Spring Breaking on a Shoestring

Apparently, much to our kids chagrin, we are the ONLY family staying home for Spring Break. Nothing like a little exaggeration to get the week going.

I love staying home. It seems to make the time go a bit slower. Truth be told, by the end of the week, we’re all probably ready to kill each other. A house with two sometimes (understatement) moody tween/teens, add in one on the cusp plus an anger-management-challenged younger brother and the car rides might seem a little long. More often than not, I’m stuck in the driver’s seat enduring quibbling over who’s sitting where, what radio station should be playing and basic sibling irritation. It hurls me to a not so distant past when my siblings and I sat in the car doing the exact same thing. My poor mom!

Today I took my incredibly mistreated children (plus a friend … life is always more fun with a friend around) to our freebie of the week – Petland.

Long-time readers of the MOATblog are familiar with my and the kid’s yet to be met desire to have a dog. I’m a pet magnet. Had just about everything under the sun when I was a kid. From ducks to stray birds to dogs to a pair of adorable raccoons … I could never get enough. Were it not for my fear of shots (I’m an embarrassment – even choosing natural childbirth to avoid an epidural!), I would have been a vet. My older brother teased me with the fact that vets get bit all the time and need those terrible rabies vaccines.

Back to the dog… our Big Boss enjoys his life hassle and pooper-scooper-free. No dog for us. So… if the dog can’t come to us, we’ll go to the dogs – and have a fun outing for the day.

Thank goodness for Petland. An old school pet store where one can actually handle the creatures. It’s a little slice of heaven to sooth your inner animal lover.

Each kid has their sections they enjoy. One goes for the creepy. One loves the critters. The rest puppies.