Winter Break? Where's the break?!

One of the perks of being a teacher is knowing that I will have two weeks in the middle of the school year that can be used to regroup, plan, spend time with my family, vacation, sit around in my pjs...you name it!  This year has been a bit different.  Starting with the week leading up to Winter Break our family has been hit with a series of comedic errors.  Some avoidable, many not.  Although I am grateful for many of the blessings we've experienced this holiday season, right now my body, mind, and spirit are tired.  Really tired.  I've contemplated taking an additional day off from work on Monday simply to have a day to rest.  I know, deep down, that I will not do this, but it's tempting.  Very tempting.

• Bella got sick the week before Winter Break.  My initial thought was better now than over break, I had no idea this would be the catalyst in our "vacation".  Jason was out of town for part of the week and worked from home part of the week.  We managed to keep it together and get her healthy.  It took a whole week, Friday to Friday, but she got better.
• Because of her illness it took her almost three weeks to sleep through the night again.  (I think it actually has a lot to do with the pajamas she wears...this child is a bit OCD!)
• Jason found out, contrary to previous guidance, he was not supposed to take vacation the week of Christmas.  
• I baked treats for all of Jason's Chicagoland restaurants.  We delivered them as a family to all five of them.
• Sophia is cutting her i-teeth; on the plus side this is the first indication of any teething concerns, and she already has at least 14 other teeth...VERY different than Bella's teething experience.
• I found out the day after Christmas that my dad was going to be having surgery the following Saturday.  My parents knew about this for almost a month but decided not to tell anyone until after Christmas.  Although I appreciate their desire not to impact our holidays, I know it took a toll on them.  My mom, in particular, had to deal with this news alone, while being strong for my dad.  My mom is my rock, always has been.  I only wish that in this situation I could have returned the favor.  She shouldn't have to cry alone or hold her fears inside.  I would have booked a flight to be there by her side.  This was important and I wasn't there.  
• Although the surgery itself seems to have gone well, we still await results from lab tests, and my dad is still in the hospital suffering migraines that do not seem to be related to the surgery.  My mom has been by his side from the time she wakes up until she heads home to sleep.  My exhaustion must be nothing compared to hers.  
• We installed a new closet organization system.  I LOVE it.  After painting, installing, and several trips to Home Depot, it's almost completed.

• We put up Sophia's big girl bed!
• I converted the crib into an art desk (pictures on previous blog).
• We celebrated "Christmas" with my Chicago family.  I made homemade granola for my family.

• Jason got bronchitis.
• Our dryer stopped working; this resulted in a mass washing, drying, and folding expedition at a local laundromat, which I was happy to pay someone else to do!
• They couldn't schedule a repair for this until almost a week later (and he's running late)!
• Jason's sisters and our nieces came to visit over New Years!  My only regret is that Jason wasn't feeling his best.  I wish we had been able to have the visit that we had talked about instead of one that was a little more laid back.  Although we did make it to the Chicago Children's museum and Sky High Sports (which was a lot of fun)

• I tumbled into the foam pit at Sky High Sports and I STILL have a headache!  (it's been almost three days!)

• It was wonderful to watch Bella, Emily, and Madison play together like they had just seen each other last week.  They all got along together wonderfully and Sophia even had a great time until...

• Sophia got sick...upper respiratory infection, a complication from the flu.

• I have Lysol and bleach stuck up my nose.
• There are mounds of dirty, "sick" laundry all over the house because I can't effectively put them through the washing process!
• I haven't graded a single paper or planned a single lesson...I have no idea what I'm going to be doing when I walk in the door on Monday.  I planned to send both girls to school today and tomorrow so that I can actually do that, but...
• Sophia was too miserable to send to school today, so I'm not sending her tomorrow either (I refuse to pay an entire week of tuition for one day!)
• Sophia was crying out in her sleep, assuming from body aches or teething pain, so at 1:00 this morning Jason and I came downstairs to get her some medicine, only to be greeted by a puddle of water on the kitchen floor...
• The toilet in our bathroom was leaking from the pipe and leaked into the kitchen.  Thank goodness she woke us up, it would have been disastrous had it been another 6 hours!  We shut the water off and cleaned up.  Then we decided to have a cup of hot apple cider and talk on the couch for an hour.  It was an unexpected, but wonderful escape.  We laughed about the leak because there wasn't much else we could do.

So now, instead of grading and planning, I'm waiting for a plumber and a dryer repairman and cleaning my house.  All of which needed to get done.  Sophia is sleeping, there are linens in the washing machine (because they are the only thing I can easily hang up to dry), and several K-cups of coffee waiting to be made.  Today I will vacuum, mop, wash dishes, and try a new recipe for granola bars that my sister-in-law gave me.  I might even begin taking down the Christmas decorations.  And I will definitely be contacting our baby sitter to see if she can help me escape for a few hours tomorrow.  It's just a day in the life.  An exhausting day in the life.  But it's my life and it's great.  Winter Break has brought no such break in the chaos, but that's okay.  I've always said I work because it offers a break from home and children, I guess no truer words have ever been said!