midwinter recess

This week Garrett is out of school for the midwinter recess. Knowing that having him home all day, thus upsetting the routine we've established this year, could potentially make me crazy, I've spent the last several weeks brainstorming ideas of a variety of things we could do to keep me from wanting to jump out of any one of our third story windows. Day Two is drawing to a close, and I'm still in one piece, so something must be working. But I'll tell you what -- I'm wearing myself out in the process!

Yesterday we started the week off with a bang by fulfilling in one fell swoop several of Garrett's greatest wishes: we rode the "orange boats" (i.e. the Staten Island Ferry) and visited a children's museum. It was our first time to the Staten Island Children's Museum, and now I know why residents of Staten Island are always so surprised when people venture across the water from other boroughs into their territory -- it is no small undertaking to get there! Our one-way travels included passage by train, boat, bus, and foot; going home we did it all again in reverse. Our friends, Ashley and London, joined us, which made slogging through snow and endless, bitterly cold waits at bus stops much more companionable.

The time and energy it took to get there have a tendency to out-weigh the time spent at the museum in my mind, but it really was nice place for the kids to run around and explore. The life-size chess game was a particular favorite. Another highlight was the snowball throwing that took place during our wait for the bus that would take us back to the ferry terminal.

Back at home, Garrett remarked to me several times, "Mom, I had fun day at the chillen mee-um. And the boat. And the bus. And the train. And London." Mission accomplished.



Day Two was much more low-key in comparison. The day was spent getting things done around the house in order to clear up the rest of the week for more adventures. While I wore myself out doing laundry and baking bread, the boys managed to wear themselves out by pulling out and playing with every toy they own and running in circles around the living room/kitchen loop in our apartment. Caleb, who is painfully pushing through four teeth right now and is consequently whiny and needy, further wore himself (and his mother) out by refusing to take a nap. Both boys practically put themselves to bed at 7:00, nearly an hour and a half earlier than their regular bedtime. (Woohoo!)

Plans for Day Three are still in the works. Will we a) go to Trader Joe's; b) bake and decorate sugar cookies; c) teach Garrett how to spit so that he can finally use regular toothpaste? I'm too tired to decide right now, so stay tuned.