Yes, you should go on vacation!
Check out my latest LearnVest article, Should You Take the Kids on Vacation?
As always, let me know what you think.
Showing posts with label Summer Vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer Vacation. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Monday, August 20, 2012
"Vacation"
I have a question for you: is it possible to go on "vacation" with children and not come back needing another vacation (without children)?
On Friday afternoon my family returned home from a week at the beach in Lewes, Delaware. It was our "summer vacation" and involved all the typical trips to the beach, the park, the ice cream shop, back to the beach, back to the park, and back to the ice cream shop.
On Friday night, after recovering from the drive, catching up on a week of Facebook posts (I had been offline all week) and consuming a few glasses of wine, I managed to pull off an epic 12.5 hour sleep. I was THAT tired.
Don't get me wrong. I love getting out of DC, especially in muggy August. I love being on "vacation" and the sense of adventure I feel packing up our car and driving hours away from the safety and predictability of my home. I LOVE being by the ocean and listening to the sound of the peaceful waves.
I think it's important to change your routine every once in a while. And I think it's critical my kids see the "world" that we're able to access right now (eventually we'll get them to India, Australia and Europe, but for now this is about as much as we can pull off).
I can honestly say there were many awesome moments with my kids that have already become cherished memories.
But man oh man, family vacations are SO much work. I can't tell you how many times I thought to myself, "there is NO way I'm ever doing this again." And the funny thing is, I said the exact thing to myself during our first "family beach vacation" last year. I do tend to be a bit overly dramatic while under duress, and beach vacations can sure bring out some duress. But for some reason, I still have this crazy expectation that I will get a chance to relax and chill out a bit. Silly Mama.
My husband stayed back in DC working for the first part of our trip which meant I was the only one coordinating the kids lives for numerous days. My lovely girlfriend from NYC, her husband and their darling and extremely well behaved 7 month old daughter were brave enough to be sharing the house with us. I frequently felt lousy that my kids didn't seem to respect the fact that my friends were also trying to have a "family vacation."
When you rent a place instead of committing to an all-inclusive resort or cruise, you still need to plan and cook meals, do laundry, clean up, and think of things to entertain little people for about 14 hours a day. And while we were in a sweet beach town, there are only so many hours you can spend at the actual beach with a 5 and 3 year old.
The word "vacation" simply doesn't go hand in hand with "break" anymore. In fact, it is tougher than being home because you're out of your element and having to make due with the limited supplies and activities you drag along with you. By the time the kids are in bed and the adults are fed, the adults are too tired to relax because they need to try and clock 7 hours of sleep before the kids rise with the sun.
I must return to my original question: is it possible to go on "vacation" with children and not come back needing another vacation (without children)? If so, how do you make it happen? Please feel free to share your secrets and experiences with me!
And in case you're wondering, yes, I am planning on doing it all again next year.
On Friday afternoon my family returned home from a week at the beach in Lewes, Delaware. It was our "summer vacation" and involved all the typical trips to the beach, the park, the ice cream shop, back to the beach, back to the park, and back to the ice cream shop.
On Friday night, after recovering from the drive, catching up on a week of Facebook posts (I had been offline all week) and consuming a few glasses of wine, I managed to pull off an epic 12.5 hour sleep. I was THAT tired.
Don't get me wrong. I love getting out of DC, especially in muggy August. I love being on "vacation" and the sense of adventure I feel packing up our car and driving hours away from the safety and predictability of my home. I LOVE being by the ocean and listening to the sound of the peaceful waves.
I think it's important to change your routine every once in a while. And I think it's critical my kids see the "world" that we're able to access right now (eventually we'll get them to India, Australia and Europe, but for now this is about as much as we can pull off).
I can honestly say there were many awesome moments with my kids that have already become cherished memories.
My husband stayed back in DC working for the first part of our trip which meant I was the only one coordinating the kids lives for numerous days. My lovely girlfriend from NYC, her husband and their darling and extremely well behaved 7 month old daughter were brave enough to be sharing the house with us. I frequently felt lousy that my kids didn't seem to respect the fact that my friends were also trying to have a "family vacation."
When you rent a place instead of committing to an all-inclusive resort or cruise, you still need to plan and cook meals, do laundry, clean up, and think of things to entertain little people for about 14 hours a day. And while we were in a sweet beach town, there are only so many hours you can spend at the actual beach with a 5 and 3 year old.
