A Week Without a Schedule - SOLSC

In another week as school reopens and my students return, our own children will be back at college and 2011 will be only a memory. The holiday rush has ended and I now have time to read, write and relax.

While snow usually covers the ground by now, this year it's been late in coming. The temperatures have been higher than normal. Memories of the blizzard that halted traffic and school for a few days last January come to mind. I know our world will soon be white. That's part of winter in the Midwest. Those unplanned days when snow slows down our world create special memories.

Our family Christmas Day celebration included five dogs, thirteen family members and a home buzzing with activity. The days leading up to Christmas were filled with sending out cards, shopping, decorating, wrapping, baking and list making. Now our guests are gone, our children are sleeping in and our two dogs are dozing on our daughter's bed. My husband is working and the house is quiet. The only sounds are the dryer tumbling clothes dry, the heat being blown into the room, the keys being tapped on my Mac and the sounds of birds at the window feeders.

I'm thankful for the quiet this week brings, but wish winter break could linger a bit longer. Unscheduled time is so precious.

Putting the (Winter) Breaks On - SOLSC

We are busy getting ready for family gatherings. Decorating the house, planning menus, sending out cards, baking and completing last minute shopping. We already had a holiday celebration with my sister and her husband. On Christmas we will have 13 people celebrating with us. We are still trying to figure out how to get the whole group in the dinning room without a kid's table.
Our kids are both in college. Our house no longer has shoes and other belongings scattered everywhere. As they arrive, all of that changes and our home is transformed back to the everyday world of their childhood and teenage years, laundry and all. They are used to their freedom and their own schedules now, so adjusting back to life at home takes some time. They sleep late and stay up late, something we don't do often anymore.
Winter break is here and my days are less scheduled. I have time to read, sip coffee at the table, write, nap and take the dogs for longer walks than usual. It's a welcome break from the routine that surrounds me the rest of the school year. I'm thankful for this time and the chance to slow down. Life moves so fast most of the time, I'm happy to have a chance to put on the (winter) breaks.