Back from Spring Break

Well, I’m back. I was gone for a week, off to Florida for my son’s Spring Break, but I’ve been back for days, and completely forgotten about blogging. Too many things to do I guess, and my house is still a sty. I have things to unpack, a huge pile of things to return to various stores, and just the general messiness that comes with a family of four (three of them being male—although I certainly do my share). This morning I managed the dishes, and that made a big dent, but I’ve a long ways to go before my house is fit for company (coming Sunday). Vacation has definitely come and gone. We were on Sanibel Island, visiting family, and it was lovely. Sunny, 80-degree days, cool breezes, and island views. Pink houses, palm trees everywhere, bikes prevalent along the main thoroughfare, the riders just back from the beach, just going, or thinking about it. We hit the beach four days out of six, my sons five out of six. And we stocked up on shells! I was kind of surprised that my sons weren’t much interested in the shells—they wanted to play in the sand and surf, just being loud and rowdy boys. It would be great to have a beach nearby to visit every afternoon or evening, but I think the sand and crushed shells might deter me. What a huge mess. We’d have to have an outdoor shower! We were rinsing off in a bucket of cold water that was full of sand and shells and filthy after the first aqua sock was dipped. And then, the boys were wisked upstairs for immediate baths before they touched anything.

It was as relaxing as it could have been with a four-year-old and a six-year-old. I’d imagined that I’d get some writing, or at least some brainstorming done. I made absolutely no progress. I did start reading Sanibel Flats by Randy Wayne White (a book set out on the guest room nightstand), and got right into it. I’ve yet to finish. Now that the break is over, I have two months of school days to savor before I have both boys home seven days a week this summer. Yikes. My mantra, I’m sure, will be ‘Serenity Now’

I’ll save my Florida book-signing experiences for the next blog…