Spring Break Chronicles 2012 - Day 2

Yesterday was day 2 of spring break and it was pretty much uneventful.  The kids were so tired from staying up late the night before that they were still sleeping when I got up to get ready for church.  I didn't have the heart to wake them up, plus they would have been very cranky, so I went by myself.  The third Sunday is the day I am scheduled to volunteer in the church nursery so I got to have fun with the kids while getting my church on at the same time.

After I came back from church everyone was awake.  I sat around for awhile before fixing everyone some lunch.  A good portion of our day on Sunday, Day 2, was spent watching movies.  For those who don't know the Gambles Family LOVES movies.  We especially like animation movies and movies about mystical places/worlds.  It is a nice escape from reality.  Every now and then we have a movie day where we just sit and watch movies all day and that is what Day 2 of spring break was for us; a movie day.  After lunch and a couple more movies we went to the store and got some ice cream, along with a couple other household needs then went back home.  I proceeded to cook us a late dinner, tacos, and then we watched some more movies.  Everyone fell asleep in the living room, except the husband who went to sleep upstairs in a bed.  When I woke up this morning prepared to have a great day 3 I was surrounding on the couch by three children; which is something that happens quite often.

Day 2 of spring break yesterday was a relaxing family movie day and we had a nice time just enjoying each other's company.  That is the best part about spring break.  We can do what we want.  We can go where we want.  Or, we can go nowhere at all and still have a good time because we value our time together no matter where we are or what we are doing.  After all, family is what it's all about!!

Spring Break Chronicles 2012 - Day 1

Spring break officially started Friday afternoon once the kids got out of school, however, we consider Saturday to be day 1 since it was the first full day.  It was great waking up knowing that for the upcoming week I don't have to set my alarm.  The only time my alarm has to be set is to wake up for church Sunday morning.

Day 1 started off great.  It was very relaxing and soothing for me and my family.  We saw my mother off to New Mexico on her cross country trip to engage in job interviews and enjoy her spring break from her teaching job here in Florida.  We ate our breakfast, of course, and then we watched some movies and the kids played.  Our outing yesterday was to the duck pond.  We all got dressed, we dropped off the hubby to help his frat brothers decorate for a ball, and me and the kids proceeded to Lake Ella.  First we stopped at Publix to pick up some cereal without any sugar or taste to use to feed the ducks instead of bread.  The way our kids throw the food to the animals we have found that cereal lasts longer.  We walked around the lake and fed the few ducks we saw and a couple of turtles had the pleasure of enjoying the generic Cherios cereal.  At the completion of our lap we got around to where they have this big tree in the park.  It's a tree that all kids feel compelled to climb, as my boys always do.  I let them climb for a little bit while my daughter chased a few birds.  Then we hopped back in the car and went to go get some slushies from Sonic.

For those who don't know Sonic usually has slushies half price from 2-4 and it was around that time so it was great!!  We each got one and I got an extra blue coconut flavor to take to my other half.  We scooped up the husband from his decorating duties and went home to each lunch and enjoy the afternoon before our first date night in months.  Yesterday my husband and I actually secured a sitter, thank you Cedrica, and were able to go out to his fraternity's annual scholarship ball.  It was nice to eat, dance, talk with some other adults, and just have a good time.  When we were done for the night we picked up the kids went home and went to sleep.

That is how day 1 of spring break went yesterday on Saturday, March 17th.  Yes it was St. Patrick's Day but we didn't go crazy.  We had some good old fashioned family fun.  Who knows what adventure awaits as Day 2 begins today but I will be sure to let you know.  Stay tuned for more on Spring Break Chronicles 2012.

Get Ready...

Today is the last day of school before spring break begins for my kids and thousands of other students in the Big Bend area.  Working parents have been scrambling for weeks trying to figure out what camp of relative their kids will go with.  Stay at home parents have been trying to figure out how they will manage their day with extra kids hanging around.  Kids have been saying to themselves how am I going to make this spring break last.  Spring break can be a great time to spend with family and friends.  The possibilities for what can be done are endless as long as you use your imagination and let your creativity flow.

One great adventure that can await a family is a road trip.  A road trip can be a great way to see what wonders our country holds.  For example, a road trip to the great state of New Mexico will take you through Texas, Arkansas, and other such states.  You will get to see great mountains and great plains depending on the direction you choose to take.  Taking a trip further north towards the State of New York will also take you through mountains, but they will be the kinds where you may have to drive on the edge and through cities and places you never even knew existed.  The great part about this is you can see something you have never seen before and document your adventure with a video camera or phone.

Another great trip during spring break would be to the beach.  What better way to relax and enjoy what nature has to offer.  You can build a sand castle, take off your shoes and walk along the water's edge, spread a a blanket and have a picnic.  Your beach adventure awaits.

And lastly, but certainly not least, you can pick a great monumental city or place and make a spring break vacation.  For example, why not take a spring break vacation to Washington, D.C. and see the monuments, visit all of the museums, taste great food, and experience all culture and history this great place has to offer.

Bottom line, whether you choose to go somewhere or have your own adventure at home, make the most out of everyday that you have.  Make spring break count!!

Spring Break is Coming

In two weeks it will be spring break for the public schools and most all of the private schools in Leon County.  That means that I have two weeks to figure out what I am going to do with two extra kids home all day for five days.  I am thinking that Sunday night before the first day of spring break I will let them stay up as late as they want to so that they will sleep in Monday morning; which means that I can sleep in Monday morning as well.  At least I hope that is what will happen.

The first day is definitely going to be a lazy day, already made plans for a play date on the second day, and after that we may just go with the flow.  The museum will be an outing on one of those days and then perhaps we will visit some family...who knows.

I don't know what other parents are doing this spring break or how they feel about it, but despite having two extra kids at home for five days, I am still happy about it.  Why?  Because it means I don't have to get up extra early to get them ready, get breakfast, and get them to school.  Of course that also means that after the week is over with I am going to have trouble physically and mentally getting up again to start the morning school routine, and then I will be ready for summer.  Well, stay tuned for Spring Break Chronicles 2012.

New Facebook Profiles & Pages

For those who are on Facebook and also have created a page for a cause, business, or other group; then you know that there has been a transition to a new look for Facebook profiles and for pages that a person has created.  They have gone to what they call a timeline look and everything can be seen, or most likely found, back to when you joined Facebook or started the group page.  If you haven't gone to the new timeline format then let me warn you in advance that it can be quite addicting.  You can add events to your timeline, add a photo of the event to your timeline, and more.

I believe that one of the great things about Facebook is that it is continually evolving and changing.  There always seems to be something new to look forward to with remnants of the past to give you just enough of what you need to make a smooth transition from one format or change to the next.  Even with all of the changes they have made through the years Facebook still manages to allow the user to have control with various privacy settings, and that is appreciated by just about everyone.

As with everything in life I am sure there are some who will not like the new profile timeline or page timeline that Facebook is moving towards, and that is to be expected.  There is nothing in this  world that every human being likes.  For example, Jesus died on the cross for our sins so we could live eternally in heaven yet there are still people in the world that do not like him.  There are programs that exist in every country to help out families who are in need, yet there are people who think those programs are a waste of taxpayers and government money.  The bottom line is that no matter how good something looks or how easy to use it is there will always be someone that doesn't like it.  I encourage everyone out there to give the new timeline format on Facebook a chance.  You may like it.