By Stacey Gliniewicz

I love my children, all five of them, I really do. We just wrapped up day two of spring break and I find myself wishing I were laying on a beach somewhere in the warm sun and sand, with some sort of tropical fruit smoothie adorned with an umbrella. Fortunately, we have managed together, as a team, to keep the house picked up and minimize kitchen grazing.  I’m quite amazed.  Although I have a list of to do’s a mile long that never stops growing, I think I have managed to get much accomplished in the past two days despite the fact that this mom was down for the count for nearly three days. Ah well, I count it all as joy despite falling behind and enjoyed this afternoon with my three kiddos, as well as the past few days.  We all know the feeling of schedules falling apart when we leave the routine of our daily lives.  It ends up in insanity. 

To survive the insanity, I have to look at spring break and other non-school days quite differently as a stay at home who also works from home. I do not have to spend time catching up on projects at home necessarily, as they get worked on when the children are at school.  I have taken the time to slow down a bit and take in all of it.  Raising a blended family like mine, although not without its’ idiosyncrasies, is a blessing.

In the last few days we have:

• Played outside in the dirt, rode bikes, kicked around the soccer ball
• Fixed each other breakfast
• Gotten haircuts
• Jacked up the music in the car, danced in our seats, and sang at the top of our lungs
• Enjoyed some great food out
• Watched my two older boys play endless rounds of Legos Star Wars on Wii - and get along

My most favorite:

• Listened to my four year old as he exclaimed in excitement to his six year old sister, “Did you hear Mommy?! She said ‘shizzle’, like in the movie!” As if I’m far removed from being hip.  It still makes me smile.

Over the next few days, we will peruse some of the free activities, spring break deals, and educational organizations around the area to insert fun into our days. But even when Spring Break is over, here are some ideas that will hopefully spark some creativity and fun during non-school days:

• Visit the library once or twice to attend free programming and check out books. 
• Check your local website, like www.simplycyfair.com, for various schedules of events for families and kids.  Many child-oriented organizations around town will be offering spring break deals and free programming. You’ll have to do a little searching and make some phone calls, but it will be well worth it to get the children out of the house!
• Set up a play date or two with some of your kids’ best friends from school or the neighborhood.
• Attend the local children’s museum or zoo.  If you visit the local zoo often, I suggest purchasing a membership pass.  As a parent of multiple children, membership passes have saved me significant money in the long run, and I never feel guilty for leaving after only having seen half the zoo. Just make sure to pack your lunch to save a few bucks on food!
• Visit the neighborhood park with a soccer ball, or other sporting equipment, for a good family game.  The children will sleep so much better at night!
• Get tickets to see Opening Day.  Baseball is upon us! I cannot think of a better way to welcome spring!
• Give each of your children a disposable or inexpensive digital camera.  Allow them to take pictures throughout the day, have the pictures printed, and then have each child put an album together to tell their vacation story.

There are many more activities and places to visit than we could ever begin to fit into a week or two of vacation. Include your kids, get creative, and most importantly, stick to your budget!

Do you have other ideas? Please share!