Yes, the entire month. We completed our first trimester together, my boys and I, and we are looking forward to this break. Tomorrow we will finish up a few loose ends for our subjects, and be done. I’ve posted before about our school calendar- a modified, year-round schedule with nice, long breaks between each trimester. What it boils down to is three months on, one month off, year round. And April is our month off! “Tengo planes”– I have plans– for this break! (Do you like my Espanol? J has taken Spanish for so many years, and speaks it at home frequently… it’s rubbing off.)

Having one month off every few months gives us the opportunity to get some things done that don’t get done regularly! While D1 was in his speech appointment this afternoon, I began to brainstorm everything I want or need to get accomplished during this break, in no particular order:

• Plan our final Trimester of school
• Sell or Consign the remaining 44 formal dresses I have hanging in the closet!! I put an ad on Craigslist and have sold some that way, but it’s slow… I have two consignment shops to call tomorrow.
• De-junk some very cluttered and overcrowded areas of our home (closets, dressers, toybox, pantry, under the sinks, computer desk, etc.) Actually I feel like we are drowning in STUFF.
• Work 16 hours a week– this means picking up two evening shifts per week. They have been few and far between lately! I will need a couple of paychecks for things coming up.
• Dismantle and dispose of our very old, bent swing set (major project there)
• Do spring yard cleanup (trash, tumbleweeds–I hate those, toys, dishes– hey I found 3 cups in the yard just this afternoon!, etc.)
• Weed all the bedding areas and get RID of those insane johnny jump-up violets!! Ugh. I am done with them. Not another year. They are everywhere.
• Prepare flats or pony packs for transplanting some little plants into, to sell. Things I have coming out my ears, are starts for: Lavender, daisies, strawberries, columbines! We will sell these for summer camp registration money for the girls!
• Order D2′s new handwriting book. He finished Letters and Numbers for Me yesterday! This should be one of my first tasks.
• Begin a walking/jogging routine with the boys. They ride their bikes and I jog to keep up. It seems to work okay, except D2 can’t go UP or DOWN the block from the house without help because of the slope. He’s still on training wheels, which leads to the next one….
• Teach to D2 ride on 2 wheels!
• Visit my Gramma over in Seattle. Her health is poor and I’m afraid we may not have her much longer.
• Decide bedroom/school room arrangements. We are discussing some room changes, which would allow me to have a room to keep all of our school stuff in, as well as hang up posters and other school-y things E doesn’t want in our dining room area. Just having it all IN ONE PLACE would be a blessing for me!!!
• Plan, and plant, our garden. The kids are looking forward to the planting part, but not the cleanup PRIOR to the planting. THAT is going to be a long chore, worthy of several trips to McD’s for ice cream cones. And I think I’m going to buy one of Clyde’s Garden Planner slides, because I am clueless when it comes to what to plant and when. I need one!!

As you can see, we shall be quite busy during the month of April. Some of these are a matter of one evening or a couple of afternoons. Others will take the better part of the month. If you have a burning desire to do yard work, please, feel free to come on over. Bring a pair of gloves and a shovel.