It’s that time of year again. For the next two plus weeks I have three kids underfoot as we wait for the new school year to begin. (It’s an April to March school year in Japan). Already I’ve grooved a few more lines in my forehead as I try to figure out what we’re going to do to stay entertained and out of my hair.
I have to renew my oldest son’s passport which is always fun–Not. At least he’s big enough to sit on the passport photo seat in the booth at the U.S. Embassy. I had to prop up my middle son a couple of years ago and he didn’t know where to aim his face. Instead of a full frontal head pose, he’s got this three quarter shot with him peering up at the ceiling from the corner of his eyes and this monkey grin. At ten bucks for two small photos I was so not re-doing it.
As a kid I looked forward to Spring Break–heck, any break from school. I had no idea the agonies my mom must have suffered having two kids at home when she had to work. Luckily, we lived where my folks worked, which made life easier on them. Plus, we lived in the country. I’d go off with my brother on our bikes or go exploring in the woods. We didn’t have DVDs, i-Pods, cable or even a quarter of the technology that kids have today, but we managed to find tons of stuff to do to keep us occupied.
Then I had to grow up and live in an apartment, an apartment that seems to get smaller as my boys get bigger. Of course, there’s plenty to do in cities, but it usually involves trains and distances and me going with them, which means less type time at the computer.
So what are your plans for Spring Break? How do you keep the kiddies from driving you crazy?
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Really? Your kids go to school for almost the whole year? I am jealous. We are done at the beginning of June and then I have to do SOMETHING with them. They are too young to work and too old for camp.
Your two weeks will go by fast!
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Believe me my two weeks are crawling.
It isn’t exactly a full year in school, but they do go to school much longer than in the US. Fortunately, my kids don’t know any different.
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I have a stay at home husband who does all the kid management for me right now.
But I know he has to get creative when they have time off. Thankfully, my oldest daughter likes to micromanage so she usually have activities lined up for everyon. 
I find exercise is a great way to burn energy. .
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I went to Toys R Us today and my son bought a set of Magnetix and three Hot Wheels using some leftover gift cards. He’ll be good for a few days with that. I plan to let my other son buy that calligraphy set he wanted to practice with when he starts his break next week.
So, I resort to toys, basically. LOL
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Oooh, bribes Kate. Good one.
As long as the exercise is for them Christine. LOL!
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Hi Gabriella,
thanks for visiting my blog and your comments. your blog is nifty with lots of neat things in your way.
israel could definitely adopt Japan’s school practices and methods. Israel is one of those countries that have the most vacations.
Well, about spring break. How about visiting friends? Having time off when each one volunteers to do some babysitting. do you have family in Japan?How long have you been living there? Do yu intend to live there ad-infinitum?
I second the option of exercise. Let them burn off energy while you burn off some steam.
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Thanks for stopping by Dorit. I didn’t know that about Israel. And yes, I will be here for a while.
The weather has been great these past few days so sending them outside has been a blessing. They work off the energy and I have some peace.
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Oh, my Spring Break starts next week. I can’t wait! I soooo need to a break! I’m too stressed out…