It's now January after Christmas vacation and as I return to the music studio, I am often asked the question: "How was your holiday break?" My answer is usually something similar to "Just fine," "Great, just great." or "Very nice. Thank you so much for asking." However, 17 days straight with five girls home from school made for some highlights.
I forget that having all the kids home for an extended period of time means that adjustments need to be made and boundaries have to be set. Some of which are not set into place until after something has happened. On Christmas, Santa surprised the younger girls with a new swing set, which dad worked hard during his vacation time putting together with many trips to Home Depot in between. When it was finally constructed, it stood in all it's marvel in the backyard as his young daughters gazed in wonder and awe and I was thrilled that I was finally able to mop the kitchen floor in peace with no one in the kitchen. However, there were a few things I was unprepared for. As the house was quiet and the floor and furniture draped with dirty socks and dishes, I thought if I looked out the window into the backyard, I would see somewhat of a paradise similar to that of the Brady Bunch. Instead, I saw 3 young girls who were so excited to swing and play in the sand that they neglected to put on their shoes, socks and jackets for the cool December air as well as not changing out of their pajamas all in view of the neighbors should they be on their back patios. We also weren't prepared for one final trip to Home Depot when we learned that high school kids also like to swing.
Since the months fly quickly after summer vacation, I also forget one other important thing: They all have to eat. Since I am usually not in the habit of making lunch for 5 kids while they are at school, I am very fortunate that I have two older daughters where at least one of them can help in this area. The one who does not help is the one on the couch with the bag of chips. I asked her if she had had lunch or if that was her lunch. I didn't exactly get a reply. In any event, lunch itself is not a problem. It's the time in between. Grocery shopping probably makes up for one of our biggest expenses next to our mortgage so I try to match coupons with sale items. I was fortunate enough to have a good week where I bought about $150 worth of groceries for about $60. My stock pile included 10 packages of juice boxes, 10 frozen dinners, 4 bags of fish sticks, 4 packages of Chex Mix, popcorn, and Ritz crackers and in addition, a very large gift basket given to me by one of my students. After one week, all we had left was fish sticks.
And for the grand finale, on the last Saturday before school would start again, all of us got into the car and went out to dinner to Texas Roadhouse. It was about as rowdy as expected. There were fights over crayons, crawls under the table from one side to the other back and forth and I almost spilled my water. However, there are certain memories that generate from times like these that stand out more than others. Baby number 4 has been known for jumping into swimming pools with her clothes on, silencing a school cafeteria over her stolen applesauce and exploring on her own at the Smithsonian Institute when she was 5. I didn't hear the news until after we had loaded the car that Laurel Anne and visited the men's room at the restaurant. No! Not Laurel Anne. She would never do a thing like that! But she did. The girls ate nothing.
So in addition to expressing how joyful my Christmas break was, I can also include that I was eaten out of house and home, drained of my bank funds and surrounded by dirty socks. Which really is the case year round just more pronounced during this time. But now that it's over, and having had a baby at age 42, we will not officially be empty nesters until the year 2029, I can't help but notice how strangely quiet it is here today.
No comments:
Post a Comment