Winter Break is over

Thursday night's moonrise and the sunset highlights the trees

Winter Break is over. I suppose that is a good thing. I need to get back to work and have a bit more structure in the day, but I have certainly enjoyed the time to rest, relax, and restore. I have enjoyed cooking, reading, and spending time with family. I have my regrets – I didn’t accomplish as much grading as I wanted, I didn’t clean up my desk and organize my personal office like I planned and sadly, I have been restoring my waist line and not vice-versa.

We returned home from Michigan in two separate journeys. Beth and William drove home Sunday and Olivia and I returned Tuesday. I selfishly wanted to stay (and did) for the snow and I certainly enjoyed it. Olivia did, too. Since returning Tuesday, the days have counted and I have enjoyed them. We ate our traditional pork, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes on Tuesday and again, Wednesday. It is so good and so winter. Friday we went to see a movie as a family which is usually difficult because there are so few movies which are suitable for a nine year old, a thirteen year old (soon to be fourteen) that are interesting (and not insulting) enough for Beth and I. Beth wanted to see We Bought a Zoo and we did. It was a wonderful movie and both Beth and I cried. Yes, I cried. I think the kids enjoyed the movie, too. If you haven’t seen it – watch the trailer below.
Afterwards we went to Cozymel’s and closed it down eating chips and salsa, queso flameado – a melted cheese concoction with tortillas and we were waited on by someone who worked there when I did. It was a nice night and the kids were asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows. Saturday was a good day, too. We got a few things accomplished – William’s stitches came out, Beth grocery shopped and we had hamburgers, baked beans, and French fries for dinner – certainly more of a summer meal more than winter, but it was a beautiful sunny day albeit cold. The burgers were delicious and it was a good ending to a wonderful day.

Now it is early Sunday morning and regret – no panic – has set in. I have a few tasks that need to be done, really need to be done, and I’m writing. I awoke at 4 AM to find Ivy lying at my feet, if only Beth knew. I whisked her out of the room and downstairs to make coffee and start the day. For Christmas, the family got Ivy and Invisible Fence and she has learned her boundaries. She went outside and I stepped out to make sure she was safe. It was a beautiful moonlit night and the moon was sliding across the sky and heading for the horizon. It cast a wonderful moon glow across the entire backyard making shadows on the ground from the tree limbs above the backyard deck. It was quiet and serene the suburbs had yet to come to life and Ivy did her business and came in – right away. Now, I am busy doing mine – work. I looked ahead to the school week coming at me, checked my work e-mail, responded to a parent and sent an e-mail to my co-teacher, Lori, and I am working on what is important to me – writing.

In my e-mail to the parent, I reminded her –

….. I’ll keep an eye on him this week and be in touch. He will get through this, they all do.

I hope he did some reading and got some downtime. I was able to completely read three books and I especially enjoyed reading Woods Runner, which I believe he was reading. It made me want to read more about the Revolutionary War.

Have a last great day of vacation (for the kids at least). This (the second semester) is the best part of seventh grade! (Excerpt from an e-mail to a parent).

The second semester is truly the best part of seventh grade language arts and not (I have written this before) because it is almost over. On the contrary, this is perhaps the hardest part – academically, but the most interesting and engaging. We start health research Monday and writing our health book. I’ll be going back to 1989 and writing about my bout with Bell ’s palsy. It is a great process and while we are having fun learning about a disease (each student gets their own topic) and writing a health book, I slip some learning in about reading, writing, and researching, they don’t even notice!

Well, the sun is almost up and Sunday is here. We have church, an Eagle Scout ceremony, and the last day of Winter Break. I have a few more tasks, but I’m in a better place or frame of mind than I was a couple of hours ago and I’m actually looking forward to the week ahead. Really, no foolin’. It was gonna be great day and a wonderful week, maybe my waist line will go back to where it was before break, who knows? Making the days Count, one final day of break and vacation at a time.

What do you do or like about the last day of a vacation or break?

Thanks for visiting MtDC. How are YOU Making YOUR Days Count?