We’re just beginning spring break in Portland, Oregon. I know not everyone has spring break this week, and I know that not everyone gets a spring break! But my husband and I are both school employees, so we have a spring break. Here’s what we plan to do. Maybe you can fit one of them in over a weekend, even you don’t get a break?

  1. Decluttering the house. We have too much stuff. We’re going to do the Clean Sweep routine and pull everything out onto the lawn to decide what to keep, toss or sell.  We won’t be redecorating, just decluttering and cleaning, one room at a time.  If we don’t get them all done, that’s OK.
  2. Clearing garden space. We have a big, weedy, sandy patch in our back yard. We need to clear out the weeds and either get some soil in there or put in more raised beds and some bark dust.  Well, we might be able to at least clear out the weeds. I have a new, organic,  non-toxic spray that seems to work.
  3. Planting. We planted some veggies already, and they’ve sprouted a bit. The peas and lettuce are doing well. The fava beans, carrots and green onions only have a few sprouts each. We’ve also got more space in that bed to plant, so we can start more veggie seeds for later.  We could also start some herbs in pots.
  4. Reading books. We all love to read. I’m sure we can make time for that. We’ll probably visit the library at least once, too.
  5. Watching movies. My husband apparently intends to watch a movie every night. This probably means non-kid-friendly movies.
  6. Visiting with friends. I have plans to spend time with friends in town and with some coming from out of town.
  7. Playing outside. It should be nice for at least part of the break. Our middle daughter just started playing softball, and we need to get out and throw the ball around with her and the other kids.

Eek! It does start to sound like a lot. I do have ideas for how to handle it, though.

  1. If we don’t finish everything, it’s OK.  If we only get two rooms decluttered, and if all we do in the backyard is spray weed-killer, that’s OK.
  2. Don’t expect kids to work all day, even with the promise of a reward. Set a reasonable amount of time or a reasonable number of tasks for them to complete.
  3. Balance work time and fun time; schedule a bit of both each day or alternate days. And don’t forget that work can be fun.
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