Day 18 (January 18): School Break Until February?

Well, this is a first. The kids' school break is now running until 16th February. Never in my life have I experienced a school break ending in January! I don’t even know how to feel about it. I mean, back in the day, January was always about gearing up for a new school year—new books, new routines, and that feeling of "here we go again." Now, it feels like we’ve skipped all that and are just living in some sort of school-year limbo.

I guess I have COVID to thank for this mess-up in the academic calendar. With all the shifting of holidays and closures, school schedules were more like a game of Tetris. But, hey, I suppose it’s a small win for the kids—they get an extra month to relax and mess around before getting back into the grind. Meanwhile, I’m trying to figure out how to keep them entertained for another month without breaking the bank or losing my sanity.

It’s not that I mind the extra time with them. In fact, I love having them around, but it’s just the whole "end of the year, start of the year" confusion. I mean, who even knows what month we’re in anymore? Between the holidays, the shifting dates, and all the work deadlines, it’s like trying to catch your breath while running a marathon.

But, for now, I’m just rolling with it. The kids are happy, the house is a mess, and I’m still trying to figure out how to turn this extra break into some kind of bonding time. If anything, it’s another reminder that nothing goes as planned anymore, and we’re all just adjusting to a new rhythm.