SO HOW'S YOUR SPRING BREAK?

"So...how's your spring break going?"

This was a question I was asked last night.

I hesitated with my answer because I wasn't really sure what to say.

My first thought was to answer, "Boring."  But that's just really negative and makes the conversation awkward from that point on.

Instead I said something like, "Ahhhh...it's...goooood."

The person who asked me this question sort of looked at me like, "Well it doesn't SOUND good."

But then I said, "You know...it's times like these that I'm happy we have children who are content to be home-bodies.  Although, if we all had our choice, we'd be in San Diego."

Unfortunately, trips to San Diego just aren't in the budget for spring break let alone all the other times we desire to go there.  "Some day," seems to be the answer to this topic of conversation.

But back to being at home.

I started thinking about this a little more last night.

Of the four of us in our family, I'm the one who wants to be "going" and "doing" stuff.  Don't get me wrong...I love home...but I like to escape it once in a while.  When I am home I tend to see things that constantly need to get accomplished:  laundry, dishes, cleaning, laundry, picking up dog poop, vacuuming, laundry, feeding people, more dishes, and yes...more laundry.  Venturing out for entertainment is something I thoroughly enjoy and desire to do on a regular basis.  I would be considered the "adventurous" one in the family saying things like, "Hey!  Wanna go do this....?" or "Wouldn't THIS....be fun to do today?"  I desire to venture out from the place I spend the majority of my day doing the majority of my work.  When the weekend comes I can guarantee you Scott won't say, "You know what I would LOVE to do this weekend?  Go hang out as a family in my cubicle where I spend the majority of my time during the week!  Wouldn't THAT be fun?"  Or you certainly won't hear my kids say, "Can we go back to school after dinner and just hang out there and then do the same this weekend?"  No...these are the places they want to escape from...not go back to during their down-time.  It's a little the same for me.

Their response to my question of "doing stuff" is usually met with something like, "Eh..." or "Um...not really.  Sorry, mom!"

But I get it.  Really...I do.

For my family, home is where they long to be after a long day at work or school.  It's where they desire to just hang out when they have a break.  Unlike me, they spend significantly less time at home and when they have the opportunity to be here, this is where they want to stay.  They are content here.  They don't care about the to-do list stated above.  "Home Sweet Home" is their place of refuge from the rest of life.  It's their place to relax and unwind and simply "be."

So back to the question, "How's your spring break going?"

I guess my answer is that those in our home who are ON spring break are enjoying it.  For Scott and me, it's just a regular week with children being at home.  It's fine...but certainly nothing exciting.  And I guess that's okay.  How horrible would it be to have children who expected grandness every time they have a break from school?  I am beyond thankful that this is not the case for us.

I do secretly hope, however, that before Parker graduates from high school...and then again before Faith graduates...we can spend the week of spring break some place a little more "spring-breakish."

But for now...we're gonna wrap up the week by spending some time outside today (because it was a whopping 40 degrees yesterday and today is looking pretty good so far, too!), meeting Parker's youth director, along with another youth and her family, for dinner tonight and then maybe tomorrow we'll go bowling.  But we're not doing anything before we pick up dog poop from the back yard.

:)

Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day!


peace.
jeanine