The word "vacation" simply doesn't go hand in hand with "break" anymore. In fact, it is tougher than being home because you're out of your element and having to make due with the limited supplies and activities you drag along with you. By the time the kids are in bed and the adults are fed, the adults are too tired to relax because they need to try and clock 7 hours of sleep before the kids rise with the sun.
I must return to my original question: is it possible to go on "vacation" with children and not come back needing another vacation (without children)? If so, how do you make it happen? Please feel free to share your secrets and experiences with me!
And in case you're wondering, yes, I am planning on doing it all again next year.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
I Miss Preschool/Summer is Very Long
The truth is, I am not that great entertaining small children for extended periods of time.
I have no degrees in early childhood education. And to this day, despite my 5.5 years experience hanging out with kids pretty much non-stop, I am baffled, overwhelmed and emotionally and physically exhausted after spending large chunks of time with them. Why don't kids just listen so we can all get along? Would it be so hard to just cooperate? Really?
The babe finished the extended program at her preschool last Friday and we have been together since noon of that day. First I was overwhelmed with the emotion surrounding the babe finishing 3 years of preschool and saying good bye to all the people who have been a part of our daily life for years. Now I am just overwhelmed by the prospect of making it to Kindergarten start day on Monday, August 27th.
To make things more interesting, I decided last Thursday that I (or more precisely, the little guy) was all done with diapers. That has meant the little guy has been in "big boy" underwear for almost 6 days. Perhaps I didn't chose the best time to embark on this potty training adventure, but I just couldn't take it anymore.
The little guy's best buddies have all started wearing big boy underwear and I was running out of excuses. I realized that I was the lazy one, not my son, as I was engaging in more of my typical "enabling" style of parenting. By continuing to put him in a diaper, I was continuing to signal that it was OK if he used it instead of a toilet. When things require more work (like breaking pacifier habits and potty training), I tend to want to put them off until I feel strong enough to deal with them. My strength comes from hitting my breaking point, and the last diaper full of stinky poop was apparently my breaking point. Now I am cleaning up stinky poop from underwear instead of diapers, but I have committed to seeing this through to the other side...however disgusting the process may be.
In terms of being a good stay-at-home mom, I am fully aware that I am better with one kid at a time than two. It's the truth and I am not ashamed to say it. For now, and for the next month, I am with two kids and since I love them, I know we will make it through. But it is not always going to be pretty.
To all you mothers out there who are overwhelmed by the summer months, you are not alone. To all you mothers out there who are having a blast with your kids this summer, I salute you.
And now I must head upstairs to intervene in the screaming of my children. Today's "quiet time" was apparently a "failure." Luckily it's summer break and we can always try again tomorrow.
I have no degrees in early childhood education. And to this day, despite my 5.5 years experience hanging out with kids pretty much non-stop, I am baffled, overwhelmed and emotionally and physically exhausted after spending large chunks of time with them. Why don't kids just listen so we can all get along? Would it be so hard to just cooperate? Really?
The babe finished the extended program at her preschool last Friday and we have been together since noon of that day. First I was overwhelmed with the emotion surrounding the babe finishing 3 years of preschool and saying good bye to all the people who have been a part of our daily life for years. Now I am just overwhelmed by the prospect of making it to Kindergarten start day on Monday, August 27th.
To make things more interesting, I decided last Thursday that I (or more precisely, the little guy) was all done with diapers. That has meant the little guy has been in "big boy" underwear for almost 6 days. Perhaps I didn't chose the best time to embark on this potty training adventure, but I just couldn't take it anymore.
The little guy's best buddies have all started wearing big boy underwear and I was running out of excuses. I realized that I was the lazy one, not my son, as I was engaging in more of my typical "enabling" style of parenting. By continuing to put him in a diaper, I was continuing to signal that it was OK if he used it instead of a toilet. When things require more work (like breaking pacifier habits and potty training), I tend to want to put them off until I feel strong enough to deal with them. My strength comes from hitting my breaking point, and the last diaper full of stinky poop was apparently my breaking point. Now I am cleaning up stinky poop from underwear instead of diapers, but I have committed to seeing this through to the other side...however disgusting the process may be.
In terms of being a good stay-at-home mom, I am fully aware that I am better with one kid at a time than two. It's the truth and I am not ashamed to say it. For now, and for the next month, I am with two kids and since I love them, I know we will make it through. But it is not always going to be pretty.
