Mid-Winter

Last month, we had our Mid-Winter Break.  As a much-more-workin’ mom, now, I was really looking forward to just being home with the kids – maybe having a few fun outings and just getting some stuff done.  I’ll admit I was jealous of the nonstop Facebook-photo parade of others spending their break in sunny CA or Maui (seems like an insane amount of people went to Maui)…but, I was happy to be home…until our Mid-Winter Break turned into Mid-Winter Bleak.

Zachary woke up on day 1 with an ear infection – took him to the doctor to get antibiotics and spent the first couple of days taking care of him.  On day 2, Matthew woke up with pink eye – took him to the doctor for antibiotics.  We were then basically quarantined for the rest of break.  Kayli got to make her trip to the doctor when we were concerned about a possible UTI.  She also, eventually, got the pink eye curse.  On the day before we returned to school, we did manage a successful family trip to the zoo.  After many days of lameness, this was the only highlight of Break by a lot.

After our first week back at work ‘n school, Mike got the heck outta here.  He basically went as far away as you possibly can.  7,415 miles away.  He traveled on a direct 14.5 hour long flight to DUBAI!!  The guy’s hardly been out of the country – Vancouver and Victoria B.C. and a trip to Tijuana as a youth that he barely remembers! –and his first international trip is to Dubai!!  He traveled with two other co-workers and met up with almost 30 other employees of Wargaming for a Tools Engineer Summit.  It certainly wasn’t all work though.  They visited two enormous malls (including the biggest one in the world and one that has an indoor snow area with ski, snowboard slopes and sledding).  They went on a boat tour and also saw endless parades of wealth (Ferrari’s, Lambourghini’s, etc.).  On their last night there, they got to have dinner in the desert.  There was belly dancing entertainment, camel rides, a sand-dune 4x4 ride and Mike attempted sand-boarding (but said the board needed to be waxed and he just sunk down in the sand).  Talk about an adventure!

I managed to get all three kids off to three different schools every day, get myself to work (I now teach 31 toddler/preschool music classes each week), I hosted book club, attended an early parent-teacher conference, and – maybe no shocker – by the end of the week came down with a cold.  But I got through and I’m proud of me! But exhausted and extra thankful that Mike is back home!!