Staycation

A few weeks ago someone asked me if we were going anywhere the week after Christmas, one of the few blocks of time both Chad and Gavin have off of school. “No way,” I responded. We needed some downtime, and that’s what we’ve had for the past week.

There’s been lots of fun at home with the kids. Card games, building with Legos, reading the likes of Miracles on Maple Hill. Chad and I motivated ourselves to do some low-level house projects, removing an entire ice cap from our big freezer and filling a bazillion holes in the previously wallpapered bathroom walls.

There’s been lots of fun with friends. We kicked off the week with a fabulous British dinner at the home of some friends. The next day we shared leftover soup and bread with another family. The kids had a different playdate every day and even hosted a sleepover one night. New Years Eve we rang in the new year twice – the first time with a full group on London time, the second with just us die-hards at East Coast midnight. (“Mom, I really stayed up all the way till midnight!”) It was fun to hang out with friends and enjoy good food and conversation while the kids all played so well together.

Saturday night Chad and I even got out to see Ben and Nancy’s band the Rivergods play at Bean & Leaf. A date!

Through it all we’ve seen more snowplows, put on more layers, and prepared ourselves for another couple of months of snow. Nothing like the recent storm that left 15 inches, but enough to keep us grateful every day for a warm home.

Yesterday everyone was back at school. I savored some solitude and starting picking up around the house. On our way back to normal after a very nice staycation. Happy New Year!