March Madness

No, not the NCAA.
It's March break. When parents of school age children question their sanity. Especially the ones that decided to take time off work to spend the week with their off-spring. And more so, the parents who decided it wasn't in the budget to go somewhere fun and warm but decided to stay-cation and are now  regretting that silly decision.
Because if we had gone somewhere fun and warm, at least I'd be having some fun too. Because after what we've spent this week (and we're only halfway through the week), we probably could have flown to some place with sand and sun. Because if we had left our home base, I wouldn't be doing endless loads of laundry and sweeping up crumbs, and refereeing the kids' squabbles over Lego and Xbox time.
It's not that horrible. The week started out promising. The kids are in swimming lessons in the morning. That means they're ravenous for their lunches. A good long shower after the lessons also means we can skip the chaotic bathtime this week.
On Monday, the girls and I went to the Young People's Theatre for the live production of Pinocchio. We were entertained well despite the very uncomfortable seats. The boys spent the afternoon at the Hockey Hall of Fame. Ten bucks at the Bulk Food store bought enough candy to keep them in a sugar high all week. We treated the kids to a meal out. They more or less behaved. We treated ourselves to a couple of pints for not losing a child in the wilds of the GTA.
The next day was a trip to the zoo. It was cold and windy. But the sun was shining and the Beaver Tail shack was open. Armed with a thermos of hot cocoa, we counted penguins and waved at the panda bears. We hadn't been to the zoo all last year so it was touching to watch Quinn's excitement. He shouted to the Sumatran tigers, and tried to wake the slumbering polar bears. He laughed at the baby gorilla and found the giraffe house to be very stinky. He mistook the giant tortoises for turtles, naming them Michaelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo and Donatello. He was nose to nose with one creature, with only the glass pane separating them.
And since it was St. Patrick's Day, my 1/4 Irish kids celebrated with green cake, complete with green icing and green Leprechaun fairy dust. So despite the fresh air and tons of physical exercise, they were not to eager to fall asleep last night. I ended the day with a pint of Guiness.
Today was another ride on the GO train. Quinn chattered excitedly every time we passed another train. He saw one with Thomas the Train painted on the car. He pointed to Percy and Henry, which were really the engines on our train.
This afternoon, I debated on obtaining a Twitter account. Just so I could rant. Concisely.  I could picture the tweets.
#dumbparents - why didn't we save for vacation?

#RipleysAquarium - not a fan. My kids need to pee every 5 min. Is it the water?

#I.hate.ripleys.aquarium - who designs playground in middle of dumbplace?

#RipleyAquariumHater - I need to invest in leash. For kids.

#I.really.hate.ripleys - why so dark? lost a kid or two.

#CNTower.ripoff - I spent how much to ride an elevator? (wait, that should go under #dumbparents)

#CNTower.ripoff - restaurant charges ransom for milk (also applies to  #dumbparent)

#MarchMadness - Mommy losing her mind.

I can't believe I just paid more for a glass of milk with my kid's meal than what it costs for 4 litres of the stuff in a grocery store. And if you think, three kids who drink milk with their meal, plus refills - yep, just spent more on their drinks at one meal than I would spend for the entire week's supply for my milk fanatic kids. Yet my beer was reasonably priced.
The whole highway robbery thing is this - what restaurant charges for the drink with the kids' meal??? One that preys upon tourists and dumb parents.

And while I'm still in shock over what this week has cost us so far, my kids are having the time of their lives. They have stated their gratitude at the various outings, and they have smothered us with hugs and kisses. Mostly, I think they're happy to have both mommy and daddy at home with them.
Quinn has been overjoyed every morning, waking up to see me still in bed. "You stay home?" he asks as he climbs on top of me and hugs me tightly. I, too, have enjoyed the extra cuddles.

But the best part about this March madness? It's my first March break, or rather the first time in a very LONG time, that I haven't been burdened with dragging around a diaper bag! Or a stroller. I've managed to spend the day in the GTA with only my purse, filled with a few treats to entice a grumpy child out of a crowded, poorly designed aquarium. Some gummy bears, a lollipop or two, BUT NO EXTRA CLOTHES, DIAPERS, TOYS, SOOTHERS.
Oh the freedom!