Time Outs...Not Just for Kids...

The kids are on spring break this week. You notice I said the kids are on spring break. It seems that, for the past several weeks, I had mistakenly thought that we all got spring break.

But then spring break started, and no one showed up to do my laundry.

Or the dishes either.

Rude.

So I guess I'm not really on break.

It's more like a time out.

But at least I don't have to rush to get everyone out of the house in the mornings. And for one week, I'm out of the school-activities-homework-work-bedtime daily rush. And maybe, since we're not on anyone's schedule but our own, and since it's almost Easter, I will have time to put the Christmas village away.

Truth.

Believe me, I thought long and hard before admitting that one. But then I thought, some poor mom is reading this as she thinking about how chaotic her life is, and how overwhelmed she is, and how she can never manage to keep up with everything.

And I've just made her feel immensely better.

It's funny the things you notice when you step out of rush mode. I mean, not only did I notice that the Christmas village, which I took down off the table several weeks  months ago, was not yet neatly stacked in the basement, but I've noticed a few other things, too.

I've noticed how incredibly cute O is, when I am drying him off after a bath, and he starts to cry as he says "Please Mom, don't take my belly button!"

And how equally cute he was when, as we swam together in the freezing cold indoor pool today, he said, "Please Mommy, I want to hug you. Because I am fffrrrrrreeezing". (And yes, nice lady who works at the desk, of course he is potty trained. I mean, he is almost three, after all. And no, of course he's not wearing a swim diaper. And yes, we will absolutely use the very small, one room family changing room that doesn't even have a bench to sit on so that my four year old won't make anyone uncomfortable in the ladies room. Even though there are five of us, including another seven year old girl who is not related to us. Sure we will. Oh look! I think someone just took their non-potty-trained swim-diaper-wearing two year old into the pool!"

I also noticed how sincerely B looks at me when I tuck him in at night as he says, "I love you mom. I will love you forever".

And I know that he means it. So I'm writing it down now so that I will always remember it. And so I can remind him one day, when his future wife tries to tell him that Thanksgiving should always be with her family.

I also noticed that, to a seven year old girl, a good friend and an ice cream sundae are really all you need.

Funny how some things never change.

Maybe time outs aren't so bad after all.