the tiring kind of vacation

Okay, so who said it was a vacation for me? It's winter break around here, all the schools closed, Mitch not even close to on a break--in Chicago a few days ago including valentines day, and it's the pits spending Valentines without your honey, it turns out. And me: I'm doing a sort of double time, mornings and bedtimes and times in between on my own since Mitch is either out of town or crazy busy.

Funny thing: I'm liking it. I have both kids with me all the time and we've managed to entertain ourselves well. Saturday we went to the mall and rode the carousel and ate ice-cream (chocolate with gummy bears--blech); Sunday we did an art project that involved bubble wrap and lace doilies and glitter glue; Monday we went to Petco since the cat was completely without food and crying pitifully at me, and looked at the snakes and turtles and fish and birds and mice and hamsters and chinchillas. We also ran around shrieking quietly, since I insist on quiet shrieks unless we're at home where there are no strangers and I can put in earplugs. We had other big plans after Petco but instead took Clark back to the doctor (an adventure in itself!) since he was complaining his ear and stomach (still!) hurt. I was afraid the ear infection had muscled its way past the most recent antibiotics but it turns out there was not the first thing wrong with him. Yay! Not sick, and the doctor's visit not an entire waste of time because of the aquarium in the lobby and of course the stickers.

And there have been more outings, plus some very impressive snow-girl building. I've been surprised how much fun we're all having. It seems Frances and I are arguing less, and perhaps that's just this moment in time, the stage that is this very week, but it could also be due to fewer transitions... she's not having to constantly transition from school back to me. Who knows.

The result of all this parenting success is that I very briefly wondered if I should keep them both home with me next year; Mitch assured me I was just confused. In any case I AM tired. And though I love the snow and have been advocating for more of the stuff (now descending in sheets), the wind that comes with it is brutal and this weather is (okay, I will admit) painful. Perhaps in the morning the snow will let up and the sun will come out, and we can go play in it. That's my hope.