February Vacation?

OK, so its February Vacation, a concept I was not familiar with until moving to New England. I'm not sure what the purpose of this break is, given the fact that Christmas Vacation was just 6 weeks ago and April Vacation is just around the corner. But, here we are, in the middle of winter in Massachusetts, with no opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. When my kids were in 1/2 a day preschool, I actually loved it when school was out. I didn't understand those who grew weary thinking about a holiday or other type of school break. To me it meant being able to lounge around in my pj's, not having to prepare lunches or snacks (yes, i'm a procrastinator and didn't do that sort of thing until the morning), being able to take it easy, and not having to endure pick-up. But I totally get it now. My kids are older and are at school all day long, so when they are home all day, especially for a week, the ibuprofin bottle quickly calls my name. I love my kids so much, but they are very loud creatures. Hopefully scheduling a few play dates will ease the pain. And don't think the pain is mine only. My kids don't like vacation week either. They love school and don't like to miss. Of course, they are only in kindergarten and 1st grade, so I expect that to change. Does anyone else experience the frustration of vacation week?