February break

Hi all,
     This week is February school vacation for me and my boys. We had a nice balance of relaxing, doing things that were out of the ordinary and just spending time together. I should also remind you that it's Lettermo, so everyday I have written at least 1 letter/postcard. Most slow days I have written numerous correspondences.
      Sat 2/13- We had David's last basketball clinic for this session. Out recreation department has a fun, non-competitive clinic to teach the basics of the sport. David loves being part of a team and playing, but he doesn't care about winning. Eventually maybe we will find him a team to play on, but for now, he's just happy playing with his friends.
     Sun 2/14- Valentine's Day here in the US. We don't "celebrate" it much. If you love someone, you should attempt to show them every day, not just when the roses cost more. lol. We got the boys a little treat, but that's about it. My parents own a timeshare on Cape Cod and they offered for us to go down and spend a few days there. Unfortunately, Matt had to work, I decided I would go down with the boys anyway just for the time off.
     We headed down fairly early on Sunday, which was great because we were able to visit with my parents for a while. We chatted in the room for a while then visited the pool- which is always a favorite for my kids. (Matt too.. lol) Unfortunately, about an hour in, it was discovered that a little kid had gone to the bathroom in the pool, so it was closed for the rest of the day. We made the best of it and went out to lunch at a local Papa Gino's. I had a sub, Timmy had a hamburger and David had his traditional cheese pizza. We visited the store for snacks and a few groceries. (There is a microwave there but no stove. We decided to eat out once a day and then buy for the rest of the time we were there.) At night we watched television, stayed up late and I wrote a letter or 2.

      Mon 2/15-     The boys were excited to go out for breakfast this day. We went to The Pancake Man in Yarmouth. David is a timid eater but he LOVES breakfast and will often eat a surprising amount of food! Both boys chose chocolate chip pancakes with homemade whipped cream and a glass of juice. I had a ham and cheese omelette, toast and homefries. We had never eaten here. It was delicious.
      After breakfast we drove around a little, visited a few stores and went back to the room for a bit. After lunch we went swimming- A LOT... for at least 3 hours. After I swam, I took some time to read and write another letter. We took a break for about an hour and then returned to the pool area for more fun. The place we stay has an activity director who plans a few things during the week. This night they had planned a clam chowder dinner. Each of us got a cup of chowder and some crackers. The boys jumped in the pool again and played until the activity director ran some games- Bingo, Pirate Farkle and Left, Right, Center. It was fun and nice to catch up with people we have met in previous years.
     Tues 2/16- We packed up the room so we would be ready to leave when we were ready to.  Every year the boys look forward to buying "penny candy" (for a small fortune) at a local candy company. It's ironic since Matt works at a candy store.  David got a Push Pop, a whistle pop, Warheads Sour Dipper, bullseyes and a few other things. Timmy got a few packages of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, bottlecaps, BubbleTape and I think that's it. Have you ever had these jellybeans? Gross. (The normal flavors are good.)

    Bet you can't guess what they did next- We actually ran to the post office since my local post office was out of international stamps. THEN we went to the pool.... again. At about 2, we had a snack and got ready to head home. 

      Cape Cod is a few hours south of where I live. We pass by the town my grandmother lives in so we called to ask her if she would like to have an early dinner with us. It has been way too long since I've seen her last. We visited with her and then headed out to a restaurant for dinner. (I don't eat out once a day during a normal week.) Lucky for me, the special was Prime Rib that night. I ordered that with mashed potatoes and broccoli, David had chicken fingers and Timmy had fish and mashed potatoes. It was delicious and we had a really nice time with my nana.

      The boys were super excited about coming home and seeing dad after 3 days.  They were pretty exhausted but rested at the same time. I was saying to a friend of mine that it's amazing that I, as a very schedule-oriented person, had such a nice time with no schedule at all. 

      Wed 2/17- Nothing at all during the day. We just hung out at home. A  contractor was here working on our bathroom, which needed a new shower and a new floor. I had practice for a symphonic band that I play in. I invited Timmy to come along. It was a long rehearsal but I thought it would be a great time for him to come since he had no school Thursday.

         The people in the band were really sweet to him. The band is based out of the Christian college that I went to and I loved introducing my son to one of the most influential teachers and mentors of my life. He got to see what a band rehearsal is like when you are working with experienced musicians. Music teacher win- His favorite piece that we played was the Moorside Suite by Gustav Holst. Nice. We're also playing Tanczi by Van der Roost, Pulse by Standridge and Prelude on Three Welsh Hymn Tunes by Vaughan Williams.  Concert is in 2 weeks.

      Thursday 2/18- Recently one of our friends moved to another state. She and her son planned an overnight visit and we went to breakfast at one of my favorite local businesses. I miss seeing her every week at baseball and having the luxury of just getting together for a cup of coffee (or tea in her case, she moved from England) whenever we want to. It was nice for the boys to catch up too, but probably more nice for us. :)

      The rest of the day was pretty slow but I did have a rehearsal with my church's worship team. I'm singing and playing piano on Sunday. I enjoyed our devotions and rehearsal time. 

     Friday 2/19- Today is my sister's 35th birthday. Happy birthday, Kristen! As a last hurrah for the boys, I planned a surprise "Mommy Date" to go see Blue Man Group in Boston. Timmy had seen it once but it was David's first time. 

    David kept leaning over and telling me things like "I'm so happy you brought me here" and "I really like this. Thank you!" He's a sweet, sweet boy. They both loved the show. Awkward selfie with one of the Blue Men. Well, I look okay at least. lol.

     Tonight we have baseball clinic. I love watching the boys play and learn (and chatting with some friends too!) 

      I'm preparing for the weekend and returning back to school. This weekend I have an orchestra rehearsal, a "performance" at church and an orchestra concert. I'm performing with a woman who used to be a newscaster. I taught her children so I'm kind of hoping that I will get to say hello to them. Another former student and her husband are  coming to hear the concert. I also have make a rehearsal schedule for our musical. A student that I'm close to is moving within the next few weeks too, Boo. 

      One thing I haven't done as much as I would like to during this vacation is to read. I am in the middle of a book I read on Goodreads and I am not invested. This is the 2nd book this month that I've just not had interest in. This never happens to me. Might have to start a new book tonight.