To all you mothers out there who are overwhelmed by the summer months, you are not alone. To all you mothers out there who are having a blast with your kids this summer, I salute you.
And now I must head upstairs to intervene in the screaming of my children. Today's "quiet time" was apparently a "failure." Luckily it's summer break and we can always try again tomorrow.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
The Beach
It's official. The kids and I leave for the beach in the morning.
I have a zillion things to cram into our car (which is not a mini van!). I have a lot of sunscreen and many bathing suit options for the kids. I have a silly amount of food ready to go (I'm not sure what we'll be able to track down that is allergy friendly in the little beach town we're staying).
After living in DC for 8 years, I am finally heading to the Delaware coast. I have never taken the little guy to the ocean, and the babe hasn't visited the beach since our trip to North Carolina when she was a wee little 1.5 year old. We're all ready to experience the beauty and power of the water and sand.
I am praying the 3 hour drive goes smoothly tomorrow. I will not be able to pull off the road every time they need something or decide to have a melt down. I am expecting the babe to really shift gears and hopefully rise to the occasion. I know she gets how special this is, and I hope she realizes how much I need her cooperation.
All this said, I will be offline for at least the next week. I look forward to sharing the highlights of our adventure with you. But it will have to wait because as soon as we get back from the beach, we are heading to the airport to fly North. I've managed to coordinate an exciting Canadian adventure to visit our people. August is going to be quite something. I can already feel it.
I have a zillion things to cram into our car (which is not a mini van!). I have a lot of sunscreen and many bathing suit options for the kids. I have a silly amount of food ready to go (I'm not sure what we'll be able to track down that is allergy friendly in the little beach town we're staying).
After living in DC for 8 years, I am finally heading to the Delaware coast. I have never taken the little guy to the ocean, and the babe hasn't visited the beach since our trip to North Carolina when she was a wee little 1.5 year old. We're all ready to experience the beauty and power of the water and sand.
I am praying the 3 hour drive goes smoothly tomorrow. I will not be able to pull off the road every time they need something or decide to have a melt down. I am expecting the babe to really shift gears and hopefully rise to the occasion. I know she gets how special this is, and I hope she realizes how much I need her cooperation.
All this said, I will be offline for at least the next week. I look forward to sharing the highlights of our adventure with you. But it will have to wait because as soon as we get back from the beach, we are heading to the airport to fly North. I've managed to coordinate an exciting Canadian adventure to visit our people. August is going to be quite something. I can already feel it.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
And So it Begins
I thought I was ready for Day 1 of summer vacation. I had a few things scheduled and thought we could just have "fun" the rest of the time. As much as I tried, the "fun" I had envisioned seemed pretty hard to come by.
Turns out I wasn't as prepared for Day 1 as I thought I was. By the end of the day I had a son with a black eye, a daughter with no clue as to how her behavior was impacting others, and an unsavory feeling in the pit of my stomach.
My husband came home with a fresh perspective and tried to talk us down off the ledge. It is always helpful to have a burst of positivity come through the door following a really rough day. After the kids were in bed, we continued to discuss how to make things better with the babe. The conversation continued on this morning after I realized that the little guy's eye was worse than I had thought (needless to say, the babe had smacked his eye with something during a rather violent and chaotic play date). My husband and I decided that all the talk about "being good," "doing good listening," "no yelling and hitting," wasn't getting us anywhere. In fact it may be hurting us as we struggle to get through to her. All this non-stop pressure to be a "good kid" has her acting exactly the opposite.
So we're going to try dropping all the "blah, blah, blah" and see how that goes. I am sick of the sound of my own nagging voice so this is coming at a great time for me. Another idea we're kicking around is just dropping down to our knees and hugging our little girl. Where I would have lost my cool and gone off on her before, I am now going to try and get ahead of the situation and hug her when things seem to be taking a turn for the worse. It will be a huge challenge for me as I don't usually feel like hugging when things are headed South. So perhaps it will be good for both of us in the end.
Things have been going better today. I am reminding myself that I am the adult and have to lead by example. And I am trying to remember that my kids are kids and aren't usually acting out to get back at me. They just don't know how to control their emotions, and I supposedly do. My job is to teach them. And the next 6 weeks is my chance to practice being the best Mama and person that I can be. I think it's going to be the only way to make it to Labor Day.
