Thanksgiving Break from the Routine

Since I've gone back to work, we've gotten into a fairly strict routine around here. Mostly because we have to if we'd like to survive with our sanity in tact. Our daily lives go something like this:

2 AM: wake to feed crying baby. Change diaper, feed, burp, back to bed.
5 AM: wake to feed crying baby. Feed burp, back to bed.
5:30 AM: wake to see a 2-year-old staring at me beside my bed. Pull down the bed sheets so that he can crawl into bed with us.
6:15 AM: wake to get a shower and ready for school.
**NOTE: sometimes sleeping doesn't actually occur after the 5 AM feeding--at that point I'm living on hopes and dreams.
7:15 AM: all four family members out the door. Stop at daycare to drop off 2 children. Stop at UC Davis to drop off husband.
8:15 AM: get to work...late, yet again. Damn. Pump, teach, pump, eat, teach, pump, teach.
4:00 PM: leave school. Repeat drop-off process in reverse: Pick up husband, pick up 2 children, pick up 2 children's soiled clothing (is there ever a day when they DON'T pee or poop on their clothing?? $#%&)
5:00 PM: arrive home. Feed baby. Make dinner. Feed family. Clean up.
6:45 PM: Start baths. Start yelling at 2-year-old who's not listening to directions. Listen to crying. Give out hugs as needed.
7:30 PM: Snacks and short cartoon. Lately it's been clips from "How to Tame Your Dragon" or "Ice Age".
8:00 PM: Put kids in bed.
8:15 PM: Catch up on bills, cleaning, etc. Despite best efforts to spend quality time with husband, fall asleep on couch.
10:00 PM: wake up from evening nap. Go to bed. Dread the fact that 2 AM is going to come too soon.

There's usually a 15 minute window where I get to choose an activity that I would actually like to do, such as reading the newspaper or browsing the internet. I remember that there was a time in the BC years (before children) where I could come home after work and never move from the couch from 4:30 on if I didn't feel like it. I remember that my TV choices involved news and prime time dramas instead of cartoons. I remember being able to go to sleep after 11:00 and still feeling rested in the morning. For that matter, I remember morning starting at 9 AM instead of 5 AM.

Both Jamie and I have vacation all of next week, and the great news is that daycare is open on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. We are very excited to have 3 days worth of making our own decisions during the day, almost like before we had kids. We're already planning on seeing a movie, eating lunch at a restaurant we've been wanting to try, and taking a motorcycle ride if the weather cooperates. Hopefully, we'll also have time to just lay around the house and enjoy the silence that only a house without children has. In the back of my mind, I feel guilty for not keeping the kids home with us. After all, in a home where both parents work full time, how much quality time are our kids really spending with us? But then I remember that daily routine where I literally get 15 minutes a day to myself, and that's only if I'm lucky. Sorry kids, but Mommy needs to regain her sanity.