It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like January

You know the line in the ubiquitous Christmas carol, "It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas" that goes "and mom and dad can hardly wait for school to start again."?

I completely understand.

It's not that we haven't had a good vacation. Week one we celebrated Sam's 8th birthday. We baked, caroled, wassailed, trimmed the tree, played games, drank tea.

But somewhere around the day after the day after Christmas things started to crumble. Each morning started with promise - the kids woke, well rested, ruddy cheeked. Breakfast was leisurely and usually interrupted with a game of Uno. But just about the time breakfast was over, once everyone was fortified, the bickering began. It would start with something being thrown or someone shoved, followed by heated chases through the house that usually ended up with someone pinned on the couch. All the couch cushions would be removed. Voices were raised. Jumping began. Soon there would be a thud ... and a pause ... and then crying.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Needless to say I think we are all ready to get back to a routine. But ask me again in March.