One thing mamawriters with older children look forward to is the scheduled school year. 

I dreaded the thought of my precious children getting on a school bus all alone and going to a place with a bunch of strangers…and especially without mommy.  Yes, I’m one of those horrible paranoid parents who is more comfortable when my children are in sight.  Amazingly however, after the bout of separation anxiety ended–around the second or third year of my older son–I found that the school year afforded so many benefits, other than a convenient educational daycare.

Now, with my oldest son in Grade two and my youngest in Senior Kindergarten every other day, it’s amazing what I can get done.  Let me put that another way, it’s amazing how much MORE  can be done when not stopped every half hour for a snack, playing referee or carpooling.

Of course, the one problem with getting used to freedom is that it comes with a price…in this case, they are called Summer Vacation, Christmas Vacation and March Break.  Notice how they are broken down in threes.  Just when you get your own routine made, the calendar shifts and voila!  Kids are home from school, routines go to crap, and it’s like somebody just dropped a bomb in the middle of the livingroom.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE having my kids around and we take them everywhere with us.  Shopping comes to mind.  My sister doesn’t like to go grocery shopping with the family and much prefers it alone where we love to go as a family.  We are actually more frugal as a family for when my husband and I go separately, it’s amazing what falls in the cart.  Another thought was our recent car shopping journey (not planned, long story, feel free to look it up on my blog at www.stacydawn.blogspot.com LOL).  It never once occurred to us to leave the kids behind; they ride in the vehicle just as often as we do.  Yet my father commented how impressed he was that we took them with us.  When we were young, he simple brought the new vehicle home and that was it–actually, he still does that to the chagrin of my mother LOL.

Anyway, point being, we love being with our kids but when they get to school age, it’s like having a little taste of what we used to be when single.  Better actually for those who don’t work out of the home or only part time because free time is an extra luxery.  ‘Free time’ not being bon bons on the couch watching soap operas, but more like writing time or walking time or listening to the music YOU want to time LOL.

So now March Break is soon upon us.  Yet another time we frantically rearrange our schedules and organize the unorganizable.  I think March Break is hardest because there are not ‘off work’ holidays for those that are full time so daycare or babysitting can be a difficult task.  For those who don’t work or work only part time, it’s planning ahead what we can do to keep the children from getting bored because they no longer have a structual course to work through. 

I’m sure you can agree that for the most part, writing etc get’s put to the side or shoved to later in the night after the princes and princesses are asleep.

Game Plan:  THINK AHEAD

At least that’s what I’m going to try to do.  I’ve a few deadlines that fall smack dab in the middle of March Break and also there are some community events that I hope to let the children attend. 

All can happen if we simply do what mothers do best:  Multi-task, organize, and leave the house and laundry for another day.