Slivers of spring break (or: Moms need a spring break, too)

This week I have really needed to get some things done.  But the whiny eternal student in me complained "but it's my spring breaaaaaaak!"  So I caved a little and let the squeaky wheel get a little grease in the form of some tiny slivers of spring breakness.

On Monday I went back to bed after the kids left for school.  I figured that I needed it, with the time change and all.  And plus?  It's my spring break!  Afterwards, I got all responsible and checked items off my list. 

spring break sliver: 1 hour

Another day,  after a semi-productive morning on the computer, I watched Under the Greenwood Tree on dvd in the early afternoon before the kids came home. {Loved it.}  Plus.  I met Ellen for pizza--a twofer day!

spring break sliver: 1.5 hours + 3 hours

Yesterday I read for fun in the middle of the day, a wonderfully lovely Rosamund Pilcher novel.  In the bathtub.  I always think of my mom when I read in the bathtub, since most of her novels are water stained at the bottom few centimeters from their trips to the bath.  Any small way I can be a teeny bit more like my mom is a good thing.  I embraced it.

spring break sliver: 30 minutes

You get the idea.  Somehow I found ways to be a little indulgent because the calendar said it was my spring break.  Those six little hours (thus far) have made a huge difference in my outlook!  Maybe I should declare every week spring break from here on out.

* * * 

Which got me thinking.

The educational system figured out long ago that there was great value in taking a week off, midway through the semester, to clear the brain and recharge the dedication + motivation for learning.

I think the same reasoning (but more so) applies to moms, stay-at-home or not, with kids of any age.  What job is more demanding, 24/7? So why not take a break to clear your brain and recharge your dedication + motivation?

For most women I know, the biggest barrier to taking a break is simply giving yourself permission to do it.  So here I am, begging you & giving you permission----->

Take a spring break!!!

I'm not talking about ditching the family and going off to Acapulco to star in a Momz Gone Wild video.  I'm talking small slivers where you give yourself permission to treat yourself.  Pick a week (NOT your kids' spring break, when you are engineering their week of fun) and do it. Write it on your calendar.  

Plan some fun. 

Please.  

Small slivers of spring breakness. 

(Or big ones.)

Plus

If you leave your address here in the comments (or email it to me) telling me when you are taking your mom spring break, I will send you your choice: a spring break postcard from my little corner of the world or a spring break permission note to prove to your family that you are indeed on spring break.

picture via flickr

Clap your hands if you believe in parents...

A professor in one of my developmental psych classes once commented that one of the things that separates us from other species is our ability to tell stories, to learn vicariously from each other without going through the exact experience ourselves. Huh. I'd never thought of it that way before.

But it makes sense. When I was a girl, I loved hovering near the grown-ups at gatherings at the cabin, soaking up their stories about life and, especially, families.

I've been thinking a lot about that lately.

I'm especially intrigued by parenting stories--in hearing the different ways we make it work in all of our vivid uniquenesses and uniting similarities. I love reading about how others approach their relationships with their kids & the lessons learned in raising them. I started asking other parents how they did it, collecting their answers and using them to recharge when my child-raising battery was low. In that spirit, I've hatched an idea.

Here it is:

A new site {inspired by both This I Believe and the poet Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet} centered around parenting beliefs, where parents can post a letter/essay about a lesson learned or belief or philosophy they've gained about parenting: just a brief sliver of perspective to share with others who are also traveling-trudging-skipping-strolling on the parenting path. These will be published online weekly or so, depending on when letters come in.

So {ta-da!} here's the link:

<<Letters to a Parent>>

The first letter is the one that got this whole idea cooking: actually, it's a transcript of a talk given by my great-grandmother Brockbank about parenting. I think you'll love it.

***

p.s. If you'd like to write a letter/essay for this project (please do!), e-mail me at basic.annie@gmail.com. It doesn't have to be anything long or grand, just a real and honest piece of your wisdom (can be inspiring, funny, irreverent, moving...whatever you feel) that you're interested in sharing. In addition, if you know anyone that you would like to nominate to write a letter about their approach to parenting that would be wonderful, too. Feedback, ideas, and suggestions highly welcome. And, pssst. Spread the word.

Back for the fifth year in a row...

Valentine Airplanes!
All three of my kids have done these easy valentines for their classes over the years. And they keep showing up on their must-do lists for Valentines celebrations...I try to introduce other things but my three will hear none of it. All you need for each plane is a roll of smarties, a stick of gum, two lifesavers, and a rubber band. Easy breezy.

I prefer not to be carved, thank you

No knives and gut scooping for me. Leave the mess to the others...the orange stringy mess that clings to your elbows (and forehead, when you sweep the hair out of your face). I enjoyed the smell of the others' carving but this was it for me this year.