March Break

It’s Thursday night of March break, and I’m feeling a bit wistful. It’s been a lovely week with the kids, and I’ve really enjoyed having them home with me all day.  They’re only gone three hours a day at Montessori, but it does limit what activities we can do together when they’re at home.

It’s three weeks until my due date, and I’m feeling slightly sad in knowing that I’m not going to have the same time for my two older children.  I know the baby will sleep a lot in the beginning and that I’ll probably have more time than I think.  But, I also know how tired I am post-partum, and how time-consuming breastfeeding can be.  With all of that in mind, I made a point, this March break, to treasure each day with my kids and put all my other lists of tasks aside for a few days.

On Monday, we had a chill out day at home not doing anything at all. We stayed in our pyjamas way too long and had leisurely meals and naps.  On Tuesday, we woke up more motivated – in the afternoon, my kids’ friends – a boy/girl sibling pair along with their 2 year old sister – came over to play.  My daughter and her buddy, R, are both 3. They had discussed their play date in advance, and R came armed with a serious make-up box.  Soon, the two of them were getting glammed up with make up (which you may recall from a recent post, is my little girl’s current passion) and princess costumes, and spent much time choosing the right footwear to embellish their outfits.

On Wednesday, my adorable nephew came to spend the day, and along with our wonderful neighbours, we made our way to Eastview Community Center for their morning drop-in program. This is part of the Ontario Early Years program.  Eastview (the major intersection is Danforth and Jones, Toronto) is one of my favourite centers because it houses the drop-in in a huge gymnasium (lots of room to run and jump), has great toys, and a really caring and fun staff.  Every morning has free play, craft time and circle time with great songs and a healthy, delicious snack.  It was a great way to spend a morning with the kids.  We followed our playtime with a yummy lunch at Bamiyan, the fantastic Afghani kebab house in Thorncliffe Park near my home.  I realised a couple of years ago, that my kids loved Afghani food: it’s simple – rice, salad, bread and grilled meat (they like the chicken kebob), and immensely flavourful without being too spicy.  The ambiance at Bamiyan is incredibly kid-friendly – they don’t bat an eye if my kids talk loudly or spill their drinks as they often do.

Today, I was feeling a bit tired, and in the mood for something a bit more low-key.  I had read in the paper that the Cinesphere Imax Theatre at Ontario Place was showing the film, Enchanted, every day this Break at 11:30am.  We drove down there to check it out and it was a blast!

I was shocked at how much I enjoyed the film, and my daughter was mesmerized by every moment.  As the credits were rolling, she didn’t move and it was soon apparent that she was ready to sit and watch it all over again!

Tomorrow’s our last day, and we don’t have any big plans.  I’m just happy to have them home with me for one more day. I know the next few weeks are going to be tumultuous, and I’m treasuring these last few quiet moments.