I look forward to Spring Break every year. Why wouldn’t I? Spring is here! Spring symbolizes wonderful things, such as new beginnings, a fresh start, and warmer weather. I feel a thawing in my bones. I have spring break goals. I’m ready to purge the house, tackle new projects, and sharpen my brain.
Thus, what better way to kick off Spring than to enjoy a full week with your kids home from school and a to-do list ready to be tackled?
(insert laughter)
Nonetheless, these were my Spring Break Goals last year:
- Deep clean one room per day.
- Teach the boys how to clean their bathroom.
- Learn how to start a raised bed garden.
- Take the boys on a spontaneous day trip with no plan.
- Re-pot our indoor plants.
- No electronics (except reading on my Kindle).
- Use up all the bananas in my freezer to bake banana bread for friends and family.
- Throw out all my old makeup, clean my makeup brushes, and organize all my beauty stuff.
- Hang all the pictures that have been on the floor for a year.
- Meditate for ten minutes a day.
- Clean out and take all the old clothes and toys to the donation center.
- Read two novels on my wish list.
- Let the boys choose one activity per day and do it together.
- Journal every night before bed.
- Research how to not kill indoor plants.
Besides this list, I had hopes of deep conditioning my hair with coconut oil while wearing a mud mask as my children sat quietly and drew flattering pictures of me.
What actually happened on Spring Break last year:
- Day 2, I lost my temper with my kids and practically threw their Kindles at them to get a moment of peace.
- I cleaned out one closet and consequently drove around with the bag of clothes for a month.
- The boys and I went to Sedona for our “day trip without a plan” without checking the weather. Therefore, it was cold and windy. We also went to an outdoor restaurant, where bees attacked us.
- After debating how long they’d been there, I threw the bananas away. (Don’t worry, there’s an enormous bag of new ones in my freezer now).
- The journal remained untouched.
- A plant died.
- I bought some new makeup.
- Not surprisingly, the unhanged pictures are still on the floor of our loft.
On the bright side, we went down to a resort in Phoenix and enjoyed three days of fun in the sun. The boys swam like fish, ran like the wind, and played miniature golf like…famous golfers. (?) My husband and I could even unwind over a beer and actually have some adult conversation. We relaxed and soaked up the family time. I finally felt a sense of peace.
Obviously, my Spring Break goals were too lofty and numerous to be realistic. It may feel good to check items off a list and finally scrub your baseboards, but family time is where it’s at.
As a result, I’m not setting any Spring Break goals this year. But we are going back to that resort.
Looking for more things to do this Spring Break? Check out our events calendar here to find local family-friendly events and find toddler friendly splash pads in the area through our latest resource here!