So hang in there with me. And please forgive my occasional rants. Sometimes I just need to get it out and remember that it's not all about me and that I am not the only parent out there with a "spirited child." Thanks for reading and please know that your thoughts are always welcome ( I won't hide it, I LOVE getting comments on my posts!).
Turns out I wasn't as prepared for Day 1 as I thought I was. By the end of the day I had a son with a black eye, a daughter with no clue as to how her behavior was impacting others, and an unsavory feeling in the pit of my stomach.
My husband came home with a fresh perspective and tried to talk us down off the ledge. It is always helpful to have a burst of positivity come through the door following a really rough day. After the kids were in bed, we continued to discuss how to make things better with the babe. The conversation continued on this morning after I realized that the little guy's eye was worse than I had thought (needless to say, the babe had smacked his eye with something during a rather violent and chaotic play date). My husband and I decided that all the talk about "being good," "doing good listening," "no yelling and hitting," wasn't getting us anywhere. In fact it may be hurting us as we struggle to get through to her. All this non-stop pressure to be a "good kid" has her acting exactly the opposite.
So we're going to try dropping all the "blah, blah, blah" and see how that goes. I am sick of the sound of my own nagging voice so this is coming at a great time for me. Another idea we're kicking around is just dropping down to our knees and hugging our little girl. Where I would have lost my cool and gone off on her before, I am now going to try and get ahead of the situation and hug her when things seem to be taking a turn for the worse. It will be a huge challenge for me as I don't usually feel like hugging when things are headed South. So perhaps it will be good for both of us in the end.
Things have been going better today. I am reminding myself that I am the adult and have to lead by example. And I am trying to remember that my kids are kids and aren't usually acting out to get back at me. They just don't know how to control their emotions, and I supposedly do. My job is to teach them. And the next 6 weeks is my chance to practice being the best Mama and person that I can be. I think it's going to be the only way to make it to Labor Day.
So hang in there with me. And please forgive my occasional rants. Sometimes I just need to get it out and remember that it's not all about me and that I am not the only parent out there with a "spirited child." Thanks for reading and please know that your thoughts are always welcome ( I won't hide it, I LOVE getting comments on my posts!).
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Let the Summer Begin
Ahhhhhhhh....summer. Lazy days by the pool. Chasing butterflies. Playing in the splash park. But wait. It's about 100 degrees out there. I'm not joking.
In less than an hour I am taking off to pick the babe up at school. It is the last time I will be doing the 3:30 pm pick up until after Labour Day. She gets off at noon tomorrow and then, as far as I'm concerned, summer really begins. By summer, I mean having 2 kids at home all day in a heat wave. Now that's what I'm talking about.
I have been trying to ignore that this day would come, but here it is.
Luckily we have many exciting plans for August which include my first trip with both kids to the beach and a few weeks in lovely, hopefully cooler, Canada.
Am I scared? Why yes, yes I am. I don't know if I''ve mentioned it, but I think I'm a great hands on Mama when there's only 1 kid around. I can easily do 1 on 1. Bump that up to 2 and I start losing control of the situation pretty quickly. My kids are just too much of a dynamic duo for me sometimes. The old saying that you can't make everybody happy becomes exceedingly apparent once we've all spent a few hours together.
I am officially calling on all my reserves of calm and patience and sending out vibes to the universe to help me through the next 6 weeks. Things are going to change around here, and I'm going to embrace it, because what else can I do?
In less than an hour I am taking off to pick the babe up at school. It is the last time I will be doing the 3:30 pm pick up until after Labour Day. She gets off at noon tomorrow and then, as far as I'm concerned, summer really begins. By summer, I mean having 2 kids at home all day in a heat wave. Now that's what I'm talking about.
I have been trying to ignore that this day would come, but here it is.
Luckily we have many exciting plans for August which include my first trip with both kids to the beach and a few weeks in lovely, hopefully cooler, Canada.
Am I scared? Why yes, yes I am. I don't know if I''ve mentioned it, but I think I'm a great hands on Mama when there's only 1 kid around. I can easily do 1 on 1. Bump that up to 2 and I start losing control of the situation pretty quickly. My kids are just too much of a dynamic duo for me sometimes. The old saying that you can't make everybody happy becomes exceedingly apparent once we've all spent a few hours together.
I am officially calling on all my reserves of calm and patience and sending out vibes to the universe to help me through the next 6 weeks. Things are going to change around here, and I'm going to embrace it, because what else can I do?
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