After a hard and long March, I’m ready for April.

Some things to look forward to in April are:

Next door neighbor’s tree

Warmer weather. April in New Jersey is *usually* warm, sunny, and fragrant. Every day you hear landscaping services cutting, scraping, beautifying NJ lawns. People in the Garden State are very concerned with their lawns and gardens. In April forsythia flowers and turns bushes yellow. You see bursts of white and pink everywhere. With all that beauty come spring allergies.

Some parking lot yesterday

Road trip. I truly cannot wait for next Sunday. We have our spring break road trip! I feel like a kid, I am so excited. The kids, of course, are excited too.

Sunday: New Jersey to Chincoteague, VA. Drive time: about 5 hours. Explore Chincoteague area, hopefully see some ponies. Dinner, overnight in Chincoteague.

NJ to VA

Then, on Monday, we will explore Chincoteague area a bit more, then make our way down to the Outer Banks. Drive time: about 4 hours.

Our OBX hotel is right on the beach, and we are spending three nights in that area. I have no grand plans; I want to enjoy the area, spend some time digging the sand, eating local food, splashing the hotel’s indoor pool. See a lighthouse or two. Read, sit.

VA to NC

On Thursday, we have a long drive from our hotel in OBX to Kennett Square, PA. Drive time: about 7 hours. Overnight in Kennett Square. Considering making a stop in Washington, DC to walk around the Mall for a few hours, then continue north.

NC to PA, possibly via Washington, DC

On Friday, wake up, pack up, and visit Longwood Gardens!!! After Longwood Gardens drive for about 3 hours and we are home! Be back in New Jersey late on Friday evening.

My goals for April are simple:

  1. Continue using Peloton app for yoga and strength
  2. Make the most of our OBX road trip
  3. The usual stuff: piano, jiu jitsu, gymnastics.
  4. Chaperone L’s trip to a science museum
  5. Bring your child to work day!
  6. Easter egg hunt at our house, neighborhood kids are coming
  7. Shop for Teacher appreciation (in May)
  8. Summative conference with boss, end of year review (already happened, received very complementary feedback).
  9. Mammogram and ultra sound
  10. My sister-friend B’ birthday

Last week. Last week was okay. T made all the dinners, I just enjoyed and brought leftovers to lunch the next day. This whole situation with him making the meals is working out beautifully. He doesn’t mind cooking AND he is good at it! Tonight, however, we have ordered Italian take out (Saturday).

I was/am counting the days down to spring break. I am tired. I need a change of place and a change of pace (which is why the road trip to OBX will be perfect.)

Last week the kids got their school photos back.

1st grade cutie pie
Pre-school honey love

Also, R is registered for kindergarten! This coming September he will be in the same school and the same aftercare as L. One drop off, one pick up! The question is, what will I do with all that free time, eh?…

The registration process was a total mess. I brought R with me because I had a hunch that it may take a long time and I won’t be on time to pick him up. So I picked him up at preschool first and we went to the board of ed building to register. It started at 4:30, we were early, plus we saw a playground. When we entered at 4:15, there was already a huge line of people waiting. I had all the necessary documents since I’ve been burned before, the universal medical form, vaccines, etc. Nobody knew where to go, so they herded us into the cafeteria. Sloowly, they called names and checked the documents. Some people were turned around to get some document that they didn’t have.It took about 1.5 hours. Everyone had to see four people: a receptionist, a person that checked the documents, a nurse that checked the immunizations, and, finally, a person who actually registered you. Anyway- done and dusted!

L made high honor roll for second semester so we went to DQ to celebrate. Ice cream matches her uniform!

What’s on tap for you in April? Have you been to the Outer Banks? Any recommendations for any future roadtrips for us?


17 responses to “April 💐+ last week”

  1. Diane Avatar
    Diane

    Ooh I hope you have a great trip! I don’t have plans for Spring Break because I’m working – I think my Husband will take the kids to New Jersey for an overnight, since my mother has a conference there.

