Spring Break 2016

Paula in sheep's clothing, holding a homemade lightsaber

I hardly noticed Spring Break before, when Ramona and Mika were at school fewer hours each week, but this year I really felt the impact of having all three girls home with me for that many consecutive days (mostly in a good way). 

Also, I had a considerable amount of time freed up in my schedule this Spring Break due to lesson cancellations. Unlike my students, we didn't have any glamorous trips or excursions planned--I was feeling a pretty urgent need to stay home and get some projects and extra cleaning done before popping out another baby. So, my poor children were stuck at home with their slightly deranged nesting mother for a full week. But I think we made the best of it (and I got a lot of cleaning done, too!). Thank goodness for libraries, St. Patrick's Day, NCAA basketball brackets, fuse bead crafts, piano, and neighborhood egg hunts to help keep our girls busy!

1) Library.

We visited both of our local libraries that week. At the Windsor Library the girls played with prisms, made rainbow necklaces, and fashioned their own kaleidoscopes.

We also came home with big stacks of books to keep all three girls entertained. Ramona recently started reading chapter books, so a lot of the time she was happy to sit quietly on the couch with one of these. Reading is truly a life-changing skill--for both children and their parents!

2. St. Patrick's Day.

Poudre School District's Spring break almost always seems to fall on the week of St. Patrick's day. I am fairly certain we have minimal Irish ancestry, but somehow our family has still developed the traditions of eating green food and building a leprechaun house to celebrate this holiday. 

Pictures for the leprechaun

Green pancakes for the Leprechaun

A note from the Leprechaun

A bagel with green cream cheese

3. NCAA Basketball brackets.
Even though Illinois did not qualify for the NCAA tournament this year, the girls were still happy to fill out a bracket and choose their own champion.

Ramona helping Paula make some bracket picks

Ramona chose the University of Colorado Buffaloes,

Mika chose the Notre Dame Leprechauns,

And Paula chose Vanderbilt University (twinkle little star).

(none of their brackets did particularly well, but they didn't seem to mind)

4. Fuse bead crafts.
Ramona and Mika are getting pretty good at these things.

5. Piano.

It is probably not the girls' favorite activity, but both Ramona and Mika have made considerable progress on the instrument this year. Being home all week with a music teacher mom meant extra practice time for them.

6. Neighborhood Easter egg hunts.

A local church has started hosting an egg hunt at the neighborhood park each year around Easter. Unfortunately, a snow storm blew in the day before this year's hunt, but we bundled up the girls and went to find some eggs, anyway.

Even without all of these extra things to occupy the girls' time, for a good portion of the week they were happy to just play together. I am pretty sure they love being each other's sisters.