holiday lull.... holiday madness

the days after christmas can be crazy
it is always a strange time between christmas day and new years day
there is a surreal flavor to many aspect of the world around us

the workplace is vacant
parking spaces are available everywhere
the restaurants are empty
or maybe the restaurants are packed
there is no traffic

the pace of everything changes

this is a very strange time
it is the same every year
yet it is strange every year
it is strange again this year

life is not the same every year
so this few days of oddness is not entirely the same every year

now that we have two boys of an early school age the thought of school vacation dictates our vacations and our lives to a certain degree
this makes our oddness twist in a different way

right now we are trying to figure out how to entertain a few children for two weeks
the day after christmas
the first day after the holiday
the first day of the two week post holiday vacation break
on day one dean broke a window at the front of the house

not sure if we have the rule
no playing ball in the house
as ball sports are not either of my boy's primary interest
but there was always the fear that a window would get broken
well... it happened today
dean broke that window today
it is the first window he has broken

the replace and repair of that window cost us five hundred bucks
wish dean had learned the experience of cause and effect on a buck ninty eight pane of glass

it is no great issue
we are able to put these things in perspective
but
it is still no great pleasure
especially when we just had to pay for some work to be done on our furnace and lisa's car is in the shop
life
life costs more to live than most people make
that just is not fair

lisa called after it happened
I spoke with five year old dean
his remorse was apparent
I gave the textbook we are just glad you are alright speech
then delt more with things when I got home

dean was still crazy when we got home
there was very little change in his behavior
I thought he would be more humble for longer
but he leaped right back into high energy mode

in just a few short hours we covered a long list of activities

indoor bowling
remote control cars
indoor bowling with remote control cars

mario 64

bikes in the alley
games around the clubhouse
some time by the fire pit in the backyard

dinner
carry out thai

more mario

stories before bed
bed
with some more effort, bed
after some effort and some arguement.... bed