Once again, novelty is important. Whatever you don't normally buy is what you should put on your grocery list. It will cost more than usual, but you'd spend far more if you were actually going on vacation.
While you're at it, let the kids eat on a blanket in the yard, under a tree or in their bedrooms. Let them eat in their treehouse or playhouse, if they have one, or wherever they think it would be fun to eat. Let this week be fun for them as well as for you.
Now that the kids are occupied, what will you do with your time off? That's up to you, but here's what you won't do:
- Cooking
- Cleaning
- Opening the mail
- Paying the bills
- Washing dishes (paper plates and cups are the rule this week!)
- Yard work
Resist the temptation. You're trying to get away from your routine, remember? Put those tasks out of your mind. Instead, try remembering who you used to be (before kids) and what you liked to do back then.
Did you have a favorite author? If so, plop yourself down with a novel, and decide that despite any interruptions (and we know there will be some, but we hope they'll be few and far between), you're going to keep at that novel until you're finished with it. What will the children think when they see you parked on the sofa with your feet propped up, engrossed in a book? They'll think reading must be fun, because that's all Mommy's been doing lately!
Were you an artist or a crafter? Dig out a few of your supplies and play around with them. No pressure, of course...just go back to the days when the things you made weren't eaten, worn or used up within a short time, but actually lasted so you could enjoy them.
There are tons of old television shows on DVD these days. Rent or buy one of your favorites and watch a whole season over the course of a week. You'll feel like a kid again.
Spend some time leisurely flipping through magazines, take up crocheting or write in a journal. Are you getting the picture yet? The most important thing is to spend some time doing something you like to do. It's ok, because you've given yourself permission.
Once you let yourself relax (and you squelch that little voice in your head that says, "But the mail's piling up! And look at the dust on the table!"), you'll start feeling like a new person. You'll be able to tackle those unfinished chores next week, because you'll have more energy. In the meantime, though, you'll be getting a much-needed rest before May, when homeschooling families tend to kick into high gear because of all the end-of-the-year programs in our kids' extra-curricular activities, plus graduations, parties, etc. You'll need all the energy you can muster then!
Copyright 2009
Barbara Frank/Cardamom Publishers