    How complicated your registration process is! This year our district had the option to register for Kindergarten online for the first time. You could still do it in person, but online registration opened two weeks before in person. It was so easy – no having to go to the school during the middle of the day like with my other two kids. I did have to call the school to get the student ID number after they processed her so that I could put her in the language immersion lottery, but even that step was much easier than in the past.

    Tip if you come to DC – you can use SpotHero to find a cheap-ish parking garage if you know when you’ll be arriving. Otherwise finding parking on the Mall can be tricky. If you are only coming for a few hours you could park at a meter – it would be much cheaper than a garage, but it can take a bit of circling to find a spot, and DC is just annoying to drive around down by the mall.

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    1. Daria Avatar

      Thank you Diane!! I do not foresee more than a few hours at the Mall so we will look for meter. That is amazing how easy your registration sounds. Ours was such a pain!

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  2. Tobia | craftaliciousme Avatar

    Wow what an exciting trip ahead of you. Hope you can make the most of it and it energizes you. Looking forward to your recap.

    Registering for school sounds very tiring. Who would have thought it takes that long.

    Happy Sunday.

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  3. Lisa’s Yarns Avatar
    Lisa’s Yarns

    Wow your registration is complicated!! Ours is all online and then the school verifies the immunization records. You get your child’s ID when you do the preschool screening so it’s all pretty straight forward luckily! That will be great to have 1 drop off! That will be us as well. Will is going to the preschool at Paul’s school. It’s still pay based but a bit cheaper than daycare.

    The flowering trees are gorgeous! That’s still a month off for us. April can be so cold here. We had snow a few times this week so it feels like winter. Sigh.

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  4. Nicole MacPherson Avatar

    Wow, what a beautiful tree! Happy April!

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    1. Daria Avatar

      Nicole, happy April to you, too! I am having such trouble with your blog and it saddens me! I cannot scroll down, I can only click. I was gonna react to your last week’s and then this week’s post but cannot get to the bottom where I can press a button to leave a comment. Am I the only one? :[

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      1. Nicole MacPherson Avatar

        No one else has mentioned this to me! I hope the problem resolves! Thanks so much for reading though!

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      2. Daria Avatar

        I just managed to post a comment but then it said “duplicate comment detected” gah, will keep trying.

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      3. Kyria @ Travel Spot Avatar

        Daria, I was having that problem too and I found that if I use Microsoft Edge instead of Google Chrome it worked. You can also try to reset your cookies and cache to see if that helps!

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      4. Daria Avatar

        Oh thank you so much Kyria!! Will definitely try that!!

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  5. Elisabeth Avatar

    I hope the road trip is pure delight. Nothing is in bloom here in Nova Scotia, but I’m just waiting for sunshine and warmth and all the wonderful things that (eventually) come with spring.

    I remember *thinking* I was going to be very sad when my son finished at preschool. It was a magical place and we truly loved the people and environment. But I never felt sad for one second. First, NO MORE PRESCHOOL FEES, and second, A SINGLE DROPOFF/PICKUP. Having both kids on the same schedule was amazing. You will love it!

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    1. Daria Avatar

      Thanks for stopping by, Elisabeth! I was sad with L, but with R, I am looking forward to it. I think kindergarten will be good for him, he is smart but lazy and I hope his kindergarten teacher sets him straight.

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  6. Michelle G. Avatar

    I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing road trip, Daria!

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    1. Daria Avatar

      Thank you, dear Michelle!

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  7. Writer McWriterson Avatar

    That tree!! 😍 My dad grew up in New Jersey, so I love that I finally have a blogging friend from there!

    Your vacation looks like so much fun—I can’t wait to hear all about it!

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  8. San Avatar

    Enjoy the beginnings of spring (I love cherry blossoms!) and have a great trip! I also love that T enjoys cooking and doesn’t mind taking that part over 🙂 Lucky you!

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  9. Kyria @ Travel Spot Avatar

    I hope you are having fun on your road trip! I would love to go and see the ponies and dig on the beach and read. That sounds like a great time to me! 🙂 Why is that ice cream red? What is that on it? I have never seen such a thing!

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