So I wasn’t going to blog while away at the beach with my family, it is supposed to be a vacation, NOT a “business trip.” But I felt compelled to post a brief something about what I am experiencing while away, on what will be one of my last vacations for awhile since my third child will be born next month, which = NO VACATION ANYTIME SOON after she is here. My hubby and I find it slightly comical when describing going away to a place other than our home for a “vacation” which typically implies “relaxing and getting away from the everyday humdrum” of daily life.
However, if you take your kids along with you, are you truly getting away?? You still have to wake up when they do, answer their demands for whatever drinks and foods they want 3 meals a day, change diapers, dress them, deal with their issues/tantrums and troubleshoot constantly, and overall, try as hard as you can to make them as happy as possible so that your day is as enjoyable as possible. So my question again, “Is it really a vacation when you take the kids, or are you really just on a business trip?” You are working just as hard as you do at home to achieve the ultimate goal of keeping everyone happy/alive, yet you’ve just traveled out of the office(home) to reach your goal that the boss (or bosses-your children) has asked you to.
Well I think I might have stumbled upon a goldmine in terms of how to actually achieve a vacation-like atmosphere while also having my beautiful and precious children along with me…
I’m soaking in all the luxuries of vacationing with not just ONE set of grandparents, but TWO sets of grandparents!
This is a priceless luxury that I would pay oodles of money for if I needed to. It’s like traveling with two nannies without having to pay for the nannies, and the nannies actually have some vested interest in the kids because they’re blood related!! Let me do the simple math for you: I have two children, one husband, and two sets of grandparents (and the g-parents/in-laws get along swimmingly, how lucky am I??). So if each set of grandparents takes one child, then basically my husband and I are free to relax and carry on almost, not completely,(let’s not get carried away here, I am still in the room/on the beach with the kids and want to be somewhat present in their beach experience as well) as if we are on a honeymoon vacation as newlyweds. Brilliant huh??
I love my children with all my heart and every ounce of my body, even my 33 week old baby in the oven, but yet it is nice to have some outside entertainment(grandparents) for them to play with so I can somewhat relax. My anniversary with my hubby is coming up and I know that when we discussed having children years ago that I said I didn’t want it to change us or our ability to go and do things…yeah right, hello la la land! I think a lot of new couples have that pipe dream before they actually have that sweet little infant bundle in their arms or that raging toddler in the buggy at that grocery store that makes you wonder why you decided to procreate??!! But I know after these past couple days with our mini people, we have decided vacations are just more fun and exciting with them than without.
I rarely read books (cannot believe I’m admitting that), but my best friend let me borrow Tori Spelling’s newest book, “Mommywood“, for this beach trip since last year I read StoriTelling in like two days. And I must say, once again Tori has a way of writing and she is completely engaging to me in her own mommy life and she’s right on point with how us everyday moms (not the celebrity type) feel and handle life with children/husbands/work. I absolutely love one of the last paragraphs in her book that sums up exactly how I feel while vacationing with my two children, anxiously awaiting the arrival of number three child, and my 9th wedding anniversary coming up:
“If you don’t let it get to you, figuring out the details of a life that keeps changing is the fun part. I’m not worried about the future. Whatever happens, Dean and I (insert Scott and I!) will find our balance. We love our children. We love each other. Time, vacations, adventures-they’re all secondary to love.”
Keep writing Tori, I’m listening, AND reading! You’ve gotten me to do something most of my college professors at UGA failed at. I need a new book by next years beach trip;-)
