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Gone Wild

It's Spring Break time! Back in my college days that meant something very different than it does now. No I never went to Cancun, nor did I ever "accidentally" lose my top poolside. But there was one Spring Break when I went to the Bahamas with two of my friends. We were an odd mix, two girls and one guy who I am pretty sure had a huge crush on my friend. Here are some things I learned on that adventure:
-It takes a long time to get your whole head braided. If you are on the beach at the time, reapply sunscreen. Often.
-If you forgot to take the above advice, Chloreseptic spray (meant for sore throats) can be soothing to a sunburn. (I am not sure which one of us geniuses thought this up but there is a photo in my album of me spraying down my friend Steve. It works.)
-If you are young and stupid (aka: college) and want to know where to find Bahamian weed ask the taxi driver. When he proceeds to drive to a shack at the edge of Nassau and tells you to wait in the car while he goes and sees his friend, spend at least one moment questioning whether or not this was smart. Then lock the doors.
-When you drink too much, kissing happens. (Check the above mentioned photo album for proof.)
-New York is crowded. So crowded in fact that even the damn air is crowded. I learned this when our plane was delayed for 45 minutes circling some random state due to "air traffic over JFK."

Now I have a four year old and Spring Break means Maya is off of school for ten days. (Apparently, it was imperative for us to understand this, "Mommy I have NO SCHOOL FOR TEN DAYS!") I love Maya and I love spending time with her. But ten days is a lot of time.

The problem is you get used to school. On normal days, we have a nice breakfast together, she watches Team Umizoomi (To be honest, I have no idea what this show is just that it is usually on Nick Jr. from 7:00 to 8:00) while I shower and get dressed. Then she is off to school all day. By the time she gets picked up at 2:45 I have often cleaned the house, learned a few BJJ drills, watched an hour of terrible television and even squeezed in a brief nap. I am ready to entertain her.

On vacation days we finish breakfast, watch a show or two, play a few games, eat a snack, walk the dog, go to the playground, eat lunch, draw some pictures.. all that and she is still there! And I am one of those moms who hates being stuck in the house. All of her inside games, although fascinating to her, are torture to me. "Mommy, lets play school. You be the teacher." Really? You want me to play a pretend game where I get to teach a class? Next can we pretend you are a baby again and I am trying (unsuccessfully) to get you to latch on to my boob?

 I like to do art with her, and things like puzzles and card games, but they only last so long. So we go places, lots of places. Museums, zoos, parks. Yesterday we took the East River Ferry to Dumbo, rode an old carousel, went to an awesome playground that is shaped like a pirate ship, browsed a used bookshop and took a 45 minute bus ride home.  When we finally made it home it was only 1:30! So we both took a nap. It was a great day. But this morning I woke up and she was still there! And it was only Tuesday. Dammit!

Actually I like Tuesdays when Maya is home. She follows me to the dojo and takes the toddler movement class, which she loves because she is way too old for it. She acts like my assistant, setting up the room and picking the music. Afterwards she gives feedback. "I thought everyone did a great job Mommy, they listened really well, especially Zoya because she is so little!"

This Wednesday and Thursday Maya has playdates. This is good because by Thursday she will be completely sick of us. We are pretty cool parents but we don't like princesses and are constantly talking about omoplatas or how many kids attended sparring class. And the truth is that no matter how great we make her Spring Break, Maya is now at the age where her friends are more fun than mommy.

It is bittersweet. Although I am thrilled when she runs off with her friends at the playground and I can just sit on a bench in the sun, I guess a part of me still wishes she would pick me. Even though I don't actually, under any circumstances, want to play Rapunzel.

It is Spring Break. There will be no wild parties or moments of horrible regret. If I wake up tomorrow with a headache it will be because of Spring allergies or perhaps lack of caffeine. But today Maya and I had lunch with my mother and before they left together Maya gave me a huge hug and said "Mommy, I love you so much."

 Better than a beach in Cancun? Maybe not. But it is still a pretty nice way to spend a vacation.

Comments

  1. AND you get to relax on Sunday because Hugo and Clemmie LOVE to play teachers and babies!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love this post. I always love seeing women who have children and train. Your trip to the Bahamas sounds a lot like one of mine, minus the weed trip. Love it!

    ReplyDelete

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