Working for a school district means the offices are quiet when school is out of session. Which means I can take vacation days around the holidays and not worry about my desk piling up or having someone to cover my phone. I took full advantage of that opportunity to stay home with the kids for two weeks.
A large portion of the first week off was spent doing holiday things with family, cleaning up after holiday things with family, and forgetting what day it was. The second week was spent with a friend a few hours north of us. All of it – with the exception of two days – was spent together. I owe this treasured time with the kids to my ex who kindly gave up his days so I could soak in the time with my little ones.
It helps he also had a trip to Vegas on the books.
We napped almost every day. We did art projects and sewed. We baked and watched TV in our pajamas all day. We went for walks, worked in the garden, and collected eggs from the chickens by daylight rather than flashlight. We ordered out for pizza and made homemade rolls. We sang Silver Bells as we walked through Target on the weekend following Christmas. Most importantly, we enjoyed every single second.
At least the seconds when they weren’t in time out for throwing glass ornaments at each other in a dramatic game of zombie chasers.
I still dream of someday being able to work from home and support the kids and I while still being able to pay our bills and splurge on Starbucks. Until then, I’m grateful for the paid vacation days – I used all of mine this go around.
How did you spend your Christmas Break?
