Five Things Friday: Best/Worst of Christmas Vacation Edition

If I had to grade the last week of my life, it would get an unqualified A+. Oh, heck. Who am I kidding? Everything is "qualified" and what I've noticed is that all the good has a flip side. Thankfully, so does all the bad. So, here are 5 (I won't say Top 5 because as soon as I hit "publish" I know I'll think of a handful of things I should have included...) of the good and bad things this vacation week has brought to Team Giessler.

Jammies. iPad. Just chillin'. Grade? A++++

1. The weather was FREEZING.... except when it was obnoxiously warm and torrential-y rainy. I am pretty moderate on my views of cold weather. Some people abhor the cold (ummm, why do you live here?) and some people live for it. I like my Christmases white with a good chill. I enjoy three or four good snow storms each winter. But  by mid-February, I'm totally over it and ready to move on to Spring. The problem with the cold weather we've had this week as it has been accompanied by no snow. It's hard to motivate the kids to go out and play when they can basically stand there and shiver. Snow makes it feel warmers somehow... And if there were snow I could take my new snow shoes for a spin, which would be super fun.

[BUT.... we did manage to hang onto an inch or so of snow for Christmas morning so that was pretty pleasant. Much preferred to the year Tommy was 2 and out playing in his sandbox on Christmas morning wearing just sweat pants and sweat shirt.]

2. We've enjoyed EXTREMELY rare leisure time at home. Even the uber-busy, over-booked, large-and-in-charge-of-countless-things Scott has been able to just.sit. A little. We've had no rushing about. no obligations, rehearsals, meetings. (Okay, okay, Scott's got two meetings this morning... but they aren't stressful.) By and large we have been able to do what we want, when we want, with whom we wanted... IF we want. For one, glorious, luxurious week.

[BUT... These stretches away from routine almost always shine a glaring and disheartening light on gaps/laziness/ineptitude in my parenting. Is there a Real Issue or am I (or, are we) simply creating a Spoiled Brat? This issue could easily be the topic of an entirely separate, blog of infinite entries... But I don't have the strength to face it.]

3. Food! Food! Food! Food!

[BUT... or should I say BUTT... Food! Food! Food! Food!

4. My parents hosted a Christmas Bash the other night. Six of the eight siblings were there. My brother and his family from North Carolina even made it. The only absentees? My brother in Los Angeles... and The Giesslers. Given the 8-hour drive and the non-stop nature of our September - December, we never even gave it thoughtful consideration. (Remember, we also took off early from Thanksgiving due to a stomach bug....) So, sadness and guilt reign on that score. We are sorry, Gungah, but we'll be there in June!!!

[BUT... see first part of #2.]

5. Naps almost every afternoon. Scott making dinner almost every night. Time to "run" at the pool without rushing home. No lunches to pack. No homework to check. No backpacks to fill with cold-weather gear.

[BUT... Nope. there's no 'but'. It's just awesome.]

P.S. Re-reading this, I see that basically there's ONE thing that makes this vacation great (leisure time) and I could have cut this down to a single-sentence post. But, I'm so laid back that I don't care... That's how we roll during our Stay-cation, kids!