Fall Break: A 10-Day Guide to Survival

Before we stroll down this majestic, tree-lined street of autumnal nostalgia I would like to first announce that I’m one of the moms that likes when my kids are on break. Some moms hate it. I appreciate that sentiment. Frankly, if I had some of the kids that are out there, I’d hate it too. But I love it. I look forward to it. I plan for it.

The secret to having a successful Fall Break (insert Christmas Break, Spring Break, Summer Break) is to ask your kids what they want to do. Ask this well in advance of the break. And make it a homework assignment (I don’t home school but my kids write a lot of extra essays under my direction).  I believe I posed the question something like this:

Please write a short paragraph and illustrate the top activities you would like to do during Fall Break.  Scanned answers posted here:

Mason

Cooper

As you can see, the expectations weren’t that high. All I had to do was break out a football at the park and take the kids swimming. (Let me also add that when my children request to go swimming beyond the two hours a week they both put in at swim practice I am always gobstopped.)

Then I break out the secret weapon. This comes with a little bit of planning, so I’m sharing my secret now so that you can be ready for next year. That’s right, next year. At the close of the Halloween shopping frenzy I go to Michael’s, JoAnn’s, and even Target and shop their clearance sales. In the beginning I only shopped costumes because my kids were big on the dress up scene. But when they outgrew that I started to just buy the crafts and activities. These are always pennies on the dollar at clearance time. This is a clandestine operation. Pack your purchases away with the plastic pumpkins and ghost garlands when you put away your decorations.

Once my kids are actually let out for school I break out the bin of decorations and start unveiling all the fun surprises that they will have for Fall Break. This year we had the following activities at our disposal:

New decorations for the porch

Jack-O-Lantern face stickers for everything from pumpkins to artwork

Wood bead skeleton and witch kit

Masquerade masks to be decorated with feathers and sequins

Miniature finger puppets

Foam haunted house (like a gingerbread house but foam)

Gingerbread haunted house and gingerbread haunted cemetery

Also in my decorations bin I store the Halloween books (children’s picture books), Halloween linens, the skeleton pillows (sewn on Fall Break last year), and Halloween cookie cutters. When these get unearthed the boys go bananas to be reunited with their toys and reread old favorites.

What ensues after Pandora’s box of Halloween decorations is opened is really fabulous. While it all goes quickly, it’s never boring, nor frustrating. I just pick up another activity out of the pile of fun and we move on. It’s messier than my lonely days when they are in school. But it is short-lived, a mere 10 days.

And there you have it, a clue. In the next few days I’ll be sharing with you some of our Fall Break adventures – just to get your creative juices flowing.

PS – May I also recommend you take in someone else’s pet gerbils for the week? Pet-sitting is a tremendous learning experiences for the littles and adds to the Fall Break commotion.

Hoppy Hoppy Joy Joy

How we hopped to it, a photo essay. And the crafts.

Daily Harvest

Run With It

May you find your patriotism, and run with it!

What The...

On my daily walk through my garden I spotted something amiss. The iris that had stood bright and tall the day before was looking a little droopy and I was sure the rabbits had attacked it. Upon closer inspection I found it was merely the new home for two visitors from outer space.

Look closely and you'll see that the astronaut in white has a woman's face. Sweet, adventerous couple.

Welcome to Earth. Enjoy your stay.

Bunny Vision

I have concluded that I am ready to take bunny abatement to the next level this year. I'm spitting mad over the havoc they have wreaked in the garden. The only thing that has kept me from doing something more permanent in the past has been these two little critters.

I feel really bad about crossing over to the bunny-killer side of the fence. I didn't want my kids to see dead bunnies. But the rabbit colony is producing so many little ones they get trapped in our window wells and die of starvation or heart attacks, or injuries from the fall every year.

Now, where is the local IFA?

1 Stick + 1 Rock = 1 happy happy happy BOY, III

Apparently there are families that are all organized and stuff. And they do cool things like take pictures of their children at regular intervals in front of the same landmark so as to see how much the child has changed and grown.

I am not organized.

I don't do cool stuff. Except sometimes by accident.

My in-laws have a clutch of perfectly gnarled scrub oak in their front yard. And my boys are drawn to that scrub oak like moths to flame. (I haven't actually ever seen a moth fly toward a flame, but whatev.)

Anyway, what I'm telling you is that I have pictures of my boys in relatively the same place at regularly spaced intervals and I've noticed they are growing and changing. Man, it works! Those organized people are onto something.

