Spring Break 2010 was a huge success. In the past, out of school = out of sync.

The first Saturday of Spring Break was Sam's actual birthday and his co-party with his buddy Cam. After kicking off Spring Break '10 with a birthday party we had our work cut out for us. How do you keep a 9yr old and 5 yr old fully engaged while also completing the nursery for your daughter who is going to be born in May? You stick to the basics and remember what it's all about....quality time.

Here were the guidelines we set for Spring Break 2010 and what we took away from the experience:

1) When Sam or Luke asks to help in Olivia's room, let them.

Whether it was holding up a wall (figure of speech ...because they would often come in and stand against the wall and smile) or actually painting one of the polka dots on her nursery wall... their involvement mattered. I think one of the biggest mistakes parents make is not letting their kids work side by side with them. So what if they go outside the lines, spill a little paint, knock over a bucket or break a lamp. When your children see how you handle accidents and mistakes it is a huge learning opportunity. By staying under control and showing them that you can touch-up areas where excess paint found a home, or that knocking over a lamp isn't the biggest disaster in history, you are then able to show them how they can learn to avoid the mistakes in the future and how to handle frustrations in a successful manner. Also, you have the opportunity to show them that you value their effort, their opinion, and that you trust them.

2) You only have one chance to get it right so make the most of it.

"And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you comin' home, dad, I don’t know when,
But we'll get together then, Son,
You know we'll have a good time then."
~ by Harry Chapin

You don't impress your children by how much you work. You make the biggest impression upon your children by spending time with them. Time is something you can never get back. Besides doing things as an entire family, Angie and I took each boy out for special one-on-one time. Shooting hoops, playing a board game, drawing pictures, swimming....all of these things didn't cost any money and you simply can't put a value on the memories we created. Now, Sam did get a special night out when I took him to stay at the Westin and we rode the Trinity Railway Express to Ft. Worth for dinner. This was the result of learning his multiplication tables in record time. We had promised to save the event for a special time and Spring Break was perfect. The next day it may have been 40 degrees on the pool deck but we were two worn out fish after playing in the pool for two hours while watching the sun rise. I can promise you that it will be something we remember for the rest of our lives. While Sam and I went to the Westin, Angie gave Luke some fabulous options. What did he choose to do? He wanted to have a Happy Meal from McDonalds with his mommy and to stay home and play with her. Time together is what it's all about.

3) Plan Ahead

I can not stand to hear people complain about not having enough time. Everyone is given the exact same number of hours. Planning ahead isn't easy but it will save you a load of hurt later on. How many times have you heard...or even said....."I'm just so busy working long hours, taking kids here, dropping kids there, volunteering at school, saving the whales, PTA, school board meetings, recitals, practices, protecting the rain forest at night, neighborhood watch captain, singing in the traveling choir, performing in the circus, blah blah blah blah blah." Seriously? If you happen to be one of those people and have a strong urge to throw something at your computer STOP...you don't have enough time to go get a new monitor and you need to get on Facebook ASAP to check status updates before you have to be somewhere that is ever so important.

That's right, make time to plan. Stay up ten minutes longer, get out of bed ten minutes earlier. Sacrificing ten minutes now might just gain you an entire hour or more later because you have a plan to work with. We made a list, set a plan, and implemented it. Spring Break was fabulous, therapy schedule was followed, nursery goals met, and fun was had by all. It may have taken more than three planning sessions to get everything figured out...but, when the time came, we delivered.

The Big...VIOLA!
We still have Asperger's, ADHD, and OCD. We continued taking enzymes, medicines, vitamins, and paid a load of attention to what foods were consumed. You see, I don't care much for the whole stable of goats that are out there stomping around saying recovery is the only way. It's narrow sighted and does most of us absolutely no good. I am so thankful that there are great therapists and teachers that have chosen professions where they help children like Sam. Early intervention and CONTINUED therapy has made all the above possible. More importantly though....it's an attitude we adopted that has made all the difference. It's an attitude that says we are going to take each day and live it to the fullest. It's an attitude that says, even when tough days turn into tough months, we won't give up on each other and we will be there to celebrate the good times.

Let your children know they are accepted, make an effort to fully connect with them, and have a plan so that time doesn't tick away and you have missed their childhood.