I wasn’t a huge partier, to begin with. I wasn’t going to Panama or Destin or Daytona for Spring Break when I was in undergrad and I say that with a smile and a sense of pride, but also a sense of sadness. I didn’t experience the beer pong tables and the memories that you’ll remember but the nights you’ll forget. But I also didn’t have to wake up with a wicked hangover. So there’s the silver lining. But the fact is, Spring Break this year… looks much much much different than any other Spring Break I’ve ever had. And I have to say… I think it was the best one yet.

This Spring Break was very very much needed. I should win the Parent of the Year Award since I forgot that Friday was a teacher planning day in our district, and it was raining cats and dogs outside. This really put a damper on the mood, but I had a plan. I decided to take Mark to an indoor playground and it seemed like I wasn’t alone. In fact, everyone in town had the same idea it seemed. The place was full of kids and even Mark, the social butterfly of our family, was feeling anxious. Of course, as it neared lunchtime and nap time, we had to jet. So we hurried home and rested for a good bit of the day as we prepared for the next 7 days ahead.

Mark, my mom, and I usually spend our weekend mornings together either at the park or grocery shopping. Mark loves getting smoothies with his Mimi so we are fortunate that our grocery store gives us just that. The weather was gloomy and wet but that didn’t stop us from laughing and getting our groceries while being silly.

In fact, the stormy weather hung around for a bit over our spring break, but it didn’t stop the silliness and fun we had. Mark stayed at his grandparents’ house and I managed to get a lot of cleaning done (which, my house is an absolute mess once again). He had therapy appointments and worked so incredibly hard that we ended up treating ourselves with popsicles as we worked in the garden some.

When the weather finally cleared up we spent time out at the park with our neighbors. It was the first time Mark and Isla really hung out with one another and the way they took over the park, climbing all over the place, and swinging together, it just melted my heart. She looked after Mark, helped him up, and walked him across the balance beam. She helped him down the slide and got him right back up.

After seeing how much Mark loved the park with Isla, the next morning, we decided to venture back to another favorite park in our area. To our surprise, this one was flooded. So we improvised, busted out the chalk, and colored the sidewalk for those who came by and were just as bummed about the flooding as we were.

The afternoon brought on some bright sunshine and warmer temperatures and ironically, we found ourselves back indoors… this time at the Museum of Science and History with Mark’s best friend from school and his family. I must admit, I am so so so grateful Mark has Danny as his best friend. Danny and Mark were shy with one another, but as us parents sat back and toured the area, we got to watch the two of them open up and act like their silly selves just as they do in class. It was refreshing and a relief and fun for everyone (despite the Planetarium debacle).

As the final days of Spring Break came to a close, Mark stayed over at his grandparent’s house with his cousins, where they ran around and played all day and night. I am pretty sure he gave them a run for their money (despite being a supervisor when it came to clean-up time. We spent the afternoon and evening with our best friends, grilling out and enjoying each other’s company. The wind picked up as the kiddo’s energy began to dwindle and we called it a night.

The weekend was spent between relaxing and doing work around the house. From cutting down branches to playing at the water table. We called it a day- a weekend- a spring break and here we are… getting ready for another week back to normal. School, homework, therapy, making lunches, and taking naps (kidding… kinda). My Spring Breaks may look different than they were in my Undergrad years.. but I would choose this Spring Break all over again in an instant… a trillion times over.