Scrub Oaks in review:

The first time (Cooper, 2 years and 7 months)
The second time (Mason, 2 years and 8 months)

The third time (6 going on 16)



Stay tuned!

Let The Good Times Roll

Hints of perfect weather are peeking through in our state. And we're so grateful.

It is time for playing in the street (please drive slow in my neighborhood), yelling over the fence for BBQ tips, and picking through the garden.

Chain Reaction

I was recently asked -- and the pressure was super high -- what my parenting style was. I was reluctant to confess which two sources I relied on the most -- nanny 9-1-1 and a strange article I read about the joys of lazy parenting.

But here's the answer: I watch the exits.

And so it was on a fine sunny morning when my parenting style was put to the test. Two young boys learning to ride bikes is quite a task, even when both parents are involved. One is shy and timid, the other chomping at the bit.

So we granted Cooper his wish, to go around the block. He was not to cross streets, just follow the sidewalk around the block. But, he had another idea. And pretty soon, we couldn't see him and we panicked.

I stayed with shy and timid and started watching the exits -- as it were. We live on a corner and so I was tasked with watching up and down the streets in three directions while my sweet but slightly nervous husband ran around the block.

Pretty soon, Mr. Coop came walking back, pushing his bike, and full of gloom. The chain on his bike had come undone, or whatever it is chains do. He hadn't made it around the block, and pushing the bike he had made much slower progress home.

But the question remains... would it have been better to follow him around the block? Know his every move? Or was watching the exits enough?

Green With Glee

Lots of exciting stuff going on around here. Needless to say, we're green with excitement for all the changes. If you want to stop by, you're always welcome.

The Return of the Sidewalk Chalk

Once the snow melts, I believe the next thing we unearth from the garage is the sidewalk chalk. My heart thaws when I witness the return of the sidewalk chalk. I regain hope for happy days, carefree play, and lazy moments in the shade. And my children have a flood of creativity, again.

It's a simple, archaic joy. The art of disposable expression -- here today and gone tomorrow. Well, actually because this state has very little rain, the works of genius last a week or so. And really, nothing replaces the powdery pleasure of chalk on your hands and cheeks and knees as you dream up extra big game boards, and pictures to walk into.

Frankly, few things are as pleasurable for a mother than when her boys are getting along and sharing the power of both of their brains as they play out their ideas in pastel colors on pavement. This pleasure ends abruptly when the sun sets and both boys march inside, strip down, and leave a trail of grit in their wake. Laundry knows no season.

Photobooth Friday, The Thaw

We're ready for spring!

Last Day Blues

School resumes in the morning. It's been a wonderful winter break full of sunny days, holiday shopping, sugar eating, and a little pop of snow at the end. But now the dreaded day of return.

I can feel that my heart rate has gone up, my mind is racing, and I have to keep reminding myself to take a deep breath. Surely I'll remember the backpacks, the lunchboxes, the coats, the mittens, the scarves and the hats. Maybe I'll even get folks where they are supposed to go. And with a little luck, they'll even be on time.

Tomorrow is a big day, a new day, a full day. I'm worried.

Leaf Me Long Time

Now it has become a ritual. The annual blowing of the leaves onto whatever willing participant we can find. But make no mistake, Mason didn't like it nearly as much.

Way too much noise. Way too many things touching him that he did not like. He was enthusiastic to wear the gloves and the ear protection. But would not wear the goggles and when he heard how loud the leaf blower was, he immediately wanted to retreat to the perch he had in past years.


Please enjoy the look of surprise on his face. I only wish the picture was a little better.

Smashing Tradition

When all is said and done, there a lot of family traditions that are just mom-doing-everything-for-everyone but we call it a family activity. Remember pumpkin carving? How many of you actually carried the pumpkins from the car to the kitchen (or designated safe to slime zone), cut open the pumpkin, pulled all the guts out, carved the faces, cleaned up the safe to slime zone, lined up the pumpkins on the porch/step/yard, and lit the candles in all the pumpkins?

I know I did.


Mason placed one fingertip to the cold, viscous, stringy pumpkin innards and declared himself a non-participant. Coop took one sniff of the inside of the pumpkin and would have no more.

But there is one tradition -- that falls on or around Nov. 1 -- that truly belongs to the kids. Smashing pumpkins day. The rules? 1. Pick up your pumpkin and throw it on the ground. Exhilarating. 2. Throw pumpkin parts in the trash.

This is a tradition I'm keeping around.

Sigh of Relief

You will all be happy to know that the Halloween 2010 Standoff ended amicably and with only a little bribery and concession.

Bring on November!



Read about the construction of these costumes and my pattern review here.