Vacation or Re Location

Ahhhh, Spring Break.  For me, it's 80% vacation.  Some would argue everyday is a vacation for me (to some extent true, but I'll only agree this may apply when my kids are in school).  We're headed to Florida.  We're driving: 6 hours one day; 6 hours the next.  We're staying in a condo with a washer, dryer and kitchen.  For a mom, that sounds like a blessing and a curse.  My kids are old enough to pack their bags (will require some review).  My kids are old enough to go into a restroom by themselves, wipe their own butt (total bonus) and hopefully remember to wash their hands.  This may be my 80%!!  My kids can feed themselves (still messy) and possibly clean up after themselves.  Things are looking up everyday.

We vacation every summer with my family, my husband's mom, sister and kids.  When my kids were little, this vacation was definitely a relocation.  Not that it wasn't fun, but it was a lot of work.  I watch my sister now with a 2, 4 and 7 year old and know that I've come a long way.  First, there's the sleeping dilemma.  A baby sleeping in the same room as a mom is a guaranteed no sleep vacation (which tends to make mama a little grumpy eventually).  Then there's the 3 meals served and cleaned up plus snacks.  At times, the service needs seem unending.  Let's talk behavior.  Kids are good and bad, vacation or no vacation, so the parenting demands don't go away; in fact they sometimes seem harder because you don't want your kids bad behavior to ruin someone else's vacation.  But then you look at the kids having a blast on the beach, you review the different years in your head and you know it was all worth it.  These are the memories you will relish when they are gone.

So today is packing day.  Tons of wash to finish and put away.  Then there's loading the car; for some reason this tends to be stressful.  I think it may be because we're never sure we're going to fit it all in.  Saturday afternoon, I'll have my feet in the sand and a cocktail in my hand and I won't even remember the work it took to get there.  Of course, there's that little matter of the kitchen and who's cooking dinner - I guess that would be me - that's my 20% on duty.   Sometimes it doesn't pay to be accomplished at something.  But since I planned this vacation I guess I wouldn't have it any other way.  Saturday may be the night to go out or get take out.  Yes, Saturday is going to be a 100% vacation day for me; join me!!